1988 Plymouth Sundance problems & reliability
27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1988 Plymouth Sundance. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts → | 10 | 37% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 22% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 15% |
| Steering | 3 | 11% |
| Visibility | 3 | 11% |
| Power Train | 2 | 7% |
| Seats | 2 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I came home from work on the 20th of november and when I pulled into my drive way my car wen't up in flames from what the fire department said was a as leak that was leaking from my fuel injecter onto my manifold. My car was totaled from this fire. Is there anything I can do about this. *ak”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Nov 29, 2000
“Rear seat belt isn't working properly, and when trying to pull the seat belt out of the retractor, the seat belt will freeze. Consumer can't pull the seat belt out. *ak”
Seat Belts · filed Aug 17, 1999
“Engine head gasket/valve cover gasket failed; also replaced rack and pinion steering/left wheel cylinder and oxygen sensor. *ak”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Dec 30, 1996
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AUTO SHOULDER BELT FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA91043 · opened Oct 30, 1991 · closed Apr 20, 1992 · led to recall 92V053000
- AUTO SHOULDER BELT FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE91082 · opened Jun 5, 1991 · closed Oct 30, 1991
- STEERING GEAR BOLTS LOOSEN
Preliminary Evaluation PE91065 · opened Apr 16, 1991 · closed Aug 30, 1991
- LOGIC MODULE
Engineering Analysis EA89001 · opened Oct 5, 1988 · closed Nov 17, 1989
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1988 Plymouth Sundance in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1988 Plymouth Sundance?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.