1997 Chrysler Neon Reviews

FEB 11: The car cuts out when at lights, turning into car parks.

The car stopped when slowing for a roundabout or going up hill.

The car completely stopped. New fuel pump was NZ $870+GST & labour.

Seatbelt has failed warranty, NZ$300 to replace new.

Speedometer not working correctly, drive gear worn out in gear box (currently unable to source a replacement in NZ).

The car was serviced, air conditioning turned on, then when stopped - gurgling sound round glovebox end - turned out a new radiator cap was needed, as the pressure was no good, and it was draining water from the water reservoir (luckily found the issue, otherwise it may have caused the engine to cook).

All the above needed fixing within the last 3 weeks; an expensive month :( Could have bought another car with the repair costs.

Took my car in for warranty the day before the devastating Christchurch Earthquake - and my Chrysler, which is in the North Island, has never ever been the same since.

Everything... cooler, A/C, brakes and ABS, fuel pump (several times), electrical stuff always failing!!

Frankly it is fun to drive and performs well on roads, but it's totally unreliable and breaks down a lot. I advise my friends to avoid it.. switch to German or Japanese cars.. they are much better.

A/C topped up in summer 2003 at a cost of £100 at a Chrysler dealer. It has since packed-up again.

This is linked to the cooling problem I have experienced (75,000 miles). Gurgling sound after shut-off has been heard since 2001 but caused no real alarm. A couple of weeks ago - Spring 2005 - the cooling fans started switching on and off repeated every 5 seconds. The A/C failed to work and fuel consumption dropped. I checked the radiator thermostat initially, but finally found the fault lay with the temperature sender switch (located on the A/C compressor) or nearby components. I have since disconnected the switch and the car runs better than it has for a few years! Yes, the A/C is now disabled, but since it was faulty anyway; would be expensive to fix and the nearest Chrysler garage is some 25 miles away, I'll live without it.

I service the car myself every 7,500 miles (replacing the oil - 5w/40 synthetic (Halfords), oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, as well as a thorough check on everything else) which is more convenient and far cheaper than taking it to a garage and as such, I find the maintenance fairly reasonable pricewise.

Unlike many other Neon owners, I have yet to suffer any expensive head gasket problems. In fact, I'm still on the original brake discs, pads and exhaust and have not found the need to change the brake, automatic or power steering fluids yet. I check all of these things regularly, keep the car clean and don't abuse it on the road and I guess it's paid off.

I had to replace the rear seatbelts to accommodate a babyseat and that cost me a hefty £160 from my local(!!) Chrysler dealer, so you can see why I tend to do the work myself if possible.

The car is quite robust and I have found the build quality to be OK for the money. It has a few rattles that can be heard from the cabin. It's no luxury car, but it's comfortable enough and pleasant to drive. The engine is nippy though a bit rough, fuel consumption is quite high and combined with the small tank, makes for frequent fill-ups.

I was considering selling it when the cooling problems started, but now I appear to have solved that problem, I'm likely to hang on to it until it falls apart: After all, the cost of replacing the exhaust, head gasket and cam belt (which I will do at 100,000 miles - not 60,000 as Chrysler state) will far exceed the value of the car!

I would like to own another one day, but the lack of dealers / garages and the stories I hear about delays in parts arriving and the costs involved have convinced me to buy European next time.

Still, in summary, I have to say that I have been pleased with my Neon and it has given me no more problems than I'd experienced previously with other cars.

I've got my fingers crossed I'll get a couple more years out of it before replace it.