1986 Plymouth Colt Problems: Seat belts (7 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1986 Plymouth Colt is Seat belts (71% of 7 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Seat belts — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 7 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 1986 Plymouth Colt?

5 of 7 filings named Seat belts (71% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Fuel system (1 reports).

There are 1 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 1986 Plymouth Colt

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 1 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  4. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Seat belts. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Seat belts 5 complaints · 71.4% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 0
  • 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 Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) appears in 5 of 7 owner complaints (71.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 5 complaints, 71.4% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 5 · 71.4% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 14.3% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 · 14.3% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 1 complaints, 14.3% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 · 14.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 7 complaints, 100.0% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 7 · 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)
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 5 71.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 14.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 14.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 7 100.0% 0 crashes · 0 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 Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in May 1995. 1995-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1995-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1992 Oct 1996 Recall campaign 95V103003 ◆ Recall campaign 95V103003 Investigation EA92034 ● Investigation EA92034
  • Campaign 95V103003 was reported 89 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 4
1995-Q2 Owner reports 1
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 95V103003
Defect investigation 1 EA92034
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (1)

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

In short, these campaigns were filed about Seat belts.

  1. Recall campaign 95V103003

    Seat belts

    Report date
    Component:
    Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
    Consequence:
    THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES AND CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. THEY SHOULD ENSURE THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUGGING ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS SECURELY LOCKED, AND THEN PRESSING THE RELEASE BUTTON. THE LATCH PLATE SHOULD POP OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. IF EITHER RELEASE BUTTON SHOWS A SIGN OF BREAKING OR CRACKING OR IF EITHER BUCKLE FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY, OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CONTACT THEIR AUTHORIZED DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE BUCKLE REPLACED OR REPAIRED, FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING A REMEDY DESIGNED TO PREVENT FAILURE OF THE BUTTONS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BROKEN.
    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 7 of 7 complaints · page 1 of 1
1996-12-04Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 522235
CrashFireInjuryDeath
SEAT BELT RECALL WORK NOT COMPLETED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS.
1995-12-13Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 500224
CrashFireInjuryDeath
FUEL INJECTORS FAILED. *DSH
1995-05-26Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 965986
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER'S SHOULDER/LAP BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE; OCCUPANT TRAPPED INSIDE; EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO WIGGLE OUT. TT
1995-03-06Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 961256
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS INOPERATIVE.(PE94-093). TT
1995-03-03Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 481341
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S SEAT BELTS RELEASE MECHANISM CHIPPED, CAUSING PIECES TO FALL INTO LOCKING MECHANISMS, RESULTING IN BUCKLES JAMMING. *SKD
1995-02-24Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 960586
CrashFireInjuryDeath
PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BUCKLE IS BROKEN. TT
1995-01-29Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 481045
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TW

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1986 Plymouth Colt?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 5 of 7 reports (71%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1986 Plymouth Colt?

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts. 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 Plymouth Colt?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed. 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