Plymouth Reliant Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 38 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the Plymouth Reliant (1985–1989) that have at least 5 complaints. 1988 has the most, with 16. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (13 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Reliant model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 7 | 42,320 | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1988 | 16 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1987 | 10 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1985 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling13 34%
- Vehicle speed control6 16%
- Body and structure4 11%
- Steering4 11%
- Suspension3 7.9%
- Seat belts3 7.9%
- Brakes3 7.9%
- Seats2 5.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1987: “The k-frame on the passenger side broke bringing the car to a halt. The mechanic who repaired it said this is a common fault with the k-cars. He also said I was very lucky I was going very slow. He said if it had busted on the interstate while going 60 MPH, there could have been a very serious accident. Has there ever been a recall on the k-cars? Even though it has been repaired, I'll be thinking about what the mechanic said each time I'm in the car.”
NHTSA complaint #703998, filed 1999-031988: “Started the car from a parking lot, as soon as I put on drive, the car went on high speed, went in a circular motion, I could not stop the car until I hit two other cars.”
NHTSA complaint #708526, filed 1999-071985: “When driving at 50 MPH, the front is shaking real badly, and there is a problem with the tie rods/ ball joints and struts.dealer can't determine the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #836910, filed 1999-04Other Plymouth models
5,239 complaintsPlymouth Grand Voyager
2,429 complaintsPlymouth Neon
1,369 complaintsPlymouth Breeze
666 complaintsPlymouth Acclaim
424 complaintsPlymouth Sundance
306 complaintsPlymouth Colt
138 complaintsPlymouth Laser
110 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology