AI Damage1997 Plymouth Breeze: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Plymouth Breeze filed 155 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 155
- involving a crash
- 9
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 54% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 12% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 83 complaints (54% of all).
- Service brakes: 18 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 14 complaints (9% of all).
- Suspension: 14 complaints (9% of all).
- Powertrain: 11 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 155 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 | 83 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 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.
I have smashed front end of this car twice and both times air bags failed to deploy.
While driving at approximately 65mph rearened another vehicle, and dual airbags did not deploy, causing head/shoulder injuries, even with seatbelt worn. There was no warning of defective airbags.
Driving about 15mph when broadsided by another vehicle; breeze then hit another vehicle headon; upon impact the airbags did not deploy. Another vehicle rearended breeze.
While attempting to park, smoke emitted from the rear wheel causing a fire. The failure recurred three times. The fire was extinguished by the fire department and no police report was filed.the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake system needed to be replaced on the rear…
The contact believes there was a hole or rust in the gasoline tank filler tube. The current and failure mileages were 120,000. Updated 10/06/09. Updated 10/06/09
My automatic transmission shifter easily pops out of drive .there is no lock to hold it in drive. Not sure if it was made this way ????? You can hit if forward and it could go in to reverse im sure.
Inspection of the part found no apparent lubrication and rust appeared on the ball section. Vehicle was towed to my mechanics shop and the part removed and replaced with a new unit. I asked if the drivers side tie rod was also in need of replacement but inspection by my mechanic apparently found the unit to be intact.
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot it caught on fire. The fire occurred without warning. There was a report made by the police and fire departments. The fire department determined the fire started in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the dealership.
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 2,564 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 7% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Breeze has 96 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 155, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Plymouth Breeze?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, service brakes, steering. Total complaints: 155. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: oil leak or consumption (18%), smoke, burning smell, fire (6%), knocking, grinding or other noise (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Plymouth Breeze?
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 1997 Plymouth Breeze 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 1997 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.