2005 Dodge Neon

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO SECOND GEAR AND IT ACCELERATED BEYOND EFFORT. THE BRAKES AND STEERING FAILED AFTER THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE , IT WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE AIR INTAKE HOSE CRACKED AND CAUSED A VACUUM LEAK. THE HOSE WAS REPLACED.

I HAVE A 2005 DODGE NEON SRT-4. I PURCHASED THE CAR LAST MAY BRAND NEW WITH 2 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. SINCE ABOUT 800 MILES I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE 3RD GEAR DURING BOTH UP SHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING. DURING THE UP SHIFT, AT TIMES IT WILL JUST LOCK OUT OF GEAR, AND I WILL HAVE TO RELEASE THE CLUTCH, REV THE ENGINE AND THEN PRESS THE CLUTCH AGAIN TO GET THE GEAR TO ENGAGE. DURING THE DOWN SHIFT, ABOUT 1 OUT OF 10 TIMES IT WILL EITHER JUST POP BACK OUT OF GEAR, IT WILL SEEM TO ONLY PARTLY ENGAGE, THEN GRIND AND POP OUT, OR JUST GRIND AND NOT ENGAGE AT ALL. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT, ALONG WITH ANOTHER LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP TO ASK ABOUT IT, AND AT BOTH PLACES I WAS TOLD THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT UNLESS I COULD SHOW THEM WHAT WAS HAPPENING, WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. *JB

2005 DODGE NEON [XXX]. 4 CYL, 2.0 LTR ENGINE, 12,326 MILES, I WAS DRIVING IN ANCHORAGE ALASKA, ON 03/06/06, MY ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK, AND I WAS GOING FASTER, BEFORE I KNEW WHAT TO DO I SLAMMED INTO AN ABANDONED VEHICLE, I WAS GOING ABOUT 30/40 MPH, AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. AT IMPACT I HIT MY HEAD GOT A CONCUSSION. AFTER IMPACT CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING, PUT THE CAR IN PARK, REALIZED THE ACCELERATORS STUCK, NOW SMOKE WAS FILLING THE CAR, AND I GOT MY PHONE AND RAN THINKING IT WAS GOING TO EXPLODE, I CALLED 911, THEY ASKED IF THE ENGINE WAS STILL REVVING AND I SAID YES, THEY THEN TOLD ME TO BACK AWAY FROM THE CAR, AND WAIT FOR THE FIRE DEPT. 3 WITNESSES SAW THAT THE ENGINE WAS STILL REVVING WITH ME OUT OF THE CAR. ANCHORAGE FIRE/PARAMEDIC CAME. THE FIRE DEPT DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND OPENED THE TRUNK; SMOKE WAS STILL COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE/TRUNK. ANCHORAGE POLICE CAME AND ASKED WHAT HAPPENED, I TOLD HIM. I GOT A CASE NUMBER CASE #, AND THEY TOWED MY CAR TO A BODY SHOP. BODY SHOP FOUND THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN MY PLENUM/ INTAKE MANIFOLD, CAUSED BY THE COLLISION. THAT'S WHY THE CAR WAS STILL REVVING. I ASKED HOW DID THE ACCELERATOR GET STUCK IN THE FIRST PLACE, WAS TOLD HE COULD NOT DETERMINE THAT. I CALLED DAIMLER CHRYSLER, TO FILE A CLAIM WITH THEM. THEY SENT A SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR TO LOOK AT THE CAR. I GOT A LETTER FROM DAIMLER CHRYSLER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE DENYING MY CLAIM. I CALLED TO FIND OUT WHY, AND WAS TOLD DAIMLER CHRYSLER DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE CLAIM, A DECISION WAS MADE AND THAT'S FINAL, I CAN SEEK LEGAL ACTION IF I FEEL LIKE IT. I ASKED WHY DAIMLER CHRYSLER DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE CLAIM, SHE TOLD ME A DECISION WAS MADE AND THAT WAS FINAL I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND ENDED THE CALL. MY INSURANCE IS GOING TO FIX THE CAR, BUT I HAVE TO DRIVE THIS CAR KNOWING THAT THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM WAS NEVER FIXED, AND THAT EVERY TIME I PUT MY WIFE AND MY 7 MONTH OLD IN THE CAR. *JB UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TURNING, AT 30 MPH, A POP WAS HEARD. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND THE CONTACT DID NOT HEAR ANY ADDITIONAL NOISES. A BURNING SMELL WAS NOTICED AND THERE WAS A LIQUID TRAIL BEHIND THE VEHICLE. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TORN APART FOR INSPECTION, BUT THE DISTRICT TECHNICIAN AND MANUFACTURER REPRESENTATIVE DETERMINED, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS ON A LIFT, A PIECE OF THE PRESSURE PLATE BROKE LOOSE AND WENT THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE OWNER ABUSE AND NO REPAIR WAS OFFERED UNDER WARRANTY.

MY SON WAS DRIVING OUR 2005 DODGE NEON ON HWY. 50 WHEN A 2003 DODGE DAKOTA 4X4 MADE AN UNSAFE LANE CHANGE IN FRONT OF OUR CAR. THE DRIVER OF THE DAKOTA SLAMMED ON HIS BRAKES BEFORE BEING COMPLETELY IN MY SON'S LANE AND MY SON REAR-ENDED THE DAKOTA (FRONT END DAMAGE, MOST OF WHICH WAS CAUSED BY THE DAKOTA'S TRAILER HITCH PUNCHING THROUGH OUR NEON--TRAILER HITCH ENTERED TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE NEON'S LICENSE PLATE BY ABOUT A FOOT). AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY SHOULD HAVE. MY SON WAS WEARING HIS SAFETY BELT AND DUE TO THE AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING, HIS KNEES WERE RAMMED INTO THE DASH. AT TIME OF IMPACT, MY SON BELIEVES HE WAS GOING ABOUT 20 MPH. DAMAGE TO THE NEON, ACCORDING TO CAL STATE AUTO AND GEICO, IS $7400.00. MY SON HAD SORE KNEES AND A WRENCHED BACK PLUS A VERY SORE CHEST FROM THE SEAT BELT BEING THE ONLY THING THAT HELD HIM IN PLACE (COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE). *NM

COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. AFTER NEON SAT FOR APPROX 36 HOURS PARKED IT WAS DRIVEN AT HWY SPEEDS FOR APPROX 12 MILES AND BRAKE PEDAL WOULD TRAVEL WITHOUT EFFORT TO FLOOR. USING A COMBINATION OF ENGINE BRAKING AND HAND BRAKE I WAS ABLE TO COME TO A STOP AFTER PUMPING PEDAL NORMAL BRAKING WOULD OCCUR. IT HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES NOW WITH AIR IN THE LINES FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AFTER A MASTER CYLINDER WAS REPLACED IT SEEMED NORMAL ONLY TO HAVE THE PEDAL TRAVEL TO THE FLOOR ONCE AGAIN. DEALER NOW STATES UNABLE TO DUPLICATE. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW AND ONLY HAVE 8K MILES ON IT. *JB