AI DamagePlymouth Acclaim: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Plymouth Acclaim across 9 model years: 426 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 16% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 13% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 6 Seat belts 7% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 4% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 70 complaints (16% of all).
- Powertrain: 67 complaints (16% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 59 complaints (14% of all), 41 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 57 complaints (13% of all).
- Electrical system: 41 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.
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1989
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1989–1995
- 2.5 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl 1989–1990
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1989–1995
- automatic, 3-speed 1989–1995
- automatic, 4-speed 1989–1994
- manual, 5-speed 1989–1994
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 426 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 70 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 67 | 6 | 0 |
| Air bags | 59 | 41 | 0 |
| Suspension | 57 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 31 | 9 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 29 | 4 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 14 | 4 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
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…
July 2017 I was a passenger in my own vehicle and me and my driver were both wearing the seatbelts, that at impact released and he was ejected out of the door that had opened on impact and in the spin in the air was ejected out of the car, I hit my head on the dash, both seatbelts were faulty, it was difficult when…
Car was struck from the rear causing the drivers seat to break and falling back into the rear seat and losing control of the car and continuing another 200 feet before being able to recover and stop the vehicle.
Driver and passenger seats collapsed into reclining position when hit in rear and then when we hit the car in front we were thrown from a laying position up to the dash.
Consumer states, vehicle was involved in a collision and the passenger side seat belt did not retract causing passenger to go through windshield. Dealer notified. Please provide additional information. Ts
While driving 40mph front of car collided with another car and air bags did not deploy.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- 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.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other models of this make
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.