1996 Plymouth Breeze Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe recurring oil leaks traced to the head gasket, along with coolant loss and overheating that sometimes followed. Brake complaints describe rapid wear, squealing and, in a few cases, a pedal that went to the floor. Transmission and steering problems appear as well, mostly on higher-mileage cars.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Head gasket oil and coolant leaks

   • 66 complaints (36%)
   • median 72,500 mi at 7.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,100 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2005

   Owners describe oil dripping under the car, oil smell or smoke from under the hood, and low oil level between changes. Many say a mechanic or dealer traced the leak to the head gasket, and some had the gasket replaced more than once, sometimes paying for it themselves. A few mention coolant loss, overheating, or the temperature light failing to warn them before the engine was damaged. Reports come from a wide mileage range, some under 20,000 miles and many in the 50,000-120,000 mile range.

   What to check: Check the oil level and look for drips or fresh oil residue on the engine and under the car, and ask whether the head gasket has ever been replaced. Watch coolant level and temperature behavior on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The vehicles head gasket cracked which resulted in an oil leak. The dealer was notified. The vehicles head gasket cracked which resulted in an oil leak. The dealer was notified. Oil leak started before aug 2002 but other components were diagnosed as problem. Ultimately, the mechanic checked the head gasket and found the root of the problem. I had the part replaced at my own expense to have the car repaired.”

   NHTSA complaint #10017189, filed 2003-04, 72,600 miles

   “I purchased my 1996 Plymouth Breeze in april of 1998 with 33,000 miles on it and it currently has 115,000 miles on it. The initial signs of problems begin at 50,000 miles with an oil leak no one could seem to fix (not even the dealership). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10058311, filed 2004-02, 54,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake wear, squealing and weak pedal

   • 18 complaints (10%)
   • median 148,000 mi at 7.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2006

   Owners describe brakes that squeal, wear out quickly, or feel like the pedal sinks toward the floor with long stopping distances. Some had rotors, pads and calipers replaced repeatedly, and a few report a caliper or brake component failing. Complaints describe dealers attributing the work to normal wear and charging the owner. Reported across a broad mileage range, with several complaints on cars past 100,000 miles.

   Recall 96V075000Recall 96V074000

   What to check: Ask for brake service records and have the pedal feel, rotor condition and fluid level checked. Note that two recalls in this list concern the master cylinder and the ABS hydraulic unit.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was coming home one evening from town, and my brakes failed to stop. The brake pedal went all the way to the floorboard and never once slowed me down and I crashed into another vehicle. It was a pretty bad wreck and luckily no one was seriously injured.”

   NHTSA complaint #10167010, filed 2006-08, 242,000 miles

   “When applying the brakes there is a noise which indicates more wear and tear on the braking system. Dealer said they fixed the problem. Problem still exists. Also, steering wheel becomes stiff and hard. Occupant cannot control the vehicle. In addition, problems with transmission, when the occupant accelerates the vehicle does not perform as it should . Causes unknown. Please provide details.”

   NHTSA complaint #828730, filed 1998-10
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission fluid leaks and shifting problems

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 147,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2005

   Owners describe transmission fluid leaks, a loud rattle, and the transmission sticking in a gear or refusing to shift properly. Several say the dealer recommended replacing or rebuilding the transmission. Complaints about the shifter interlock often concern recall work being delayed or charged for. Mostly reported between roughly 60,000 and 150,000 miles.

   Recall 04V021000Recall 98V1830001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check for red fluid under the car, confirm smooth shifting through all gears, and ask whether the shifter interlock recalls were completed. A service bulletin in this list describes a valve body update related to overdrive cycling.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Transmission started having a loud rattle when checked out car is leaking transmission fluid and will need to have transmission replaced. I do not feel that the transmission should go out in 59,000 miles. I also feel that the dealer should have found that the car was leaking transmission fluid in the 2 times that I had the vehicle in, this was very obvious problem if they had checked it out properly.”

   NHTSA complaint #712863, filed 1999-10

   “Problems getting repair work completed on 1996 Plymouth Breeze. When the consumer returned to pick up his vehicle, he was told no work had been performed because there was a special part that needed to ordered. The dealer still has not contacted the consumer. The problem was a recall repair on the shift inter-lock. Recall#04v021000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10117712, filed 2005-03
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Rough idle and surging at stops

   • 8 complaints (4%)
   • typically at 4.2 yrs old
   • filed 1996–2004

   Owners describe the engine idling high or rough, racing at stops, and the car trying to lunge forward even with the brake applied. Some say the problem took several dealer visits to resolve, and a few link it to wiring or sensor issues. Reported at varied mileages, mostly on cars driven for several years.

   What to check: Start the engine cold and warm and watch for a high or uneven idle, and check that the car holds still when idling in gear with the brake on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle lunges/surges at idle. Acts like it doesn;t go out of gear. Must press firmly on brake to keep vehicle from lunging ahead. Very rough idle. Shakes steering wheel violently. Must place transmission in neutral at stop to control vehicle. When shifted to neutral engine races momentarily and then slows down. Vehicle is hard to control when stopped, performance unpredictible, unreliable and dangerous to other persons and vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #712489, filed 1999-09

   “While driving at any speed vehicle will stall and die out without warrning. Whe placed in park it idles up very high, and, idles low when it is in drive. Dealer has been contacted.”

   NHTSA complaint #833829, filed 1999-01
5. 5
   Steering

   Steering hard to turn or noisy

   • 16 complaints (9%)
   • median 76,021 mi at 7.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1996–2006

   Owners describe the steering wheel becoming stiff or hard to turn, sometimes with a squeal that fades after the car warms up, and in one case a complete loss of steering assist during a turn. Some had a steering column replaced, in at least one case more than once. Reported from low mileage up to about 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Turn the wheel lock to lock with the engine running and listen for squeals or binding, and check power steering fluid level and belt condition.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Approximately three weeks ago, after making a left turn, I noticed the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The problem would disappear after backing up. And was not always consistent. I brought it into my garage who checked the belts and fluid. They reported everything was fine. Yesterday (2/22) leaving work I was making a left turn out of the parking lot into the exit lane, and lost all steering ability. Another employee stopped to see if I needed help. When I told him I lost the steering again and asked if he could look. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10151012, filed 2006-02, 98,043 miles

   “Faulty steering column. Complained about this problem 4 times from 6000 - 30000 miles, replaced at 50,000 at cost to me. Now after 1000 more miles has to be replaced again. Chyrsler replied that it is not their problem that it was misdiagnosed all those times.”

   NHTSA complaint #721746, filed 2000-04

Buying note. On this model year, a careful look at oil leaks around the head gasket area and at brake and steering condition matters more than mileage alone. Ask for service records covering gasket, brake and transmission work, and confirm any open recalls were completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.