Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
OTHER
09/15/20030
 The brakes on the car are just terrible. i bought the car in 2002, it was a 1995 neon dodge(best i could buy back then). but in less than a year since i've had the car i've had to have the air conditioner fixed one time, the paint is basically peeling off by itself, but the worst part are the brakes, i've had them changed three times in less than eight months. once i almost got in car accident because they failed on me. since i bought it in a small local dealer shop much could not be done, but i am looking foward to getting a better car with better safety features.
02/15/200362000
 The car leaks water from somewhere. when it rains the backseat floor fills up with water. there are no water trails running down from the windows so i don't know where the leak is coming from. the air conditioning has finally died completely - it has been smelling musty for quite some time. the windows roll down by themselves. if you go over a bumpy road or just drive for any length of time the windows start creeping down. after every drive i have to go around the car and make sure the windows are rolled up tight.
02/06/200269000012/28/1995
 Chipping paints on the trunk, sides and top of the car. went to larson dodge in tacoma washington to show them the chipping paint and was told i would be contacted by the rep from chrysler to see what could be done about it. i never received a call and my vehicle continued to chip down to bare metal.
07/30/20031
 Consumer states that the vehicle was off when it caught on fire. dealer notified. *ph
01/15/2002
 While driving 60 mph oil light came on. dealer inspected vehicle, and determined cam seal had failed, causing most of engine oil to leak. cam seal was replaced, also, a cam seal retainer was installed. shortly after this repair, head gasket started leaking, and engine was knocking.*ak
07/27/1999110/01/1995
 The engine light often comes on without a cause. it is so costly to check without an fix that i am thinking about not having it check anymore. the head gasket is a major problem on these cars. i do not have the money to fix it at this time. i am waiting for a call from dodge to see if they will help. this should be replaced at their cost. too many people have had this problem. the rotor and calipers problem was scary. i was applying my brakes when a crunch was heard. it became hard to keep control of the car. the camshaft seal came out of the head. i had to purchase a new one. i find it interesting that a lot of neon owners are having the same problems. i wish dodge would pull their share of the cost so trust could be restablished. thank you for your time, robyn knouff. *ak
05/23/2000
 Oil light comes on, leaving huge puddles of oil when stopped. also, vehicle leaves a trail of oil when driving, and vehicle smokes a lot. contacted dealer, and dealer stated there was not a recall on this problem. *ak
03/09/2001109/01/1997
 2 weeks prior to reported incident vehicle had a coolant leak. garage found that the coolant resevoir had split and replaced it. on the 9th march my wife drove the car and dropped a college of to pick up his car at a garage. when she restarted the vehicle and proceeded to drive it she noticed that the engine did not sound right. shortly after the car started to wobble, the engine check light came on and the temperture gauge started to climb higher. she arrived home, i rang the garage, told them of the symptoms and was told to bring the car in. on starting it up i noticed a lot of blue grey smoke come out of the exhaust. the vehicle drove with no problems to the garage. subsequent inspection of the engine showed a coolant leak, when the head gasket was taken off there were 2 cracks on the engine block. the estimated cost of a temporary repair is $1000, but there is no guarantee how long the repair would last. the only other option was a new engine which is out of the question. i cannot understand how this problem could occur with only 76k on the clock. the vehicle was purchased used with 45k on the clock in september 1997. since then it has been serviced according to the manufacturers instruction, with an oil and filter change every 3 months.*ak
08/01/2000107/01/2000
 No summary
10/01/1999
 My 95 dodge neon (color-iris) has paint flaking off in many areas. there is no hail damage or previose wrecks,there seems to be no reason for this. i have seen two other neons around that have the same problem. i realize the car is five years old but never have a seen a car have paint just falling off like it is on mine. no safety defect mentione din summary. *ak
07/14/200006/01/1999
 I have been informed that this is a common problem with this car and they do nothing about it yet they don not wish to fix it. no safety defect mentioned in summary. *ak
12/01/199901/01/1999
 Head gasket will cost $600 to repair. had enough problems with this car in the 16 months i have owned it. it is apparent by all the complaints that somthing should be done. so why hasn't it? *ak
03/04/2000111/01/1999
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
01/17/200006/01/1995
 Oil light came on, car was leaking oil, had car towed, informed of head gasket problem.
01/17/2000102/01/1996
 As i was driving my 1995 neon home from work, i noticed that the oil light came on. i became concerned and pulled into the nearest service station which was less that 1/2 mile away. i asked the service tech to look at the car and he said that there was an oil leak. he suggested that i have the oil changed and see if there were any loose fittings from my previous oil change a few weeks earlier. the oil was changed and the car started only to continue to leak oil again. i was told not to drive it and had it towed to my dealership the following day. the dealership diagnosed that the cam seal/plug had cracked off and caused damage to the engine. as a result, i would need a new short block installed in my 5yr old car at a price of $3500.00. i feel that the cam seal/plug is defective and that is why it cracked off. i have spoken to other people in the auto industry/repair industry and it is a known problem with the neon car. i cannot imagine that i should be held to pay for the replacement of the engine when i did everything i was supposed to do by stopping the car immediately. i spoke to chrysler directly and within minutes of contacting the dealer, they (chrysler) agreed to pay half of the repair only if i had the service done at a dodge dealership. i appreciated this gesture but i am still looking at paying $1700.00 out of pocket for the damage. i feel that chrysler is aware of the problem with this defective part. i have read complaints on your website and would greatly appreciate a phone call to see if i can get any help in resolving this issue. as you can imagine, i am extremely upset at this point. i have contacted my dealer and wrote a letter to the general manager. i did receive a call from the svc mgr, who will admit no fault. at this point i am waiting to hear from the svc mgr with a firm repair price but as of yet, he has not returned by call. i feel that i am being unfairly treated and being penalized because i did not buy the extended warranty.
