1996 Dodge Neon

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL BRAKING FUNCTION WAS LOST WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED. SHE STATED THAT IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE SHE HAD TO ENGAGE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ROTORS, BRAKE PADS, SHOES, REAR BRAKE DRUMS, AND TWO REAR FLEX LINES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, SHE STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED SPORADICALLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, WIRING HARNESS, SPEED SENSOR, COIL, VALVE COVER GASKETS AND TIMING BELT ALL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

I HAVE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH MY 1996 DODGE NEON SPORT, IT HAS BEEN INOPERABLE FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO, DUE TO ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND STALLING WHICH I BELIEVE STEM FROM THE WIRING HARNESS. I HAVE HAD THE BRAKES REPLACED A FEW TIMES, THE A/C REPLACED, FUEL INJECTION ACTS UP AND THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATES, MY TRANSMISSION HAS STARTED SLIPPING, POWER STEERING AND EXHAUST ARE LEAKING, NUMEROUS OIL LEAKS, REAR LIGHTS/ BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED IN OVER A YEAR, DRIVERSIDE WINDOW BROKE ALONG THE EXTENDING ARM INSIDE OF THE DOOR FRAME, TRUNK RELEASE IS BROKEN AND MY CRUISE CONTROL IS BROKEN! FOR THE LAST 4MONTHS MY CAR HAS BEEN SITTING AT ATLANTA DODGE LLC! JUST AFTER LEAVING IT WITH THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT, I RECEIVED A CALL SAYING I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY AND UNTIL IT WAS REPLACED FOR $180 THEY COULD NOT DO A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK FOR ANY OTHER PROBLEMS!! THE BATTERY WAS NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD AND WORKED FINE WHEN I LEFT THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP!! BUT IN HOPES OF ANY DECENT SERVICE I BOUGHT ANOTHER BATTERY FROM ADVANCED AUTO PARTS $40 AND TOOK IT IN MYSELF. DURING THIS VISIT I REMINDED THEM THAT MY MAKE AND MODEL CAR WAS UNDER A RECALL, THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS NOT!! I GAVE THEM THE NHTSA RECALL DOCUMENTATION AND WAS TOLD THAT IT DIDN'T APPLY TO MY CAR, ONLY TO THE NEONS FROM THE PLANT IN NEW MEXICO!! JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING I DECIDED TO CALL THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON. I SPOKE WITH BRIAN THE CS REP. AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE MECHANICS COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR AND REFUSED TO RESEARCH ANY FURTHER UNLESS I AGREED TO SPEND NO LESS THAN $250 TOWARDS THE REPAIRS!! IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE SAME PARTS ARE IN NEED OF REPAIRS AS 15,000 OTHER NEONS -- REGARDLESS OF WHICH PLANT THE VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLIED, THE DEFECTS LIE IN THE PLACEMENT AND/OR MANUFACTURING OF THE FAULTY PARTS AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER ANY RELATING RECALLS! *NM UPDATED 12/1505. *JB

PURCHASED IN JULY OF 1996 ONLY PUT ON 26,345 MILES MOTOR MOUNT REPAIRED TWICE,BRAKES FRONT REPLACED THEY WERE COMPLETLY GONE ,BACK BRAKES ARE NO GOOD NEED TO BE REPLACED, HIGH PITCH SQUEALING COMES FROM THEM ,OIL GASGETS HAD TO BE REPLACED, STEARING TO A HARD RIGHT OR LEFT YOU GET A GRINDING NOISE, TRANSMISSION IS KNOW LEAKING CONSTANTLY HAVING TO PUT TRANSSMISSION FLUID IN ALL THE TIME HAVE A LIST OF PAPERS FROM THE CAR BEING SERVICED AT DAIMLER ON ANDOVER ST IN PEABODY WERE I PURCHASED CAR ALSO WROTE TO MAIN OFFICE TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REPLACE THE VEHICLE AFTER PURCHASING WITH CASH AND JUST GOT THE RUN AROUND KNOW I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE HER THAT IS WHY SHE ONLY HAS 26,345 MILES ON HER IN 10 YEARS I AM NOT A RICH PERSON SO I CAN NOT AFFORD ANOTHER CAR IF THERE IS A RECALL ON ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW SO THEY CAN BE FIXED SO I CAN DRIVE HER WITHOUT WORRYING WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT ALSO DAMPNESS AND MILDEW SMELL AND OTHER PROBLEMS.TIRES ALSO WERE REPLACED THEY WORE TO QUICKLY.*AK

THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE APPROACHING A STOP VEHICLE IDLED/SLOWED DOWN, AND DIED. THE CONSUMER HAD TO RESTART IT. THIS HAPPENED CONTINUOUSLY. THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO SEVERAL DEALERS, AND THEY COULD NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT ONE DEALER CHARGED HIM $700.00 FOR REPAIRS, BUT IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK *SC

ENGINE, WIRE HARNESS AND BRAKE PROBLEMS. *PH ENGINE AND WIRE HARNESS WERE REPLACED TWO OR THREE TIMES. LEFT FRONT PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. ENGINE BLEW UP FOR THE THIRD TIME AND WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID THAT VEHICLE'S ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT. ALSO, INSTRUMENT PANEL NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. AIR CONDITIONER (AC) WENT OUT AFTER TWO YEARS OF PURCHASE. AC WAS NEVER REPAIRED. VEHICLE OVERHEAT MOST OF THE TIME. CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE ON ENGINE WIRING HARNESS MAY SHORT CIRCUIT DUE TO CONTACT WITH EGR TUBE FROM CHRYSLER CORPORATION. *LA

I PURCHASED A 1996 DODGE NEON FROM BOBB CHEVROLET ON 12/28/99. THE SALES FOLKS WERE TIM AND WENDY RYAN. I PAID $6343.85 FOR THE CAR. THE SERIAL NUMBER OF THE CAR IS [XXX] WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR I ASKED TIM RYAN 2 QUESTIONS: (1) WOULD HE HAVE THE HEAD GASKET CHECKED AND (2) WHY WAS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. BYERS FIXED THE HEAD GASKET AND HE SAID THAT SLIPPING TRANSMISSION WAS A CHRYSLER THING. THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING ALL THROUGH THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 2000. SO ON 9/8/2000, THE HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED AT BYERS. IT WAS BYERS INVOICE [XXX]. AT THIS TIME, I ASKED IF THE HEAD WAS RESURFACED AND CHECKED FOR CRACKS ALONG IF THE HEAD BOLTS WERE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT IF BYERS DID THIS AND WAS TOLD NO. I TOOK AWAY FROM THIS THAT THIS WORK WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE AND THAT WAS WHY IS WASNT DONE. I WAS TOLD YESTERDAY, 1/14/04 THAT I HAD A POSSIBLE HEAD GASKET LEAK AGAIN. SO I WENT BACK TO BYERS FOR HELP. TREAT SAID TODAY THAT CHRYSLER WONT COVER THIS WORK UNDER WARRANTY. QUESTIONS: 1.WHY DID THE HEAD GASKET LEAK AFTER 37,000 MILES? 2.IF THE HEAD WAS RESURFACED AND CHECKED FOR CRACKS AND HEAD BOLTS REPLACED AS I ASKED FOR IN 2000, WOULD I WILL HAVE THE PROBLEMS IN 2004. 3. HOW MANY OTHER DODGE NEONS HAVE BAD HEAD GASKETS AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN 44000 MILES. 4. WHEN THE WORK WAS DONE ON THE HEAD GASKET IN 1/2000 AND 9/2000, WHAT WORK WAS DONE EXACTLY? WERE THE HEADS TAKEN OUT AND CHECK BY DEFECTS. I NEED TO KNOW SINCE I NOW THINK THAT THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM IS CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM, IE THE ANTI-FREEZE IS LEAKING. *CB *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)