AI Damage1990 Dodge Spirit: common problems
Owners of the 1990 Dodge Spirit filed 63 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 63
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 27% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 24% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 21% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 16% of all complaints
- 5 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 5% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 3% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 3% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 17 complaints (27% of all).
- Air bags: 15 complaints (24% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 13 complaints (21% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 10 complaints (16% of all).
- Suspension: 6 complaints (10% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.5 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 63 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 15 | 6 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While driving on a secondary road going 40 mph and without any advanced warning driver's side airbag deployed. Deployment caused consumer into a ditch, and resulted in minor face injuries to consumer. Airbag deployed on its own without any type of impact on the vehicle prior to deployment.
Consumer was involved in a rearend collision and the driver's and passenger's side seat back broke to the reclining postion, causing injuries to the occupant.
Consumer hit a patch of ice and lost control and hit a tree, air bags did not deploy, causing consumer to be injured.
There was a squeaking noise coming from rear. Rod in axle broke. Consumer feels that wheel may come off. The weld broke at the spindle in the rear axle. The mechanic has fixed. Consumer would like to be reimbursed for monies paid towards repiars. Consumer feels an axle problem should not occur within 68000 miles.
Robert's mechanic rewired system & replaced fuel pump in tank 1 month earlier fire was contained to engine compartment only.after fire I took numerous pictures of engine & wiring that his mechanic had done rewiring to.
As vehicle was in motion automatic transmission went into limp mode, shifting down from 4th gear into 2nd gear dangerously slowing the car from 60 mph to 35 mph, there was no forewarning, transmission has been replaced 3 times with a chrysler remanufactured transmission.
We got the car from my mother who in turn bought it brand new and took very good care of it.when we got it the cruise control stopped working right away and one of the windows wouldn't roll down.one day the other window wouldn't roll down anymore.a couple days later the stereo and speakers quite working.the car burns…
Tread seperation from body, no deflation, happened on 2 tires. ( dot number: tire size: 205/65r15 )
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,699 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Spirit has 49 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 63, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Dodge Spirit?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 63. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (10%), A/C or heater (8%), oil leak or consumption (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 Dodge Spirit?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1990 Dodge Spirit from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1990 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.