Problems with 1995 Dodge Neon ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2005 dodge neon. consumer writes in regards to unreliable steering wheel horn circuit. *smd the consumer stated the horn sometimes to failed to honk. when he attempted to replace the steering wheel clock spring, he discovered there was no ground circuit; it was only a three wire device.

A failed turn signal switch started an electrical fire in the chrysler vehicle. ***no answer required*** *mr the fire originated in the steering column. *sc *jb

On august 12th while driving on scatterfield dr, an area of high construction, my 1995 dodge neon suddenly stalled and quit right in the middle of traffic. i had a full tank of gas so i knew that was not the problem and luckily it was a construction area and traffic was moving rather slowly. i was able to pull off the road and the car would not start so i caledl peyton well auto at (765) 644-1111, who on august 11th had just repaired my car for similar problems that included my battery light coming on and then the car may or maynot start.they sent a tow truck to get me. a month earlier the car stalled and just quit and i had it towed to this same dealership who charged me 300.00 to fix the electrical suspension and harness. on august the 11th i was told it was the starter and that cost me another 300.00. after researching the recall list i found recall information # 94v033000 that identifies powertrain control module problems that should be replaced. this was obviously never completed on this vehicle. i am scared to drive the vehicle. the peyton well service advisor ben woodfill stated if anything like this happened again they would fix it for free but this was after telling me that the main harness to the motor needed replacing and that they had found some corrosion on another electical part and cleaned it up on august 12th. my fiance spoke with the service advisor and stated that we were under the impression the problem was fixed the first time when we had it towed in but now they were telling us that it would cost and additional 700.00 to get this so called main harness replaced. it was then that mr. woodfill confered with his manager and they stated they would fix anymore problems like the ones i have had for free. to me this is unacceptable. if they know there is aready a problem then why not go ahead and fix it. don't wait until my car stalls in 65 mph traffic and it is too late. please help!!! *ak

Fuel pump (20a) fuse randomly blows. 30a fuses used and also randomly blow causing vehicle to stall. no indication of problem with fuel pump itself. o2 sensor and egr valve has been replaced. mechanics have been unable to isolate the cause but have found different variations of circuit/wiring diagrams for this '95 neon sport model vehicle. mechanics have also received varying advice from dodge dealerships on the cause and remedy. result is safety hazard to vehicle driver and occupants if the system fails in traffic.*ak

The clockspring is not working. the airbag light is on, the horn doesn't work, and the cruise control doesn't work.*ak

There was an electrical fire in my steering wheel column caused by the wiring i had my 3 week old son in the car and had to call the fire department to get it out i have not found out yet how badly the vehicle has been damaged. *nlm

When turning on the ignition switch none of the panel lights will come on, causing the consumer to have problems with the instrument panel wiring harness. dealer notified. *ak the wires in the dash had burnt and the mechanic said that if they repair it, that there is a possibility that the problem may re-occur. damage had come up to $1500.*scc

Smoke is coming from steering column due to parts of ignition switch and dash wiring harness melting. mileage 123000. *ak the dealer informed consumer that the ignition switch shorted the brake warning light ground wire. the wire is located between the ignition switch and the instrument cluster. the smoke emitted once the key was turned in the ignition. there was an investigation concerning steering column fires pe97-007, but the defect was in the malfuction switch and not the ignition. the switch was set in the intermediate position instead of the run position. consumer thinks this may have been related. *jg

When operated turn signal to turn right smoke started coming from left side of steering column. smoke stopped when turn signal returned to neutral. will be taking to pompey dodge in kingston, pa for repairs. i am fearful of operating the vehicle for a long period of time for fear of a fire. i can be contacted at my work number (570-826-2136) from 8:00 to 4:00).utral. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Parked car in a parking lot. turned car off. lights were off. went inside and 30 minutes later someone said, "your car is on fire." went outside and found the car engulfed in flames. fire department came and put the fire out. witnesses said that the fire was coming from the dash area on the drivers side. insurance company totaled the car. reported it to dodge. they sent an inspector who took a few minutes to inspect and a few pictures. receive letter from dodge stating that, "fires can and do occur and we are not at fault." *ak

