Problems with 1998 Dodge Neon ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge neon. the speedometer isnt operating normally and doesn't display the speed; however, if you tap on the dashboard it began operating normally. the inoperable speedometer is a safety issue since it doesn't display the correct speed. the heat gauge also failed to show the proper temperature, displayed over heating and failed to work properly. the noise from the heating system is also a distraction and a safety risk. the current mileage was 137,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.

The 1998 dodge neon is notorious for faulty head gaskets. the problem is first noticed by an oil leak and the vehicle overheating. the head gaskets are expensive to replace. after the car gets hot, it stalls at every intersection and every time the vehicle starts to slow down or is placed in neutral (manual transmission). my car stalled in the middle of a busy intersection where traffic was getting on and off of the freeway and would not start again. i had to get out of my car and push it to the side of the freeway entrance because it was the only available place to move my car to. it was fortunate that this incident did not cause an accident or result in me getting injured. chrysler is well aware of the problem and has issued an improved gasket replacement kit, (which is costly) but refuses to take responsibility for the problem by issuing a recall. my car needs new head gaskets and i have been quoted $900 for parts and labor. i don't have that much money, so now my car sits parked in the street and i now have to take the city bus, which closest stop to my house is 1.5 miles, or walk places with my 3 children in 100 degree weather. i don't know what i will do when winter comes. chrysler needs to be forced to issue a recall for this problem. there are hundreds of complaints for the exact same issue on website such as mycarstats.com and many forums. most of the blown head gaskets happened on low mileage vehicles. my car only has 89,000 miles on it. if you do a google search for 1998 dodge neon blown head gaskets, you will get over 80,000 listing of forums, discussions and articles relating to the same problem. *tr

intermittently vehicle stalled while driving. vehicle was taken to the dealer, and they determined that the intake manifold was cracked and caused coolant to leak inside the engine. consumer indicated three years ago they replaced the intake manifold at consumer's expense of $3,000. currently, problem recurred, and will cost consumer about $5,000. *ak

I purchased a 1998 neon espresso in june of 2004. on about july 2004 my car died. i had it towed and had over $1,800 of engine work done. after work was done they stated my rear seal was leaking and wanted over $600 to repair this.

We have purchased a 1998 dodge neon for our son who is in college. the car only has 24,000 miles on it currently. the head gasket is gone and oil is leaking everywhere. the repair for this will be between $700 and $800. i have made contact to chrysler who stated that because the 36,000/3 year warranty was up they would not do anything about. i asked them if that was the best that their engines could do (head gasket going at 24,000 miles). from what i have read and been told by a dealership, chrylser knew they had a problem in 1998 with head gaskets and rectified it during the same year but never recalled the cars there were manufactured early in the production. i have seen so many complaints with the head gasket on this particular model so i don't understand what it takes to get a recall on this part.*ak

The oil light would come on and oil would leak out of the vehicle. after trying to start the vehicle the engine does not connect at first, has to try at least two times before it will start. dealer stated it could be either the starter or the engine.*ak

Without warning vehicle stalled, causing the driver to pull off the road. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and mechanic determined that engine head gasket failed, causing the engine to malfunction. *ak

Brought car in for repair of severe oil leak at engine rear. dodge dealer advises that it was a leaking head gasket (blown head gasket) on 1998 neon with approximately 46,463 miles on the odometer. could not reach chrysler customer service at 1-800-922-1997 (stays busy); dealer refused to warrant work even though cause of problem was apparently a design/latent defect in the aluminum head. vehicle purchased new 5/21/98. internet reveals numerous other people have had similar problems. fortunately, the car didn't break down and cause injuries, fataliites or property damage. a manufacturer and dealers should stand by their products. it cost me $636.94 to "repair" something that the dealer would not warrant because of apparent design/latent defect (damage allegedly required purchase and installation of new cylinder head to properly repair (at my expense) and i told them "no way"; its their problem, not mine).*ak

Consumer noticed oil leaking from head gasket. vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the head gasket and the head bolts. *ak

Car overheated eventhough there were plenty of coolant. thick smoke coming out of the hood so i shut off the engine and cruised to a stop. i did not want the engine to catch fire. mechanic said that it was a blown head gasket and that it was a common problem with the neon. why was there not a recall. does someone have to get injured before there is one. i called chrysler and they nicely said that my warranty had expired. if this was defective to start with, the warranty should cover the cost of repairs. thank you for listening. bc

