1998 Plymouth Voyager Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about a failed clockspring that leaves the air bag light on and the horn and cruise control inoperative, and about rust at the front strut towers. Transmission trouble and a serpentine belt that slips off in rain or standing water also come up repeatedly. Most complaints arrive well past 50,000 miles on a vehicle of this age.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Clockspring failure (air bag light, horn, cruise control)

   • 36 complaints (11%)
   • median 80,579 mi at 6.5 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • filed 2001–2015

   Complaints describe the air bag warning light coming on while driving, often with the horn and cruise control quitting at the same time. Several owners were told by the dealer that the clockspring in the steering wheel hub had failed. A number of owners say their van fell outside the build range of the clockspring recalls and that the dealer declined the repair, and some report the part being backordered. Reported from roughly 45,000 to 185,000 miles, most often between 65,000 and 110,000 miles.

   Recall 04V480000Recall 02V293000

   What to check: Turn the key to on and confirm the air bag light goes out, then test the horn and cruise control. Ask the seller whether the clockspring recalls were performed and whether the part was replaced at owner expense.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 1998 Plymouth Voyager is not on the recall list for the clock spring replacement. I experienced the same problem with this vehicle and had it fixed before the recall came out. Chrysler is now refusing to reimburse me for the repair claiming it is not in the original recall list. I believe the recall list is not reaching all of the effected vehicle's and should include all 98 voyagers.”

   NHTSA complaint #10010939, filed 2003-03, 70,367 miles

   “The consumer received recall 02v293000 regarding the air bag clock spring failure. After putting the vehicle on the diagnostic machine, a different code came up that didn't match the recall code. The dealer claimed that unless the codes matched the recall, the repair work will not be done.”

   NHTSA complaint #10068610, filed 2004-06, 115,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Rust at front strut towers and underbody

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe heavy rust on top of the front strut towers, in some cases rusted through or cracked, and one van sitting visibly lower on the rusted side. Several say a shop or inspection station flagged the towers as a structural concern and recommended replacement. Others report rust-through on the underbody and around the sliding door, with dealers generally declining to cover it. Reported from about 57,000 to 152,000 miles, often on vehicles more than six years old.

   What to check: Open the hood and inspect the tops of both front strut towers and the surrounding sheet metal for bubbling or perforation, and look underneath at the subframe and rocker areas.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The strut tower is rusting very bad and about to break off. This is a very big danger for my wife and four kids.. I first notice the rust 2 weeks after we bought this 1998 Plymouth Voyager, and the dealer would not fix it. It been 3.5 years know and there are holes we can see though. Not very good. I also noticed the van is about 1/2 lower to the ground from the side the rust is bad. The only had 62,000 mile ib it when we noticed the rust. There should be a recall. Shops told me every 1998 Plymouth Voyager they see has got the same problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10233283, filed 2008-07, 61,000 miles

   “While checking under the hood, the right strut tower appeared to have an unusual amount of rust on top. A crack was then noticed. Mechanic stated it would have to be replaced and this was a common problem on this model. The original part was painted and rusted due to failure of paint. Needs to be totally replaced with new kit that corrects the problem. Failure of this part may result in loss of control and inability to steer the car. Poor engineering cited by mechanic. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10118279, filed 2005-04, 74,624 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission and differential failure

   • 33 complaints (10%)
   • median 60,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2006

   Complaints describe the van revving without moving, jerking into gear, or losing drive entirely, sometimes with a noise and a fluid leak. Several owners were told the transmission needed rebuilding or replacement, and in some cases the differential was cracked or had failed as well. A few report repeat leaks after the repair. Reported from about 45,000 to 133,000 miles, with several cases under 65,000 miles.

