The 1989 Plymouth Acclaim has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 634,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 47 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. 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.
“While driving at normal speed the vehicle shut down and would not restart. The consumer believed a wire melted inside the fuel pump. *ak *ts on and off the road, the wire was boiling the gas around the wire, but it did not blow a fuse or melt other wires on the vehicle. *scc *jb”
“Recall 89 v 237 000/engine valve cover: problem with oil leaking from engine gasket. Dealer notified. Feel free to provide any further information.*ak”
“Engine head gasket trailing arm rusted out. And also there is a ticking noise.*ak”
“I have driven the vehicle another 15,000 miles since the first indication of failure. I noticed a clunking noise in the rear end it was intermittent and I could not always determine the location. The dealer calmly said I had a broken axle - someone else said - "get it welded" - another says no way…”
“Due to an electrical short in the heating unit, vehicle caught on fire underneath the dash. Please provide further information. *ak”
“Engine failed, replacement failed also, resulting in overheating and leakage.”
“Engine failed, replacement failed also, resulting in overheating and leakage, unable to rectify engine problems on several attempts.”
“Noise heard from rear due to failure of the trailing control arm/crossmember and bushings.”
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Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Plymouth Acclaim as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.