Total Complaints
3 filings
PLYMOUTH RELIANT · model year
1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT
3 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1981PLYMOUTHRELIANT 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 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1981 RELIANT is structure:frame and members with 1 filings, followed by unknown or other (1) and equipment (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 1981 RELIANT. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
1
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20100407UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT K-CAR. CONSUMER STATES ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HIS PARENTS PURCHASED THE ABOVE MENTIONED VEHICLE. BUT, SINCE HE DID MOST OF THE DRIVING, HE ASKED THEM IF HE COULD INSTALL CRUISE CONTROL. HE THEN PURCHASED IT AND INSTALLED IT HIMSELF. THE UNIT RECEIVED ITS CONTROL PULSES FROM MAGNETS AROUND THE DRIVE SHAFT, WITH A MAGNETIC PICK UP SENSOR. AFTER ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS, THE UNIT HE INSTALLED STARTED TO ACT ERRATIC. SOMETIMES HE WOULD SET THE CRUISE SPEED, BUT WHEN HE APPROACHED TRAFFIC, HE TAPPED THE CANCEL BUTTON, THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUE TO SPEED UP. THERE WAS NO EFFECT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONSUMER THEN PURCHASED ANOTHER CRUISE CONTROL UNIT AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM.
20100407EQUIPMENT
1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT K-CAR. CONSUMER STATES ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HIS PARENTS PURCHASED THE ABOVE MENTIONED VEHICLE. BUT, SINCE HE DID MOST OF THE DRIVING, HE ASKED THEM IF HE COULD INSTALL CRUISE CONTROL. HE THEN PURCHASED IT AND INSTALLED IT HIMSELF. THE UNIT RECEIVED ITS CONTROL PULSES FROM MAGNETS AROUND THE DRIVE SHAFT, WITH A MAGNETIC PICK UP SENSOR. AFTER ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS, THE UNIT HE INSTALLED STARTED TO ACT ERRATIC. SOMETIMES HE WOULD SET THE CRUISE SPEED, BUT WHEN HE APPROACHED TRAFFIC, HE TAPPED THE CANCEL BUTTON, THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUE TO SPEED UP. THERE WAS NO EFFECT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONSUMER THEN PURCHASED ANOTHER CRUISE CONTROL UNIT AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM.
19951012FatalSTRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
DEATH RESULTED FROM SIDE IMPACT, ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT. *AW
Compare 1981PLYMOUTHRELIANT to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT have?▼
The 1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT?▼
The most-complained component for the 1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT is STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and EQUIPMENT.
Is the 1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1981 PLYMOUTH RELIANT; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.