2004 DODGE NEON Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. WHILE CLEANING THE VEHICLE AS IT WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE CONTACT ACCIDENTALLY MOVED THE GEAR SHIFTER INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN A HILL AND CRASHED INTO THE FRONT YARD. SHE STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS ABLE TO BE MOVED WITHOUT THE KEYS BEING IN THE IGNITION AND WITHOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,969 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,967.

I DROVE MY 2004 DODGE NEON SXT TO SCHOOL LAST TUESDAY AND PARKED IT EVERYTHING FINE. I CAME OUT TO LEAVE STARTED IT AND I HAD NO REVERSE. IT KICKED IN FOR A SECOND AND THEN AGAIN NOTHING. I PUT IT IN DRIVE AND THE SAME THING NOTHING. WHEN I GOT OUT AND OPENED THE HOOD I SAW ALL THE TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE GROUND HAD IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. I HAVE A 70,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY WITH 69,765 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER SAID RADIATOR FAILED CAUSING TRANS FLUID AND COOLANT TO MIX THROUGH OUT. ALBANY DODGE TRIED TO TELL ME I DIDN'T HAVE A 7YR 70K WARRANTY ONLY AFTER THE PRODUCTION OF ALL MY ORIGINAL PAPER WORK THEY AGREED TO FIX TRANS. BUT NOT RADIATOR OR COOLANT SYSTEM THEY WANT OVER 600$ I CALLED AROUND AND FOUND A PLACE FOR 250$ AFTER ALL THE TOWS AND EVERYTHING 450$ LATER MY CAR IS AT ALBANY DODGE FOR THE TRANS WORK AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY THEM 100$ DEDUCTIBLE. WHILE RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER 25 OTHER TIMES THE SAME WAY WITH OUT WARNING! I AM DISGUSTED ABOUT THE HOOPS I HAD TO JUMP THROUGH FOR MY WARRANTY TO BE HONORED THEN TO FIND OUT THAT ITS ALL REVOLVED AROUND THESE FAULTY RADIATORS USED IN THE 99-05 MODELS AND HAS HAPPENED LIKE CLOCK WORK AT AN AVERAGE OF 66,883 I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS CAR AND I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL LIKE CHRYSLER AS A WHOLE HAS MADE QUIT A BIT OF MONEY AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM PLEASE TAKE A LOOK IT TOOK ME A 1/2 AN HOUR TO FIND OVER 10 OF THE SAME EXACT STORY AS MINE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT TOOK HER VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE BRAKE PADS SERVICED. THE TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID PACT WAS LEAKING AND MADE THE REPLACEMENT. THE REPAIRS TOTALED $1,000, OF WHICH THE CONTACT PAID $865. TWO DAYS AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE REVVED UP WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH. ON ONE OCCASION, THE CONTACT RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. SHE ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE STILL ACCELERATED. WHEN SHE ARRIVED HOME, SHE NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT HAS NOT YET RECEIVED ANY FEEDBACK. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 96,978.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 DODGE NEON SRT4 ON THE EVENING OF NOVEMBER 2ND 2008 WHEN MY HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THEY WERE CUTTING OFF AND ON. I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME IN THE DARK SINCE I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR A TOW. I CHECKED ON SRTFORUMS.COM FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THE ISSUE AND WAS DIRECTED TO A POSTING ABOUT THE WIRING HARNESS BURNING UP INSIDE THE STEERING COLUMN. SURE ENOUGH MY HARNESS AND CONNECTOR IS FRIED. THIS COULD HAVE LED TO A FIRE AND WILL BE A COSTLY REPAIR. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN MANY OTHER PEOPLES VEHICLES. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE IT IS DUE TO A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. NOT TO MENTION I COULD HAVE CRASHED SINCE IT WAS DARK. *TR

RIM LEAKS FROM ALL 4 TIRES DUE TO THE CHROME SEPARATING FROM INTERIOR OF THE STEEL WHEEL. A LOCAL MECHANIC SAID HE HAS SEEN A LOT OF THIS. HE WIRE WHEELED THE INSIDE OF THE RIM TO KNOCK LOOSE PIECES OF CHROME OFF AND REPLACED THE TIRE ON THE RIM. IT IS HOLDING AIR FOR NOW BUT WILL HAVE TO BE DONE AGAIN AS MORE CHROME STARTS TO FLAKE OFF. NOT REALIZING HER TIRE WAS FLAT. MY WIFE DROVE ON IT AND RUINED IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR REPEATEDLY FAILED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL AUTO BODY SHOP AND THEY STATED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE COMPONENTS HAVE NOT YET BEEN REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD ONLY ASSUME PARTIAL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 88,000.

