Problems with 1995 Dodge Neon STEERING

Dt: the caller said that brakes will not work one has to hit the brakes at the last minute. she said one can feel a pop, and then the brakes fail. she had to run into a ditch to keep form hitting someone. the police were called, and there a report was taken. there was a crash. there were injuries to the pedestrian. she said the hub assembly was bad and had it replaced. also, the tie rod wobbled and had it replaced. had another accident with the brakes when the car in front of stopped suddenly and brakes did not work. police came and a report was taken. the lady in the other vehicle was injured. dealer will take the car to dealer, and they will talk about it. manufacturer has not been contacted yet. caller said she was not informed about the problems the vehicle had when she bought it.*ak

As indicated on police report driver lost control of vehicle, ran off the side of a 2 lane highway, straddled a guard rail and some trees, before flipping over and catching on fire. vehicle totaled. driver and passenger were killed. two days prior to the accident, the driver complained about steering problem . steering column coupling recall 97v169000 repairs were performed on 02/06/98. cause of fire was undetermined.*ak

My daughter was driving my 1995 dodge neon when the steering wheel locked and caused her to have an accident. she was traveling at approx 35 - 40 mph .there were no abnormal weather or road conditions. suddenly the steering wheel jerked the car off the road towards the right, at that point she had a loss of steering and no control of the vehicle. she was not applying the brakes or making a turn, just driving along as she normally would. previosly we have had problems, serious problems with the antilock brake system failing. when applying the brakes on two separate occasions the front wheels locked up once causing a minor accident , the other just caused damage to the tires. the accident when the steering failed was fortunately a minor one . but could just as easily been a very serios possibly fatal. since at the time of the steering loss, there was no way to control the direction of the vehicle, which resulted in damage to a residential homeowners yard and personal property that was located in the yard. the vehicle came to rest between two trees because it was stopped by a tension wire attached to a telephone pole which was struck and became wrapped around the front left tire. if not for that she would have struck a concrete culvert only a few feet away.. we are presently involved in proceedings to have the citation she received dismissed due to faulty equipment. also i did inquire with dodge motor corp re safety recall info...which i was informed that my vehicle has no incomplete recall work , but i also received a car facts report from consumer guide stating that there was a recall and there is no information stating the work had been completed by dodge to correct the problem. which if it had been corrected the info would have been updated to show that. if you could please help me with this matter, and possibly save someone from this mess. also i have a friend who lost her arm from her 95 neon crash from steering failure of which i was unaware until after mine.*ak

When making turns in either direction there is a loud creaking sound. took vehicle to dealer, who found lower steering column coupler needed to be replaced. there is a recall 97v169000; but, this vehicle is not included due to vin. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Consumer calling in refenence to nhtsa recall 97v169000/manufacturer's recall 741. contacted dealer, but parts are unavailable until august 2002. *ak

When applying brakes they would grind. also, would have to pump brakes. dealership replaced rotors and brakes pads. but, problem still continued. it has been three weeks. *ak possible engine failure caused oil to leak. the steering wheel vibrate and vehicle pulls. *yh

I have had this car since 1995. i do not use the car other than for very limited driving as seen in my low mileage. it is march 23 of 2000, my car has approx 29,000 miles, very low and all these problems. the car is currently in the shop being told that the head gasket that they replaced in 1/99 did not hold, which in 99, they thought was odd that it went so soon. i am also having the car fixed because the power steering switch sensor has failed. i believe that on a car with little mileage that i should be incurring this much problems. if this car has this many problems, they should redesign the car and not sell them until so. also, please feel free to contact fitgerald and they can tell you other problems with this car!!!l *ak

While turning there is a grinding noise. consumer took car to the dealer, and dealer said it was caused by defective rack and pinion steering. *ak

One week after purchase, all oil was gone from car. dealer first replaced the oil pressure sending unit, kept leaking, then replaced the valve cover gasket, kept leaking, then replaced the cam seals. dealer assured me that it was not the head gasket. still leaking oil. took it to personal mechanic and it is the head gasket leaking. dealer has refused to refund purchase price or replace vehicle. this has been over a 2 month period. the vehicle also has very noisy brakes, especially when it has sat for an extended period of time (overnight). the car has a shaking and rattling in the steering column when going over bumps, especially at slow speeds. the dash board reflects on the windshield when it is sunny and the glare makes it very difficult to see at times.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

The current owner was driving the car to work after dropping the baby off at the baby sitters. she had just gotten on the freeway and was accelerating to crusing speed when the steering wheel locked and she could not steer the car. the vehicle veered to the right and ran over the curbing along the side of the highway. this the second time the steering has locked up since she purchased the car. when she had the vehicle checked out, they could not see figure out what caused the wheel to lock up. she thought it was a fluke until it happened again this time. the manufacturer has already looked at the car an denied any liability. this is an 18 year old single parent with no money and no transportation to work, now. she would appreciate any help she can get, especially since there are so many complaints already reported about this problem with this vehicle. my name is larry e. johnson. i'm her god father. she has no one else to turn to. thank you.

Difficulty having steering coupler repaired under recall due to unavailability of parts.

