PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA · model year

1987 PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA

4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1987PLYMOUTHCOLT VISTA carries 4 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 1987 COLT VISTA is engine and engine cooling:engine with 1 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1) and engine and engine cooling:cooling system (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 5 investigation files overlapping the 1987 COLT VISTA. 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.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 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
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1

Recent Complaints

19990205ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE OIL PAN GASKET REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES, FAILURE RESULTING IN LEAKAGE.

19990205ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

OIL SEALS FAILED RESULTING IN COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE.

19990205ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

WATER PUMP FAILURE CAUSING LEAKING.

19990205POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION FAILURE RESULTING IN LEAKAGE.

Compare 1987PLYMOUTHCOLT VISTA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1987 PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA have?
The 1987 PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA?
The most-complained component for the 1987 PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM.
Is the 1987 PLYMOUTH COLT VISTA 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.