What breaks most · 1990 to 1996 model years
Plymouth Acclaim problems by year
Owners have filed 392 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Plymouth Acclaim across model years 1990 to 1996. Three years stand out: 1991 for air bags complaints, 1993 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 1994 for seat belts complaints. The quietest years are 1990 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1991, 1993, 1994
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 3921990 to 1996, all trims
- Worst year
- 199197 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6222 fires · 60 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 88kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 7Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 11 | 2 | Engine and cooling (16) | |
| 97 | 15 | 3 | Air bags (14) | |
| 63 | 11 | 1 | Air bags (12) | |
| 72 | 12 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (15) | |
| 69 | 11 | 1 | Seat belts (11) | |
| 30 | 2 | 0 | Suspension (6) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) |
What fails on the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 14% |
14 | 11 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
13 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 12% |
12 | 1 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 11% |
11 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
10 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 10% |
10 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
7 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim |
| Seat belts | 7% |
7 | 1 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
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.
-
The transmission went out on the vehicle. The consumer requested another vehicle to satisfy him as a long time customer. Mr scc *jb
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While driving the axle to the transmission just broke the owner did not drive over a pot hole or hit a bump, as she started to slow down she noticed it. *ak
-
Was pulling into garage & heard a noise. Took vehicle to dealer & was informed it was rear axle. Had it replaced. It happened again while driving. Was the same problem (rear axle). As the first time. *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 Plymouth Acclaim years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1991, 1993, 1994 carry the most filings on the Plymouth Acclaim. The 1991 alone has 97 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Plymouth Acclaim problem?
On the 1991 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 14 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Plymouth Acclaim problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Plymouth Acclaim complaints that include mileage is about 88,000 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.