Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1991 Dodge Spirit submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 25 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
*OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT* THE VEHICLE STARTED TO HESITATE. CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE AND FLAMES AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD. FUNCTIONAL DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED TO THE ENGINE AND UNDER CARRIAGE AREAS. *JG *JB
POWER STEERING PUMP AND STEERING RACK FAILED. *YH
CONSUMER STATED THAT AFTER A LEAKAGE ON VEHICLE HAD FOUND OUT THAT HEAD GASKET HAD BEEN LEAKING DUE TO A CRACK. *AK THE DESIGN OF THE CYLINDER HEAD WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CONSUMER'S INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THERE WERE OTHER CONSUMERS WHO EXPERIENCED THE SAME CYLINDER HEAD CRACK AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD RECALL IT. *YH
TWICE NOW OIL PAN HAS BEEN DAMAGED BECAUSE IT IS TOO LOW. ONCE IT WAS DAMAGED GOING ON A COUNTRY ROAD AND SCRAPEING THE CROWN IN THE ROAD AND CAUSING THE OIL PAN TO LEAK. ANOTHER TIME IN THE SNOW WE HIT AN ICE BALL FROM THE CAR INFRONT OF US CAUSING A HUGE DENT IN THE OIL PAN. THE OIL PAN IS ROUGHLY 2 INCHES LOWER THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THE CAR, WHICH MEANS THATANYTIME YOU HIT ANYTHING THE FIRST THING THAT GETS DAMAGED WILL BE OIL PAN AND IN RETURN COULD CAUSE MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. *AK
REPEATED TRANSMISSION REPAIRS & OIL LEAKS + HEAD REPLACEMENTS. *AK
DUE TO DESIGN FLAW TIMING BELT BROKE ON NINE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS IN THE LAST 4 YEARS. DEALER CAN NOT DETERMINE WHAT'S CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE TIMING BELT FAILED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSS ALL POWER WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURY. *YC
TIMING BELT BREAKS WHEN OPERATING AT 55-60 MPH IN 5TH GEAR WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ON, ON 7 OCCASIONS EXPERIENCED FAILURE. MJS
WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IT BEGAN TO OVERHEAT, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ENGINE BURST INTO FLAMES AND WITHIN MINUTES THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. MY SON WAS DRIVING AND HAD HIS DOG IN THE CAR GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP. HE BARELY GOT THE CAR PULLED OFF THE ROAD, AND GOT THE DOG OUT BEFORE THE ENTIRE PASSENGER COMPARTMRNT WAS ALSO ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE WAS OS INTENSE IT MELTED THE FRONT WHEELS OFF THE CAR. IT SPREAD QUICKLY THROUGH THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND PROCEEDED INTO THE TRUNK OF THE CAR. THE FIRE TRUCKS WERE ON THE SCENE FOR PROBABLY AN HOUR TRYING TO PUT THE FIRE OUT AND GET IT UNDER CONTROL. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE REASON THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE PLUS WHY IT SPREAD TO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT SO QUICKLY AS TO BARELY ESCAPE ALIVE.
CAR WAS SITTING AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE. FIRE DEPT. DID NOT LIST A CAUSE FOR THE FIRE.
CRACKED ENGINE HEAD, CAUSING ENGINE COOLANT TO LEAK. *AK
BRAKES FAILED.
SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER STOPPED WORKING, AND THEN SUDDENLY STARTED AGAIN. ALSO REPLACED OUL PRESSURE SENSOR. *AK
DRIVING ABOUT 65MPH WHEN VEHICLE STALLED IN TRAFFIC. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD & TURNED VEHICLE OFF. RESTARTED VEHICLE & DROVE A WHILE; VEHICLE STALLED OUT AGAIN. CALLED AAA & DID NOT FIND PROBLEM. FOLLOWED A WHILE; NO STALLING TILL TRUCK LEFT. TOOK TO DEALER; ON DIAGNOSTIC & NOTHING FOUND. VEHICLE WAS TEST DRIVEN. *AK
ENGINE HEAD FAILED 4TIMES.
ENGINE GASKET KEEPS BLOWING AND WARPED THE ENGINE HEAD . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
OIL PAN REPLACED DUE TO OIL LEAK.
TIMING BELT FAILED.
TIMING BELT FAILED BEFORE/AFTER RECALL REPAIR.
THE TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED THREE TIME , PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
SERPENTINE BELT FAILS DUE TO DEBRIS COLLECTING BETWEENT BELT AND PULLEY. ALL OPERATION OF VEHICLE INTERRUPTED AND SHUT DOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.
DEFECTIVE MOTOR MOUNTS, RESULTING IN POOR DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. TT *SLC
PURCHASE CAR USED HAD IT A MONTH AND A HALF THE CAR BROKE DOWN THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED . TT
AT 19,000 MILES THE TIMING BELT HAS GONE OUT WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
TIMING BELT FAILED TWICE. *AW
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .