Selling a dead or junk Dodge Omni
Four of the Dodge Omni's nine recall campaigns are about fuel leaking under the hood. One of them, 85V010, warned that a loose clamp on a fuel hose could lead to an engine compartment fire. Owners' complaints point the same way: the 1987 Omni drew 10 of the model's 26 complaints to NHTSA, and the fuel system and the engine top its list.
- Model years in EPA data
- 1984-1990
- Complaints to NHTSA
- 26
- Year with the most complaints
- 1987 (10)
- Recall campaigns
- 9, four of them for fuel leaks
- Platform
- L-body, front-wheel drive
- Built in
- Belvidere, Ill.; Kenosha, Wis.; Detroit
Got an Omni with a dead engine, a gas smell or a decade parked? Sell the whole car as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US.
One hatchback, three factories
The Omni had one long generation. Wikipedia dates production from December 5, 1977 to February 2, 1990, on Chrysler's L-body platform with a transverse front engine and front-wheel drive. It lists four engines over that run: a 1.6 Simca four, a 1.7 Volkswagen four, the 2.2 K four and the 2.2 K Turbo I. The EPA data covers 1984 to 1990 and names two variants, the Omni and the GLH-S.
1984-1987: the Belvidere years and the fuel recalls
Wikipedia says Belvidere Assembly in Illinois built the Omni from 1977 to 1987. Most of the recalls land here:
- 84V147 (1984-1985): fuel could seep from the seam and hose joints of the reservoir, which NHTSA describes as a silver can sitting on top of the air cleaner.
- 85V010 (1985): a fuel hose clamp at the pressure regulator might not be tight enough.
- 88V105 (1985-1987): in low temperatures, the supply hose joints at the regulator and rail could weep fuel. The campaign counted 580,000 vehicles, so it reached well beyond the Omni.
- 91V132 (1987): the pressure regulator itself could leak fuel into the engine compartment.
- 84V116 (1985): an emissions valve could make the engine run too rich and stall while stopping, coasting or turning.
- 91V056 (1986): rear suspension pivot bolts could fail from stress corrosion cracking.
The 1987 is also the one year with a fire among its complaints.
1988-1990: Kenosha, then Detroit
Production moved to the AMC plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1987, then to Jefferson Avenue Assembly in Detroit in 1989. Recall 89V237 covers the 1989-1990 for a valve cover gasket that can slip and leak oil; that campaign counted 634,000 vehicles across every model it covered. On the 1990, three of four complaints name the air bags, and two describe crashes.
Complaints and recalls by model year
Owner complaints below are NHTSA's tally on October 10, 2026; the 1984 has none. Multi-year campaigns appear under every year they cover. The later the model year, the shorter the window owners have had to file.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Recall campaigns | Named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Seat belts |
| 1986 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Fuel system, structure, seats |
| 1987 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Fuel system 3, engine 3 |
| 1988 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Seat belts 2, structure 2 |
| 1989 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Engine, speed control, equipment |
| 1990 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Air bags 3 |
Fix it or sell it?
Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall search to see what is on record for your car. Then be honest about the car's state. A gas smell under the hood is exactly what four recalls were about, so don't keep cranking an Omni that smells of fuel. If it has been parked for years, read sitting for years before you pay to revive it. If it is a half-done restoration, old project car covers that sale.
Selling an Omni whole
- Jot down the VIN, odometer reading and symptoms. Note whether it rolls and steers.
- Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
- Describe the spot: curbside, carport or behind a shed. The truck comes to the car.
- Leave everything on it. Mention anything already pulled.
- Have your title and ID out when the truck rolls up. No title? See selling with no title.
Looking at another small Dodge? See the Shadow, Colt or every Dodge we cover.
Questions people ask
- Which Dodge Omni model year has the most NHTSA complaints?
- The 1987. It holds 10 of the 26 on file (NHTSA count, October 10, 2026), with the fuel system and engine each cited three times. No other year has more than 4.
- Were Omnis recalled for fuel leaks?
- Yes, four times. Campaigns 84V147, 85V010, 88V105 and 91V132 all deal with fuel leaking in the engine compartment, from a reservoir seam, a loose hose clamp, cold-weather hose connections and the pressure regulator. The vehicle totals for those campaigns include more than Omnis.
- Will you buy an Omni that hasn't run in years?
- Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US. Say whether it can be pushed and what town it's in.
- Do I need to pull parts off first?
- No. Sell the whole car as it sits. Anything already gone? Mention it up front.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.
- EPA fuel economy data (model years and variants) fueleconomy.gov
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 84V116: EGR valve, engine stall, 1985 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 84V147: fuel reservoir leak, 1984-1985 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 85V010: fuel hose clamp, 1985 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 86V053: battery cap vents, 1986 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 88V105: cold-weather fuel leaks, 1985-1987 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 89V091: horn symbol, 1988 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 89V237: valve cover gasket, 1989-1990 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 91V056: rear suspension pivot bolts, 1986 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 91V132: fuel pressure regulator, 1987 nhtsa.gov
- Wikipedia: Dodge Omni (production, plants, engines) en.wikipedia.org