1989 Renault MEDALLION: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1989 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
Most common problems
Seat Belts is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 1 |
Seat Belts: 1
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. 1 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.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 |
1997: 1
Pattern summary
Seat Belts leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 513784 · 1997-01-17 (January 17, 1997)
MOTORIZED SEAT BELT FAILED.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 513784 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
90V138000 · Vehicle Speed Control
Reported: 1990-08-09 (August 9, 1990)
LOSS OF RETENTION OF AN INTEGRAL OVER-TRAVEL SPRING ON THROTTLE CABLE COULD CAUSE SPRING DISLOCATION.
Consequence: A DISLOCATED SPRING CAN CAUSE INCREASED IDLE POSITIONTHROTTLE OPENING AND HIGHER THAN NORMAL IDLE SPEED.
Remedy: REPLACE THROTTLE CABLES WITH CABLES DESIGNED TO PROVIDE POSITIVE RETENTION OF THE OVER-TRAVEL SPRING.
NHTSA campaign record ↗91V037000 · Electrical System:Wiring:Fuses And Circuit Breakers
Reported: 1991-03-04 (March 4, 1991)
FUSE BLOCK WIRING TERMINALS MAY NOT ADEQUATELY CLAMP THE POSITIVE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION OF HEATER BLOWER MOTOR FUSE BLADES.
Consequence: THIS COULD INCREASE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE THAT COULDOVERHEAT AND IGNITE THE FUSE BLOCK AND TERMINAL WIRING, RESULTING IN ANINSTRUMENT PANEL FIRE.
Remedy: MODIFY FUSE BLOCK TERMINAL TO ENSURE ADEQUATE RETENTION CLAMP LOAD ON HEATER BLOWER FUSE BLADES.
NHTSA campaign record ↗97V226000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System
Reported: 1997-12-09 (December 9, 1997)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE HEATER CORE END CAP CAN FAIL DUE TO MATERIAL STRENGTH DETERIORATION OCCURRING OVER TIME WITH EXPOSURE TO HIGH TEMPERATURE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM FLUID.
Consequence: FAILURE WILL ALLOW THE DISCHARGE OF COOLING SYSTEM STEAM INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, CAUSING REDUCED DRIVER VISIBILITY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A COOLANT TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED HEATER CORE FLUID BYPASS VALVE.
NHTSA campaign record ↗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.
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 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility:Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System:Heater Core | 440.0%ODI 536987HEATER CORE FLUID BYPASS VALVE FAILED CAUSING DAMAGE TO HEATER CORE PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | 220.0%ODI 481220HEADLIGHTS OVERHEAT WHEN ON FOR LONG PERIODS, CAUSING LIGHTS TO GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY/POOR VISIBILITY. *SKD | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Ignition:Switch | 110.0%ODI 560303THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS IMPROPERLY MOUNTED CAUSING THE IGNITION FEED WIRE SWITCH TO TWIST FROM THE MOTION OF THE STEERING WHEEL, AS A RESULT THE WIRE GRADUALLY RUBBED BARE ON THE STEERING COLUMN AND SHORTED OUT CAUSING A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. NLM | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood | 110.0% | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | 110.0%ODI 961365THE BOX THAT HOLDS THE ANTI FREEZE BURST SPRAYING CONTENTS ON ENGINE CAUSING IT TOO OVERHEAT. TT | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Fan | 110.0%ODI 481220HEADLIGHTS OVERHEAT WHEN ON FOR LONG PERIODS, CAUSING LIGHTS TO GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY/POOR VISIBILITY. *SKD | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly | 110.0%ODI 481220HEADLIGHTS OVERHEAT WHEN ON FOR LONG PERIODS, CAUSING LIGHTS TO GO OUT INTERMITTENTLY/POOR VISIBILITY. *SKD | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 110.0% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 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 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (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.
1988: 1 complaints · 1989: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1989 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 1989 | 1 | 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 | Seat Belts |
|---|---|
| Seat Belts | — |
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.