1987 Plymouth Reliant Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1987 Plymouth Reliant. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
1
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
1
STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)
1
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
Total complaints12

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Steering gear box came loose from the frame. Dealer notified. Feel free to provide any further information. *mr”

STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) · reported 2002-09-16

“The k-frame on the passenger side broke bringing the car to a halt. The mechanic who repaired it said this is a common fault with the k-cars. He also said I was very lucky I was going very slow. He said if it had busted on the interstate while going 60 mph, there could have been a very serious…”

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS · reported 1999-02-26

“When trying to use the rear gate of the vehicle to put things into or getting items out of the rear gate, the rear gate will fall down on the consumer's head because ther isn't enough support to hold the rear gate up whenever consumer is trying to put items in or get anything out. *ak”

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS · reported 1998-09-12

“While driving the engine shuts down without warning, causing the vehicle to stall. Dealer not able to correct the problem. *ak consumer states that this seems to happen in wet or damp weather. *slc”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE · reported 1998-01-15

“Crankshaft broke while driving.”

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE · reported 1997-10-20

“Driver had to be cut out of the driver side seat belt because of it being stuck. Tt”

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY · reported 1995-05-31

“Locking mechanism on seat track will not lock in place. Shifts forward while driving. Tt”

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER · reported 1993-05-25

“Vehicle experienced erratic/sudden acceleration. *ak”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Defect investigations

Investigation EA91010 Opened 1990-12-10 · closed 1991-12-31

TRANS PARK SYSTEM FAILURE

There is no summary currently available

Investigation PE91065 Opened 1991-04-16 · closed 1991-08-30

STEERING GEAR BOLTS LOOSEN

There is no summary currently available

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1987 Plymouth Reliant as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.