1997 Plymouth Neon

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. A FEW SECONDS LATER, THE CAR STARTED SPUTTERING, ACTING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DIE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR DIED. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO A SHOP, THEY TOLD US THE MOTOR WAS BLOWN. WE HAD IT TOWED TO ANOTHER SHOP THAT CONFIRMED THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. THEY INFORMED US OF THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM AND TOLD US TO CONTACT CHRYSLER. CHRYSLER TOLD US THE CAR NEEDED TO BE LOOKED AT AT A DEALERSHIP. AGAIN THE CAR WAS TOWED TO RAINIER DODGE. THEY INSPECTED THE CAR AND TOLD US THE CAR HAD THROWN A ROD, THAT WAS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE HEAD GASKETS. IT WILL COST BETWEEN 2500.00 AND 4000.00 TO PUT A NEW MOTOR IN THE CAR. WE FEEL THAT CHRYSLER IS RESPONSIBLE AND THEIR DEALER IS ONLY COVERING FOR THEM. WE STILL OWE 5900.00 ON THE CAR AND CAN'T AFFORD TO PUT NEW MOTOR IN. WHEN WE ASKED THE SERVICE DEPT AT RAINIER WHY A CAR WOULD THROW A ROD WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE ANSWER WE REC'D WAS IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE AND THEY CAN GUARANTEE THAT IT WAS NOT THE HEAD GASKET LEAKING THAT CAUSED THE MOTOR TO SEIZE. CAN YOU HELP?*AK

DRIVING CAR IN MORNING. CAR HESITATED TO SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR, HEARD THIS HIGH PITCH WINING NOISE, DECREASED SPEED AND CAR WENT INTO GEAR. LATER THAT DAY WAS SHIFTING FINE BUT CONTINUED TO HAVE HIGH PITCHED WINING NOISE. TOOK IT TO A SHOP AFTER I CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID AAND IT WAS FINE. THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW BUT IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN BRING IT BACH. 2 DAYS LATER SAME PROBLEM. TOOK IT DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION SHOP. (QUALITY TRANSMISSION) THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS METAL SHAVINGS IN THE PAN . TOOK CAR TO AAMCO TRANSMISSION SAME AFTERNOON FOR SECOND OPINION BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT OTHER SHOP WAS NOTORIOUS FOR RIPPING PEOPLE OFF. SAID I SHOULD BRING IT TO THEM. THEY CHECKED OUT CAR AND CHANGED FILTER AND FLUID. WHEN I PICKED CAR UP FROM SHOP THEY CONFIRMED THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID IF I PUT THIS STUFF CALED DURALUBE IN IT IT WOULD HELP TILL I COULD SAVE MONEY TO HAVE CAR FIXED. CHARGED ME $20.00 FOR IT. THEY SAID THAT IF WINING STATED BACK OR SHIFTING PROBLEMS OCCURRED IT WOULD BE SOONER THEN LATER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. 1 WEEK LATER, CAR STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS AGAIN. WAS DRIVING AND LOST GEAR. TURNED AROUND TO COME HOME WHICH WAS ABOUT 10 MINUTES AWAY, AND BY TIME I GOT HOME HAD ALSO LOST 3RD GEAR. NEXT DAY CAR WAS SHIFTING FINE AGAIN. WENT TO SHOPS TO GET QUOTES ON REBUILD KITS, THEY SAID CAR WAS TO NEW. THAT IT WOULD COST ME UP TO $ 5,000.00 TO ORDER FROM FACTORY. THIS WAS MY FIRST NEW CAR. I BOUGHT IT SO I WOULDN'T HAVE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS LIKE THE OLDER VEHICLES I HAD OWNED PREVIOUSLY. THE CAR IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD WITH 47,509 MILES ON IT. I DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT CARS BUT I AM SURE THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. . I CHECKED YOUR COMPLAINT LOG AND THERE ARE 164 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 1997 PLYMOUTH NEON. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS CAR. *AK

HEAD GASKET FAILED (OIL LEAK) AT 40000 MILES, THIS IS PREMATURE FOR ANY CAR UNDER VIRTUALLY ANY CONDITIONS AND IS QUITE COMMON IF COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THE NHTSA ARE ANY INDICATION AT ALL. CHRYSLER BECAME AWARE OF THE PROBLEM IN 1999 AND DESIGNED A NEW MLS HEAD GASKET. AS THE HEAD GASKET WAS REENGINEERED AND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY FAILURES OF THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, I THINK IT SAFE TO ASSUME THAT THIS IS AN ENGINEERING ERROR. MY QUESTION IS, IF THIS IS CHRYSLER ENGINEERING MISTAKE WHY DID I HAVE TO PAY $597 TO REPAIR IT, WHY HASN'T CHRYSLER RECALLED THESE ENGINES TO FIX THEM AT THEIR EXPENSE?*AK

I HAVE SEEN SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE HEAD GASKETS GOING BAD. WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO BE RECALLED? WHEN THEY START KILLING PEOPLE ON THE HIGHWAYS WEHEN THEY BLOW? THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE PEOPLE GET HURT. CHRYSLER KNOWS THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE ALUMINUM HEAD, AND THE ENGINE, AND THE GASKET. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED ASAP! CHRYSLER NEEDS TO BE MADE TO RECALL AND REPLACE THEM AND THE HEADS WHICH ARE BEING MESSED UP DUE TO THE GASKETS GOING, AND LEADKING.*AK

BLOWN HEAD GASKET. OIL IN COOLING SYSTEM. CONTACTED CHRYSLER, NO HELP THERE. I STILL OWE $5000 ON A CAR WITH A MESSED UP MOTOR. I BELIEVE CHRYSLER KNEW THESE GASKETS WERE DEFECTIVE AND DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. THERE WAS A TSB PUT OUT IN 1998. WHY WEREN'T OWNERS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. IT'S ALOT CHEAPER TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET RATHER THAN REPLACE THE MOTOR. I CALLED THE 1-800 NUMBER AND THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ME. SAME WITH THE DEALERSHIP I TOOK IT TO. *AK