Head gasket failure as well as other oil leaks on 98 dodge neon. *la

The head gasket is blown. this is the second 1998 neon i have owned that has had to have the head gasket replaced. *la

Vehicle was parked in the driveway and oil was leaking from underneath the hood area. consumer drove the vehicle to the dealership for analysis. *ak

I am in the process of compiling all information on the repairs we have done on the neon. i have decided to wait until i have all the facts, from the first time we had the air conditioning repaired to the recent $900+ repair of the computer and the two-week-old problem with the sheets of peeling paint. the unbelievable paint peeling is inexcusable and was also the last straw. i will be filing a lengthy complaint shortly

Blown head gasket due to design flaw. *ph

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning vehicle was leaking oil from underneath. engine head gasket blewout. *ak

1998, neon sport head gasket oil leak on driver's side (needs to be recalled. this is a problem that dodge is very aware of but refuse sto fix at their expense.*ak

The head gasket on my 1998 neon is no good and has leaked oil into my cooling system. it will cost me over a $1000 to fix it. i have learned this is a common defect on my car which i bought new in 1998. the company should be made aware of this design defect. thank you. mary anne cordalis. *jb

Bad head gaskets due to flawed design. *jb

After driving my neon for about a year, i am finding the same problems as other owners are having. item number one, the sun roof has just been repaired. the last item is the most important. the head gasket problem has arrived. from what i am learning, chrysler is and has been receiving a number of complaints on this problem for some time. the cost in the repair is something that chrysler does not want to bear. instead will continue to pass it on to it's customers. i own two other chrysler products that are much newer and they too are troublesome. *jb

While driving the head gasket blew and caused oil to leak. the dealer was notified. *nlm

Took car to mechanic and was told head gasket was bad and there has been a lot of problems with this car and head gaskets. *nlm

Our 1998 dodge neon has blown the head gasket 3 times in the past 3 years. the last 2 times have been with in the last 2 months. *jb

Consumer is having problems with the seal of the crankshaft which is leaking. dealer has been notified. please provide any further information. ph

1998 dodge neon hs 2 door model has had an oil leak for approx. 6 months. took it to the shop today and was told it was a blown head gasket. shop owner told me of 4 other neons he has had to service for the same blown head gasket and that neon owners are lucky if their car hits 40,000 miles without this problem. i know 2 other people with neons and they have had this problem also. i was told this would cost me 550.00 to fix. it is in the process of being fixed right now, but i feel a recall needs to be done to solve this.

Oil leaking in driveway, took for inspection immediately (same day it was noticed on a new driveway). inspector notes head gasket leak this motor should be on a recall list with as many as they have seen on this model. scc ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****770859****

Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the head gasket blew causing the vehicle to overheat and die out.ts

Consumer states his auto has been leaking oil for months. he finally took it to the dealership and was told that he had a bad head gasket. he thinks that this is a bad motor, because it only has 24,000 miles on it. ts

Blown head gasket with only 60,000+ miles on car got it used and have only had for 1 year 6 months. actually problem occurred in january 2003. oil draining from around oil filter. had replaced filter and oil still draining around filter area. took shop a while to find problem but, then said the head gasket needed to be replaced and repaired. april was when it got into a shop, but car had sat from january until april. *jb

Head gasket failed, water leaked into radiator. had to replace head gasket, water pump, hoses, and flush radiator. total repair $1600 car had 65000 miles. i never had a car do this. dealer claims that it was my fault. ts

My wife bought her 1998 dodge neon in august of 2000. we recently passed 60,000 miles on the car and it began to leak oil. the leak was gradual at first and i assumed that the oil pan bolt had been put in incorrectly by the servicemen at the lube shop. however, on further review, the car was found to have a head gasket leak (approx. an $800 repair). further research has led me to find that this problem is common to all dodge vehicles using this engine. the dealer, in conjunction with dodge, has offered to cover the repair, minus a $250 deductible and a $105 fee for a coolant flush/oil change that they say is necessary when dealing with a head gasket repair. so, in review, dodge's product is faulty and they know it. nevertheless they will not assume full responsibility for a flawed design that they conceived. this practice of selling a product with known flaws, and subsequently refusing to assume responsibility is, at best, dishonest.

