RoadVitals

1983 American Motors Encore

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
0
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
4
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1983 American Motors Encore. 4 NHTSA investigations name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA88015ClosedEngineering Analysis

SEAT TRACK

Opened Jan 19, 1988
Closed May 16, 1988

SUMMARY: RESULTS OF ETF TESTING SHOW THAT A FAILED SEAT TRACK CAUSES THETHE SEAT ASSEMBLY TO RECLINE UNTIL THE SEAT BACK CONTACTS THE REAR SEATCUSHION, CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.ANALYSIS: THE ROCKER RECLINER SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLESSEPARATES FROM THE TRACK ASSEMBLY BECAUSE OF METAL FATIGUE.AMC HAS MOD-IFIED THE SEAT TRACK DESIGN AND APPARENTLY SOLVED THE PROBLEM.RECOMMENDATION: TEST ADDITIONAL FAILED SEATS AND SEND A RECALL REQUESTLETTER.===

SEATSLed to recall 88V060000
PE88015ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

FRONT SWAY BAR SEPARATION

Opened Jan 15, 1988
Closed Jun 8, 1988

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SUSPENSION
PE87029ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

SEAT TRACK FAILURE

Opened May 12, 1987
Closed Jan 19, 1988

SUMMARY: SINCE PE 85-060 WAS CLOSED ON 1/3/86, ODI RECEIVED 7 ADDI-TIONAL COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS MATTER. ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED.ODI'S IR OF 5/29/87 PROMPTED AMC TO REPORT ADDITIONAL FAILURES. ETF TEST-ING CONFIRMED THE SAFETY RELATEDNESS OF A FAILED SEAT. ODI HAS RECEIVED18 COMPLAINTS.ANALYSIS: DUE TO THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF THIS MATTER IT SHOULD BEUPGRADED TO AN EA.RECOMMENDATION: OPEN AN EA. LOCATE AND TEST MORE FAILED SEAT BACKS. SENDA RECALL REQUEST LETTER TO CHRYSLER.===

SEATS
EA85043ClosedEngineering Analysis

UNWANTED VEHICLE ACCEL

Opened Aug 21, 1985
Closed Jul 21, 1987

SUMMARY: MANUFACTURER CLAIMS MOST REPORTS ARE A SHIFT-FLARE CONDITION OFHIGHER ENGINE SPEEDS DURING THE NO-LOAD SHIFTING TIME INTERVAL.THIS CLAIMDOES NOT APPEAR TO BE SUBSTANTIATED BY THE REPORTS.REPORTS DO NOT FOLLOWTHE TYPICAL SCENARIO OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURING WHEN THE VEHICLE ISPLACED INTO A DRIVING MODE.MANY REPORTS OCCUR WHEN SHIFTING INTO ANY GEARAT ANY SPEED.ALSO SOME REPORTS OF SEVERE ENGINE DAMAGE.ANALYSIS: ALTHOUGH THERE APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW IN THE SPEED CONTROLLOOP, MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS OCCUR AT SPEEDS WHICH ALLOW TRANSMISSION DIS-ENGAGEMENT.IN ADDITION, THIS TENDS TO BE AN INTERMITTENT TYPE OF FAILUREWHICH IS HARD TO TRACE TO A SINGLE SOURCE/CAUSE/COMPONENT, ALTHOUGH THE ISAMOTOR HAS BEEN CITED BY SEVERAL OF THE CONSUMERS AND FIELD REPRESENTATIVES.STATUS: C-MEMO DRAFT FORWARDED TO (H) 6/16/87.===

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

American Motors Encore by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1985012—
1984015—
1983Viewing004—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.