What breaks most · 1990 to 1996 model years
Dodge Colt problems by year
Owners have filed 170 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Colt across model years 1990 to 1996. One year stands out: 1993 for seat belts complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1992 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 1993
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1992, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 1701990 to 1996, all trims
- Worst year
- 1993107 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 83 fires · 10 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 87kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 6Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 1 | Seat belts (9) | |
| 17 | 1 | 1 | Seat belts (9) | |
| 14 | 0 | 2 | Seat belts (7) | |
| 107 | 3 | 2 | Seat belts (95) | |
| 18 | 3 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) |
What fails on the 1993 Dodge Colt
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 89% |
95 | 2 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
5 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 4% |
4 | 1 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 3% |
3 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1993 Dodge Colt |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 2% |
2 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1993 Dodge Colt |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1993 Dodge Colt |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1993 Dodge Colt |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Roof struts in vehicle were rusted and replaced by dealership in summer of 1999. Two years later, struts were rusting again. Dealership was refusing to assist consumer. Please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Colt years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1993 carries the most filings on the Dodge Colt. The 1993 alone has 107 complaints, led by seat belts.
What is the most common Dodge Colt problem?
On the 1993 model year, the most-reported component is seat belts with 95 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Colt problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Colt complaints that include mileage is about 87,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.