Consumer states that vehicle was losing oil. took to dealer and dealer states' gaskets are leaking oil. please provide any further information.

The head gasket cylinder was defective. * mr engine oil leaked at the rear corner of the cylinder head because the passage seal failed. the dealer replaced the factory gasket with a chrysler newly developed multi-layer steal cylinder head gasket. the consumer requested reimbursement. scc *jb

I bought my vehicle new with less than 50 miles on it. i haven't had any major problems with the vehicle until i reached 80,000 miles. at this time i noticed a qt. oil loss at my oil change (every 3000 miles). i called my father whom is a auto mechanic to see what the possibilities where. he advised me to inspect the drives side, after outboard portion on my engine where the head and block bolt together, for and oil leak. this is where my mothers 1996 neon is leaking oil from. and sure enough, this is the exact spot where my engine is leaking oil from. the dealership was notifed. i was told for $900.00 and some odd dollards my car could be repaired. dt

A technical service bulletin was issued on 9/08/1998 on the head gasket. i was not notified by the dealer or the dodge. i have purchased new chrysler vehicles before (1993 plymouth voyager). the outcome of this problem will determine, if i purchase another chrysler product again.*ak

Consumer states the engine is leaking oil from the head engine gasket. dealer has been notified. consumer mentioned is only 19000 miles for this kind of problem. please provide any further information. ts

I have contacted chrysler on 8/22/2002 and reported the problem they will not pay for the repairs. this is an ongoing problem. it may not be a vehicle safety issue but it could leave a motorist stranded. they have redesigned the headgasket but will not recall this product defect despite the numerous complaints by consumers. please investigate.*ak

Head gasket blew at 60,000 miles. fortunately, my cousin is a claims adjuster for an extended warranty group. i was told to go to chrysler and remind them of the others that they have reimbursed for these damages and it worked. chrysler paid for the repairs, all though it was not easy. i got the run around and an ear full of lies. but, in the end they paid. don't take no for an answer. they have to fix it.*ak

Found oil leaking from engine, when inspected it was found to have blown head gasket. dealer performed repair for warrantie cost plus oil change charge. wanted to report as hopefully if there is enough complaints there will be a recall ordered*ak

While driving consumer noticed lack of power, mechanic determined headgasket was leaking and needed to be replaced.*ak

My 98 neon has a failed head gasket contacted a local dealership and was told only original owner and under 70,000 miles was considered for assistance by chrysler on repair. i was told to call back on monday (i called on a saturday) to speak with the service manager for more assistance on the matter. i was also given a quote for repair and even told by the parts person that they keep the gasket package in stock due to the known issue. the quote was $124 for the gasket package (parts) and $336 labor plus tax. i would like to know why chrysler has not been required to issue a recall on this well known problem. judy & jeremy ambrose dt

Major oil leak at headgasket. dealer acknowledges faulty original part on all dodge neons, but refuses to accept responsiblity. recall or compensation by chrysler should be required immediately.*ak

Defective head gasket - 98 neon. dt

Consumer states the vehicle was leaking oil, mechanic states the head gasket was leaking oil. nlm *yd

Head gasket failed due to warping. *ak

Head gastket is blown, needs to be replaced. mechanic said "there's oil and coolant everywhere". this car has only 39,000 miles! i've contacted 7 repair shops, average cost to fix is $700. three mechanics told me that this problem is so common, they can't believe there hasn't been a recall yet. one mechanic said that he does these at least once a week. after much research on the internet, i have found that this is a very common problem--i alone have found nearly 100 reports of the same thing happening. as for the sunroof...it broke and was repaired in august 2000. now, just over a year later (no more warranty) the same problem has happened again. there have been tsb's issued on both of these problems. a recall is needed immediately.*ak

Head gasket was replaced at 35,000 miles; engine is leaking fluids again. front struts were repaced under warranty; are broken again. i never got the first recall on anything. are you folks even noticing the number of bad head gaskets. *ak

The head gasket failed which caused the vehicle to stall, the dealer replaced the head gasket, however after 2103 miles the head gasket failed again. ph. the transmission pan was leaking fluid and the wiper blades was replaced.*jb

The consumer states the oil is leaking onto the exhaust system. the consumer also states although it is a slow process more problem are developing. the consumer has taken the vehicle to a independent mechanic and the head gasket has blown. nlm

Engine head gasket has been leaking oil. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak