Problems with 1997 Dodge Neon ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The engine head gasket failed on two occasions causing oil leakage. *mjs

The first issue with the blown head gasket, occured around 32,000 miles. it was fixed without any problems. i am now having the same problems again; oil leaking, extremely rough idling, and have scheduled an appointment to get my car in. hopefully it will be covered under my added warranty. the second problem is with the paint job. the original paint is lipis blue and is peeling and flaking off in many places. at 35,500 miles, they touched up the problem areas, told me of the defect in the primer, and then informed me they could not paint the entire car, only the panels which did not pass the tape test. i have contacted them again more recently because of other peeling problems. it is my belief the car should have been painted completely when they informed me of the defect.*ak

Head gasket blown, consumer believes vehicle should be recalled. nlm

After driving the newly purchased neon (purchase used, as is) we noticed a leak under the car after being parked. we had the problem looked at and it was determined to be a major oil leak from the head gasket of the car. being a fairly new model, i feel that this may be a defect in the parts and i want to know if this complaint has been logged before for this model. i am already furious that a dealership can get away with selling a vehicle in this condition, and i would like to know what recourse, if any i have. *ak

Had received recallon radiator. while it was being repaired at dealer's, mechanic noticed head gaskets had blown on engine. manufacturer informed owner head gaskets had nothing to do with radiator. *ak

Help ! it was just seven months ago i purchase a 1997 neon. i was so happy, i was going to be driving a fairly decent car. it was 1998 and i was going to be driving a 1997. with a/c even. ha. ha. ha. needless to say i didn't know three weeks later i would be putting in a new transmission. car in the shop for two weeks waiting on a part they had to order. boy did that put a sour taste in my mouth. i called chrysler and wanted to give the car back. i no longer wanted the car. i knew then i would not have nothing but problems after that. well you know they said no. good thing i had the 1595.00 exteded serv. contract i got the problem fix free . well not really free it cost me 1595.00 for the warranty and fifty dollars everytime you have to put your car in the shop. i only had 30.000.00 miles and already needed it a transmission? hmmmm. in december we had a recall on the car. in jan.1999 i started having electrical failure. in feb.1999 my check engine light started coming on. also in feb. i turn on my air conditing to find out it doesn't work. it was blowing out hot air. i call chrysler and they told me to bring it in. it was going to cost me the $50. which i didn't think that was fair, being i just purchase the car in nov.1998. in mar. 12th i took my car in for brake inspection becuase i was having some problems when i would step on the brake pedal to stop the car, the brakes make noise like grinding metal to metal. my front brake pads were worn out, which they said had ruined the front rotors. and they recommend replacing rotors and d pads. they said the veh. was not safe to drive in current condition. well they wanted to chg. me over $300.00 and i just didn't trust them any more so my dad did the job for $100.00. m y extended serv. contract did not cover the brakes. i feel like i have a lemon for a car. i don't think this car is safe to drive there is all way something wrong with it. and it is putting a hole in my pocket. so much ...

The head gasket was leaking and had to be replace it took two weeks to get the part because they said that most of the 97 neons head gasket was blown

Hi volume motor oil leak, seems to be coming from hi up on rear side of engine. mechanic says it's faulty head gasket, $600 repair job. car has 46k miles, leak started after warranty expired. exxon valdez polluter, seems like mfg defect, should be recalled, dodge should pay repair cost

This car was overlooked as a severe problem at spitzer dodge. they thought they fixed it. problem started again about 1 month later. another dealership fixed it was the computer took 3.5 hrs to work on. that was on 03/12/99. on 09/30/99 the same problem developed.

Oil leak detected by myself at about 40-45,000 miles; had a non-chrysler mechanic look at it and told me it looked like the head gasket (50,000+ miles by this time) - couldn't afford the $400.00+ to repair at that time. when i finally had the money (8/10/00 and 88,000 miles) my mechanic referred me to o-reily's because he had heard of a recall. o'reilly's gave me the run around. i am pursuing every avenue to get this problem corrected including the attorney general's office. *ak

Oil leak for quite a while. mechanic said common to 97 . *ak

There is a blown engine head gasket which is causing oil leakage within the engine compartment toward the fire wall. consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer has yet to replace parts. *ak

Head gaskets leaking had to be repalced at47272 problem started at 28000 miles stockton dodge kept telling nothing was wrong untill i was losing a qt of oil a week and power failure ws getting worse and has continued every sence. engine power flatens out i have no exceloration ability during that time engine surges which causes the car to lose slow down while at high speeds. gas mileage has droped to 1/2 the normal rate of 300 miles per tank of gas. howeling noise from newly installed transmission at 20-30 mph and again at 55-65 mph. *ak

When the vehicle was purchased with head gaskets leaking oil, oil has been changed, problem still exists, manufacturer not aware of the problem, dealer contacted and no warranty, consumer's expense for repairs. *ak

In the fist month i had the vehicle it blew 4 oxygen sensors.when you go to brake the left turn signal comes on, also the car will shock you when you get out even when it is truned off. the locks on the seat belts in the back seat has broken off for ne reason. the back se

Head gaskets have been replaced and the problem remains. the dealer cannot duplicate the problem. *ak

Well lets see the first defect was a fan relay which was replaced 5 times before a wiring defect was found next we have "hard brakes" which contribuited to an accident which caused 7000 dollars in damage and 1 minor injury due to the fact that the air bags did not deploy, we follow that up with a leaky head gasket which chrysler was kind enough to return 1/2 of my out of pocket expenses along with wiring defects and air bags that don't come out other than the fact i have had more problems with this car than every other cars i have ever owned they made up for this lemon by having a bad customer service department too.

No summary listed for this vehicle. *ak

The oxygen sensor and head gasket failed. *slc

Heater blower motor failed. nlm

While driving on highway the vehicle stalled, causing driver to loose control of vehicle because steering wheel locked up. driver was able to coast to the side of the road safely. the map sensor was replaced by dealer on 10/27/97. on 10/28/97 while making a left turn the vehicle stalled again, almost causing a crash. dealer also replaced camshaft/crankshaft position sensors. *ak

Ever since i bought the car used i have had numerous problems. here is just a brief list: incorrect gas mileage both city and highway, transmission problems, brakes squeaking, air coming through bad window seals, defrost not working properly, air conditioning not working correctly, 3 oxygen sensors replaced, 2 head gaskets replaced, and water coming into the trunk which has caused the jack and tire changing equipment to rust. also the water then leaks into the back floor which causes the car to smell. the cs for dodge will not agree to fix the problem with the original roof design which would correct the water from coming into the trunk. for the past year, about every 2 months something is going wrong with the car which has just a little over 62,000 miles and proper maintenance has been followed.*ak

Consumer will completer form concerning engine overheating. *ak