1996 Plymouth Breeze

OIL NOTICED ON GROUND UNDER VEHICLE. MECHANIC SAYS HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING OIL OUT OF ENGINE. HEAD GASKET FAILURE IS CAUSING OIL TO BE LEAKED ONTO GROUND WHICH CAUSES ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE TO OUR ENVIRONMENT PER EPA. THIS WEB SITE DOCUMENTS THIS AS A TREND FOR THIS PLATFORM OF PLYMOUTH VEHICLE. THERE MUST BE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF PETROLEUM OIL BEING SPILLED INTO OUR ENVIRONMENT BY THESE VEHICLES, MAYBE MORE. THESE VEHICLES ARE INJURING US ALL AND SHOULD NO LONGER BE USED UNLESS PROPERLY AND PERMANENTLY FIXED. *NM

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IDLED REAL HIGH, THEN SLOWED DOWN. PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND THE VEHICLE STARTED UP, BUT IT DID NOT MOVE. HAD A MECHANIC TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE COMPUTER WAS BURNT OUT. THEN SHE HAD A SECOND OPINON, AND WAS TOLD THAT SHE HAD A FUEL PUMP AIR LEAK, AND THIS CAUSED HER TO HAVE POWER REDUCTION WHILE DRIVING. SHE STATES SHE HAS NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL ON HER VEHICLE.*AK

I PURCHASED MY 1996 PLYMOUTH BREEZE IN APRIL OF 1998 WITH 33,000 MILES ON IT AND IT CURRENTLY HAS 115,000 MILES ON IT. THE INITIAL SIGNS OF PROBLEMS BEGIN AT 50,000 MILES WITH AN OIL LEAK NO ONE COULD SEEM TO FIX (NOT EVEN THE DEALERSHIP). WITHIN A SPAN OF 82, 000 MILES: I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET TWICE AT 54,000 AND 113,000 ($1000), I HAVE HAD TWO MAJOR TUNE-UPS AT 60,000 AND 92,000 MILES ($500), I HAVE HAD ALL SENSORS REPLACED AT 101,000 MILES ($1500), I HAVE HAD THREE MAJOR BRAKE JOBS WITHIN 18 MONTHS ($1800), I HAD TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR ($250), I HAD TO HAVE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED AT 75,000 MILES ($350), I HAD TO HAVE A NEW TRANSMISSION AT 95,000 MILES ($1500), IVE HAD NUMEROUS REPAIRS BASED ON THE READOUTS FROM THE COMPUTER ($600+), REPLACED THE OIL PAN GASKET BUT IT STILL LEAKS ($150) THE WINDOW SEALS LEAK WHEN IT RAINS (NEVER TRIED TO FIX) (THIS CAR SAT IN MY DRIVEWAY ALMOST ALL OF 2002 BECAUSE I COULD NOT AFFORD THE REPAIRS) AFTER ALL OF MY FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO KEEP MY TRANSPORTATION OPERABLE, ITS CURRENTLY SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY WITH THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS: IT CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE REVS UP AND DOWN WHEN IDLE, THERE IS A SEVERE OIL LEAK THAT NO ONE CAN SEEM TO FIX, THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON NO MATTER WHAT REPAIRS ARE DONE, THE FACTORY RADIO, THE SPEEDOMETER, AND THE MILEAGE GAUGE, NO LONGER WORK. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PICKUP WHEN DRIVING UP HILLS, WHEN YOU TURN THE AC ON THERE IS AN UNBEARABLE HORRIBLE RATTLING NOISE AND THE CAR LOSES AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF POWER AND FEELS AS THOUGH ITS GOING TO CUT OFF, THERES A SCOWLING NOISE WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT TO RIGHT IT TAKES 15 MINUTES IN ORDER FOR THE HEATER TO BLOW OUT WARM AIR. AND I STILL OWE $6,000 ON THIS VEHICLE. *JB

THE HEAD GASKET WAS REALLY THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE THE BIGGEST BEEF ABOUT. I HAVE HAD AN OIL LEAK SINCE AT LEAST AUGUST 2002 AND THE MECHANIC THAT I'VE BEEN TAKING MY CAR TO HAS REPLACED THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH TWICE AND MOST RECENTLY THE CAM SHAFT SWITCH. AT THE LAST REPAIR, HE INDICATED THAT I HAD A TORN HEAD GASKET, A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY MODEL OF CAR. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER AND THEN CONTACTED CHRYSLER ABOUT SOME MONETARY ASSISTANCE WITH THIS REPAIR. CHRYSLER CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM WITH THE DEALER AND THEN DID NOTHING FOR TWO DAYS UNTIL I CALLED BACK AND FOUND OUT THAT THE DECISION RESTED IN THE REGIONAL MANAGER'S HANDS WHO WAS OUT OF TOWN ON VACATION FOR 4 MORE DAYS. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER AGAIN AND ESCALLATED THE DECISION THROUGH A FEW LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT AND FOUND THAT MY REQUEST HAD BEEN DENIED DUE TO THE AGE OF THE CAR AND ITS MILEAGE. THIS IRRITATES ME FOR SEVERAL REASONS. HEAD GASKETS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A MUCH LONGER LIFE SPAN THAT 72K MILES. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED DEFECT WITH THE CAR I HAVE AND I FEEL THAT A RECALL IS IN ORDER. FROM WHAT I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET, MANY BREEZE/NEON OWNERS HAVE HAD SUCCESS CONVINCING CHRYSLER TO PAY FOR SOME OF THE REPAIR. I BROUGHT MY CAR IN ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND IT WASN'T UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY ON THURSDAY THAT CHRYSLER MADE THEIR DECISION. IN THE MEANTIME, THE MECHANIC DID NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM BECAUSE HE WAS WAITING ON THE RESPONSE FROM CHRYSLER. HENCE, I WAS OUT OF THE USE OF MY CAR AN ADDITIONAL TWO DAYS. ADDITIONALLY, I'VE ALREADY INCURRED ABOUT $400 IN EXPENSES MOST LIKELY RELATED TO THIS HEAD GASKET FROM PREVIOUS REPAIRS TO MY OIL LEAK PROBLEM. IT'S A SHAME ALL THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE I WAS PRETTY PLEASED WITH THE CAR UP UNTIL I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM.

I ACQUIRED A 1996 PLYMOUTH BREEZE IN MARCH OF 2002. THE DAY AFTER I GOT THE CAR, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. SINCE THEN, THE LIGHT HAS COME ONE A TOTAL OF 4 TIMES. EACH TIME IT HAS BEEN FIXED OR LOOKED AT, THE O2 SENSOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. ON HALLOWEEN 2002, I TOOK MY CAR IN TO GET A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND TO FIND OUT THE CAUSE OF A TICKING SOUND. THE AUTO CENTER (THAT WAS DOING MY OIL CHANGE) SAID IT WAS A ROD BEARING, BUT WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A FLYWHEEL. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AND 2 DAYS AFTER I PICK UP THE CAR, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT COMES ON FOR THE 4TH TIME. I AM TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND PRAYING THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WILL HAVE TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS FOR THE SAME THING!!!

LTR FM LAURA FEINSTEIN (WA) RE THE DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET...*MR THE HEAD GASKET HAD TORN. OIL LEAKED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED FOR MONETARY ASSISTANCE WHICH WAS DISCUSSED WITH A FEW CHRYSLER REPRESENTATIVES AND THE REQUEST WAS DENIED. THE CONSUMERS MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WERE OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER HAD REQUESTED A FULL REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIR COST. SCC *TS *JB