1990 Plymouth Acclaim Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1990 Plymouth Acclaim, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine1624.6%
- Airbags1320.0%
- Transmission710.8%
- Suspension69.2%
- Electrical57.7%
- Seat belts57.7%
- Interior & seats57.7%
- Visibility23.1%
- Steering23.1%
- Powertrain (other)11.5%
- Tires & wheels11.5%
- Exterior lighting11.5%
- Fuel system11.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE.*MR THE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING IN THE LEFT LANE WHEN A BIG BANG WAS HEARD. SMOKE STARTED COMING THROUGH THE DASH BOARD. SPARKS WERE COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE. ONCE ON THE SHOULDER, THE VEHICLE BURNED. THE ENTIRE FRONT END BURNED THROUGH, THE ONLY THING LEFT WAS THE REAR TIRES AND TAIL LIGHTS. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. VEHICLE NEVER HAD ENGINE PROBLEMS AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. *PH *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED HEAD GASKET BLEWOUT. DEALER NOTIFIED. CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WAS WITHOUT WARRANTY. *AK
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
July 2017 I was hit by a drunk driver of which I was a passenger in my vehicle upon impact my seatbelts automatically released and my airbags did not deploy causing my driver to be ejected from the vehicle and for me to hit my head on my dash and then be smashed into my windshield then finally when the car stopped rolling I was in the back seat no longer in the front passenger seat to end up in the backseat when I was sitting originally in the front passenger. I was injured severely due to the lack of my seatbelts working correctly and it caused me to have a broken back and eight places a broken pelvis that pierced my liver and gallbladder and broke my collarbone legs and arms I had to be given full blood transfusion and I maxed out the other cars insurance and my uninsured motorist ins while my injuries pain and medical was over $150000 I only received a few thousand and now have chronic pain and related health issues due to the damage to my liver
ON MARCH 16, 2004, WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH ON ICY PAVEMENT, THE CONSUMER TRIED TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER RAN INTO A TREE INSTEAD. UPON IMPACT, NO AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *JB
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
DAILY FAILURES. PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE STABILIZER BAR SNAP CAUSING A LOUD NOISE. DEALER NOTIFIED TS
SWAY BAR ASSEMBLY BROKEN ON PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR WILL NOT START WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, BUT IT WILL START WHEN USING THE REMOTE STARTER. *AK
CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO ROLL ELECTRIC WINDOWS UP OR DOWN AND AIR CONDITIONING WENT OUT. AFTER TAKING IT TO DEALER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THEN WHEN IT WAS TURNED BACK ON, AND VEHICLE WAS FILLED UP WITH SMOKE. THE BATTERY WAS JERKED OUT AND THE FIRE WENT OUT, PREVENTING VEHICLE FROM BURNING UP. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
July 2017 I was hit by a drunk driver of which I was a passenger in my vehicle upon impact my seatbelts automatically released and my airbags did not deploy causing my driver to be ejected from the vehicle and for me to hit my head on my dash and then be smashed into my windshield then finally when the car stopped rolling I was in the back seat no longer in the front passenger seat to end up in the backseat when I was sitting originally in the front passenger. I was injured severely due to the lack of my seatbelts working correctly and it caused me to have a broken back and eight places a broken pelvis that pierced my liver and gallbladder and broke my collarbone legs and arms I had to be given full blood transfusion and I maxed out the other cars insurance and my uninsured motorist ins while my injuries pain and medical was over $150000 I only received a few thousand and now have chronic pain and related health issues due to the damage to my liver
both the drivers and the passengers front seat belts did not work correctly, If i repeadely inserted the clasp in and out, eventually they would click, but then later they would release, when i was in a very bad car accident july 13 2017, both the driver of my vehicle and i both had our seatbelts on and clasped, and upon impact the belts released and the driver was ejected from the vehicle and i hit my head and was banged and tossed around the vehicle as it spun and rolled, and when it was over i was no longer in teh front of the car, i was in the back seat, and i had injuries to my organs, i almost died, and i broke my back, my collar bone, legs and arms, because my seat belt released upon impact immediatly.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE POWER DOOR LOCKS AND THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WINDOW PROBLEMS. *TS THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE MOTOR HAD FAILED. *JB
WHILETRAVELING DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBACK BROKE INTO THE RECLINING POSITION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE POWER DOOR LOCKS AND THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WINDOW PROBLEMS. *TS THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THE MOTOR HAD FAILED. *JB
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE VEHICLE'S STEERING COLUMN CAUGHT FIRE AND MELTED, BUT THE MANUFACTURER DECLINED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INCIDENT. YH
ROD END THREADS DO NOT ENGAGE FOR FIRST INCH AND HALF; ALLOWS TIE ROD TO APPEAR ASSEMBLED WHEN IN ACTUALITY A SLIP-FIT; CAUSES LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE REAR AXLE IS CRACKED/SPLIT/BROKEN. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
WE WERE TRAVELING NORTH ON I-95. WE HEARD AN UNIDENTIFYABLE NOISE. I STOPPED THE CAR AND DID NOT FIND ANYTHING OBVIOUS. WE CONTINUED TRAVELING AT THE RATE OF APPROX. 55MPH WHEN THE CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL. AFTER SOME DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY GAINING CONTROL OF THE CAR, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE IN THE SLOW LANE WITH NO OTHER CARS NEAR US (OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE COLLIDED DURING THE TIME THE CAR WAS SWERVING AND OUT OF CONTROL). UPON INSPECTION, THE TREAD WAS RIPPED AWAY FROM THE TIRE. WE HAVE SAVED THE TIRE AND THE TREAD.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
WATER GET INTO THE HEADLIGHT, IT REDUCED THE VISIBILITY. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHENEVER DRIVING VEHICLE FOR A SHORT OR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME VEHICLE WOULD SMOKE. DEALER HAD TO REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .