IllustrationTHIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAD BLOWN HEAD GASKET. THE FIRDT TIME WAS AT APROXMITLY 40,000 MILES AND NOW A SECOND TIME AT 85000 MILES.
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 reportsENGINE HEAD GASKET LEAK. *AK
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A N ENGINE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. CONSUMER WAS TOLD TO CONTACT NHTSA TO URGE THEM TO ISSUE A RECALL OE ENGINE HEAD GASKET.*AK
VEHICLE BURNS OIL PREMATURELY. DEALER STATES ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *AK
CONSUMER BOUGHT NEON NEW IN 1997. RIGHT AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THERE WAS AN ENGINE HEAD GASKET OIL LEAK, AND WOULD COST $450 TO FIX IT. CONSUMER THOUGHT DEALER SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE LEAK WHILE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SINCE HE ALWAYS HAD THE OIL CHANGED THERE. CURRENTLY, VEHICLE W…
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CONSUMER BOUGHT NEON NEW IN 1997. RIGHT AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THERE WAS AN ENGINE HEAD GASKET OIL LEAK, AND WOULD COST $450 TO FIX IT. CONSUMER THOUGHT DEALER SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE LEAK WHILE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SINCE HE ALWAYS HAD THE OIL CHANGED THERE. CURRENTLY, VEHICLE WAS LEAKING 1 QUART PER DAY. CONSUMER TALKED TO MECHANICS, WHO INDICATED THAT CHRYSLER SHOULD HAVE HAD A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE REPLACED MANY OF THE SAME VEHICLES FOR THE SAME LEAKING PROBLEM AFTER WARRANTY RAN OUT.*AK
WHILE DRIVING THE FRONT AXLE BROKE WHICH CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THE HEADS GASKET WAS ALSO REPLACED TWICE BECAUSE THEY BLEW AND WERE LEAKING. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *NLM
68000 MILES. BLOWN HEAD GASKET. CAR IS ON 2ND HEAD GASKET ALREADY. THIS'LL BE THE 3RD. MAJOR OIL & COOLANT LEAKAGE. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE WITH NUMEROUS NEON OWNERS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. PLEASE COMPEL CHRYSLER TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK
WHILE REVERSING BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED PREMATURELY. DRIVER SUSTAINED LIGHT BRUISES AND EYE IRRITATION FROM THE CONTENTS OF THE AIR BAGS.*AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE EXHIBITED AN OIL LEAK AT THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR BEGINNING AT 35,108 MILES. THE LEAK CONTINUED TO 05/30/03, WITH NUMEROUS REPAIR ATTEMPTS BY THE DEALER. CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE EGR VALVE IS CAUSE OF PROBLEM.*AK THE EGR VALVA CAN NOT WITHSTAND THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION HEAT IN AN ILLUMINUM BLOCK ENGINE…
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CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE EXHIBITED AN OIL LEAK AT THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR BEGINNING AT 35,108 MILES. THE LEAK CONTINUED TO 05/30/03, WITH NUMEROUS REPAIR ATTEMPTS BY THE DEALER. CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE EGR VALVE IS CAUSE OF PROBLEM.*AK THE EGR VALVA CAN NOT WITHSTAND THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION HEAT IN AN ILLUMINUM BLOCK ENGINE.*TS
I HAVE EXPERIENCED A NUMBER OF MECHANICAL FAILURES TO MY 1997 PLYMOUTH NEON WHICH I PURCHASED TWO YEARS AGO. ONE MONTH AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR BEGAN HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS; RADIO STOPPED WORKING, CLOCK DISPLAY WOULD BLACKOUT. THE MOST RECENT WAS EXPERIENCING A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AT THE TIME THE CAR WAS IN OPERATION. I WAS A…
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I HAVE EXPERIENCED A NUMBER OF MECHANICAL FAILURES TO MY 1997 PLYMOUTH NEON WHICH I PURCHASED TWO YEARS AGO. ONE MONTH AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR BEGAN HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS; RADIO STOPPED WORKING, CLOCK DISPLAY WOULD BLACKOUT. THE MOST RECENT WAS EXPERIENCING A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AT THE TIME THE CAR WAS IN OPERATION. I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CAR TO A SAFE STOP. HOWEVER, HAD THE GASKET BLOWN WHEN I WAS ON THE EXPRESSWAY JUST MINUTES BEFORE THEN, THE SCENE MAY HAVE BEEN MORE SERIOUS. I DISCOVERED OIL IN MY ANTIFREEZE. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE RESEARCH AND LOCATED A WEBSITE THAT INFORMED CONSUMERS OF MANUFACTURE DEFECTS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON THE NEONS FROM THE 1995 TO 1998. A NUMBER OF COMPLAINS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF CHRYSLER CORPORATION BY OTHER CONSUMERS. HOWEVER, THEY DO NOT SEE IT AS A PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTIFIED CHANNEL 5 TARGET INVESTIGATION NEWS TEAM IN CHICAGO, IL AND THEY ARE INVESTIGATING THESE PROBLEMS AS WELL. TARGET 5 INVESTIGATION MADE ME AWARE OF A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT AGAIN THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION AND I THINK THESE MANUFACTURER DEFECTS WARRANT YOUR INVESTIGATION AS WELL, HOPEFULLY, PROMPTING A NATIONAL RECALL. REPAIRING A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND POSSIBLY A CRACKED SEAL ON THE ENGINE, IS A VERY COSTLY PROCEDURE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM. I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN YOUR FINDINGS. *JB
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.