   What to check: Check the transmission fluid level and color, look for leaks where the van is parked, and drive from a stop and through a few gear changes to feel for slipping or delayed engagement. Ask whether the transmission or differential has been rebuilt.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a Plymouth Voyager with 47,000 mi. I'd only had it for 4 mos. When the transmission started to act up. I have been told that it is probably on it's way out seeing as chrysler knows not how to make a working product. It is very dangerous for me to try to pull out onto a road when I am not sure whether or not I am going to be able to go. When I do and it doesn't move, I then have to hurry up and gun it so as not to get hit from oncoming traffic. The car then jerks into gear after reving up to around 50 if I take it that far. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10000469, filed 2003-01, 45,000 miles

   “It is june of 2003 and the car is currently in the shop again for the transmission problem. It has had a power steering pump failure, serpentine belt failure times 5 and now a computer problem. I have contacted chrystler corp at least 5 times regarding the problems with this car. Their answer is well, if you don't like the care trade it in.”

   NHTSA complaint #10070075, filed 2004-01, 58,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Body control module and dash electrical failures

   • 29 complaints (9%)
   • median 94,784 mi at 8.4 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2012

   Owners describe the instrument cluster and accessories cutting out: gauges and warning lights dropping, wipers running on their own, and lights or power locks behaving intermittently. Several were told by the dealer that the body control module had failed and had it replaced, in some cases more than once, without the problem going away. One owner reports the headlights and tail lights switching on by themselves with the van off. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 130,000 miles, with a few higher-mileage cases.

   What to check: Start the van and watch for warning lights that stay on or gauges that fail to sweep, and cycle the wipers, lights and power locks. Ask whether the body control module has been replaced and whether the same symptoms returned.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 1998 Plymouth Voyager. At the time of the first incident the vehicle had approximately 80,000 miles on it. While driving I noticed that a number of warning lights suddenly appeared and that all of the gauges were not operating on the dash. The vehicle was brought to scap jeep/Plymouth/dodge dealership in fairfield ct. The technician said that he had no clue what it was and that he would have to trace each wire and it would include numerous man hours. He also suggested replacing the main computer. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10455079, filed 2012-04, 80,000 miles

   “We have paid numerous times to have these same issues looked at parts replaced. New brain as they said for the car, new computer modules. This over the years has cost me untold amounts of time and money. The dash shuts off completely while driving, even though we have had everything replaced. Wipers do what they choose, if we leave them on they stay off.if we turn them off they go on. We have no dash what so ever, unable to ascertain speed in the middle of driving. Numerous times the vehicle has just shut down when coming to a stop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10292063, filed 2009-11, 70,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine cooling

   Serpentine belt slips off in rain or standing water

   • 26 complaints (8%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 7.7 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2012

   Owners report the serpentine belt throwing off its pulleys when driving through rain or a puddle, which takes out power steering, charging and cooling at once and can leave the van overheating. Some had the belt tensioner or power steering pump replaced without solving it. One owner refers to a service bulletin on the problem and an aftermarket belt and pulley kit as the fix. Usually described after driving through wet conditions, reported from about 58,000 to 185,000 miles.

   What to check: Inspect the serpentine belt for glazing, cracking or misalignment on its pulleys, and ask whether the belt routing has been updated or an aftermarket pulley guard fitted.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1998 Plymouth Voyager loses serpentine belt ,over heats and loses power steering whenever it rains. I had the belt tensioner replaced twice it has not helped now van is at another chrysler dealership, where they say it is the power steering pump and pulley. They are charging me $400.00 dollars to do this work and I believe this is a manufacturing defect that should be acknowledged and addressed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10018372, filed 2003-05, 72,000 miles

   “Drove through a puddle. Serpentine belt fell off, causing loss of power steering. Completed repair as per TSB 07-02-99. Did not correct issue. A known issue with 1996 - 2000 Plymouth/dodge caravans 3.3l and 3.8l. Very dangerous, happens on wet/snow conditions. Bottom third of harmnic balancer is not guarded from road moisture. Chrysler redesigned in 2001. Gates after market kit solves problem gat 38379k, cost $120-$220 with out labor. Does this meet the criteria for a recall?”

   NHTSA complaint #10449144, filed 2012-02, 185,000 miles

Buying note. On a van this old, the two things worth checking before anything else are the front strut towers for rust-through and whether the clockspring recalls were actually completed. Budget for transmission work and expect electrical gremlins; a documented service history matters more than mileage here.

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.