IllustrationMOTOR BELT DOES NOT FUNCTION ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. *AK *YH
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
What owners actually said
27 reportsTHIS CAR HAS A POTENTIAL FOR "OIL" FIRE AND NO DEALER SO FAR HAS BEEN ABLE TO OFFER A SOLUTION. *AK
I CAME HOME FROM WORK ON THE 20TH OF NOVEMBER AND WHEN I PULLED INTO MY DRIVE WAY MY CAR WEN'T UP IN FLAMES FROM WHAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID WAS A AS LEAK THAT WAS LEAKING FROM MY FUEL INJECTER ONTO MY MANIFOLD. MY CAR WAS TOTALED FROM THIS FIRE. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THIS. *AK
PLEASE CALL BEGONIA FERREIRO AT 1973-344-4469
VEHICLE HAS ODOMETER TAMPERING/FRAUD. YH
REAR SEAT BELT ISN'T WORKING PROPERLY, AND WHEN TRYING TO PULL THE SEAT BELT OUT OF THE RETRACTOR, THE SEAT BELT WILL FREEZE. CONSUMER CAN'T PULL THE SEAT BELT OUT. *AK
REAR DEFROST WIRING SHORT.
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE BLEW OUT, VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND THEN DIED OUT.
MAIN HOOD LATCH FAILED TO HOLD THE HOOD SHUT/SECONDARY LATCH ALSO FAILED TO ENGAGE. *AK
AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS ARE INOPERATIVE. THE NYLON TACKS FOR BELTS HAVE WORN AWAY. *AK
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