IllustrationHEAD GASKET FAILURE IS DEFENITELY A MANUFACTURING FLAW BASED ON THE REFERENCES THAT I HAVE LEARNED OF. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS CAR FOR THIS DEFECT! *AK
1998 Dodge Neon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Dodge Neon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 173.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Neon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
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: 45 of 339 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 199 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
43 crash reports3 fire reports32 injury reports
What owners actually said
339 reportsAIR COMPRESSOR,PISTON HEAD WAS DAMEGED DUE TO HEAT,CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED,AND THE FIRST HEAD GASKET REPLACED ALL AT 18500 MILES.RECENTLY REPLACED A THIRD ONE AT 44500 MILES.THAT MAKES FOUR IN A YEAR AND A HALF! ECENTLY REPLACED MILES
THE DATE THAT I PUT DOWN EARLIER, IS THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON 7/29/98, MILEAGE 3,549; AGAIN ON 10/22/98, MILEAGE 8,234; 11/12/99, MILEAGE 27,421; AND AGAIN ON 1/10/00, MILEAGE 31,000. EVERYTIME THIS HAPPENS, MY CAR LOOSES POWER! I AM ON THE HIGHWAY ALL THE TIME AND THIS IS A VERY B…
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THE DATE THAT I PUT DOWN EARLIER, IS THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON 7/29/98, MILEAGE 3,549; AGAIN ON 10/22/98, MILEAGE 8,234; 11/12/99, MILEAGE 27,421; AND AGAIN ON 1/10/00, MILEAGE 31,000. EVERYTIME THIS HAPPENS, MY CAR LOOSES POWER! I AM ON THE HIGHWAY ALL THE TIME AND THIS IS A VERY BIG PROBLEM. ALSO, WHEN THIS HAPPENS MY REAR DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY AND MY RADIO SOUNDS FUNNY. THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY CANNOT SEEM TO FIX IT. MY WARRENTY WILL BE UP VERY SOON AND I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CAR IS STARTING AGAIN TO LOOSE POWER, BUT IT WILL RUN LIKE THIS FOR QUITE AWHILE BEFORE THE LIGHT COMES ON! THIS IS VERY OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACUTURER DEFECT AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSBILITY FOR IT!*AK
THERE WAS OIL LEAKING FROM THE OUTSIDE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER ,AND WAS TOLD THE HEAD GASKETS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE IN TO DEALER, AND DEALER WAS TO COVER THE COST TO HAVE VALVES AND SPRINGS IN THE MOTOR REPLACED. HOWEVER, WARRANTY EXPIRED BECAUSE VEHICLE EXCEEDED THE REQUIRED MILEAGE. *AK
MY CAR HAD LEAKED OIL, VERY LITTLE FOR AWHILE, I HAD PLANNED TO PUT IN THE SHOP AFTER I RECEIVED MY TAX RETURN CHECK. WELL I COULDN'T WAIT, FOR THE SMALL LEAK HAD TURNED INTO A HUGE LEAK. IT IS AT THE SHOP RIGHT NOW, AND I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS THE HEAD GASKET. I HAVE HEARD OF ALL TO THE FAMILIAR CASES LIKE THIS. SOMETHI…
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MY CAR HAD LEAKED OIL, VERY LITTLE FOR AWHILE, I HAD PLANNED TO PUT IN THE SHOP AFTER I RECEIVED MY TAX RETURN CHECK. WELL I COULDN'T WAIT, FOR THE SMALL LEAK HAD TURNED INTO A HUGE LEAK. IT IS AT THE SHOP RIGHT NOW, AND I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS THE HEAD GASKET. I HAVE HEARD OF ALL TO THE FAMILIAR CASES LIKE THIS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL ON SUCH A PROBLEM? *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
HAVE HAD TO TAKE CAR IN SO MANY TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT WERE NOT BEING FIXED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY WOULD TELL ME TO DRIVE IT FOR A TIME AND SEE IF THE NOISE WOULD STOP. OR THEY WOULD JUST SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. NOW THAT THE WARRANTY IS UP I HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL I WILL NEVER BUY A CHRYSLER VEHICLE IN MY …
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HAVE HAD TO TAKE CAR IN SO MANY TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT WERE NOT BEING FIXED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY WOULD TELL ME TO DRIVE IT FOR A TIME AND SEE IF THE NOISE WOULD STOP. OR THEY WOULD JUST SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. NOW THAT THE WARRANTY IS UP I HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL I WILL NEVER BUY A CHRYSLER VEHICLE IN MY LIFE!!!. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
HEAD GASKET FAILED AT 32,450 MILES. TOLD BY DEALER THAT THIS HAPPENING TO ALL OF THE NEONS. WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL THEN. *AK
VEHICLE BOUGHT, HOWEVER HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY WRECKED, THE VEHICLE HAS MANY (NUMEROUS) PROBLEMS DUE TO PRIOR WRECK, DEALER MADE FALSE STATEMENTS AND PRACTICED POSSIBLE FRAUDULENT ACTS. *MJS
THE POWER STEERING PUMP DOES NOT HAVE A COVER OVER IT, IN RAINY WEATHER THE WATER GOES UNDER AND THE BELT SLIPS OFF CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING (LOCK UP) WHICH CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL AND VEHICLE TO RUN INTO MEDIAN WITH INJURIES TO CONSUMER. *MJS
Official recalls
199V001000 · Structure:body
Jan 7, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER MAY BE MISSING SPOT WELDS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN STRUCTURAL CRACKS IN THE BODY, AND REDUCED CRASH PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A REAR IMPACT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR ANY MISSING WELDS, AND WILL HAVE STRUCTURAL RIVETS INSTALLED IN PLACE OF THE MISSING WELDS.
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
1PE02082 · 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.