Defective steering column caused a fire in within that area prior to this recall. steering column was fixed. please add more information. *ak

While making a right turn steering went out, causing the consumer to run off the road. also, upon applying the brakes brake pedal went straight to the floorboard, causing the consumer to run into some brushes. consumer vehicle has been in for repairs three times, and there is still a promblem. dealer can't identify the promblem. *ak

Vehicle was parked, lights were on and switch was off, smoke came from steering column. fire department came and disconnected the battery. vehicle towed for service. dealer stated the vehicle was fixed, and indicated that the alarm system caused the fire. noticed battery melted battery cable. dealer cannot duplicate the problem. *ak

While making a left turn at 20 mph the steering column coupling fell out, resulting in owner having an accident. *ak

Consumer contacted superior mazda in reference to recall 97v-16900, manufacturer 741 to have repaires corrected, dealer corrected problem listed under recall. the day after repaires was were done consumer was involved in an accident due to the steering wheel locking up. consumer has contacted the dealer. please provide any further details. *ak

Recall work on the lower steering column coupler has not been competed due to scheduling problems with dealership.

Vehicle began to drift, when corrected, the steering failed causing the vehicle to turn sharply to the left and collide head on into a barrier causing injuries to driver. nlm

Traveling 25mph took off ramp steering wheel went very tight as if being turned. heard & felt steering wheel pop. steering wheel can be turned w/one finger. went from one ditch to another ditch. had received recall notice (97v169000) on 08 may 98. took to dealer to have steering wheel repaired. *ak

The connector between steering and right wheel broke, and vehicle lost control, very closely to causing an accident. *ak

Consumer feels that there may have been a defect in 1995 neon causing the driver to lose his life. *ts a recall notice was sent 5 months after the consumers son was killed. the consumer didn't pursue any legal action to determine if a steering defect as mentioned in the recall notice caused the her son to loose control of the vehicle. *jb

Received recall notice (397v169000). called dealer to set up an appointment. was informed that they do not have the parts or tools for repairing the coupling on the steering wheel. *ak

Recall repair work completed on the steering column coupler, however damage to the boot at time of repair.

Recall work not completed properly on the steering column coupler.

When driving through little water or when it is raining the vehicle will lose steering power. the owner has to stop and wait a couple of minutes before the power resumes. the dealer is aware of problem. car is out of warranty. problem has not been corrected. *ak

While driving in water the steering wheel locks up due to the steering belt getting wet. this has happened more then once. *ak

I have complained of a popping noise in the front end within 18 months of purchase. the dealers could not duplicate the popping noise. now with 60,000 miles on the vehicle, the rack is what always made the popping noise due to bad seals in it. chrysler corporation offered to pay 50%, but i feel they should pay 100% due to this has always been an existing problem.

Alarm system failure resulting in vehicle stalling and consumer trapped inside.

The consumer has been experiencing problems with power steering. while driving power steering goes out. the defects are described in recall number 97v169000. *ak

While wife was driving she hit a pothole in a convenience store parking lot and part of the steering mechanism came apart. driver lost control of vehiclebut managed to come to a stop without hitting another vehicle. *ak

Brake line broke, causing loss of brakes/accident occurred.

While driving about 15 mph on a wet road conditions tried to make a right turn and the steering wheel wouldn't turn. consumer had to release the steering wheel and then turn again and heard a noise. consumer has not contacted the dealer. *ak

When traveling on dry roads and depressing the brake pedal to make a normal stop the abs brakes started operatiing, making it very difficult to operate the vehicle. consumer also having a problem when making a right or left hand turns, the steering wheel grabs and there is a griding sound coming from the front end. consumer has contacted the dealer. please provide any further details. *ak

Steering column coupler failure causing a vehicle collision prior to recal.

While making a right turn, consumer experienced loss of power/ steering control but noticed no separation in the steering column. *ak consumer stated as she cautioned to make the turn, the power steering re-engaged.*jb

Ea97-009, while driving the vehicle's defective steering wheel came loose and the bolt came off, causing no steering control. almost resulted in an accident. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak

Power steering goes out when there is heavy rain. manufacturer told owner that the problem was common. *ak

While driving, an electrical short in the column, caused the steering column to caught on fire. cause unknown.

Lost control of the steering when driving between 40 to45mph. the vehicle goes the opposite of the direction from where it's being steered. please describe details. *ak

When turning the vehicle the steering pops out as if it is going to break. *ak

Steering wheel column had an electrical short and caught on fire while vehicle was parked for 6hrs. *ak

Ea97- 009; consumer states when pulling out of a parking space and when turning the steering wheel either left or right, noticed a loud sound coming from the steering column. consumer has yet to contact the dealer, please provide further details. *ak

While driving through a puddle of water lower arm knuckle broke, causing vehicle to lose4 control, vehicle swung around to the left and went into a ditch backwards. *ak

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

Steering column failure, steering is very loose and making clicking noise, pe96-069 active. *ak

Ea97009; vehicle is leaking power steering fluid. the whole power steering assembly component needs replacing. *ak

The vehicle had a flat tire and it caused the steering wheel to blow up and explode and the airbag also exploded. *ak

During rain storms water splashes up into the power steering unit/belt, causing loss of power.