1998 Plymouth Neon

LEAKING OIL AT 30500 MILES, STILL UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. WAS REPAIRED BY DEALERSHIP. AT 72000 MILES, ENGINE IS LEAKING OIL AGAIN. TOOK TO INDEPENDANT CONTRACTOR, HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT THE HEAD CASKET IS NOW LEAKING IN TWO PLACES. AM TAKING AUTO TO SHOP AND SERVICE MANAGER OFFERED TO FIX WITH ME TO PAY A $200 "DEDUCTIBLE". PLEASE ADVISE IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS TO A RECALL OR ANYTHING MANUFACTURER IS DOING TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE SAYS THEY AREN'T AWARE OF ANY KIND OF HEAD CASKET PROBLEMS WITH NEONS. THAT'S FUNNY HOW COME EVERYONE ELSE IN THE FREE WORLD KNOWS OF THE NEON'S CASKET PROBLEMS? DT

WAS DRIVING MY 3 GRAND CHILDREN WHEN THE TEMPERATURE BELL RANG. I GLANCED AT MY GAUGES AND NOTICED A HIGH TEMPERATURE READING AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. AFTER WAITING 30 MINUTES OR SO I RELEASED THE RADIATOR CAP AND NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE OIL IN THE WATER. I ADDED WATER AND THEN DROVE HOME AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED WITH THE HEATER ON. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE DID NOT GO ABOVE LOW-MED. I CALLED MY LOCAL GARAGE AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND THEY SUGGESTED I HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THEM. THIS I DID, AND UPON EXAMINATION THE CONCLUDED THE HEAD GASKET HAD BLOWN. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAD 87,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. UPON RESEARCH I SEE THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM OR ISOLATED PROBLEM FOR THE '98 NEON. I WILL NOW CONTACT THE DEALER ANY ADVISE? HAS CHRYSLER STEPPED FORWARD AND DEALT WITH THIS PROBLEM? DT

HAD TAKEN CAR BACK TO CARMAX & THEY HAD CHRYLSER DEALERSHIP LOOK & CAR FOUND OKAY. 3/2001 HAD OIL LEAK REPARIED BY VALVE COVER GASKET, REPLACED OIL CAP, DEGREASE ENGINE, NEW OIL, ETC.. MONTHS LATER...LEAK WORSE & OIL NOW IN COOLANT. TOLD REPAIR WILL BE OVER $1000 AND NO GUARANTEE OF BEING FIXED DUE TO PROBLEM WITH WAY NEON'S GASKETS ARE MADE. CAR MUST SIT UNUSED SINCE "NO SURE FIX FOR PROBLEM". YOU CAN FIX IT BUT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN DUE TO HOW GASKETS MANUFACTURED...OIL LEAKING ALL OVER ROAD WAYS FROM THESE NEONS CAN NOT BE SAFE...HAZARD, I DO BELIEVE. NOW CAN NOT DRIVE CAR. DT

HAD TAKEN CAR BACK TO CARMAX & THEY TOOK TO CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP SAYING CAR OKAY. MARCH 2001 HAD OIL LEAK REPAIRED BY VALVE COVER GASKET. PROBLEM MONTHS LATER LEAK WORSE & OIL NO IN COLLANT NOW TOLD REPAIR WILL BE OVER $000 AND NO GUARANTEE OF BEING FIXED DUE TO PROBLEM WITH WAY NEON/S GASKETS ARE MADE. CAR MUST SIT UNUSED SINCE NO SURE FIX FOR PROBLEM DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECT. DT

THESE PROBLEMS WERE FOUND DURING A REPLACEMENT OF OUR THIRD TRANSMISSION. WE ARE REALLY UPSET WITH PLYMOUTH/DODGE AUTO. WE HAD THIS CAR FOR ONLY A YEAR AND IT HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. LIKE I SAID, 3 TRANSMISSIONS, 1 ENGINE DUE TO HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS. NOW, THE OIL PRESSURE SENDING UNIT, VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR, AND THE REAR MAIN OIL SEAL. ----DIMS 11 IVOQ ENTRY AFTER 12/12/01 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS-------769336. *AK

WHEN BRAKE IS PUSHED THE TURN LIGHTS WOULD LIGHT UP AND BRAKE LIGHTS WOULDN'T BRIGHTEN. THIS WAS (08/13/01). IN 10/10/01 WAS ABLE TO DRIVE FORWARD IN REVERSE AND NEUTRAL, DIDN'T HAVE A REVERSE, TRANSMISSION REPLACED. IN 03/12/02, FOUND OIL IN THE ANTIFREEZE RESERVE AND RADIATOR, REPLACED ENGINE DUE TO HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. IN 04/15/02, TRANSMISSION DOING THE SAME THING BACK ON 10/10/01 , TRANSMISSION IS REPLACED AGAIN. IN 10/31/02, TRANSMISSION REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME, DUE TO SHIFTING HARD, AND SAME PROBLEM AS 10/10/01 AND 04/18/02. ALSO, AT THE SAME TIME THE SPEED SENSOR WENT OUT SO THERE WAS NO SPEEDOMETER WORKING. WE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR MAIN OIL SEAL BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING AND REPLACED THE OIL SENDING UNIT. ***DIMS 11 IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 121/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS--------769334. *AK

ORIGINAL OWNER, 24286 ORIGINAL MILES. NO PREVIOUS MAJOR PROBLEMS. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT PROBLEM HAD TO DO WITH "AGE" OF VEHICLE AND "DRY ROT". THIS VEHICLE IS USED ON A DAILY BASIS BY A 82 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO STILL HAS LOAN PAYMENTS TO MAKE ON IT. SHE HAS KEPT UP WITH ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, AND FEELS SHE IS BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. CHECKING THE INTERNET HAS SHOWN NUMEROUS INCEDENCES OF SIMILAR HEAD GASKET COMPLAINTS ON THESE CARS, BUT NO OFFICIAL RECALL TO DATE THAT WE KNOW OF. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC HAS STATED HE IS AWARE OF A CHANGE IN THE TYPE OF GASKET USED, DUE TO CHRYSLER'S BEING AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. CAN AN 82 YEAR OLD SENIOR SEEK SATISFACTION THROUGH YOUR ORGANIZATION? ANY ASSISTANCE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. DT