Owners have filed 16 complaints on the Chrysler FIFTH AVENUE, covering 1984–1989. The system named most often is Steering (4 reports). Worst years by volume: 1987, 1989, 1985; cleanest: 1984, 1986, 1988. 2 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 9.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chrysler FIFTH AVENUE
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 16 FIFTH AVENUE complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 4 Read
Consumer was approaching left turn when the steering wheel locked up, causing the consumer to run into an enbankment
Steering gear box failed 2 times
Had to replace steering gear box three times, vehicle hard to steer. Tt
Structure 2 Read
Engine leaking oil
Water leaks into vehicle
Power Train 2 Read
Spark plugs failed, causing vehicle to hesitate/misfire
Car makes noise the bolt that holds the spider gear is broke have to get a whole new axle. Tt
Suspension 2 Read
Rear leaf springs failed
Parking gear failed allowing the vehicle to roll after put into park
Air Bags 1 Read
During an accident, air bag deployed violently, causing injury to driver, consumer stated that even though the air bag light had illuminated, she was unaware that the vehicle was equipped with an air bag because there were no markings for the air bag in her vehicle
Electrical System 1 Read
There was a fire that started in the ignition area of the vehicle and now the car is totaled. Please describe. Tt
Fuel System 1 Read
Reevs as if in passing gear and will not shut off
Parking Brake 1 Read
When parking and putting on the emergency brake, the emergency brake popped out, and the vehicle started rolling toward the consumer. Consumer had to run and jump into the vehicle and press down the brake to the floor, and the vehicle took off. Also, the speedodometer doesn't work, and the mileage indicator doesn't…
FIFTH AVENUE years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Air Bags,equipment | 1 | — | |
| 1988 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — | |
| 1987 | Parking Brake,power Train | — | — | |
| 1986 | Steering | — | — | |
| 1985 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 1984 | Electrical System | — | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 15 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.1 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 9.3 years |
A model average of 1.1 hides a worst series at 2. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the FIFTH AVENUE?
By complaint volume, 1987, 1989, 1985 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which FIFTH AVENUE years are the cleanest?
1984, 1986, 1988 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chrysler FIFTH AVENUE have?
16 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1984–1989. Of those, 2 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.