The 1997 Plymouth Breeze has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 3,818,768 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 203 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN04V0210002004-01-132,315,768 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK MAY FAIL AND ALLOW THE SHIFTER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITH THE KEY REMOVED. AN INOPERATIVE INTERLOCK MAY ALSO ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED WHEN THE SHIFTER HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION.
Consequence
EITHER CIRCUMSTANCE MAY RESULT IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING AWAY WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOAD-LIMITING PUSH ROD INTO THE FLOOR SHIFTER LEVER OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 14, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
POWER TRAIN98V1830001998-08-06685,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE CABLE CONNECTING THE CONSOLE SHIFTER MECHANISM TO THE IGNITION KEY CAN CAUSE A TRAPPED KEY CONDITION WHICH CAN RESULT IN A LOW FORCE REQUIRED TO DEPRESS THE SHIFT BUTTON. A COMBINATION OF APPLYING A MIS-ADJUSTED…
Consequence
IF THIS HAPPENS, THE "IGNITION-PARK" INTERLOCK SYSTEM WILL BE NONFUNCTIONAL.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR PROPER OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM. ANY VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT FUNCTIONAL AFTER THE INSPECTION WILL HAVE THE SHIFT MECHANISM AND CABLE REPLACED WITH A "SELF-ADJUSTING" DESIGN.
SUSPENSION97V2010001997-11-13599,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT CAN SEPARATE DUE TO LOSS OF LUBRICATION.
Consequence
SEPARATION OF THE BALL JOINT COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BALL JOINT END HOUSING COVER SEAL FOR LEAKAGE WITH A HIGH PRESSURE AIR TESTER AND THE RUBBER BOOT WILL BE VISUALLY INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE. IF THE COVER SEAL LEAKS OR THE BOOT IS DAMAGED, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM WILL BE REPLACED.
STRUCTURE97V0950001997-06-06219,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING CAN DISENGAGE FROM ITS RETENTION HOLE IF THE HOOD IS SLAMMED SHUT.
Consequence
IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ENGAGING THE PRIMARY LATCH, THE HOOD WOULD NOT BE RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING WITH A LONGER END HOOK SPRING.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
54
2fires1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
17
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
9
8crashes1fires5injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
8
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
1fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
6
1crashes
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
4
SUSPENSION:FRONT
4
Total complaints203
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1997 plymouth breeze. Consumer writes in regards to ignition recall and other recall notice issues. *smd”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 plymouth breeze. While driving at various speeds, the contact heard a noise coming from rear wheel drum on the passenger side. While attempting to park, smoke emitted from the rear wheel causing a fire. The failure recurred three times. The fire was extinguished by the…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 plymouth breeze. While placing fuel into the vehicle, the filler tube fell to the ground. Gasoline began leaking out all over the ground. The vehicle has not yet been inspected or diagnosed by a mechanic. The contact believes there was a hole or rust in the gasoline tank…”
“My automatic transmission shifter easily pops out of drive .there is no lock to hold it in drive. Not sure if it was made this way ????? You can hit if forward and it could go in to reverse im sure. *tr”
“Upon arriving home from work I backed the vehicle into my driveway and found the vehicle would not move and the passenger side front tire was rubbing against the undercarriage. Investigation after removing the tire found the outer tie rod ball joint had separated and collapsed. Inspection of the…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot it caught on fire. The fire occurred without warning. There was a report made by the police and fire departments. The fire department determined the fire started in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot it caught on fire. The fire occurred without warning. There was a report made by the police and fire departments. The fire department determined the fire started in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the…”
“Rack and pinion steering gear crunching noise. 45.000 miles due to lengthy research it appears that there are serious defects in the steering system of many daimler chrysler vehicles. After 27 years of experience with 14 vehicles (mostly gm and ford) I have never had as many…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA03011 Opened 2003-07-17 · closed 2004-01-30
AUTO TRANS IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
THE MANUFACTURER REPORTS ABOVE ARE BASED ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER?S (DC) ANALYSIS OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 (POPULATION = 356,384) AND 1999 (POPULATION = 486,948) JA, JX AND LH FAMILY SUBJECT VEHICLE DATA (EARLIER MYS EXCLUDED).THE POPULATION NUMBER INCLUDES ALL MYS.THE PRECISE NUMBER OF DUPLICATES BETWEEN ODI AND DC REPORTS…
InvestigationEA03011 Opened 2003-07-17 · closed 2004-01-30
AUTO TRANS IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
THE MANUFACTURER REPORTS ABOVE ARE BASED ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER?S (DC) ANALYSIS OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 (POPULATION = 356,384) AND 1999 (POPULATION = 486,948) JA, JX AND LH FAMILY SUBJECT VEHICLE DATA (EARLIER MYS EXCLUDED).THE POPULATION NUMBER INCLUDES ALL MYS.THE PRECISE NUMBER OF DUPLICATES BETWEEN ODI AND DC REPORTS…
InvestigationEA99028 Opened 1999-09-10 · closed 2001-07-26
STEERING SHAFT BINDING
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE99030 Opened 1999-05-03 · closed 1999-09-10
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Plymouth Breeze as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.