PlymouthVista19941.8L/plymouth/vista/1994/1-8l/
B8 platform

1994 Plymouth Vista — 1.8L

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1994 Vista 1.8L.

Engine 1.8LTransmission Automatic 4-spd

The 1994 Plymouth Vista rides on the B8 platform with a 1.8-liter engine driving a four-speed automatic transmission, returning EPA estimates of 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway while specifying a 4-quart oil fill across viscosity grades spanning 10W-30 to 20W-40. Reliability data places this model year at the stable end of the spectrum, carrying zero recalls and only four documented owner complaints with seat belts identified as the primary concern. That low complaint volume and absence of safety campaigns indicates limited exposure to systemic defects for researchers examining long-term ownership patterns.

Model year199419931992

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4 qt w/ filterOEM · verified
Engine oil type20W-40 / 10W-30 / 10W-40 APIOEM · verified
EPA fuel economy21/27/23 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses OE oil filter 05142416AC. Note the factory engine air filter, fuel filter, serpentine belt and thermostat are now discontinued — plan on a superseded or quality aftermarket equivalent, which the part pages below list where known. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter05142416AC
Engine air filterMR571472 discontinued · alt MB906051
Fuel filterMB658689 discontinued · alt MB504760
Spark plug68308887AA alt MS851727
Front wiper blades1BP00677AA alt MB859107
Serpentine belt05096317AB discontinued · alt MD186126
ThermostatMD337408 discontinued · alt MD972903

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined21 / 27 / 23 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4 qt w/ filter of 20W-40 / 10W-30 / 10W-40 API engine oil, DOT 3 brake fluid.

Lubricants & capacities

Brake FluidDOT 3
Engine CoolantETHYLENE GLYCOL
Engine Oil20W-40 · API · 10W-30 · 10W-40 · 10W-50 · 5W-30 · 5W-40
Engine Oil Capacity4 qt w/ filter
Power Steering FluidATF

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 60,000 mi; coolant every 30,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 30,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miBrake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Clutch Master Cylinder (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Power Steering System (inspect)
Every 15,000 miAxle Shaft Oil Seal (inspect) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Engine Valves (inspect valve lash)
Every 30,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Drive Axle Assembly (drain & refill) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect) · Fuel Line (inspect)
Every 60,000 miDistributor Cap (inspect) · Distributor Rotor (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect) · Fuel Tank (inspect) · Fuel Tank Filler Cap (inspect) · Spark Plug Wires (inspect)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 1994 Plymouth Vista lead in one area — the seat belts, 1 of 4 reports (25%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 2 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the seat belts pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
3
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
1
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
4
Owner complaints
2 involved a crash · 0 a fire

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 4 complaints on record, top 4 components.

Seat Belts1
Air Bags1
Steering1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 3 of 3 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
R2118796A2016-02-26Engine And Engine CoolingValve Body. These may cause over drive cycling.
2308002000-03-03SeatsSUBJECT REGARDING CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT
2335991999-09-03SeatsINFORMATION ON CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Vista. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 1994 Vista 1.8L take?

4 qt w/ filter of ABOVE 32 degrees F: 20W-40 SL, API, ABOVE -10 degrees F: 10W-30 OR 10W-40 OR 10W-50 SL, API, BELOW 100 degrees F: 5W-30, 5W-40 SL, API, per the factory manual.

Does the 1994 Vista have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the 1.8L get?

EPA figures are 21 city / 27 highway / 23 combined mpg.