IllustrationAFTER STARTING VEHICLE UP AND PUTTING IT INTO DRIVE, VHICLE TOOK OFF AND RAN ACROSS THE STREET, HITTING 2 CARS. DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. NO ONE HAS SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
1997 Plymouth Neon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Plymouth Neon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 151.
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
Limited mileage data: 22 of 161 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 103 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports2 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
161 reportsTHE DEFECTIVE ENGINE HEAD GASKET CAUSED A MAJOR OIL LEAK. YH
DID NOT REPORT PAINT PROMBLEM UNTIL 92,342 MILES. STARTED HAPPENING AT 6/15/99 71,000 MILES. CAN NOT EVEN GO THROUG CAR WASH WITH OUT PAINT PEELING OFF AND LEAVING MY PAINT ALL OVER CAR WASH GROUND. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK
OIL IS LEAKING DUE TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE. YH
THIS NEON HAD A KNOW MANUFACTURES DEFECT CONCERNING ENGINE HEAD GASKET. OIL COMES SHOOTING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE HEAD. COVERING THE COMPLETE BACK SIDE OF THE MOTOR. DRIPPING DOWN ON ALL THE HOT PARTS OF THE ENGINE AND EXHAUST SYSTEM. MY CAR DIDN'T CATCH ON FIRE BECAUSE OF THIS BUT SOMEBODIES WILL ONE DAY. CHRYSLER KNOWS OF…
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THIS NEON HAD A KNOW MANUFACTURES DEFECT CONCERNING ENGINE HEAD GASKET. OIL COMES SHOOTING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE HEAD. COVERING THE COMPLETE BACK SIDE OF THE MOTOR. DRIPPING DOWN ON ALL THE HOT PARTS OF THE ENGINE AND EXHAUST SYSTEM. MY CAR DIDN'T CATCH ON FIRE BECAUSE OF THIS BUT SOMEBODIES WILL ONE DAY. CHRYSLER KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM YET WILL NOT RECALL IT. CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND HELP THE POOR SAPS THAT BOUGHT THESE CARS.*AK
ENGINE HEAD GASKETS HAVE BLOWN OUT, CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK ONTO THE ENGINE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A BUY BACK, BUT THEY ASSURED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. ONE PERSON TOLD ME IT WAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND ANOTHER TOLD ME IT WAS WATER DAMAGE. STARTING THE SECOND DAY I RECEIVED THE CAR I HAD PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES FOR SPEAKER PROBLEMS, WHENEVER IT RAINS THE SPE…
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WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A BUY BACK, BUT THEY ASSURED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. ONE PERSON TOLD ME IT WAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND ANOTHER TOLD ME IT WAS WATER DAMAGE. STARTING THE SECOND DAY I RECEIVED THE CAR I HAD PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES FOR SPEAKER PROBLEMS, WHENEVER IT RAINS THE SPEAKERS BLOW OUT. IT WAS IN THE SHOP 2 TIMES BECAUSE OF WHAT SEEMED TO BE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE CAR HAD A HARD TIME SHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR AND MADE A SQUEALING NOISE WHENEVER I SHIFTED IT. IT HAS ALSO BEEN IN THE SHOP 2 TIMES FOR THE BRAKES. FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS IT HAS HAD A HARD TIME STARTING UP AND 2 WEEKS AGO IT WAS DEAD IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR 3 DAYS. THEY HAVE TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEMS WITHOUT SUCCESS. I AM CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH ARBITRATIO, BUT I WANT SOME ADVICE.
DUE TO A DEFECTIVE OIL PUMP ENGINE BLEW OUT, WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
OIL LIGHT WENT ON, PUT SEVERAL QUARTS OF OIL IN THROUGHOUT WEEK BUT DIP STICK ALWAYS READ EMPTY, OIL LIGHT STAYED ON, TOOK TO LUBE SHOP WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. TOOK TO AUTHORIZED DEALER/REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THEY AT FIRST WOULD NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY, BUT AFTER INSPECTION THEY REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET, AS WELL …
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OIL LIGHT WENT ON, PUT SEVERAL QUARTS OF OIL IN THROUGHOUT WEEK BUT DIP STICK ALWAYS READ EMPTY, OIL LIGHT STAYED ON, TOOK TO LUBE SHOP WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. TOOK TO AUTHORIZED DEALER/REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THEY AT FIRST WOULD NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY, BUT AFTER INSPECTION THEY REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET, AS WELL AS A BROKEN CAM VALVE, FAULTY THERMOSTAT, AND SOME EXHAUST PARTS, ALL OF WHICH WERE DEFECTIVE/BROKEN UNBEKNOWNST TO ME. PLYMOUTH COVERED ALL REPAIR EXPENSES THEN. *AK
PREVIOUS TO EXPERIENCING HEAD GASKET FAILURE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FINE. AT APPROXIMATELY 6 A.M., I WAS COMMUTING TO WORK AT A SPEED OF 45 M.P.H. WHEN THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE ENGINE ACTED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DIE. THE OIL LIGHT STAYED ON FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS AND THEN WENT OFF. THE CAR CONTINUED TO RUN OK UNTIL I ARRIV…
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PREVIOUS TO EXPERIENCING HEAD GASKET FAILURE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FINE. AT APPROXIMATELY 6 A.M., I WAS COMMUTING TO WORK AT A SPEED OF 45 M.P.H. WHEN THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE ENGINE ACTED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DIE. THE OIL LIGHT STAYED ON FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS AND THEN WENT OFF. THE CAR CONTINUED TO RUN OK UNTIL I ARRIVED AT WORK. AFTER WORK, I CHECKED THE OIL AND FOUND THE DIPSTICK TO BE DRY. I ADDED OIL TO THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL. I HAD A MECHANIC CHECK THE VEHICLE AND HE DISCOVERED THE HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN. THIS MECHANIC - AS WELL AS OTHERS (INCLUDING THE DEALERS') - STATED THAT THE NEON HAS A LONG HISTORY OF HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS. AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY, THERE WAS A LOT OF OIL UNDERNEATH THE CAR AND ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I AM VERY UPSET AT CHRYSLER - ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I HAVE LEARNED OF THE WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AMONG NEON OWNERS. *AK
Official recalls
197V080000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
May 16, 1997
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.
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.