Head gasket (twice) - covered by extended warranty.
Oxygen sensor (at 140 000 kms)
EGR valve - covered by extended warranty.
Starter (at 120 000 kms)
Wind noise from the window frames (or lack thereof!)
Air conditioner (twice). $400 repair; have simply left broken.
Overall, I have been surprised that the car has held up so long. The build quality is just plain bad.
It does have OK performance and the engine is reliable, but the automatic robs a lot of power. We have never changed the AT fluid, we're crossing our fingers that it will hold up!
The resale value is just plain awful. We are waiting for the next breakdown to get rid of it and replace with a Civic.
Let's just say it has met our expectations : mediocre.
Purchased my 1997 Neon in 1998 with 51,000 kms.
At 70,000 kms the head gasket went.
At 120,000 kms the water pump went.
At 130,000 kms the radiator went.
At 140,000 kms the water pump went, again.
Each and every summer from 1998 and onward I have had to replace the O ring to repair the air conditioner. Last year I was told it was the condenser which would cost $500 to fix.
Breaks have always squeeked. Suspension sucks. Even after replacing struts and shocks the car doesn't handle bumps and more smoothly.
And the problems just keep on coming. I will never again purchase a dodge product and I would reccommend the same to everyone else.
I bought my 97 Dodge Neon in 2002 with 40K miles. I LOVE my car, so I take GREAT care of it. I have still had many problems with it: new transmission, head gasket, water pump, ignition switch, TOTAL air conditioning, brakes, struts, etc... It now has 115K miles and mechanics are floored that it still runs. I have put over twice the amount the car is worth into repairing it, and I'm really starting to dislike Chrysler. Granted, I have a lot of miles on it now, but the problems started at 40K when I first bought it.
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