There have been traces of an intermittent electrical component burning/overheating smell in the car for the past few months. no other symptoms were evident. on 10/25/01, after turning on the headlights in the evening before driving the vehicle, there was a pronounced odor of an electrical component burning or overheating, followed shortly thereafter by the loss of the headlights. the car was taken to the repair shop where it was determined that the headlight switch, the headlight switch wiring harness connector and the steering column mounted multi-function switch needed to be replaced. visual inspection revealed overheating/burning/melting of these components as well as the insulation around several wires. i have retained the headlight switch and wiring harness connector for future inspection by any interested parties. the steering column mounted multi-function switch had to be returned to the dealer due to a core charge. the total cost for parts and labor to effect nthe repairs was $363.15. i believe there is an electrical system design problem on this vehicle since no component should fail in such a way as to cause the overheating/burning of other components, connectors or wiring.*ak

Vehicle will not start. consumer purchased vehicle as it was, did not change anything. please provide further details. *ak

Consumer had taken vehicle to dealer where they found out that electrical wire harness due to corrosion had burned.*ak

After starting up car and letting it run it will automatically turn off without any warning. there were cars behind consumer's vehicle twice, and could have caused an accident. *ak

Passenger's compartment caught on fire in the steering column. manufacturer has been notified. a tsb has been issued on vehicle for the problem.*ak

After turning ignition switch to the off position, steering column started smoking and caught on fire, consumer had to disconnect battery for fire to go out. *ak consumer took vehicle to the dealer, dealer told that short crcuit was caused by something other than recalled part (coupler) but they do not know . *yh

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Consumer pulled in a parking lot, consumer turn off the vehicle, and dashboard started smoking very badly to the point that consumer could not see, there were no warning lights on the dashboard indicating this problem. consumer said that it smelled like rubber burning, consumer felt this was very unsafe, especially if kids were present. *ak

Vehicle stalls at any speed, any time. vehicle taken to dealer numerous time. had to replace the power control module. vehicle still stalls. cannot remedy problem.*ak

The wiring in the passenger's sunvisor electrical mirror short circuited, causing the wiring harness on the driver's side to catch on fire. dealer had to replace the wiring harness with a new design wiring harness. please provide further information. *ak

Instrument cluster loses power unexplicably during normal car usage. power is immediatly restored after the loss, however it makes vehicle difficult to drive at times when odemter is being reset. excessive leakage in vehicle's trunk and driver's side back seat has occured. bosak to fix after car was recently bought, however, leak not completely fixed and re-discovered 1 year later. a hole was discovered in the drivere's side rear wheel well as a result of unexplicable excessive corrosion. it was also discovered that seals were broked on drivere's side door and window track was glued improperly causing the window and track to come loose. out of pocket expences not revovered by dealership. also discovered was a severe leake from head gasket. called several repair places and found the neon's have had much trouble in the past.. excessive oil loss, and repairs are costly. front engine mount off; causing pressure in transmission lines and trans fluid leakage. please contact me asap about the car; need to recover costs.

Blinker and hazard switches shorting and smoking, lights go out and flip to brights without warning. *ak

Consumer had experienced trouble with heater/defroster, and headlights flickering, and smoke coming from dashboard. this forced consumer to drive off the road because of poor visibility. *ak

Vehicle will stall for no reason. *ak consumer states stalling had been occurring just 6 months after purchasing vehicle, there was a recall, 94v033, regarding transmission problems which could cause stalling, however when taken to dealer, dealer stated that due to mileage, it was out of warranty, dealer replaced pcm and charged consumer for it. *slc

Driver had noticed smoke coming from the steering column after driving vehicle for awhile. the brake light did not come on. high-beam lights came on by themselves & stayed. taking vehicle to dealer to check the electrical system. *ak

While driving for about two hours and parking the car consumer noticed sparks coming from under the hood, vehicle was on fire. *ak

We had trouble with a "short" for almost 2 years - went to 3 different dealerships with repsonse "nothing shows on the computer" & "replaced the radio. *ak

While driving at 35 mph smelled smoke, and then saw the fire within the steering column. consumer pulled over, and the fire department came out and put out the fire. also, brakes operate intermittently, and there is a loud noise coming from the brakes. brakes fail to operate properly especially on wet days. brakes supposedly repaired under recall, now they are worse than before. *ak

Headlights went out completely due to the plug that was connected to the signal lights melted. *ak

