1971 Dodge COLT problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
0 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1971 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
No owner complaints are recorded for this selection. A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
No usable records for this chart.
| Category | Count |
|---|
No records.
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 0 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
No usable records for this chart.
| Category | Count |
|---|
No records.
Pattern summary
There is not enough complaint evidence to summarize patterns.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
0 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-09-30.
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 | 1982 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 313.6%ODI 522235RECALL NOTICE ON SEAT BELT, DEALER SAID NO PARTS AVAILABLE AND WILL NOT CALL CUSTOMER WHEN PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 824.2%ODI 504346WHEN MOTORIZED SEAT BELTS RETRACT, IT JAMS AND GRABS AGAINST THE CHEST OF THE OCCUPANT. *SD | 541.7%ODI 489800MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT SNAPPED BACK TIGHTLY, PINNING DRIVER TO SEAT/OTHER TIMES MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT TIGHTEN AT ALL. *AK | 317.6%ODI 510605AUTOMATIC SHOULDER RESTRAINTS ARE POSITIONED IN AN IMPROPER LOCATION/ PULLS UP AGAINST NECK AND FACE OF FRONT OCCUPANTS. | 428.6%ODI 506837MOTORBELT FAILS TO RELEASE WHEN IGNITION KEY IS TURNED TO OFF POSITION. *DH | 5349.5%ODI 10446063 · 67,194 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 DODGE COLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT CABLE WAS CAME LOOSE AND CAUSED THE SEAT BELTS TO BECOME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE WAS REPAIRED THREE TIMES PRIOR TO THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,194 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 812753CONSUMER RECEIVED MFR RECALL LETTER IN JAN. OF 97, THEN CONTACTED DELAND DODGE OF FLORIDA FOR REPAIR DATE, WHICH WAS SET FOR 1/97. CONSUMER HAS GONE BACK A NUMBER OF TIMES TO DELAND DODGE ABOUT REPAIRS FOR DEFECTIVE SEAT BELT BUTTONS AND HAVE NOT HAD REPAIRS DONE YET AS OF TODAY. DELAND DODGE 2322 S. WOODLAND BLVD. DELAND, FL. 32724 (GARY /PARTS DEPT.)-[phone removed]. *AK |
| Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1568.2%ODI 719880FOR YEARS, WATER LEAKING INSIDE TRUNK. DON'T KNOW WHERE LEAK COMING FROM. ROTTED AWAY ENTIRE INTERIOR OF TRUNK. AROUND OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1999, NOTICED SEAT BELT WON'T CLIP INTO PLACE, AND IF IT DOES AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, IT'S STUCK INSIDE. WHEN PRESS BUTTON "PRESS" NOTHING HAPPENS. *AK | 1346.4% | 1560.0%ODI 484998SEAT BELT BUCKLE PLASTIC BROKE, FELL INTO BUCKLE, CAUSING FAILURE OF SEAT BELT. TT | 1442.4% | 433.3% | 317.6%ODI 603440RECALL REPAIR NOT PERFORMED ON SEAT BELT BUCKLES DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF PARTS. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 76.5%ODI 543577DRIVERS SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT POPS OPEN WHEN RIDING OVER BUMPS ON ROAD AND BRACKET FOR SEAT BELT INSERTION IS LOCKED IN THE FORWARD POSITION MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE THE BELT. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 14.5% | 13.6% | 416.0% | 13.0%ODI 983165MAKING LEFT TURN, DRUNK DRIVER RAN RED LIGHT, HIT VEHICLE ON DRIVER SIDE, SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK UP, DRIVER WAS STRUNG AROUND IN CAR. *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 15.9%ODI 984675FRONT SEAT BELTS, LAP/SHOULDER BELT WILL OVERTIGHTEN AND CANNOT GET OF SEAT, OPENS THE DOOR TO RELEASE THE SEAT BELTS. *AK | 17.1%ODI 8010423THE PASSENGER SEATBELT DOES NOT WORK. THE SEATBELT WILL NOT SLIDE BACK AND FORTH DUE TO CABLE POPPING OUT. PLEASE ADD VIN.*JB | 1413.1%ODI 10048291 · 150,000 miCONSUMER WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT A RETRACTABLE SEAT BELT PROBLEM. THE CABLE CORD CAME LOOSE. