2004 Dodge Neon

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING - LETTER FROM REGARDING DODGE PROBLEMS. *KB 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONSUMERS WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED ACCELERATING. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND SHE WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE HOOD WAS EXTREMELY TOO HOT TO TOUCH AND NOISES AND LIQUIDS WERE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION COOLER IN THE RADIATOR. THE TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, HOSES AND THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE ENGINE WAS FLUSHED. *JB

DRIVING 2004 DODGE NEON, BOUGHT NEW, GETTING ON INTERSTATE UP TO SPEED WHEN ENGINE BEGAN TO STUMBLE, WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 2000 RPM, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. HAD TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NURSED THE CAR HOME AT 40MPH AND RAN OBDII SCAN. GOT A CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR INTERMITTENT SIGNAL FAILURE CODE. REPLACED SENSOR FROM ADVANCE AUTO PARTS ON 2-18-2009. CAR RAN FINE UNTIL 7-7-2010 WHEN SAME THING OCCURRED. PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC TO GET UP TO SPEED WHEN ENGINE STOPPED PULLING AND STARTED TO SHUT DOWN. HAD TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF APPROACHING TRAFFIC FROM BEHIND AND PULL OFF THE ROAD. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, CAR WOULD RUN BUT NOT OVER 2000 RPM . GOT IT HOME AND SCANNED IT AND SURE ENOUGH SAME DEFECT CODE, CAM SHAFT POSITION SIGNAL INTERMITTENT. CHANGED IT OUT WITH ONE FROM AUTOZONE WITH A TWO YEAR WARRANTY. THIS WILL MAKE THE THIRD ONE IN THIS CAR AND IT ONLY HAS 46000 MILES ON IT. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE STARTED BUCKING.NO MORE GEARS OR SHIFTING INTO DRIVE.LOSS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID AND COOLANT. A PIECE OF TRANSMISSION LINE OR FITTING CORRODED AND LET LOOSE INSIDE THE RADIATOR. THIS CAUSED THE MIXING OF FLUIDS INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND COOLING SYSTEM.RADIATOR FAILED AND BLED FLUIDS. RADIATOR WAS REPLACED AND COOLANT SYSTEM WAS FLUSHED. TRANSMISSION WAS ALSO FLUSHED.THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED TO MY CO-WORKER THAT HAS THE SAME TYPE VEHICLE(04 DODGE NEON,2.0 LITRE ENGINE,74000 MILES). I SUSPECT IT IS HAPPENING TO EVERY CUSTOMER THAT HAS THAT TYPE AND YEAR NEON. PART NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 2004 DODGE NEON ON THE 101 FREEWAY NEAR SANTA BARBARA, CA IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. SUDDENLY AND WITH NO WARNING THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND SHE HAD NO BRAKES. AT THE SAME TIME THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. BECAUSE SHE WAS TRAVELING SLOW SHE WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH WAS NEARLY IN-EFFECTIVE. IF SHE HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT FREEWAY SPEED SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE THE RIGHT REAR DRUM BRAKE CYLINDER WAS LEAKING WHICH ALLOWED ALL OF THE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK FROM THE SYSTEM. *TR

2004 DODGE NEON SXT. TRANSMISSION / COOLING SYSTEM FAILURE RESULTING IN ANTIFREEZE MIXING WITH TRANSMISSION FLUID DESTROYING TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR. DODGE REFUSES TO HONOR THEIR POWER TRAIN WARRANTY CITING THE COOLING SYSTEM AS THE CAUSE OF THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE, AND NOT THE POWERTRAIN. THIS SHOULD BE A RARE OCCURRENCE ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR ONLINE. THERE SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR DEFECT IN THESE CARS CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. DEALER ESTIMATED 3900 PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED, THE FOG LIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO EMIT SMOKE AND BECAME UNUSUALLY HOT IN TEMPERATURE. SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME; HOWEVER, A BURNING SMELL FILLED THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT EITHER THE WIRING HARNESS OR THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH HAD FAILED. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 97,000. UPDATED 4/26/10 *CN UPDATED 05/06/10.*JB

2004 DODGE NEON. ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL WITHOUT WARNING. TRIED TO APPLY BRAKES, BUT COULD NOT STOP. THE CAR CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED. TRIED TO TURN ENGINE OFF AND IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF. TRIED TO PUT INTO NEUTRAL BUT IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. FINALLY PUT INTO PARK AND THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING WHILE IN PARK. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF. *TR

2004 DODGE NEON LOST HEAD LIGHTS WHILE DRIVING LATE AT NIGHT. HAD THERE NOT BEEN TRAFFIC IN FRONT AND BEHIND, I WOULD HAVE RAN OFF THE ROAD. MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH HARNESS MELTED CONNECTOR TO MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH CAUSING SHORT TO FUSE 16. PRIOR TO FUSE 16 BLOWING, A MELTED PLASTIC SMELL WAS COMING FROM THE COLUMN COVER. REPLACED MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH WHICH SHOWED SIGNS OF OVERHEAT (COPPER TARNISHED). WHILE DISCONNECTING THE MFS HARNESS, THE CONNECTOR WAS OVERHEATED (MELTED) AND WAS FALLING APART. BOTH FUSES (17 & 18) TO THE HEADLAMPS WERE INTACT SO ISSUE IS INSIDE THE CAB. I STILL NEED TO HAVE THE HARNESS CONNECTOR TO THE MFS REPLACED. *TR