PlainCars

DODGE COLT · model year

1986 DODGE COLT

24 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1986DODGECOLT carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1986 COLT is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 15 filings, followed by seat belts (3) and seat belts:front:webbing (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 20 investigation files overlapping the 1986 COLT, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

24
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

24 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY15
SEAT BELTS3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM1
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE1
STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID1

Recent Complaints

20021031SEAT BELTS

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL REGARDING THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES WITH A LIFETIME WARRANTY. CONSUMER ALSO STATED THERE HAD ALWAYS BEEN PROBLEMS WITH THE BACK SEAT BELT BUCKLES. THE PROBLEM WAS BOTH BACK SEAT BELT BUCKLES WERE STUCK IN THE SEAT. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED, HOWEVER THEY STATED THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF RECALL. PROBLEMS STILL EXIST WITH THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. CONSUMER HAS ORIGINAL RECALL DOCUMENT. TS *TT *JB

20000309SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

FOR YEARS, WATER LEAKING INSIDE TRUNK. DON'T KNOW WHERE LEAK COMING FROM. ROTTED AWAY ENTIRE INTERIOR OF TRUNK. AROUND OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1999, NOTICED SEAT BELT WON'T CLIP INTO PLACE, AND IF IT DOES AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, IT'S STUCK INSIDE. WHEN PRESS BUTTON "PRESS" NOTHING HAPPENS. *AK

20000309STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID

FOR YEARS, WATER LEAKING INSIDE TRUNK. DON'T KNOW WHERE LEAK COMING FROM. ROTTED AWAY ENTIRE INTERIOR OF TRUNK. AROUND OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1999, NOTICED SEAT BELT WON'T CLIP INTO PLACE, AND IF IT DOES AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, IT'S STUCK INSIDE. WHEN PRESS BUTTON "PRESS" NOTHING HAPPENS. *AK

19980512SEAT BELTS

RECALL NOTICE ON SEAT BELT, DEALER SAID NO PARTS AVAILABLE AND WILL NOT CALL CUSTOMER WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE.

19980220SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

SEAT BELT DIFFICULT TO DISENGAGE.

19970702SEAT BELTS

REAR DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELTS ARE INOPERATIVE. THE SEAT BELTS ARE IN THE LOCK POSITION, CANNOT DISENGAGE THE BELT FROM THE BUCKLE. *AK

19970423SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

TOOK VEHICLE IN TO BE REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL AND THE DEALER WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

19960920SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

SEAT BELT BUCKLE RECALL REPAIRS REFUSED TWICE; ONCE DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF PARTS, SECOND TIME DEALER RECEIVED WRONG PARTS, CONSUMER WILL HAVE TO RETURN A THIRD TIME, HAS STILL NOT HEARD FROM DEALER (95V-103-003). *AK

19960723ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

CRANSHAFT BROKE, ALLOWING HARMONIC BALANCER TO FLY ACROSS THE INTERSTATE. *AK

19960712SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

THE REAR SEAT BELTS WILL NOT LATCH. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

19960410SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER

CAMPAIGN 95V103003 FOR SEAT BELT BUCKLE HAS BEEN DENIED BY MFR EVEN THOUGH ALL SEATBELT DISPLAYS TK 52 SHOW SEAT BELT BUCKLE BROKE. *AK

19960104SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

INTERNAL PLASTIC PART OF FRONT PASSENGER'S BUCKLE BROKE, CAUSING SEAT BELT BUCKLE TO NOT LATCH. TT

19950927SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

MANUFACTURER SAYS THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY SEAT BELT BUCKLES BUT THE SAME PROBLEM EXIST IN THEM. TT

19950915SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

#PE94-093 THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE HARD TO UNLATCH . TT

19950502SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

TAKATA SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS INOPERATIVE DUE TO PART OF BUCKLE BREAKING OFF AND FALLING INSIDE, WHICH CAUSES TO JAM. TT

19950502SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

PASSENGER SIDE BUCKLE WILL JAM, AND DRIVER SIDE BUCKLE WILL NOT LATCH PE94-093 ACTIVE. TT

19950428SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING

BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT DON'T RESTRAIN PROPERLY. TT

19950428FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM

CARBURETOR FIRE. *AK

19950424SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE DIDN'T RESTRAIN WOULD NOT STAY IN PLACE. TT

19950417SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BUCKLE WILL NOT LATCH FOR PROPER USE OF SAFETY RESTRAINTS. TT

Compare 1986DODGECOLT to Similar Vehicles

COLT vs FORDF-150 → COLT vs FORDEXPLORER → COLT vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → COLT vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

EA24003Engineering AnalysisOpen

Vehicle entrapment

PE24006Preliminary EvaluationClosed

Back up camera failure

PE23008Preliminary EvaluationClosed

Vehicle entrapment

PE19014Preliminary EvaluationClosed

Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment

AQ14003Audit QueryClosed

Chrysler's execution of 13V-528 & 529

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1986 DODGE COLT have?▼
The 1986 DODGE COLT has 24 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 DODGE COLT?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 DODGE COLT is SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY with 15 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING.
Is the 1986 DODGE COLT safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Understanding NHTSA Complaints → Vehicle Recalls Explained → Safest Car Brands 2026 → Most Reliable Used Cars → Lemon Law Guide →

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.