Total Complaints
3 filings
DODGE W100 · model year
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988DODGEW100 carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 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 1988 W100 is suspension:front with 1 filings, followed by tires (1) and power train (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 1988 W100, 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.
Total Complaints
3 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
I JUST BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FROM A NEIGHBOR, IT WAS CLEAN AND STRAIGHT AND HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR YEARS. I DRAINED THE GAS AND INSTALLED A NEW PUMP IN THE TANK, THE MOTOR RUNS GREAT. IN PROGRESSING WITH ROUTINE MAINTENANCE BEFORE TRYING TO DRIVE THIS PICK-UP I STARTED TO INSTALL A NEW TRANSMISSION FILTER WHEN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN I DISCOVERED A WEDGE OF CAST METAL THAT HAD A CUP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THICK UPPER PORTION THAT WAS BROKEN OUT. I WAS DISAPPOINTED AS I KNEW THIS WOULD BE A PROBLEM. I WENT TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A PARKING SPRAG JUST FROM LOOKING AT IT. THEY SAID THEY COULD ORDER ME ONE AND GAVE ME NO OTHER INFORMATION. SINCE I HAVE BEEN HOME I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART. MY VIN # IS [XXX] 1988 DODGE SHORT BOX D100 4 WHEEL DRIVE WITH A 5.2 MOTOR. SHOULD I GO AHEAD AND TRANSFER THE TITLE TO MY NAME OR SEW MY FRIEND FOR SELLING ME A LEMON? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREE
Mileage: 148,142
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 40MPH AND FELT A LITTLE VIBRATION. SHE WAS ABLE TO STEER ONTO SHOULDERS. FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE FELL OFF, AND WAS ROLLING DOWN THE STREET . PICKED UP TIRE AND PUT IT INSIDE OF VEHICLE. PRODIGY, RADIALS, R15/31X10, HALF M/F #DOT CC82-VSK4200. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 40MPH AND FELT A LITTLE VIBRATION. SHE WAS ABLE TO STEER ONTO SHOULDERS. FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE FELL OFF, AND WAS ROLLING DOWN THE STREET . PICKED UP TIRE AND PUT IT INSIDE OF VEHICLE. PRODIGY, RADIALS, R15/31X10, HALF M/F #DOT CC82-VSK4200. *AK
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.