IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 55 MPH AND WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION EXPLODED AND CAUSED A LOSS CONTROL. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD TO BE USED IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *AK *SCC
1999 Dodge Neon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
50–25K
525–50K
1350–75K
375–100K
2100–150K
2150K+
30 reports with mileage · 86 unknown
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 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
21 crash reports4 fire reports13 injury reports
What owners actually said
116 reportsNOTICED OIL IN RADIATOR FLUID. TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE HEAD GASKETS WERE CRACKED. REPAIRED AT A COST OF $1500. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THEY WOULD NOT COVER ANY OF THE COST. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 53,000 MILES ON IT. I NEED ANY INFO ON HOW TO RECOUP MY MONEY FROM THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER.*AK
AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *LA
HEAD GASKET: TOOK THE 1999 DODGE NEON TO A MECHANIC AFTER EXPRESS OIL NOTICED AN OIL LEAK. I ALWAYS HAVE OIL CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I HAD A WARPED HEAD GASKET AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR DOESN'T EVEN HAVE 60,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS AND WONDER WHY DODGE …
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HEAD GASKET: TOOK THE 1999 DODGE NEON TO A MECHANIC AFTER EXPRESS OIL NOTICED AN OIL LEAK. I ALWAYS HAVE OIL CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I HAD A WARPED HEAD GASKET AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR DOESN'T EVEN HAVE 60,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THIS AND WONDER WHY DODGE WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND RECALL? MY BILL ENDED UP BEING $2000 BECAUSE THEY ALSO NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TIMING BELT WHICH SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE REPLACED UNTIL AFTER 90K MILES. *LA
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING STEERING WHEEL WILL VEER OFF LEFT TO RIGHT . *AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN TRYING TO APPLY ANTI LOCK BRAKES BRAKES WILL LOCK UP, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN HIT IN THE FRONT CENTER OF THE VEHICLE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
FLUID LEAKED UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS ONLY 46000 MILES ON THE CAR AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. *JB *CB *NLM
SUNROOF. BOUGHT CAR NEW IN 6/99; CAR HAS BEEN IN SHOP 8 TIMES FOR PROBLEMS IN REFERENCE TO SUNROOF. SUNROOF REPLACED TWO TIMES SINCE PURCHASE OF CAR; SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. SUNROOF IS BARELY USED AND WAS JUST REPLACED IN JANUARY, 2002. ITS BEEN USED APPROX 10 TIMES AND NOW THE GEARS ARE STRIPPED YET AGAIN. SEEMS TO BE A PROBLE…
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SUNROOF. BOUGHT CAR NEW IN 6/99; CAR HAS BEEN IN SHOP 8 TIMES FOR PROBLEMS IN REFERENCE TO SUNROOF. SUNROOF REPLACED TWO TIMES SINCE PURCHASE OF CAR; SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. SUNROOF IS BARELY USED AND WAS JUST REPLACED IN JANUARY, 2002. ITS BEEN USED APPROX 10 TIMES AND NOW THE GEARS ARE STRIPPED YET AGAIN. SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE MECHANISM FOR THE CLOSING OF SUNROOF THAT CAUSES GEARS TO STRIP. *AK
EXCESSIVE OIL LEAK FROM ENGINE. MAY BE A BLOWN HEAD GASKET OR OTHER GASKETS. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 30,000 MILES ON IT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION ON RECALLS OR MANUFACTURERS SERVICE BULLETINS. *JB
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.