2003 Dodge Neon

I OWN A 2003 DODGE NEON SRT4 THERE WAS A FIRE/SMOKING COMING FROM MY DASH/STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. THE PROBLEM IS FROM A BAD MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH IN THE 2ND GENERATION DODGE NEONS. THIS SWITCH IS RELATED TO THE HEADLIGHTS, SO POTENTIALLY THIS CAN BE DEADLY. FOR EXAMPLE YOU HEADLIGHTS CUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY, CAR SHUTTING DOWN, FIRE INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE CAR. I STILL NEED THIS FIX, I WORK NEARLY 9 HOUR DAYS WITH LITTLE MONEY TO FIX THESE MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. PLEASE TELL DODGE TO CALL A RECALL THIS. *TR

I OWN A 2003 DODGE NEON THAT JUST SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING ON A FEW OCCASIONS. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS BLOGS AND SUCH OF OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR SHUTS DOWN WITH A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. NOTHING ELECTRICAL WILL WORK. I HAVE HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT AND NO PROBLEMS CAN BE FOUND, NO CODES ON THE COMPUTER. WHEN IT DOES SHUT DOWN IT WILL NOT RESTART UNTIL I MOVE THE WIRES AT THE BATTERY. UPON INSPECTING THE BATTERY WIRES THEY SHOW NO SIGNS OF WEAR, CORROSION, BEING LOOSE OR ANYTHING OF THAT SORT. UPON TESTING THE WIRES FOR A SHORT FOUND NONE TO EXIST. THE MECHANICS AND DEALERSHIPS CLAIM THERE IS NO PROBLEM. DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTERS FIND NO PROBLEMS. ON THREE OCCASION THUS FAR WE HAVE BEEN IN NEAR ACCIDENT SITUATIONS, DRIVING ALONG AND THE CAR SHUTS DOWN, AND COMES TO AN UNEXPECTED QUICK STOP AND WITH A LOSS OF ALL POWER THAT MAY RESULT IN A FATAL ACCIDENT IN THE FUTURE. CARS DRIVING BEHIND ME HAVE NO WARNING THAT I'M COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD SOMETIMES UNABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD TO A SAFE AREA TO COME TO A STOP. AS MENTIONED IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR NOT ONLY OF THIS YEAR BUT OTHERS AS WELL. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL OF SOME SORT BEFORE SOMEONE DIES IF THAT ALREADY HAS NOT HAPPENED. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 DODGE NEON SXT. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2008. 6 MONTHS LATER THE TRANSMISSION GAVE OUT. THE CAR WOULD NOT RUN AT ALL. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS TO THIS. AAMACO SAID THAT THE RADIATOR BLEW WHICH LED TO THE COOLANT AND TRANS. FLUID MIXING TOGETHER AND DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD NO WARRANTY BECAUSE THE CAR WAS BOUGHT USED. IT COST ME 3500 DOLLARS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND THE CAR IS BURNING FUEL. I AM GETTING ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO 17 MPG DEPENDING ON THE DAY. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THREE DIFFERENT MECHANICS, INCLUDING A DEALERSHIP, WHO CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT. THE WORST PROBLEM YET IS THAT WHEN IT IS RAINING OUTSIDE AND I AM DRIVING THE CAR THERE IS A SMALL THUNKING NOISE, AND THEN A LOUD THUNKING NOISE THAT LOCKS UP THE REAR TIRES AND BRINGS THE CAR TO A SKIDDING HALT. SO FAR, KNOW ON WOOD, NO ACCIDENTS, BUT IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AGAIN, THE CAR HAS GONE TO SEVERAL MECHANICS WHO CLAIMED THEY FIGURED OUT THE PROBLEM. HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHING FROM AXLES, TO BRAKE CYLINDERS AND BRAKES. PAID APPROXIMATELY 1500 DOLLARS OUT OF POCKET, AND THE CAR IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. I HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN WHO I REFUSE TO DRIVE ANYWHERE IN THIS CAR FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. *TR

