IllustrationTHIS CAR HAS A POTENTIAL FOR "OIL" FIRE AND NO DEALER SO FAR HAS BEEN ABLE TO OFFER A SOLUTION. *AK
1988 Plymouth Sundance
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1988 Plymouth Sundance do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 27.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sundance years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 0 of 27 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Seat Belts. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
6 reportsVEHICLE HAS ODOMETER TAMPERING/FRAUD. YH
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE BLEW OUT, VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND THEN DIED OUT.
ENGINE HEAD GASKET/VALVE COVER GASKET FAILED; ALSO REPLACED RACK AND PINION STEERING/LEFT WHEEL CYLINDER AND OXYGEN SENSOR. *AK
INTERMITTENT STALLING.
THE ENGINE HAS KNOCK IN IT THE PISTON WAS REPLACE . TT
Official recalls
292V053000 · Seat Belts
Apr 13, 1992
THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER RESTRAINT SYSTEMS CAN MALFUNCTION AND BECOME INOPERATIVE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SEAT OCCUPANTS WITHOUT SHOULDER RESTRAINTS ARE SUBJECT TOINCREASED RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOP OR VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: REPLACE THE SYSTEM DRIVE AND RAIL ASSEMBLY WITH REVISED COMPONENTS.
88V129000 · Seat Belts:front:retractor
Aug 1, 1988
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT LAP BELT RETRACTOR, WHICH INCORPORATES A CHILD SEAT BELT LOCKING FEATURE, MAY MALFUNCTION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SEAT BELT LOCK WOULD EXTRACT AND CHILD SEAT MAY MOVE OUTOF ITS RESTRAINED POSITION.
Remedy: REPLACE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT LAP RETRACTOR WITH A REDESIGNED RETRACTOR.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
4EA91043 · Auto Shoulder Belt Failure
Opened Oct 30, 1991 · Closed Apr 20, 1992
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts
There is no summary currently available
PE91082 · Auto Shoulder Belt Failure
Opened Jun 5, 1991 · Closed Oct 30, 1991
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts
There is no summary currently available
PE91065 · Steering Gear Bolts Loosen
Opened Apr 16, 1991 · Closed Aug 30, 1991
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
There is no summary currently available
EA89001 · Logic Module
Opened Oct 5, 1988 · Closed Nov 17, 1989
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages
There is no summary currently available