Total Complaints
7 filings
PLYMOUTH DUSTER · model year
7 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994PLYMOUTHDUSTER carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 1 fatality. 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 1994 DUSTER is power train:automatic transmission with 1 filings, followed by power train (1) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control (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 1994 DUSTER. 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
7 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
ENGINE HEAD GASKET OVERHEATED. ALSO CONSUMER 'S CAR FAILED INSPECTION BECAUSE THE CARBON MONOXIDE THROUGH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. *AK
ENGINE HEAD GASKET OVERHEATED. ALSO CONSUMER 'S CAR FAILED INSPECTION BECAUSE THE CARBON MONOXIDE THROUGH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. *AK
WIRE ON BACK OF HEADLIGHT SWITCH IS NOT OPERABLE. *AK
IN AN ACCIDENT THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO POSSIBLE FUEL LEAKAGE ON HOT MANIFOLD, THE DRIVER WAS TRAPPED AND DIED WHILE YELLING FOR HELP. *AK
POOR GAS MILEAGE.
PURCHASED CAR USED, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
PURCHASED CAR USED, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*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.