1997 DODGE NEON Complaints

MY CAR HAD EXACTLY 12000 MILES ON IT WHEN PURCHASED. AT AROUND MILE 43000, THE CAR BEGAN TO LEAK OIL. I THEN TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE VALVE COVER GASKET. THE REPAIR WAS TO COST ME $800 UNTIL HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS REOCCURING IN DODGE NEONS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. THE DODGE DEALERSHIP TOOK CARE OF IT. THEN, AROUND MILE 70000, THE CAR BEGAN TO OVERHEAT TREMENDOUSLY, GOING DEAD EVERY TIME THE GAS PEDAL WAS RELEASED, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BEGAN TO GO HAYWIRE, THE BATTERY HAD TO BE REPLACED, AND AS WELL AS THE THERMOSTAT. I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT AND FOR THIS TO BE MY DEPENDABLE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, IT IS TRULY A JOKE. THE DODGE CORPORATION SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. THANK YOU!*AK

OIL FROM LEAKING HEAD GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKET LEAK DIRECTLY ONTO EXHAUST SYSTEM, SPECIFICALLY THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER CAUSING FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. I HAVE KNOWN AND READ OF MANY,MANY OTHERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. OIL LEAKAGE IN EXCESS OF 3 QTS. PER WEEK. THE SMELL OF BURNING OIL INSIDE OF THE CAR IS NOXIOUS. I HAVE A 3 MONTH OLD BABY, A 5 YEAR OLD, AND MY WIFE AND WE CAN HARDLY TAKE A 30 MINUTE TRIP WITHOUT HAVING TO STOP FOR FRESH AIR. THERE IS A DEFINATE POSSIBILITY OF THE DRIVER OR PASSENGERS LOSING CONCIOUSNESS. SMOKE HAS BEEN VISIBLE INSIDE THE CAR BEFORE FROM THE BURNING OIL. *AK

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OIL LEAKS FROM MY 2.0L 16V ENGINE, AT 29,000 MILES THE DEALER CORRECTED THE OILLEAK BY REPLACING THE HEAD GASKET. AT THAT TIME I ALSO COMPLAINED OF A NOISE (LIFTER KNOCK), THEY SAID IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL AND I LET IT GO. NOW I HAVE 46,000 MILES ON THE VEHICAL AND THE OIL CONTINUES TO DRIP AND THE SO-CALLED NORMAL LIFTER NOISE NOW SOUNDS LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE WHEN IT IS COLD. IT IS NOW PAST ITS WARRANTY PERIOD. I WOULD LIKE TO LET THE MANUFACTURE KNOW ABOUT MY PROBLEM AND REFER TO AN ARTICLE CONTAINED IN THE SEATTLE TIMES NEWSPAPER DATED MARCH 24, 2000 PAGE F1 ENTITLED "CHRYSLER QUIETLY PAYS HEAD-GASKET BILLS ON NEON".*AK

WENT TO START VEHICLE IN THE MORNINGS AND IT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING WAS CLOGGING THE ENGINE. LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED PUDDLE OF OIL. CONTACTED THE DEALER, WHO WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.*AK

EVAPORATOR COIL, EXPANSION VALVE & HOSES REPLACED; FREON ADDED X4; AC STILL FAILS; HAS FAILED 4 TIMES SINCE AUGUST, 1999. DOES NOT BLOW COLD AIR.*AK

I SEE WHERE THE AIR BAG IMPACT SENSOR IS ON THE RECALL LIST YOU HAVE PROVIDED, BUT I REPORTED IT ALSO. MY NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT IS THE WAY MY VEHICLE AND SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES THE SAME COLOR AS MINE IS PEELING. MY VEHICLE COLOR IS LAPIS BLUE AND THE PAINT IS PEELING ALL OVER. I'VE TOOK IT TO THREE DODGE DEALERS, AND NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PAINT PEELING. WHEN THE VEHICLE FIRST STARTED PEELING ABOUT A YEAR AFTER I HAD IT, I TOOK IT TO ARCHER DODGE IN HOUSTON, TX. AND I WAS SOLD SOME LAPIS BLUE TOUCH-UP PAINT BY ONE OF THE SERVICE AGENTS, AND FROM THAT POINT MY VEHICLE CONTINUED TO PEEL , AND TO THIS DATE THE PAINT PEELING IS UNBELIEVEABLE. I WAS TOLD THAT IT'S PEELING DUE TO THE MANUFACTURER'S ERROR. LIKE I SAID THERE ARE SEVERAL LAPIS BLUE DODGE NEONS THAT ARE PEELING, AND I DO HAVE AT LEAST TEN OTHER LICENSE PLATES NUMBERS TO THE OTHER LAPIS BLUE NEONS THAT ARE PEELING. HERE IT IS I'M PAYING A CAR NOTE FOR A VEHICLE THAT LOOKS HORRIBLE AND IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ISN'T FAIR TO THE CONSUMERS, BEING THAT THIS PAINT PEELING IS DUE TO ERROR OF THE MANUFACTURER. THE PEELING OF THE PAINT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MILEAGE NEITHER, AS SOME ARE TRYING TO CONNECT TOGETHER. I'VE SEEN OLDER MODEL VEHICLES THAT STILL HAVE THEIR ORIGINAL PAINT JOB , AND THERE'S NO PEELING AT ALL. THE PAINT PEELING WILL SPEAK FOR ITSELF. I ALSO WAS TOLD AT ONE OF THE DEALER'S I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THAT THEY COULD GET THE VEHICLE PAINTED, BUT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY HALF THE COST, AND THERE'S NO WAY MYSELF CONSUMERS HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NOT DIRECTLY OUR FAULTS. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED TWO YEARS AGO. CONSUMERS SHOULD HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING FOR SOMETHING THAT WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER OR R

CONSUMER NOTICED A SEVERE OIL LEAK COMING FROM THE REAR OR THE HEAD GASKET, THE OIL IS RUNNING DOWN ONTO THE AXLES AND EXHAUST PIPE RESULTING IN A STRONG SMELL OD BURNING OIL. NLM

DASH WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND THEN CAR OVERHEATED, CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN. HAD TO BE TOWED.*AK

TEMPERATURE GAUGE ALARM WENT OFF, WARNING CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS RUNNING HOT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC TOLD CONSUMER THAT HEAD GASKET HAD BLOWN . *AK

SIMILAR COMPLAINTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN FILED WIT REGARDS TO OIL LEAKS AT THE HEAD GASKET. ATTEMPTED REPAIR WERE MADE APPROX. 1 1/2 MONTHS AFTER LEAK WAS DISCOVERED. TWO ATTEMPTS TO REPLACE THE LEAKING GASKET WERE MADE BY A LISENCED MECHANIC. AFTER THESE ATTEMPTS WERE MADE, IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT I TAKE IT TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. *AK