IN THE PROCESS OF REPLACING SPARK PLUGS IN OUR NEON, I NOTICED THE FUEL RAIL FOR THE INJECTORS UNDER THE HOOD HAS A LOT OF SEVERE RUST AND PITTING ON IT. IT MUST BE MADE OUT OF STEEL. THIS VEHICLE WAS NEVER UNDER WATER SO THIS MUST BE BAD PARTS. I DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT IT IS RUSTING OUT. ONE PIN HOLE AND THERE WOULD BE AN ENGINE FIRE. I HAVE MY CHILDREN WHO WORK IN A SALVAGE YARD LOOKING TO GET ME A RUST FREE ONE NOW TO REPLACE THIS ONE. I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE WHILE CAR WAS IN OPERATION + PREMATURE ACTIVATION OF AIRBAG. DRIVER WAS FORCED TO CLAW THE AIRBAG OUT OF HIS WAY IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND STEER IT OFF THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS NO KNOWN TAMPERING WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PRIOR TO THIS; CAR WAS USED, BUT HAD ONLY BODY WORK DONE TO OUR KNOWLEDGE. HEAT DAMAGE TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS SO EXTENSIVE THAT CAR WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. DRIVER SUFFERED SOME FACIAL AND NECK INJURY--POSSIBLY OTHERS. *TR

WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED VIOLENTLY FORWARD CAUSING ME AND MY PASSENGERS TO SUSTAIN NECK TRAUMA, NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH THOUGH TO REQUIRE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 150 TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE CAR, WHICH HAS BEEN ALMOST 3 YEARS. THIS LAST TIME WAS CONCERNING ENOUGH FOR ME TO FILE THIS REPORT. MOST TIMES IT IS REALLY NOT THAT SIGNIFICANT OF A JERK OR LURCH, BUT DEFINITELY NOTICEABLE AND ANNOYING/CONCERNING. IT HAPPENS WHEN I AM USUALLY STOPPED AND START TO PROCEED, AND THE SPEEDOMETER WILL SHOW A DROP IN SPEED, HESITATE, AND JERK THE CAR FORWARD. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR AND HAVE HAD IT IN FOR SERVICE TWICE. ONCE THEY REPLACED THE GAS CAP, AND ONCE THEY REPLACED THE OUTPUT SPEED SENSOR. I HAVE SINCE BEEN ONLINE LOOKING FOR OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME, AND BELIEVE ME, THERE ARE MANY, AND FIND THAT IT IS THE OXYGEN SENSOR THAT CAUSES THIS PROBLEM. IF I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR JERKING FORWARD, ENOUGH TO CAUSE MY NECK TO ALMOST SUSTAIN WHIPLASH, I FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE CAR, AND SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BY YOUR AGENCY. *TR

ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, IT STARTED RAINING AND I TURNED MY HEADLIGHTS ON. THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON BUT THE DRIVING LIGHTS DID, I FLIP THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH UP TO HIGH BEAMS AND THE BRIGHTS WORKED. I NOTICED IN THE PROCESS THAT SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN AND IT SMELLED LIKE WIRES BURNING. WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, AFTER IT HAD RAINED. I SET MY CRUISE CONTROL, THE FIRST TIME, USED IT SINCE THE SMOKE. I SET THE CRUISE AT 75 MPH. THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING TO 80 THE COMPUTER CAUGHT THE INCREASE AND DOWNSHIFTED ON IT'S OWN. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER, THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING AGAIN, THIS TIME IT WAS UP TO 90 MPH, AND CONTINUING TO GAIN SPEED. I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON TO RELEASE THE CRUISE AND NEITHER WORKED. I WAS COMING UP ON THE EXIT THAT I WAS NEEDING TO TAKE. I DOWN SHIFTED THE AUTOMATIC TO 2ND AND 1ST THE CAR SLOWED, BUT NOT ENOUGH. I SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND STILL THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EXIT RAMP THERE WAS A WIDE SPOT THAT I KNEW THAT I COULD USE IF A CAR WAS COMING. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EXIT RAMP I WAS FINALLY DOWN TO 30 MPH BUT STILL NOT ABLE TO STOP. I FINALLY PULLED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, STILL THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. FINALLY WHEN THE CAR WAS HEADED UP A HILL THE CAR SLOWED TO 10 MPH AND I SHIFTED THE CAR INTO PARK AND TURNED IT OFF. FINALLY, I STOPPED WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR, AND WITH OUT LEAVING THE ROAD. THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED SINCE THE SMOKE AND HEADLIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED ON DIM. THE DODGE PLACE, DALTON, GA IS SAYS THAT THE MULTI FUNCTIONAL SWITCH THAT CONTROL THE HEADLIGHT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE CRUISE CONTROL TO LOCKUP THAT IS ON A DIFFERENT CONTROL. HOW MANY LIVES HAVE TO BE INJURED OR LOST BEFORE CHRYSLER ISSUES A RECALL FOR THEIR CARS. I HAD MY 8 & 10 YR OLDS WITH ME EARLIER, AND HAD JUST DROPPED THEM OFF. IS FIXING YOUR PARTS THAT ARE INSTALLED ON CARS BY MANUFACTURERS WORTH MORE THAN 3+ LIVES. *TR