EVERY YEAR SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT TIRES BECAUSE THEY ARE WEARING ON THE INSIDE. TRIED ALIGNMENT EACH TIME I'VE REPLACED THEM. TOOK IT TO PEP BOYS THIS TIME AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE CONTROL ARM BUSHING WAS BAD ON BOTH SIDES. MY 60,000 MILE TIRES ONLY MADE IT 20,000 MILES. THEY SAID THE 2005 MODEL WAS IMPROVED UPON BUT THEY DID NOTHING FOR THE 2004 YEAR. THIS IS GETTING VERY EXPENSIVE REPLACING TIRES EVERY 20,000 MILES. ESPECIALLY WHEN THESE ARE HIGH PROFILE TIRES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ONE EVENING WHEN IT SUDDENLY STOPPED ACCELERATING. I PULLED OVER AS BEST AS I COULD BEING ON A HILLY CURVING ROAD IN A THUNDERSTORM. I WAS ABLE TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION FLUID; THERE WAS NO FLUID ON THE STICK. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND A FRIEND NEAR BY. WE BOUGHT TRANSMISSION FLUID TO SEE IF THAT WOULD HELP. WE PUT ALMOST 2 QUARTS OF FLUID IN IT AND ATTEMPTED TO PUT IT IN GEAR. IT DIDN'T GO INTO GEAR, JUST COASTED BACKWARDS AND SAW FLUID ON THE PAVEMENT. IT WAS LEAKING FROM FRONT, APPEARED TO BE HOSE RELATED. WHEN I GOT HOME AND THE HOSE FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE RADIATOR WAS DISCONNECTED. THE HOSE AND CONNECTOR WERE INTACT HOWEVER THE THREADS INSIDE THE RADIATOR WERE STRIPPED. I GOT ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH NEONS. I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WERE SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH NEONS FROM 1999-2005 WITH FAULTY FACTORY INSTALLED RADIATORS. EVENTUALLY THE PROBLEM CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND ANTIFREEZE TO MIX AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION BLOWS. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I ORIGINALLY BOUGHT MY CAR, LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE ANSWERS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT A CAR THAT IS JUST UNDER 4 YEARS OLD, HAS JUST OVER 30K MILES AND I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER WOULD HAVE SUCH A HUGE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP OFFERED NOTHING. THEY BLEW IT OFF STATING WHEN I FIND OUT WHAT IS "REALLY" WRONG WITH MY CAR, THEN TO CALL THEM. THE MAN SAID HE HAD ONLY SEEN IT ONCE AND DOUBTED IT WAS WHAT I SAID IT WAS. FORCED TO SEEK HELP SOMEWHERE ELSE, I CALLED ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. HE HAD SAID THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM A COUPLE OF TIMES AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS EXPLAINING. I TOOK IT DOWN AND HAD MY CAR BACK THE NEXT DAY. THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR, FLUSHED BOTH THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION. IT COST $760. MY TRANSMISSION WAS SPARED. I ALSO CONTACTED DODGE/CHRYSLER AND GOT A POLITE THANK FOR YOUR "OPINION" LETTER. *TR

IT WAS A SUDDEN PART FAILURE WHICH CAUSED IMMEDIATE DANGER. I WAS DRIVING 35 MPH DOWN A ROAD NEAR MY HOME AND MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED MY CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED MY FATHER FOR HELP. HE NOTICED THE ENGINE COOLANT POURING OUT OF IT'S CONTAINER AND MY TRANSMISSION FLUID DANGEROUSLY LOW. WE REFILLED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, BUT IT WOULDN'T STAY, IT WAS LEAKING SOMEWHERE. WE CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE US TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP. THE TOW TRUCK GUY IMMEDIATELY TOLD US THAT HE'S SEEN THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME WITH DODGE NEONS. THE RADIATOR BRAKES AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKS INTO THE COOLANT. THE REPAIR SHOP MECHANIC ALSO CONCLUDED THE SAME THING. HE TOLD ME HE'D HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE TRANSMISSION AND FLUSH OUT THE SYSTEM TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE TRANSMISSION, BUT THAT I WOULD DEFINITELY NEED TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR. HE TOLD ME HE USED TO WORK FOR DODGE SERVICE REPAIR AND WOULD SEE THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME AND NORMALLY IT WOULD CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO BLOW TOO. IN PICKING UP THE CAR HE TOLD ME HE MANUALLY FLUSHED OUT THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS AS BEST HE COULD, BUT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO SOMEONE WHOM COULD POWER FLUSH OUT EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE OK. I DID ASK HIM WHAT'S MY GUARANTEE THAT THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. HE STATED THE NEW RADIATOR THAT DODGE NOW PROVIDES FOR THEIR NEONS WHEN THE ONE FROM THE FACTORY FAILS IS CONSTRUCTED ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. I ASKED HIM IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS RADIATOR SINCE DODGE IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE? HE TOLD ME NO. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND DISCOVERED MANY STORIES LIKE MY OWN. I'VE FOUND THAT ANY NEON FROM 1999 TO 2005 HAS HAD A FAULTY RADIATOR. SOME OF THE STORIES ARE WORSE THAN MINE. TRANSMISSIONS BLOWN AND COSTING PEOPLE THOUSANDS. IT HAS CAUSED ACCIDENTS AND MAY HAVE COST LIVES, I'M NOT SURE. I CAN ONLY THINK WHEN A CAR STOPS ACCELERATING ON A FASTER ROAD, WHAT KIND OF ACCIDENT'S CAN OCCUR. *TR

IN THE PAST YEAR SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE CAR THERE HAS BEEN WATER IN THE TRUNK, UNDER THE BACK SEAT, AND THE BACK SEAT FLOOR BOARD. *TR