1993 Plymouth Colt Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report one dominant problem by a wide margin: the motorized automatic shoulder belts that move along the door and A-pillar. Complaints describe belts that stop partway, fail to retract, or come off the guide track, sometimes repeatedly after recall work, and owners say dealers often declined further repair or attributed the problem to parts the earlier recall did not cover. A few complaints cover the automatic transmission/transfer case and ignition or overdrive shifting.

1. 1
   Seat belts

   Automatic shoulder belt stuck or not retracting

   • 33 complaints (46%)
   • typically at 4.1 yrs old
   • filed 1995–2002

   Complaints describe the motorized front shoulder belt stopping partway along its track, staying in the forward position when the door closes, or refusing to move at all when the door opens. Owners report clicking noises, belts that jam and fray, and belt motors that keep running or burn out. Several say the belt was repaired under a recall and failed again later, and that the dealer then wanted to charge for the work or said the recall covered only the motor and not the cable or guide rail. Complaints were filed from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s; mileage is not given in most of them, so age and repeated repair cycles are the common factor.

   Recall 97V073002Recall 97V063002

   What to check: With the door open and closed, watch the shoulder belt travel the full length of its track and listen for clicking, grinding, or a motor that keeps running. Ask for paperwork showing whether recall 97V073002 was performed and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Automatic seatbelt disengaged when a gust of wind hit my car driving down rt 84 in middletown, ny. It went in the position of being halfway deployed and stayed that way for approx 14 miles as I drove home. It did not become fully disengaged until I reached home and and exited the vehicle. Now when we enter the car it will only engage halfway and the cable is not sticking out of the runner for the belt. …”

   NHTSA complaint #715909, filed 1999-12

   “I have been having problems with the drivers side motorized seat belt in my 1993 Plymouth COLT. There are times when it will work and there are times when it will not even move back, leaving me the driver unprotected ina crash. I have been back and forth with both misubishi and Plymouth, Plymouth being the ones who are refusing to help me out here. From what I have read there is a recall for the guide rail on the motorized seat belt, but that is only for the 2 door model, and with mine being a 4 door, no one will help me out. …”

   NHTSA complaint #717815, filed 2000-01
2. 2
   Seat belts

   Belt cable pops out of the guide rail

   • 23 complaints (32%)
   • typically at 5.0 yrs old
   • filed 1995–2001

   Owners describe the cable coming out of the guide rail or track, sometimes with the cable end or wire exposed and sometimes flung out while the motor kept running. Complaints also mention the track or guide rail being broken or the anchorage becoming stuck. Some owners say the earlier recall work did not replace the track itself, and that the cable came out again afterward. Reported across the late 1990s and into the early 2000s; the complaints generally tie it to a guide rail or track that has already been serviced or has aged.

   Recall 97V073002

   What to check: Inspect the rail and its cover on both front doors for a cable sitting outside its channel, a damaged cover, or exposed wire; ask whether the rail or track assembly itself was replaced, not just lubricated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 3 occasions I have had the cable pop out of the track on the retrackable seat belt system in my COLT. There was a recall of this item in 1997. I took the vehicle to our local dealer jim soutars chrysler, to have the recall done. Opon return of the car after the recall work ,it looked like all soutars had done was to grease the cable guide, and the cable guide was not changed to the double lip dust seal anodic oxide coated track .I looked at the track before it was taken in, and it was the same track! …”

   NHTSA complaint #720725, filed 2000-03

   “Consumer states that she received a recall notice on the driver's side guide rail . Due to the defect of the guide rail, the restraint motor burned out, making the restraints inoperable. The owner has been trying to contact chrysler corporation to see if they will pay for the reapir of the motor , but has been unsuccessful.”

   NHTSA complaint #816659, filed 1997-09
3. 3
   Seat belts

   Passenger side left out of belt recall work

   • 17 complaints (24%)
   • typically at 5.0 yrs old
   • filed 1995–2001

   Several owners report that the passenger side motorized belt had the same symptoms as the driver side but was not covered by the recall. In their accounts, dealers and the manufacturer declined to treat the passenger side as part of the campaign, saying the vehicle or the side was not included, leaving the owner to pay or drive with a belt that does not move. Complaints came in mainly from the late 1990s through 2001, often after owners had already had the driver side repaired.

   Recall 97V073002

   What to check: Test the passenger belt through its full travel separately from the driver side, and ask whether any recall or campaign work was done on the passenger door.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Automatic passenger side seat belt wiring fell out of track. We have already had a recall on the drivers side belt and the same problem has happened with the passenger side automatic seat belt. We need the seat belt for safety measure when we drive the car. Thank you kelly bartunek”

   NHTSA complaint #713983, filed 1999-10

   “The passenger's side automatic shoulder belts will not retract. Consumer stated that the shoulder belt is in the retracting position. Also there is a recall due to the same problem for the driver side only, dealer refused to correct the problem on the passenger's side. Please provide further details.”

   NHTSA complaint #816861, filed 1997-10

Buying note. The automatic seat belt system is the main thing to evaluate on this model year: check both front belts through their full travel and ask for documented recall work. Paperwork for the seat belt campaigns and for the transfer case recall is worth having, since replacements and repairs were reportedly repeated.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 34 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.