What the official record says, what it costs to keep alive, and what they actually sell for — assembled from primary sources so you can walk into a viewing knowing more than the seller.
Recalls, bulletins, investigations and programmes sourced to NHTSA, the manufacturer, or a court — sorted by what each should change about your purchase. This is a curated set, not the complete archive: NHTSA holds hundreds of manufacturer communications per model, and we kept the ones that change an inspection or a negotiation rather than the administrative paperwork. The severity calls and the “what you do about it” lines are our editorial read; the failure, consequence and remedy underneath come from the linked document. Every record here is from the USDM regulatory record — an import sold new in another market may carry campaigns that never appear in it. One caveat on the “verify by VIN” advice below: NHTSA’s lookup does not show a recall that was already repaired, and generally will not return a campaign more than 15 years old — so a clean result is not proof the older ones were ever done.
Verify this is remedied before you drive it, take delivery, or hand over money.
Diagnose and price it before you agree a number.
Context for the car's history rather than an action item.
18 sold results with the original engine — hammer prices, not asking prices. Median $14,500, range $9,000–$35,750. 3 engine-swapped cars are charted separately below and left out of that median — a swapped car carries none of the risk this page is about.
Official records come from NHTSA, manufacturer service documents, and court filings — each row links to the document it came from. Where a record published no VIN range, we say so rather than implying every car is affected, and where only an index entry survives we label it. Sale prices are completed auction results, each linked to its listing. Nothing here is sourced from folklore, and where we could not verify something we left it out.
Severity ratings are our editorial judgement, not statements by NHTSA or the manufacturer, and none of this is legal or safety advice. Found something wrong? Tell the mechanic — corrections are the whole point.