12/17/1999206/01/1999
 This was the 2nd time the same problem has been repaired, the first time was on 2/21/95. at this time the transmission was also rebuilt, another problem is the engine check light staying on. this was also repaired on 12/27/94, and i am haveing the same problem again. *ak
11/23/1999111/01/1996
 While washing car entire sheet of paint began to and completely peeled away from car.
05/10/1999205/01/1995
 No summary
08/30/1999208/05/1997
 Engine head gaskets has blown out twice, resulting in an oil leakage. dealer has been notified. *ak timing belt was changed at 61,524 miles. switch for oil indicator burned out causing oil leakage (5-11-98). *mjs
07/29/1999
 While driving at highway speeds there was smoke coming from the vehicle due to vehicle overheating. also, engine check light was on and won't go off. *ak
07/12/1999
 Engine head gasket blew out, causing severe oil leaks. also, engine check light continues to stay on. *ak
05/01/199912/01/1997
 This car has been in the shop about every other month since we bought it. very disapointed in we have lost alot of money trying to keep this vehicle.
01/14/199908/01/1994
 This is apparent on other dodge neon models. no safety defect mentioned in summary. *ak
11/01/1998
 Have heard from other neon owners that this is a common problem, was even told that there was a recall on it, but can't find it. no defect (s) listed. *ak
10/14/1998
 The consumer has been experiencing problems with engine head gaskets. oil light stays illuminated and the oil leaks. the manufacturer has been contacted. *ak
11/21/1998
 When driving at 70 mph the engine check light came on and the vehicle shut down. as the consumer was driving, and when the consumer tried to start the vehicle back up, the vehicle wouldn't start. the consumer stated the water pump/ timing belt and the pinion ring and gear failed also. *ak
510/01/1994
 This car has been a nightmare since i'll purchased it, i had to have my transmission replaced, my engine light keep going on, my radio keeps going out. if it's not one thing it's another. i will never buy another chrysler product. my mother has always owned chryslers but she's change her mind. my dealer only cares about the sale of the car, not the service after you sign on the dotted line. thanks, nicole
10/15/1998106/01/1995
 Steering problem- when going through puddles, loss of steering experienced for a few seconds and sometimes total loss. car had to be shut off to gain control back. power steering belt was tightened by local mechanic because dealership said nothing was wrong. there's something wrong with this picture. transmission- when put into reverse, tranny hesitated, took a couple of seconds to engage. told nothing was wrong. took vehicle in a second time at a different dealership. service bulletin found. transmission servo replaced after 4 days of being in the dealership due to incompetence of mechanics. problem was eventually fixed. cruise control failure- cruise control failed to keep a constant speed. turned into dealership. told nothing was wrong. turned in a second time to a different dealership. replaced speed sensor. problem was solved. oil leak- oil was found on the underside of the engine compartment. oil pressure switch was replaced. problem solved. check engine light- check engin light came on. took into dealership. oxygen sensor was replaced. problem solved. check engine light- check engine light came on again. took into dealership. engine light was off. next day it was back on again. turned in a second time. turned off. came back on within a couple of hours. took in a third time. computer needed to be reprogrammed. problem solved. oil leak- oil found all over the underside of engine compartment. checked by a neighborhood mechanic. found the head gasket leaking at just 45000 miles. oil has been changed every 3000 miles.
02/04/1997107/01/1995
 Front dashboard failed.
09/03/1997307/01/1995
 Engine light continuously comes on.
09/17/1997
 Engine check light keeps coming on.
02/25/19981
 Going 60mph when engine check light came on. vehicle started shaking. went to parking lot & lifted hood. smoke come from cooling bottle. engine light dimmed. towed to dealer & was told head gasket blew. also abs brakes failed to work when depressed quickly & vehicle skidded forward on dry pavement. *ak
11/12/19972
 Engine check light comes on & stays; then vehicle would overheat & had no water. took to dealer & mechanic said the head gasket had a leak & needed to be replaced. *ak
 While driving the engine check light is constantly on , and the vehicle cuts off. the owner has replaced the battery and has had the starter checked. owner is trying to contact the m anufacturer. *ak
1
 Engine light goes on and off at times, the dealership has been unable to located problem.
 Months after receiving a recall notification the part that requires replacement is still not available.
01/01/1997
 Due to an electrical short, gauges in vehicle will not properly register, intermittently fail, in for repair, no problem found. *ak
06/12/1995
 The embossed dashboard causes direct sunlight to reflect off into the driver's eyes and has caused an accident.please describe. *ak
11/28/19948
 Trim between windshield and dashboard separated.