1987 Dodge Colt

The 1987 Dodge Colt predates the available federal record window (1990–1996) by three years, so direct year-over-year comparison is not possible from this dataset; however, the target year's own complaint profile is provided separately and is dominated by Seat Belts (17 complaints), followed by Engine & Engine Cooling (9), Power Train (5), and Visibility (4), with 2 crash-related complaints and zero fire complaints. Within the recorded generation arc, complaints begin at 14 in 1990, rise to 22 in 1991, dip to 15 in 1992, then spike dramatically to 120 in 1993 before falling to 18 in 1994 and just 2 in 1996; recalls hover at 1–2 per year through 1993 and then cease, while investigations persist at 2–4 annually through 1994 before dropping to zero. The 1993 outlier aside, the overall trend suggests moderate and relatively stable complaint volume across the early 1990s, with the earliest recorded years (1990–1991) showing the lowest baseline figures — which may imply that the pre-1990 models, including 1987, either had fewer documented problems or simply benefit from less complete federal recordkeeping. The seat belt concentration in the 1987 data is notable but the data does not specify a root cause, and no recalls or investigations are listed for the target year itself. Given that 1987 sits ahead of the recorded arc with a modest complaint volume and no fire incidents, it appears to fall on the quieter end of this generation's reliability spectrum; as a used purchase, it represents a relatively low-complaint model year, though the seat belt issue warrants a specific pre-purchase inspection of restraint system components.