Vechicle overheated , was towed to nearest chrysler service center, replaced thermostat. 6 wks later overheated again towed to dealership again, was told it had a cracked head gasket they repalced it. six wks later car stalled while driving 55 mph on interstate again towed dealership could not find a reason for this. 3 wks later same problem again towed this time they said a coil wire was loose.no other problem was found same day i picked up the car it again stalled and had to be towed this time they said some idle steps were out of sync they should have already known this since i just got the car back that day. every time the car was in the shop they could find nothing wrong so they say, i left the car for several days so that a computer co-pilot could be installed and the mechanics could monitor the problem as it happens. this produced no info . the car has run all winter but now that warm weather is here the problem has started again. the car had to be again towed on 3/8/00 still no satisfaction as to why this is happening. have spokken to several representatives from chrysler warranty and manufacturing divisions concerning this and they have on numerous occassions been very rude. the last straw occurred on april 14,2000 while driving to find the exact location of a very important job interview the car broke down 2, i was no where near a phone and could not call for help. i sat in the car for 1 hr tried to restart the car it started but i couldn't trust the vehicle to continue the trip. i had to turn around and head back home , i was driving back home and it stalled again i waited another 1/2 hour it started and i prayed all the way home i would make it safely. each time i have had the car towed i have had to pay $50 as my deductible on my extended warranty and each time they said they couldn't find the problem. i feel very upset and disappointed to think i am paying for such an unreliable car. i will never buy another chrysler product. *ak

Electric wiring harness caught on fire, burned through caused extensive smoke indside vehicle. defect had to be in original equipment. fearful of other owners injury . contacted chrysler who agreed to send an investigator in two weeks. fear for public safety. *ak

Car running rough-pulled over-opened hood--spark plug wire flew off and plug jumped out of hole and landed on ground next to me. replaced plug and limped to my mechanic,,then to dealer who installed helicoil. cannot get refund from manufacturer because my mechanic replaced all plugs. faulty plugs had been in since 30,000 miles..obviousely a manufacturing defect. *ak

Engine lost power in center lane of interstate due to control module shorting out the fuel pump. control module affected by moisture. recall for earlier years, problem appears to affect later models also. this could have caused a very serious accident.

While driving vehicle will stall or decelerate down to 20 mph, which may cause an accident. dealer stated that the vehicle needs to reprogram the computer. please provide further information. *ak

Consumer was smelling rubber burning. dealer replaced a sensor, 2-3 days later vehicle would skip. mechanic changed the spark plugs, and noticed the spark plug wires laying against the motor and were melting because there was nothing there to support the wires. there is an open investigation at this time of underhood fires, id#ie-98-006. *ak

Wiring was chafed, exposing the wire which shorted out and blew a fuse. *ak

Smoke poured out from steeringcolumn, dealership said wiring under dash were burned. dealer replace harness. air conditioner did not work after the fire, vehicle has been repaired four times for both problems. also vehicle surged forward whenever foot was taken off the brakes. *ak

Vehicle slows down while driving, intermittently occurs. dealers have repaired and replaced various parts, and cannot duplicate the problem. *ak

As soon as this car hit 36000mls the problems just added up. everytime i turned around something was going wrong this car. chrysler were the worst manufaturer i had ever dealt with and will never buy anything from then again. we had to let the car go back because we could no long afford the repairs on it. the cruise control had to have some thing to do with the computer, and was replacedby myself. the alternator went bad was replaced by myself. the radio went bad was replaced by myself. the transmission had a pin that was not fitted and wore a hole through the transfer case. malfunction!! we could not afford it and did not repair.

Oil leaks, electrical system/ transmission, and fuel line failed. *ak

Air condition failed due to compressor failure. mjs

Check engine light continuallly on due to vacuum hose leaking. yh

Different fuses started blowing in interior lights/radio/turn signals/hazardous warning lamps, etc due to a burned wiring harness under the dash. the wiring harness has not been replaced. *ak

Engine stall out, need a ignition coil, fuel throttle body and up & down 02 sensor switch and a tune up.

Went to start vehicle and it would not turn over; took about 15-20 minutes before it would kicked in; took to dealer; had starter/battery & alternator replaced; lights & radio would come on; vehicle still will not start right away; problem still exist after replacements. *ak

Brakes failed.

Dash lights were replaced 3 times. in addition, steering column smokes at speeds of 45 mph. also, seat heater burned a hole in driver's seat/burned driver's leg. smokes and smolders when set on high and seat is occupied. *ak

While driving an electrical short in the wiring, caused the wiring under the vehicle to catch on fire. cause unknown.*ak

Driving vehicle in traffic, vehicle would stall and die out for no reason, have taken to dealer who cannot locate problem, was informed cannot fix it. will supply more information. *ak