Problems with 1996 Dodge Neon ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I have a serious problem hearing that all neons (informed by dealer-coyle dodge in new albany, in) have a very common problem with the main gasket in the engine. i had a big misfortune in having my 96 neon's main gasket failed and spewed out a lot of oil and almost had myself in a serious smoke problem that i smelled the oil burning on the exhaust system near the engine and could lead to a fire! i had taken the car to coyle and discovered that there is a big

Head gasket failed, causing vehicle to leaks oil and overheat. dealer notified,and informed that the vehicle was not under recall, and the cost would go to consumer. *ak

Owner noticed vehicle was leaking oil. when taken to dealership, found problem to be with the engine head gasket leaking oil. the problem has been reported to the dealership. the problem has not been corrected. vehicle is not under warranty. *ak

Engine block has been leaking ,the car has been in shop more then six times for same thing. *ak

Dodge neon manufactured in 1996/as far as i know the head gasket has had to be replaced three times/ originally when built (unless previous owner had same problem) and twice by me (9/3/97 and 10/18/2000) now don't you find that absurd....i formally owned a dodge daytona for ten years...had many other problems but it never blew a head gasket.. ihave an oldsmoblile that has 1400000 miles on it..never needed a head gasket....had this head gasket blown out on a major highway next week on the way to maryland, the engine could seize and could have caused a major accident with serious results ..not to mention the cost of repairing a "cracked block" this head gasket is a major safety hazard as far a driving is concerned and i find it unbelievable that crysler is allowing this serious matter to continue//i feel that reimbursement for the replacement of these two head gaskets should be sent to me immediately...crysler had my business for long enough...i feel that someone should do something to help all of the neon owners that are having the same problem but can not get anyone to listen or as usual ...the small guy is out of luck...this financial burden is just too much at this time...thank god my granddaughter was not in the car and a serious problem occurred....crysler should be held responsible now and to all dodge neon owners....picketing dealerships comes to mind....

The camshaft system broke, causing the oil to leak which may result a fire if there was a source of ignition. cause unknown. dealer cannot determine the problem. been to dealer twice. please provide details. *ak

While stopping at a traffic light the vehicle cuts off and would not restart for about one hour. the vehicle would crank would not turn over. this incident happened 6 times between the 21st and 24th of august 1998. the dealer could not duplicate the problem, and could not find out what was wrong with the vehicle. on september 4th, the vehicle just cranked and never started. the vehicle was towed to the dealership.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Head gasket leaking.

We have replaced head gasket twice and one was w/ there redesigned head gasket. now it is starting to go out for a third time. at 500 dollars a repair this is highway robbery. i do regualarly scheduled maintence and services and most of my miles are highway miles. alot of people are expeirencing head gasket failures on the neons and for someone who gets a loan (that he can barly afford) for a neon, shouldn't be worried about multiple head gasket repairs. it is obviously a manufactures default. the dealer ship that repaired my head gasket (both of them, they replaced them twice) has acknowledged that the neons do have this problem. he has replaced several head gaskets. i'm really getting tired of this. i'm mean really, what kind of new car needs three head gaskets replaced in two years. i'll never by another neon again, and i'm not recommending them to anyone either. thanks... jeremy

The airbag light will blink on while driving down the road, and the car also has an oil leak.

Had head gasket replaced in july 1998. currently, leaking again. dealer told consumer first time, dealer had to use faulty part. dodge paid for repair first time. currently, they refuse. also, had to have air conditioner and cruise control replaced. *ak the a/c failed for the second time. brakes make loud noise. *yh

Head gasket continually fails causing leakage. mjs

Blown head gasket each time. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Head gasket leaks, caused oil to leak into radiator, oil leak causes smoke-smell to come off of engine. its amazing how many neons have this problem but yet there is no recall.

Engine head gasket was diagnosed as failing 2 years ago. vehicle leaked oil & would sometimes cut off. it took 2-3 minutes before starting back up. dealer was going to inspect vehicle for head gasket problem again. consumer found that there was a extended warranty. however, dealer said there was no such thing. *ak

This is a problem with alot of 1996-when are they going to recall it( dot number: )

Over the past weeks owner noticed a strong burning odor coming from the engine, and the valve lifters tapping very loud. upon having the problem checked by a mechanic, the mechanic stated that the rear seal is leaking oil. the problem will be corrected. *ak

While driving 35 mph the vehicle started to smoke under the hood area. after stopping and lifting the hood, noticed oil all over the engine. after the vehicle was towed to body shop, owner was told the the engine head gasket was blown. *ak

Rear brake failed. yh

No summary

Engine head gasket goes out which may cause an accident. had a 1996 neon and traded in for 1997 neon, but has same problem. please provide further information and vin#. *ak

Head gasket/ instrument cluster failed.

Oil leak due to headgasket problem. this is a huge problem with dodge neons. chrysler finally put out a new headgasket in the 1999 models. but what about all of us with cars before 1999? this is a manufacturer defect and chrystler knows it. they are replacing the headgasket for some owners at little cost. but others (like me) are told there is no assistance given. please let me know if there's anything nhtsa is doing. thanks. *ak

This was consumers fourth time of having head gaskets fixed. on 02-25-1998 head gaskets and camshaft were replaced at 24,194 miles; on 04-30-1998, cylinder head & spark plugs were replaced at 25,509 miles; on 10-5-1998, engine oil leaked, camshaft sensor seal was replaced at 28,847miles; and on 0 3-27-2001, gaskets/ valve cover, and spark plugs needed to be replaced at 48,800 miles. consumer was trying to get to bottom of problem, and find out why this kept happening. *ak

