The 1983 Plymouth Reliant has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 555,021 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION89V0520001989-03-29500,000 affected
Defect
FRONT SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER MAY CORRODE AND FAIL AT LOWER CONTROL ARM REAR PIVOT MOUNTS IF OPERATED WHERE SALT IS USED TO AID IN SNOW REMOVAL.
Consequence
CONTROL ARM COULD DETACH FROM THE CROSSMEMBER, ADVERSELYAFFECTING DIRECTIONAL STABILITY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy
INSTALL ATTACHMENT REINFORCEMENT BRACKETS TO PREVENT CONTROL ARM DETACHMENT AS A RESULT OF CORROSION WEAKENING.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC83V0600001983-06-063,785 affected
Defect
LOCATION OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE TUBE TO BOTH REAR WHEELS CAUSES INTERFERENCE AND CHAFING BETWEEN THE TUBES AND REAR SUSPENSION TRAILING ARM PIVOT BRACKETS.
Remedy
DEALER WILL INSPECT REAR WHEEL BRAKE TUBES AND REROUTE TO ENSURE PROPER TUBE TO PIVOT BRACKET CLEARANCE. ANY DAMAGED TUBES WILL ALSO BE REPLACED.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC82V1230001982-12-0950,000 affected
Defect
HYDRAULIC BRAKE TUBING ROUTED TO THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BRAKE SYSTEM MAY HAVE BEEN BENT OUT OF SHAPE DURING ASSEMBLY AND COULD CHAFE AGAINST THE EXHAUST SYSTEM HANGER BOLT.
Remedy
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND RELOCATE TUBE, IF NECESSARY. A RETAINING CLIP WILL BE INSTALLED TO ENSURE ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FOR THE TUBING; ANY DAMAGED TUBES WILL ALSO BE REPLACED.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC82V0850001982-09-091,236 affected
Defect
ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES, IMPROPER ROUTING OF THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE TUBE COULD CAUSE IT TO CHAFE AGAINST THE PARK BRAKE CABLES. EVENTUALLY, THE BRAKE TUBE MAY FAIL AND BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE MAY OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALER WILL REROUTE THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE TUBE, IF NECESSARY, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
Total complaints1
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Engine design with rollover/separator valve, causes excessive noise from engine. *skd”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA91010 Opened 1990-12-10 · closed 1991-12-31
TRANS PARK SYSTEM FAILURE
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE85011 Opened 1984-11-14 · closed 1985-07-31
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE89093 Opened 1989-03-01 · closed 1989-03-29
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1983 Plymouth Reliant as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.