1993 Plymouth Colt Problems: Seat belts (71 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1993 Plymouth Colt is Seat belts (83% of 71 owner reports). There are 3 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 71 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 1993 Plymouth Colt?

59 of 71 filings named Seat belts (83% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Transmission / driveline (4 reports).

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

The 1992 has 13 reports on file; this year has 71. 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 1993 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 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  4. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  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 59 complaints · 83.1% 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 59 of 71 owner complaints (83.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 59 complaints, 83.1% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 59 · 83.1% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 4 complaints, 5.6% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 4 · 5.6% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 2.8% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 · 2.8% Engine (ENGINE): 2 complaints, 2.8% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 · 2.8% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 1 complaints, 1.4% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 · 1.4% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 1 complaints, 1.4% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 · 1.4% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 24 complaints, 33.8% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 24 · 33.8% 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) 59 83.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 4 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 2 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 1.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 1.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 24 33.8% 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 Apr 1995; the first recall shown was reported in May 1997. 1995-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 1996-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1997-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 1998-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 1995 May 2003 Recall campaign 97V063002 ◆ Recall campaign 97V063002 Recall campaign 97V073002 ◆ Recall campaign 97V073002 Recall campaign 98V168003 ◆ Recall campaign 98V168003 Investigation PE96007 ● Investigation PE96007 Investigation EA96014 ● Investigation EA96014 Investigation DP03002 ● Investigation DP03002
  • Campaign 97V063002 was reported 580 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 97V073002 was reported 727 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V168003 was reported 1,005 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q2 Owner reports 3
1995-Q3 Owner reports 3
1995-Q4 Owner reports 2
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q3 Owner reports 9
1996-Q4 Owner reports 7
1997-Q1 Owner reports 6
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 2
1997-Q4 Owner reports 6
1998-Q1 Owner reports 2
1998-Q2 Owner reports 3
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 1
1999-Q2 Owner reports 3
1999-Q3 Owner reports 3
1999-Q4 Owner reports 3
2000-Q1 Owner reports 3
2000-Q2 Owner reports 3
2000-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 2
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 97V063002
Recall campaign 1 97V073002
Recall campaign 1 98V168003
Defect investigation 1 PE96007
Defect investigation 1 EA96014
Defect investigation 1 DP03002
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 Seat belts and Transmission / driveline.

  1. Recall campaign 97V063002

    Safety recall 97V063002

    Report date
    Component:
    Unclassified NHTSA leftover
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DOOR LATCH SWITCH WITH A SWITCH THAT UTILIZES REDUCED LUBRICATING GREASE, IMPROVED CONTACT SURFACE, AND A DIFFERENT RUBBER ISOLATION BOOT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Recall campaign 97V073002

    Seat belts

    Report date
    Component:
    Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REPLACEMENT GUIDE RAIL THAT INCORPORATES A DOUBLE LIP DUST SEAL AND AN ANODIC OXIDE COATING.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Recall campaign 98V168003

    Transmission / driveline

    Report date
    Component:
    Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR ADEQUACY OF THE TRANSFER CASE OIL VOLUME, TRANSFER CASE OIL LEAKAGE, AND OPERATIONAL DEGRADATION OF THE TRANSFER CASE MECHANISM. IF OIL VOLUME IS INSUFFICIENT, THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF OIL WILL BE ADDED. IF THERE IS TRANSFER CASE OIL LEAKAGE, AFFECTED COMPONENTS WILL BE REPLACED. IF THE TRANSFER CASE SHOWS OPERATIONAL DEGRADATION, THE TRANSFER CASE WILL BE REPLACED.
    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 10 of 71 complaints · page 1 of 3
2002-04-22Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8008190
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHEN CONSUMER IS ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE VEHICLE DOOR, THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF VEHICLE WILL NOT RETRACT, THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT WILL TRAVEL APPROXIMATELY 4 INCHES AND STOP, WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED, BELT STAYS IN FORWARD POSITION AT ALL TIMES AND A CLICKING NOISE IS HEARD. THERE IS A RECALL CAMPAIGN #97V073002 FOR THIS CONDITION. *AK *TT
2001-08-14Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 894243
CrashFireInjuryDeath
SEAT BELT IS INOPERABLE SINCE SIDE GUIDE RAIL IS DEFECTIVE, WIRE FROM SEAT BELT IS SHOWING. THERE IS A RECALL 07V073OOO FOR THIS PROBLEM. ) BUT MANUFACTURER CLAIMS THAT ONLY TWO DOOR VEHICLES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. *AK
2001-06-27Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 891489
CrashFireInjuryDeath
BACK IN 1997 SEATBELT GOT STUCK IN LOCKED POSITION AND BEGAN MAKING A CLICKING NOISE. DEALER INSTALLED BELT FOR REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN IN APRIL2000, AND WAS COVERED UNDER A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL. REPAIRS FOR RECALL STATED "TRACK PACKAGE". SEATBELT IS NOW STUCK AGAIN. DEALER WILL REPAIR SEA TBELT AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE ONLY. *AK THE SHOULDER BELT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS ALSO FRAYING QUITE RAPIDLY AND THE SHOULDER BELT WAS NOW STUCK IN THE LOCKED POSITION. *YH
2001-05-14Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 888129
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THERE IS RECALL 97V0730002 ON DRIVERS SIDE GUIDE RAIL CONSUMER'S VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL DUE TO VIN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK
2001-01-16Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 739486
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THIS FAILURE IS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 97V073002. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO SANTA ROSA DODGE, WHO HAD ORIGINALLY REPAIRED THIS PROBLEM WHEN THE RECALL WAS MADE IN 1997. THIS TIME THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM UNLESS I PAID FOR IT. IO CONTACTED THE MANUFATURER AT THE NUMBER PROVIDED ON THE RECALL NOTICE AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO FOR ME (THEY GO BY WHAT THE DEALER SAYS). AT THIS TIME I HAVE TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE WITH A DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT BECAUSE THIS DEALER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *AK
2000-09-12Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 870305
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEATBELT WAS STUCK. SHE COULD PUSH ON THE BOTTON TO RELEASE AND UNRELEASE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED.*AK AFTER THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT FAILED, THE CUSTOMER BEGAN TO MANUALLY BUCKLE THE SHOULDER STRAP BUT THE CABLE BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S BLIND SPOT MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO MAKE A TURN. *YH
2000-08-02Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 866656
CrashFireInjuryDeath
KEY STICKING INTO THE IGNITION SWICH, AND TRANSMISSION NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. IT WILL NOT SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE UNLESS THE OVERDRIVE BUTTON IS PUSHED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER NOTIFED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER NOTHING COULD BE DONE BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAIL. *AK
2000-06-01Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 784677
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE HEAD GASKET FAILED. NLM
2000-04-17Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 860404
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL MAKES A CLICKING LIKE SOUND WHEN DRIVING. THIS IS BECAUSE OF A BAD TRANSFER CASE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
2000-04-12Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 860204
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVER'S SIDE MOTOR BELT TRACK IS BROKEN, CAUSING THE BELT NOT TO MOVE INTO A FORWARD POSITION, AND LEAVING DRIVER WITHOUT SAFETY RESTRAINT. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND REFUSED TO REPAIR UNLESS COST GOED TO CONSUMER. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1993 Plymouth Colt?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 59 of 71 reports (83%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1993 Plymouth Colt?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts and Transmission / driveline. 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 1993 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