IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THE VEHICLES OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER HAD THE OIL CHECKED BY A FRIEND AND DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN. *NLM
1998 Plymouth Neon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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 167 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 91 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. 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.
20 crash reports4 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
167 reportsCRACKED BLOCK WITH ONLY 63,000 MILES AND LESS THAN 5 YRS OLD. *NLM
HEAD GASKET FAILED WHILE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED BUT AFTER REPAIR THE ENGINE SEIZED WHILE DRIVING. BOTH OF THOSE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *TS *NLM
LEAKING OIL OUT OF REAR SEALS.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, VEHICLE STARTED TO RUN HOT. CONSUMER CUT OFF ENGINE AND VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER STATES THE HEAD GASKET WILL BE REPLACED. TS THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THESE VEHICLES. SCC
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"…
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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 TH…
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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 G…
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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 SINC…
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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 MA…
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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
Official recalls
199V001000 · Structure:body
Jan 7, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER MAY BE MISSING SPOT WELDS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN STRUCTURAL CRACKS IN THE BODY, AND REDUCED CRASH PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A REAR IMPACT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR ANY MISSING WELDS, AND WILL HAVE STRUCTURAL RIVETS INSTALLED IN PLACE OF THE MISSING WELDS.
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.