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT THE CABLE CORD WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND THE CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY SEAT BELT REPAIRS NOT MENTIONED IN THE RECALL. *AK *CB THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED BACK IN 1997. *JB | 15.6% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seat Belts:Front:Retractor | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 13.6% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 13.0%ODI 985817PE96-007 ACTIVE, AUTOMATIC LAP/SHOULDER BELT FAILURE, WILL NOT RETRACT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE (OTHER VEHICLE ON 802685). *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 15.9% | 214.3%ODI 831227DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE TO BE USED. BELT WILL RETRACT WHEN DOOR IS UNLOCKED. BELT IS ONLY TRIGGERED BY DOOR CLOSING OR OPENING. *AK SOMETIMES THE DOOR HAS TO BE REPEATEDLY OPENED AND CLOSED TO GET THE BELT TO CROSS OVER CHEST. * YH | 1917.8%ODI 10157541 · 108,000 miTHERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SEAT BELTS FOR MY 1993 DODGE COLT IN 1997. I HAD THEM FIXED ACCORDING TO THE RECALL, BUT THEY FAILED AGAIN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. SAME PROBLEM. THERE IS AN AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT SLIDE FOR THE SHOULDER HARNESS ON BOTH FRONT SEATS AND IT DOES NOT WORK. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS AND UNACCEPTABLE. I AM AFRAID TO USE MY CAR, AFRAID WE'LL DIE IN A CRASH. PLEASE GET THE MANUFACTURER TO RECALL THIS AGAIN OR AT LEAST ALLOW ME ANOTHER "FIX" SO THAT WE CAN BE SAFE. TIA. *NM | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seat Belts:Front:Webbing | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 14.5% | 13.6%ODI 960185SEAT BELTS DID NOT WORK IN ACCIDENT AND DRIVER HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. TT | 28.0% | 13.0%ODI 978393THE SEATBELT WAS REPLACED TWICE AND HAD THE SAME DEFECT AS THE 1988 COLT RECALL. TT | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 15.9% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 65.6% | 15.6%ODI 504108DRIVERS SEAT SHOULDER HARNESS TOO FAR BACK, SEAT BELT TWISTS/JAMS IN GUIDE WHEN PULLED FORWARD. *DSH | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 27.1% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 21.9% | 316.7%ODI 10042754WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT PROPERLY FROM THE FIRST TO THE SECOND GEAR, WON'T SHIFT, AND MAKES LOUD NOISE. ALSO, CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF AN AIR BAG SYSTEM PROBLEM. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 508225TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND DAMAGED ENGINE BLOCK/SHORT BLOCK REPLACED TWICE, ALSO ENGINE MOUNTS BROKE. *AK | 14.5%ODI 987192CRANSHAFT BROKE, ALLOWING HARMONIC BALANCER TO FLY ACROSS THE INTERSTATE. *AK | 13.6% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 13.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 15.6%ODI 868494ENGINE HEAD GASKET WOULD KEEP LEAKING OIL. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER AT LEAST 5 DIFFERENT TIMES FOR LEAKING GASKET. EACH TIME WOULD BE REPAIRED & THEN PROBLEM WOULD REAPPEAR AGAIN. ALSO, TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING TO SHIFT PROPERLY.*AK THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM CONTINUED AND NOW THREE HEAD GASKET HAVE CRACKED. THE AIR CONDITIONER, MASTER CYLINDER, TRANSMISSION AND MOTOR MOUNTS ALSO FAILED. *YH | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Power Train:Manual Transmission | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 13.6%ODI 965394WHILE COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO IN ANY GEARS. TT | 28.0%ODI 8005975SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, WHEN PLACED INTO NEUTRAL THE ENGINE RACES AND THE THROTTLE SEEMS STUCK.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 17.1%ODI 973888MANUAL TRANMISSION FAILURE, HAS BEEN REPLACED ON TWO OCASSIONS, THERE IS STRIPPED GEAR CAUSING FAILURE. TT | 10.9%ODI 763511THE TRANSMISSION FAILED! BEARINGS WERE ALL PITTED & LOPSIDED. GARAGE ATTEMPTED TO GET A USED REPLACEMENT WITHOUT SUCCESS. SEVERAL TRANSMISSION SHOPS TOLD ME THAT THEY THINK EVERY ONE MADE HAS FAILED? I COULDN'T GET A USED REPLACEMENT WITHIN A 100 MILE RADIUS! I FINALLY GOT A SHOP TO INSTALL A REBUILD KIT AT A TOTAL COST OF APROX $900. I DON'T BELIEVE THERE ARE NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS TRANS FROM WHAT I HEARD TRYING TO GET MINE REPAIRE.*AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
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 | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 (partial) | 0 | None | 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.
1994: 8 complaints · 1996: 2 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 1996 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
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 |
|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. |
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.