1986 Dodge Daytona Problems: Fuel system (4 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1986 Dodge Daytona is Fuel system (50% of 4 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Fuel system — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 4 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 1986 Dodge Daytona?

2 of 4 filings named Fuel system (50% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Electrical (1 reports).

There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 1985 has 4 reports on file; this year has 4. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1986 Dodge Daytona

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  3. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  4. Skim a few owner reports below for Fuel system. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  5. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Fuel system 2 complaints · 50.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) appears in 2 of 4 owner complaints (50.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 50.0% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 fire reports 2 · 50.0% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 25.0% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 1 · 25.0% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 4 complaints, 100.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 3 fire reports 4 · 100.0% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 50.0% 0 crashes · 2 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 25.0% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 100.0% 0 crashes · 3 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 1997; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 1986. 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Apr 1986 Apr 2008 Recall campaign 86V053000 ◆ Recall campaign 86V053000 Recall campaign 88V105000 ◆ Recall campaign 88V105000 Recall campaign 08E033000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E033000 Investigation PE87045 ● Investigation PE87045 Investigation EA88008 ● Investigation EA88008 Investigation C88001 ● Investigation C88001 Investigation PE89016 ● Investigation PE89016
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q4 Owner reports 1
2000-Q1 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 86V053000
Recall campaign 1 88V105000
Recall campaign 1 08E033000
Defect investigation 1 PE87045
Defect investigation 1 EA88008
Defect investigation 1 C88001
Defect investigation 1 PE89016
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Electrical.

  1. Recall campaign 08E033000

    Safety recall 08E033000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THE NUTS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGING FOR THESE BALL JOINT ASSEMBLIES ARE MISSING THE INTENDED PREVAILING TORQUE (SELF-LOCKING) FEATURE. IF THE INCORRECT NUT WAS TO BECOME LOOSE, THE JOINING MEMBERS MAY LOOSEN LEADING TO A SEPARATION OF THE BALL JOINT. THIS MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    FEDERAL MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE PARTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 22, 2008. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FEDERAL MOGUL AT 877-489-6659.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Recall campaign 86V053000

    Electrical

    Report date
    Component:
    Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    REWORK BATTERIES BY PROBING BOTH VENT ORIFICES TO ELIMINATE ANY VENT OBSTRUCTION.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Recall campaign 88V105000

    Safety recall 88V105000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, FUEL LEAKAGE COULDRESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    RELOCATE PRESSURE REGULATOR; REPLACE FUEL SUPPLY WITH FORMED HOSE WITH REVISED ROUTING CONFIGURATION TO ENSURE SEALING INTEGRITY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 4 of 4 complaints · page 1 of 1
2000-01-27Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 717957
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
2000-01-06Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 716973
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
1998-12-18Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 832472
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE DRIVING THE DOOR HANDLE WON'T OPEN PROPERLY WHEN USING THE HANDLE. WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE THE DOOR WILL LOCK AND THE CONSUMER HAS PROBLEMS GETTING INTO THE VEHICLE. WHEN DRIVING AND HITTING SPEED BUMPS THE DOOR OPENED, AND A PART FROM THE REAR SEAT BELT CAME OFF. THE CONSUMER DOESN'T KNOW WHERE THE PART WENT TO. *AK
1997-06-12Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 813026
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHILE BEING DRIVEN. OWNER SMELLED GAS FOR TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRE. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1986 Dodge Daytona?

Owners named Fuel system most often — 2 of 4 reports (50%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1986 Dodge Daytona?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1986 Dodge Daytona?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources