Im trying to find out if there is any kind of 'known' problem with brakes on the new style MX5 ? I ask because 2 days ago, my wife had an accident where she had left our house and driven 50 yards the junction but when she applied the brakes (twice) they did nothing and she went straight into a hedge. She cannot have been moving at more than 10-15 mph so she was not hurt and the car doesnt seem to bad either.

The repair centre says they have found nothing wrong so far with the brake but she is understandably nervous about driving the car again unless a problem is identified. (11/99)

I too would be worried if the brakes died and the garage could find nothing wrong. So some questions;

What time of day was this?
Is the car kept in a garage?
Had the car just been washed?
Was this the first time she used he brakes after setting off?
Do you have ABS?
Did she drive though any deep puddles?
Was the road 'slippy' when your wife got out of the car (black ice??)?
Was the weather frosty?

I think the problem was condensation/water on the discs. If the car is kept outside and it was first thing in the morning this is possible. If this was the case the accident would have to have been after the first time she tried the brakes since setting off. The water will have stopped the pads gripping the discs. When the garage had a look the water had dried up so there was nothing wrong. If this is the problem then the best thing to do is to try the brakes after moving off, and before you need them. If they don't bite then keep the pedal pressed until they do.

Have you ever noticed the brakes are a little ineffective before, especially first thing in a morning? This could support this theory. The only alternative I can think of is black ice on an untreated road. If this was the case, and you have ABS you should have felt the pedal shake as the ABS works. If this was the cause then there is nothing wrong with the car, it was the road.

I have a problem with my brakes when they are wet. I had a good look at them this weekend and found that it's only my fronts, and that it happens every time they get fully wet, whether that's washing the wheels or driving in very wet conditions. Seems to be water getting between the disk and pad causing the brakes not to work until you've "pumped" a few times and removed it. I also noticed that the front disks are slightly grooved but not too bad, and it's had some green performance pads fitted in Japan.

Could the grooves be allowing the water between disk and pad to cause this problem? Would changing pads help as these are a total unknown at the moment? (4/00)