1998 Plymouth Voyager: common problems

Owners of the 1998 Plymouth Voyager filed 323 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 323
involving a crash: 18

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 24% of all complaints
2 Air bags 18% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
5 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
6 Structure 6% of all complaints
7 Steering 6% of all complaints
8 Suspension 5% of all complaints

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

Engine and cooling: 76 complaints (24% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Air bags: 59 complaints (18% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 55 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 42 complaints (13% of all).
Service brakes: 27 complaints (8% of all), 3 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.

2.4 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
3.3 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 2 complaints
3.8 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
automatic, 3-speed
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: FWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 323 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

airbag warning light27 · 8%
rust, corrosion20 · 6%
steering or power steering problems20 · 6%
warning lights, check engine20 · 6%
headlights and tail lights16 · 5%
smoke, burning smell, fire16 · 5%
oil leak or consumption12 · 4%
seat belts12 · 4%
transmission slipping10 · 3%
knocking, grinding or other noise9 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Engine and cooling	76	1
Air bags	59	10
Powertrain	55	2
Electrical system	42	0
Service brakes	27	3
Structure	20	1
Steering	19	0
Suspension	17	0
Visibility	14	0
Fuel system	13	1
Exterior lighting	11	0
Vehicle speed control	11	0
Equipment	9	1
Seat belts	9	1

What owners report

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

The driver of the plymouth was restrained by his seat belt. A query of the nhtsa website indicated the plymouth was subject to recall under nhtsa campaign 04v-480, and daimler chrysler recall no. D17. The recall was the subject of ea04-013 of the odi.
Air bags · crash · 2009-09-23 · NHTSA complaint #10285073
The contact was wearing a seat belt; sustained no injuries and the police took a report at the scene. The vehicle was never inspected to determine what caused the abs failure.
Service brakes · crash · 2006-03-20 · NHTSA complaint #10153222
Then on october 13th 2003 I was in a auto accident when I was stopped at a light I was hit from the rear by a women doing 30-35 mph I hit people in front of me and the van was totalled but yet the airbags did not deploy. I still have the van, my wife and I were both hurt.
Air bags · crash · 2004-10-28 · NHTSA complaint #10097927
1998 plymouth voyager was involved in an accident and the air bags did not deploy.(nar) another driver attempted to make a right hand turn from the median and ran into the consumers vehicle. The consumer received recall#02v293000 via mail. The impact was on the front passenger side and the vehicle was totaled.
Air bags · crash · 2004-05-14 · NHTSA complaint #10073367
While driving car stalled which resulted in an accident. Vehicle was checked by dealer, who advised consumer that exhaust valve had broken off, and went through the piston, damaging head gasket.
Engine and cooling · crash · 2002-07-23 · NHTSA complaint #8014564
1998 plymouth voyager left and right front towers are consumed by corrosion exposing the strut assemblies and severely weakening the load bearing structure causing serious risk of strut tower failure as on or both struts will penetrate into the engine compartment causing the front of the vehicle to drop to the ground.
Suspension · 2015-01-31 · NHTSA complaint #10680183
The contact stated that while driving 45 mph during inclement weather, the serpentine belt slipped off the pulley, causing the battery warning light to illuminate. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer.
Engine · 2012-12-17 · NHTSA complaint #10488994
While driving I noticed that a number of warning lights suddenly appeared and that all of the gauges were not operating on the dash. The vehicle was brought to scap jeep/plymouth/dodge dealership in fairfield ct.
Electrical system · 2012-04-13 · NHTSA complaint #10455079

When owners complained

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

19971
19989
199933
200033
200143
200264
200351
200444
200517
20065
20071
20085
20095
20107
20112
20123
20152
20161

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 1,246 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Voyager has 251 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 323, above average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
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.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1998 Plymouth Voyager?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, air bags, powertrain. Total complaints: 323. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (8%), rust, corrosion (6%), steering or power steering problems (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Plymouth 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 1998 Plymouth 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 1998 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.