1993 Plymouth Sundance Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about air bags that deployed late, weakly, or without a crash, and about front seat backs that broke and folded rearward. The remaining complaints are spread across door latches, rear axle and suspension parts, electrical faults and stalling. Most reports describe failures that appeared as the cars aged rather than at low mileage; where mileage is recorded, reports cluster around the mid-50,000-mile range.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag deployment problems (late, weak, or no crash)

   • 16 complaints (27%)
   • typically at 3.5 yrs old
   • 11 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–1999

   Complaints describe air bags that did not inflate or inflated only partly in a frontal collision, leaving occupants to strike the steering wheel or dash. Other owners report the driver bag firing with no impact at all, such as while pulling out of a parking lot, and one complaint describes the bag deploying with enough gas release to make the driver ill. Several also mention an air bag warning light that stayed on, which the dealer offered to diagnose at the owner's cost. Reported across a wide mileage range with no clear pattern; several complaints came from vehicles more than five years old.

   What to check: Confirm the air bag warning light goes out after start-up and stays off, and ask whether the bag or its sensors have ever been serviced or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When making a right turn out of a parking lot, the air bag on the driver's side deployed for no apparent reason. Chyrsler was contacted about the problem. The problem has not been corrected. Please provide any further information.”

   NHTSA complaint #844680, filed 1999-08

   “While using air conditioner the fan stopped and smoked entered the passenger's compartment through the dash or the steering column. Afterwards the airbag warning light came on and will not go off. Dealer has not seen.”

   NHTSA complaint #844168, filed 1999-09
2. 2
   Seats

   Front seat back breaks and folds rearward

   • 7 complaints (12%)
   • typically at 5.4 yrs old
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–1999

   Owners describe the driver seat back snapping or reclining backward on its own, sometimes while driving and in some cases during a collision, so the driver ends up lying toward the rear seat. Dealers in these complaints either declined to repair under warranty or, after recall 99V212000 was mailed, said the part had to be ordered and had not arrived. One owner was told the existing seat would be taken apart rather than replaced. Came up at varied mileages on cars that were already several years old; no single mileage pattern in the sample.

   Recall 99V212000

   What to check: Check whether recall 99V212000 work was completed, and push on both front seat backs to feel for looseness or a weak recliner before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Had received recall notice #99v212000. Contacted dealer. Informed consumer seat had to be ordered. Took vehicle on date given. Seat had not arrived. Seat in vehicle was broken & went backwards. Was not given any indication when seat would be available. Would need to tear existing seat apart to repair & not replace it.”

   NHTSA complaint #851763, filed 1999-10

   “Driving down rd, going wrong way, started to turn around, another vehicle rearended Sundance, front seats collapsed/broke onto rear, backseats vehicle was crushed foward due to impact, steering wheel ripped out of driver's hands causing loss of control of vehicle, consumer and passenger suffered injuries.”

   NHTSA complaint #986848, filed 1996-07

Buying note. These reports are mostly about safety hardware and rear suspension parts on an older, inexpensive car, so a pre-purchase inspection focused on the seat backs, air bag warning light and rear axle is worth the cost. Ask for records of recall 99V212000 and any past seat or suspension repairs before agreeing on a price.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 25 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.