JEEP COMANCHE · model year

1988 JEEP COMANCHE

11 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1988JEEPCOMANCHE carries 11 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 COMANCHE is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 6 filings, followed by seat belts:front:retractor (2) and structure:body (2). 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 29 investigation files overlapping the 1988 COMANCHE, and 3 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.

11
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 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 ASSEMBLY6
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR2
STRUCTURE:BODY2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH1

Recent Complaints

20010228SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

BUCKLE ON DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DOES NOT REMAIN IN LATCH MECHANISM, CAUSING SEAT BELT TO BECOME INOPERABLE. *AK *SLC

19990726SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

SEAT BELT BUCKLE ON DRIVERS SIDE IS NOT LATCHING. SPRING THAT HOLDS LATCH IN PLACE TO RELEASE TENSION IS NOT WORKING. DEALER CONTACTED AND CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM STILL EXIST. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

19990511SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

SEAT BELT RELEASE BUTTON IS DEFECTIVE. YH

19980401ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

MAIN COMPUTER FAILED.

19970224SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WHEN PULLINVG ON IT DOESN'T RETRACT BACKWARD . *AK

19960605SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVER SEAT BELT BUCKLE FASTENS, THEN WITH ANY MOVEMENT THE BUCKLE POPS OUT. *AK

19960228STRUCTURE:BODY

HEAD LINER FELL WHILE DRIVING W/OWNERS HAND CONTACTING UNKNOWN FIBER GLASS UNDERNEATH. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

19960228STRUCTURE:BODY

HEAD LINER FELL WHILE DRIVING W/OWNERS HAND CONTACTING UNKNOWN FIBER GLASS UNDERNEATH. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

19950711SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

SEAT BELT ON DRIVERS SIDE WILL NOT STAY FASTEN. *AK

19950602SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILURE, UNABLE TO LATCH. TT

19950518SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

SEAT BELT RETRACTOR/BELT CLIP FAILED. *AW

Compare 1988JEEPCOMANCHE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 3 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1988 JEEP COMANCHE have?
The 1988 JEEP COMANCHE has 11 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 JEEP COMANCHE?
The most-complained component for the 1988 JEEP COMANCHE is SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR and STRUCTURE:BODY.
Is the 1988 JEEP COMANCHE 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

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.