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1997 Dodge Neon

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Neon years

Owner complaints for the 1997 Dodge Neon are substantially higher than the model-year median of 173.

About this comparison →
390Owner complaints

Model-year median: 173

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

1Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
9
1994976
1995611
1996390
1997339
1998116
1999337
2000
Compare all Neon years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine And Engine Cooling
222Service Brakes, Hydraulic
44Air Bags
41Electrical System
33Power Train
26
All reported categories
Structure
24Unknown Or Other
19Seat Belts
17Steering
15Exterior Lighting
12Vehicle Speed Control
11Equipment
9Fuel System, Gasoline
9Visibility
8Tires
6Interior Lighting
4Suspension
4Seats
3Service Brakes, Air
3Wheels
2Latches/locks/linkages
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 35 of 390 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 222 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

44 crash reports12 fire reports24 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

222 reports
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Mileage unknown · Oct 18, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

HEAD GASKET BLEW SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 42,000 AND 43,010 MILES. IT WAS NOTICED BECAUSE OIL WAS DRIPPING UNDERNEATH LEFT FRONT OF CAR AND OIL WAS VERY LOW. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS HAD COME ON. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD BLOWN. BECAUSE OF THIS THEY ALSO HAD TO DO AN ENGINE FLUSH, CLEAN THE ENGI…

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HEAD GASKET BLEW SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 42,000 AND 43,010 MILES. IT WAS NOTICED BECAUSE OIL WAS DRIPPING UNDERNEATH LEFT FRONT OF CAR AND OIL WAS VERY LOW. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS HAD COME ON. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD BLOWN. BECAUSE OF THIS THEY ALSO HAD TO DO AN ENGINE FLUSH, CLEAN THE ENGINE, REPLACE THE PCV VALVE, AND CHANGE THE OIL AND COOLANT. THIS COST ME A TOTAL OF $825.00. MY CAR IS ONLY 2 1/2 YEARS OLD! SINCE THIS OCCURED I HAVE FOUND OUT BY TALKING TO REPAIR SHOPS AND TO OTHER NEON OWNERS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT IN THE WAY IT WAS BUILT.

NHTSA ODI #713482

Mileage unknown · Oct 13, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

WEEKS AFTER ROUTINE OIL/FILTER CHANGE I NOTICED OIL POOLING UNDER VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY WHILE RUNNING. FOUND HEAD GASKET BLOWN.

NHTSA ODI #713263

Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

HI VOLUME MOTOR OIL LEAK, SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM HI UP ON REAR SIDE OF ENGINE. MECHANIC SAYS IT'S FAULTY HEAD GASKET, $600 REPAIR JOB. CAR HAS 46K MILES, LEAK STARTED AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. EXXON VALDEZ POLLUTER, SEEMS LIKE MFG DEFECT, SHOULD BE RECALLED, DODGE SHOULD PAY REPAIR COST

NHTSA ODI #713197

Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

ENGINE HEAD GASKETS HAS A LEAK THAT IS CAUSING OIL TO GET ON THE ENGINE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #850194

Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

WHILE DRIVING NOTICED A TICKING NOISE. CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY MECHANICTHAT MAY NEED A NEW ENGINE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #849817

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

CONSUMER NOTICED AN OIL LEAAK. TOOK CAR TO DEALER, AND DEALER SAID THAT HEAD GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #849677

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

THIS CAR WAS OVERLOOKED AS A SEVERE PROBLEM AT SPITZER DODGE. THEY THOUGHT THEY FIXED IT. PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN ABOUT 1 MONTH LATER. ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FIXED IT WAS THE COMPUTER TOOK 3.5 HRS TO WORK ON. THAT WAS ON 03/12/99. ON 09/30/99 THE SAME PROBLEM DEVELOPED.

NHTSA ODI #712569

Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 1999
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

VALVE PAN GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKET GAVE OUT (BLEW) 120 MILES AFTER THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY RAN OUT. HAVE REPLACED ONCE AND IT HAS BLOWN OUT AGAIN. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. AT THIS SAME TIME, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED MAKING A CLUNK SOUND WHEN SHIFTING UP OR DOWN. IF A CAR MANUFACTURER CANNOT MAKE A CAR THAT LASTS …

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VALVE PAN GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKET GAVE OUT (BLEW) 120 MILES AFTER THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY RAN OUT. HAVE REPLACED ONCE AND IT HAS BLOWN OUT AGAIN. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. AT THIS SAME TIME, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED MAKING A CLUNK SOUND WHEN SHIFTING UP OR DOWN. IF A CAR MANUFACTURER CANNOT MAKE A CAR THAT LASTS WELL BEYOND THEIR PATHETIC WARRANTY, THEN THEY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. SEE REF: ODI ID: 536724 ODI ID: 545773 ODI ID: 704492 ODI ID: 707143 ODI ID: 710054 ODI ID: 780464 ODI ID: 826370 ODI ID: 829921 ODI ID: 831010 ODI ID: 831498 ODI ID: 832094 ODI ID: 841115 ODI ID: 847105 ODI ID: 848011 ODI ID: 848347

NHTSA ODI #712477

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

WHILE DRIVING THERE IS A SPACE BETWEEN THE MOTOR, CAUSING THE OIL TO BLOW OUT OF THE ENGINE.WHEN THE CAR STOPS THE OIL REALLY SPILLS OUT. *AK

NHTSA ODI #848347

Mileage unknown · Sep 20, 1999
Engine And Engine Cooling

WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY CONSUMER NOTICED OIL ON DRIVEWAY.. DEALER WAS CONTACTED, NOTICED OIL LEAK FROM ENGINE HEAD GASKET. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATON. *AK

NHTSA ODI #848011

Official recalls

1

97V080000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

May 16, 1997

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE02082 · Safety Belt Cinching Latch Plate

Opened Nov 6, 2002 · Closed Apr 23, 2003

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts

THERE ARE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ALLEGED DEFECT.WHILE CONDUCTING THIS INVESTIGATION, ODI FOUND THAT THE SUBJECT CINCHES MEET THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 208, AND THAT MANY OF THE REPORTED FAILURES WERE DUE TO INCORRECT CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSTALLATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE REPORT RATE IS LOW (1.60/100K).THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE FAILS TO ESTABLISH THE EXISTENCE OF A DEFECT TREND AT THIS TIME.FURTHER ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES TO THIS ISSUE IS UNWARRANTED AND THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION IS BEING CLOSED.