The 1990 Dodge Shadow has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 634,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 50 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE ENGINE VALVE COVER GASKET MAY DISLOCATE AND ALLOW AN ENGINE OIL LEAK AT THE GASKET.
THE LEAKAGE OF OIL IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT COULD CAUSEA FIRE.
REPLACE GASKET COVER WITH REVISED COVER, AND RTV SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED IN PLACE OF A GASKET.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“My daughter hit a pot hole, her air bag deployed giving her a very bruised face, swollen, black eye, numerous scratches and cuts and a burned hand. Her car is not damaged at all except for the air bag being deployed. Emergency room doctors say this never should have happened. *la”
“Recall 89v237000/ engine:gasket:valve cover: vehicle caught on fire while traveling at 25 mph under the hood, local fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. Dealer was notified, and informed that vehicle was not covered under manufacturer's recall. Please feel free to provide any further…”
“Vehicle experienced a deployment of driver's air bag from an impact of 15 mph. Deployment caused chemical burns on driver's left hand/right wrist/chin, and neck. Also, received bruises and scratches. Dealer contacted. *ak”
“While driving at about 35 mph slammed on brakes to avoid hitting someone, and the airbags deployed. Consumer's jaw was injured, had to go to the hospital. *ak”
“While driving at approximately 35 mph ,to avoid an accident ,driver made a quick stop and driver's airbag deployed, causing burns and bruises on face and chest. *ak”
“There is smoke coming off of the engine from leaking oil. *ak”
“Vehicle at stop when engine caught on fire. Driver side air bag deployed.”
“Smog pump quit working. In addition, transmission slips and cv joints leak. *ak”
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Dodge Shadow as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.