1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager: common problems

Owners of the 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about equipment and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 8
involving a crash: 2

What fails most often

1 Equipment 38% of all complaints
2 Air bags 13% of all complaints
3 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
4 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
5 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
6 Seats 13% of all complaints
7 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
8 Structure 13% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Equipment: 3 complaints (38% of all).
Air bags: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Electrical system: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Powertrain: 1 complaints (13% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 8 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

airbag warning light1 · 13%
brake failure1 · 13%
rollaway, parking brake1 · 13%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 13%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Equipment	3	0
Air bags	1	0
Electrical system	1	0
Engine and cooling	1	0
Powertrain	1	0
Seats	1	1
Service brakes	1	1
Structure	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Switch assembly on parking brake pedal assembly failed, making it misleadinglygive the impression that the pedal was fully engaged, when in fact it was not. Brake failed, vehicle rolled. Pedal was fully depressed, but failed switch assmbly interferred with pedal mechanism.
Service brakes · crash · 1999-09-21 · NHTSA complaint #711687
While at standstill vehicle rearended by another vehicle, driver's seatback rest collapsed backwards with driver, speed of vehicle #2 unkown, however airbag inflated.
Seats · crash · 1996-10-17 · NHTSA complaint #803663
While driving airbag light goes on and off at its own will can't find anyone to help.
Equipment · 2005-01-01 · NHTSA complaint #10104877
Needed to find out if any know problem's with engine and what to do about it
Engine and cooling · 2000-09-20 · NHTSA complaint #730014
Vehicle caught on fire after being driven approx 15 miles and then parked for about 12 minutes. No one was injured.
Electrical system · 1999-09-21 · NHTSA complaint #848291
Have replaced four transmission on this minivan. Transmission in van is currently shot. We have been put in the position of trying to decide whether to put another transmission into this van or not. The van is currently in pretty good shape (other than additional listed problems).
Powertrain · 1999-09-05 · NHTSA complaint #710958
While driving the spare tire located underneath the rear area fell off with the bracket that was holding the tire. Dealer notified.
Equipment · 1998-05-07 · NHTSA complaint #823149
While driving cable holding spare tire broke, please explain.
Equipment · 1996-09-11 · NHTSA complaint #802206

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19962
19981
19993
20001
20051

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 11,896 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 32% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand Voyager has 128 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 8, below average.

What to check before buying

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.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: equipment, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (13%), brake failure (13%), rollaway, parking brake (13%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager?

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 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager 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 1988 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.