Purchased in july of 1996 only put on 26,345 miles motor mount repaired twice,brakes front replaced they were completly gone ,back brakes are no good need to be replaced, high pitch squealing comes from them ,oil gasgets had to be replaced, stearing to a hard right or left you get a grinding noise, transmission is know leaking constantly having to put transsmission fluid in all the time have a list of papers from the car being serviced at daimler on andover st in peabody were i purchased car also wrote to main office to see if they would replace the vehicle after purchasing with cash and just got the run around know i am afraid to drive her that is why she only has 26,345 miles on her in 10 years i am not a rich person so i can not afford another car if there is a recall on any of these problems i would like to know so they can be fixed so i can drive her without worrying what will happen next also dampness and mildew smell and other problems.tires also were replaced they wore to quickly.*ak

The dodge neon's 2.0 l engine has an apparant manufacturer's defect in the head gasket assembly. the car leaks oil. our particular car received dealer service once already for the head gasket defect but the oil leak persists. when the vehicle was taken to the dealer a second time the dealer said they found no apparant leak. close after that our factory warranty expired. our car now leaks almost a quart of oil every day. this problem is not one isolated to just our particular vehicle. there have been many cases of failed head gaskets recorded and shared by neon owners. according to a user website "neons.org" 32% of all neon owners have already had to replace the defecive part within 30,000 miles of the vehicle's life; most at their own cost. please document and address this problem that plagues neon owners who are just trying to buy a reliable little car. thank you.

Oil leaks onto engine due to camshaft seal failure.

The neons' head gasket was replaced a little over a year ago, while under warranty, now needs to be replaced again and is not under warranty. i have talked to other neon owners and most have replaced a head gasket also. also, while under warranty, i have a printed bill from the dealer that stated the job total was $436. now the same dealer same car same problem is telling me it will be over $1000 and the car is not under warranty????? *ak

Oil leak cause the engine to overheat.

Instrument panel (dash gauges) has a short and does not work, this includes the speedometer, odometer, and fuel &temp gauges. engine head gasket is blown and is leaking oil badly, and excessive tire wear on the front of the car... car is experiencing excessive gas consumption... goes about 180 miles to a full 12 gallon tank of gas...it passes everything but a gas station... a tech at the dealership (ragland dodge, angleton texas) told me that these are very common problems with the dodge neon...( dot number: tire size: 165/80r/13 )

Vehicle started leaking oil at engine block, had to replace 2 head gaskets. problem has come back, and may have to replace a third head gasket. *ak

Consumer can be driving at approx 55 mph or less the vehicle will lose all power, engine will turn off , consumer tried to put it in neutral in order to gain control but cannot, had to pull over put it in park in order to start again. this defect has no warning, have taken it to dealer 6-7 times cannot find problem, changed plugs/plugs wires,put in cam sensor. *ak

Chronic oil leak due to head gasket failure, chronic clunking in right front either steering or suspension problem which after multiple trips for service remains uncorrected. *ak

Driving on the expressway without warning the vehicle die out. restarted the vehicle 5 to 10 minutes later and the check engine light came on. experienced problem 4 times before and the problem has not been remedied. please describe details. *ak

Replaced head gasket 3 times and still leaks. apparently i'm screwed. i won't buy another chrysler car since they don't back their products. *ak

Engine seals malfunctioned in rear gasket twice, and in head gasket twice which caused an oil leak and could have started a fire. dealer could not determine problem. please provide further information.

Car has had 4 headgasket failures (2 out of warranty)(chrysler replaced for $100 service charge) wiring harness caused car to stall numerous times in traffic with no warning. *ak

Brakes squeaky from the date of purchase, egr valve was replaced at 39,000 miles. engine head gasket leaks at only 42,000 miles(est cost of all repairs $800) egr valve already paid for, wanting assistance from chrysler for head gasket. *ak

E98012; defective head gasket had a leak, causing the oil to leak, resulting in an underhood fire. dealer replaced the head gasket. dealer cannot determine the problem. *ak

Dodge neon suck!!!!! i bought the vehicle on 1/5/97 and head gasket fail on 1/24/97. i have paid to replace the head gasket three times. the dealership has fail and unable to succeed in fixing the problem til this day and head gasket is still leaking.

Vehicle leaks oil, and headgasket is blowen. contacted dealer, and dealer changed head gasket. but soon after headgasket blewout again.*ak

No summary provided by consumer.( dot number: tire size: 185r14 )

My vehicle was purchased in feb. 1996. within one year it had been recalled and serviced for several reasons. the first incident was the fuel pump module. the amount of gas on the reading revealed 1/4 of the tank still full, however the tank was actually empty. also within that year i began noticing water in the back seat and in the spare wheel well, due to a leak in the rear window seal. six months later the same vehicle began leaking oil and when serviced it was found to be a head gasket leak. the gasket and it's components were replaced under warranty. in addition to other recalls the vehicle has been serviced regularly. however, within the four years this car has been revealing symptoms that are unbelievable for such short amount of time. it has currently been diagnosed with another faulty head gasket. the vehicle is beyond the three year warranty and is expressing the same symptoms that it has had in the first year. i am searching for answers to remedy this problem or warranties that may apply. *ak

Brakes and have replaced twice and still continue to squeak. i have found dozens of complaints online about the brakes, as well as the head gasket blowing. i have found hundreds of complaints from others who have also had to have the head gasket replaced within 5 years.

Head gasket failed resulting in oil leaking.

Vehicle experiences problems with pulling and noise in the front end, recall repairs were performed on the wheel bearings and the steering knuckles, consumer was not informed of the recall notices prior to incidents.

No summary

In may my steering column was replaced. it was again looked at in november of 1996. now, my steering column has once again failed. it takes 10 turns of my wheel to turn from one extreme to the other. also, my head gasket, at 45000 miles started to leak. this shouldn't happen to a car 3 years old. *ak