AI Damage1990 Plymouth Sundance: common problems
Owners of the 1990 Plymouth Sundance filed 36 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 36
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 33% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 19% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 17% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 8% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- Air bags: 12 complaints (33% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (19% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 6 complaints (17% of all).
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
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
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.5 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 36 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 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.
Driving at approximately 60 mph, exiting a ramp and brakes became inoperative. Also, steering locked up, resulting in an accident.
While stopped in a left turn lane the vehicle was hit from behind. The impact caused both the driver and passenger seatbacks to collapse backward, causing neck strain to the passenger and neck & lower back strain to the driver.
The vehicle was in a frontal crash and airbags deployed after the collision had taken place. Driver hit head on steering wheel. Also the the seat belts did not properly restrain owner.
Vehicle crashed into the side of another vehicle and when the air bag deployed it caught on fire. Vehicle has not been replaced.
While driving rear wheel broke and the vehicle jumped the curve and the seat belt did not retain the driver in the seat. Also the air bag did not deploy untill the vehicle had came to an complete stop.
Consumer rear ended a truck and the driver side air bag deployed, there was a flame that came out of the air bag, causing third degree burns.
*akthe vehicle was not in park yet the driver was able to remove the key from the ignition, as a result the vehicle rolled forward into a neighbors wall causing propery damage. Nlm
The engine valve cover gasket blows off resulting in loss of oil, the consumers vehicle exhibits the same failure described in recall 89v-237 but the consumers vehicle is not included due to vin. Nlm
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 6,253 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 17% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sundance has 28 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 36, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Plymouth Sundance?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, powertrain, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 36. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (14%), seat belts (8%), transmission slipping (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 Plymouth Sundance?
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 Plymouth Sundance 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.