1988 Eagle Premier problems & reliability
54 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1988 Eagle Premier. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility → | 20 | 37% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 17 | 31% |
| Power Train → | 13 | 24% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 11% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 11% |
| Steering | 5 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 7% |
| Equipment | 3 | 6% |
| Tires | 3 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 17 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Throttle would be wide open and stuck. Vehicle accelerated on its own after sticking. Has happened at least 3 different times before. Last time caused transmission to burn up.*ak”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed May 24, 2001
“Consumer requested reimbursement for recall repair 99v-340 concerning faulty brake rotors which failed prior to recall notice, consumer has not recieved reimbursement yet. Nlm”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Feb 6, 2001
“Child bleeding on her left upper arm due to a shiny point sticking throuth the cushion part on her car seat, pulled the cushion off and the spring that controlled the front of the car seat, that pulls over the childs head and snaps in place, had somehow straigntened out to somewhat and poked through cushion. This is…”
Child Seat · filed Aug 28, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Preliminary Evaluation PE94060 · opened Aug 3, 1994 · closed Dec 29, 1994
- AUTO SHOULDER BELT FAILS
Preliminary Evaluation PE94027 · opened Mar 18, 1994 · closed Jul 29, 1994
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1988 Eagle Premier.
Subject regarding wire splice repairs. *sb
0800600REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 29, 2000
Subject regarding child seat tether anchors. *tt
2300800B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 24, 2000
Subject regarding child seat tether anchors. *tt
230800 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 3, 2000
This bulletin provides a revised wire splice procedure and related parts. *tt
080600 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 25, 2000
Subject on the child seat tether anchors. *mjs
233599REVA · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1999
Information on child seat tether anchors. *tt
233599 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 1999
Information on installation of radio transmitting equipment. *ak
081698 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 1998
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1988 Eagle Premier in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1988 Eagle Premier?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.