1996 Dodge Neon review from North America

The interior light sensors for the doors work when they feel like it. They have been replaced previously and only worked properly for about 6 months.

Head gasket blew at 96,000 miles. Head was seriously pitted and had to be shaved. Cost me $1,500 and the mechanic more due to other parts going bad during the test drive to see if the car was running right.

Since the head and head gasket problems the car has a significant loss in power. The car loses speed on small hills, not to mention I live in the mountains. My mechanic had it for 3 months and could not find the cause of the problem.

Lapis Blue paint peeled 6 months after purchase. Dealer refused to repaint the car. I paid over 1000 dollars for the car to be repainted and it peeled again. Dealership informed me that the paint or metal has a defect and has to be treated with a chemical and repainted again which they will not pay for either.

Speedometer sensor went out and acted erratic at 24,000 miles. Had to wait for a week for the dealer to even look at my car to determine what was wrong with it. In the mean time I had to drive not knowing how fast I was going.

Windows have an air leak making the ride very noisy. Have to turn the stereo up to stand the ride.

Both front and real light assemblies leak water into them. Which could be the cause of back up lights going out every 2 months.

Air bag did not deploy in crash involving the front end of car. Dodge recalled a sensor that was causing the airbags to deploy randomly without cause. Now mine does not work at all.

Brakes are very noisy. Cleaning or replacing them does not correct the problem.

The "Fuel Accumulator" as Dodge calls it or Fuel Filter connections using O-rings blows out causing fuel leak of over a quarter of a tank. This has happened 6 times to date. Dealership claims the fuel pump is putting out to much pressure, but when tested it comes back in normal ranges.

Car hates starting in warm weather. It takes me 3 to 5 times to try to get the car to start now.

Urine smell in the air conditioning. At times this odor is so strong it makes me gag.

Car previous to the head work, had misfiring problems that were unable to be recreated by the service department. Therefore the dealership said nothing was wrong with the car.

During turning the front-end makes a clunking noise, blamed on strut bearings and struts. Even after replacement the sound is still present. Dealer claimed the sound was normal while the car was under warranty, and when the warranty expired then the struts were bad.

I would not recommend a Neon to anyone.

Chrysler has repeatedly refused to repair my car at reduced or no cost for manufacturer's defects.

The cars resale value is nearly nothing due to all the problems with it.