What breaks most · 1997 to 2002 model years
Plymouth Prowler problems by year
Owners have filed 61 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Plymouth Prowler across model years 1997 to 2002. Three years stand out: 2001 for suspension complaints, 1999 for suspension complaints and 2000 for suspension complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2001, 1999, 2000
- Complaints on file
- 611997 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 200121 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 30 fires · 7 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 18kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 22Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 5 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 18 | 0 | 6 | Suspension (9) | |
| 17 | 0 | 4 | Suspension (8) | |
| 21 | 2 | 4 | Suspension (11) | |
| 3 | 1 | 3 | Suspension (2) |
What fails on the 2001 Plymouth Prowler
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 52% |
11 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2001 Plymouth Prowler |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 33% |
7 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2001 Plymouth Prowler |
| Air bags | 10% |
2 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
1 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2001 Plymouth Prowler |
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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The ball joints are weak. Have been from the beginning. The don't last as long as with other cars and break fairly easy. It's a problem that needs to be addressed asap. I was very lucky, mine broke as i was pulling into a parking spot at a restaurant. I had just gotten off the interstate doing highway speed.
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The dealership was unable to perform the lower control arm ball joint recall 03v-034000,the brake system lamp recall 99v-245000, the frame strength recall 99v-313000, and the gear shift position lighting recall 98v-104000 because the parts haven't been available. This has been going on for over 3 years. *la
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The vehicle's lower ball joints were recalled 18 months ago but the dealer still hasn't received the parts to repair the problem. *nm recall campaign 03v034000. *sc *jb
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 Prowler years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2001, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Plymouth Prowler. The 2001 alone has 21 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Plymouth Prowler problem?
On the 2001 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Plymouth Prowler problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Plymouth Prowler complaints that include mileage is about 18,000 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.