Auto Recall Watch
U.S. public vehicle records

American Motors SPIRIT recalls by model year

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1981 to 1985 model years. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1981
1
1982
2
1985
0
Recall campaigns data
CategoryCount
19811
19822
19850

1981: 1; 1982: 2; 1985: 0

Year-by-year records

American Motors SPIRIT model-year comparison
Model yearComplaintsRecallsChange in recalls
198101Not available
198202+1
198510Not available

Recall history

3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

81V081000 · Vehicle Speed Control

Reported: 1981-07-06 (July 6, 1981) · Model years: 1981

THE CRUISE COMMAND ACTUATION CHAIN MAY CATCH ON THE THROTTLE LINKAGE, CAUSING THE THROTTLE TO REMAIN IN A PARTIALLY OPEN POSITION.

Remedy: DEALER WILL REPLACE THE CRUISE COMMAND ACTUATION CHAIN ASSEMBLY, AND A SHIELD WILL BE MOUNTED ON THE THROTTLE LINKAGE AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
81V110000 · Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood

Reported: 1981-09-22 (September 22, 1981) · Model years: 1982

THE UNDERHOOD WIRING HARNESS AND VENTILATING HOSE MAY HAVE BEEN MISROUTED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. MISROUTING MAY CAUSE CHAFING BETWEEN THE HARNESS AND VARIOUS OTHER COMPONENTS, RESULTING IN SHORT CIRCUITS AND MALFUNCTION OF ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES. THE SWITCH WHICH ACTIVATES THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT MAY NOT FUNCTION. THE CRANKCASE VENTILATION HOSE MAY BE TOO CLOSE TO THE AIR INJECTION MANIFOLD TUBE AND COULD BE DAMAGED IF ENGINE OVERHEATS.

Remedy: UPON INSPECTION, DEALER WILL REPAIR ENGINE COMPARTMENT WIRING HARNESS, REROUTE THE HOSE, AND REPLACE THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH WITHOUT CHARGE.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
82V126000 · Power Train:Manual Transmission:Lubricant

Reported: 1982-12-13 (December 13, 1982) · Model years: 1982

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION TRANSMISSION LUBRICANT USED IN THE INVOLVED VEHICLES, MAY NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE LUBRICATION TO PROTECT THE TRANSMISSION"S FIRST GEAR.

Remedy: THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION LUBRICANT WITH AN EXTREME PRESSURE LUBRICANT AT NO CHARGE TO THE OWNER.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 1 records
0.0%Valid incident date0 / 1 records
100.0%Valid filing date1 / 1 records
0.0%Ordered incident and filing dates0 / 1 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

Component complaint heatmap
Component198119821985
Structure:Frame And Members
0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

1100.0%
ODI 533393

PAINT PEELING FROM ENTIRE BODY OF TRUCK.

Look up ODI 533393 at NHTSA ↗

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
ComponentMileage range (25th–75th percentile)MedianUsable recordsExamples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

1 reports2024-112026-10

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
MonthComplaintsCampaigns announcedExamples
2024-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2024-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-100None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-10 (partial)0None

No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Age 0Age 1Age 21 reports

1982: 0 complaints · 1985: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model yearThrough age 0Through age 1Through age 2
1982000
1985000
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
YearIncident dates usedFiling date fallbacksExcluded dates
1982000
1985010

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
ComponentStructure:Frame And Members
Structure:Frame And Members—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.