1996 Dodge Neon Sport 4 Door from North America - Comments

The fuel pump died at around 90,000 miles.

Our head gasket blew at around 95,000 miles.

The passenger side power window motor died.

The dash electronics work most of the time but sometimes turn off completely. The speedo and tach register "zero" at times.

Overall not a horrible car although I would never, ever buy another Chrysler vehicle (actually just ordered a new Acura RSX for the wife to replace her Neon).

We had pretty good luck with it until about 90,000 miles. At that point, things started to either completely die on the car or work once in a while.

As expected, the head gasket blew and the car was drinking oil a few months before we repaired it (quart every 150 miles). The fuel pump was a big surprise and the passenger power mirror fizzled unexpectantly.

Our 4 door Sport model came with the 3 speed auto. Good gas mileage but why only 3 gears? Performance is average at best.

Comfort in the front seats is good but stiff in the back seats. Cab forward design offers good headroom front and back. Nice considering how small the car is.

Gas mileage is good around 30-35 mpg on the highway.

Handling is pretty good. Tires lasted about 80k and the brakes are still original.

Paint is the dark green metallic and still looks brand new. Lucky I suppose.

Resale value is less than a used band-aid.

I have had my 1996 Neon for about 5 years now and the only major problem I have encountered was that the electrical system in the dash seems to fail occasionally. Other than that, the car has been a pretty decent buy.

Shalin.

Bought my 96 4 door Neon Sport used at auto auction with 23K.

Only problem, started jumping out of 5th gear at 108K. Fixed for about $300.00 by a friendly neighborhood tranny shop. Original clutch was replaced at this time, yes, with 108K on it and a few K left. No other mechanical problems, just routine maintenance.

Overall a great car and nothing like the horror stories I read on here.

I put an underdrive pulley on at 94K for more zip. Has mild case of Chrysler disease (peeling roof paint).

Goes like hell. Wish they had put a rear sway bar on it (as on the sport coupe) for more neutral handling. Wouldn't bother with a SOHC model or an automatic.

I bought my 1996 Dodge Neon in 1998. It was used, with about 40,000 miles on it. I have had to replace my alternator twice, within a one year span. I've had problems with it leaking oil and running hot, all happening at about 112,000 mile mark. I am also having trouble with my dash shutting down on me and staying at zero on everything. I wonder what the problem is with that.

I own a 1996 Dodge Neon, which for the most part is very reliable. I do have a problem with the dash gages going out. Gas, speedometer and temp gauge will not read properly.

Dealer replaced the cluster & still the problem is there. Please forward any suggestions as I'm lost for ideas to fix the problem.

Well, I see I am not the only one with the speedometer problem. There's a few more problems with my car as well. I have a 96 Plymouth neon power windows (front only) in the back they are manual (weird). Lets see, there is the trunk release which is broke, blinkers are broke, I have to shut them off manually. Speakers are shot in front and back. The trunk leaks, A/C only works when it is raining out, the car idles at 2rpm, and then yesterday it just stalled out as soon as I pulled into work. The screw came off the antifreeze container which in turn made the cap rub against the fuel line and I had to replace that luckily it was only about $22. As far as the speedometer goes.. hey my car can do 60-0 in 2 seconds.. If I hit the dashboard, the speedometer goes back up, I know that isn't fixing the problems, probably making it worse. Well, as far as getting another neon.. NO WAY.. they're cute and good on gas, but never again.

For everyone with dash problems, there could be one simple solution. LOOSE GROUND WIRE. No need for a mechanic here. just a twist of the wrist. Good luck.

I just recently bought a 1996 Dodge Neon (used) and like so many others I've noticed that my dash displays stop working randomly (will take heed to the "loose ground" entry and check that out) but my radio also works randomly. Sometimes I'll start the car and the radio comes right on, sometimes it'll stay on sometimes it'll shut off as I'm driving down the road. Then on occasion it won't come on at all or it'll come on after I've been driving for a while... could this be another loose wire/ground or a bad fuse? I also have a problem when it rains... water in the spare tire hatch and on the floor of the back seat.

For all those with gauge problems: (gauges randomly won't work)

The problem is caused by a loose connection on the two 10 pin connectors behind the gauge cluster. When you unscrew the 4 screws that attach the gauge cluster to the dash, the gauges are attached with two 10 pin connectors on the back of the gauge cluster. The "female" end of the connectors have spring connections that are supposed to hold tightly against the pins when they are inserted. After a while (9 years and 90,000 miles in my case), these spring connections lose their "spring".

I solved the problem for another 10,000 miles by removing the gauge cluster, and using a soldering iron I carefully added a little bit of solder to each metal pin. This makes the pins effectively larger and helps them make a connection with the "female" connection points again. This wasn't as hard as it sounds, I promise. It kept them work about 10,000 more miles, now it is doing it again so I'm about to do the same thing over again. I'm sure if I could find this little part and replace it it would solve it for a longer amount of time, but every dealer I talk to wants to sell me a whole new gauge cluster or speed sensor, neither of which would even solve the problem. Good luck to you all.

I own a 99 Neon 2 door (not an r/t) and bought it 7 years ago with 48k on odometer from a dealer and it was real clean.

I've only put 17k on the car in the 7 years. I work just a couple of miles away from home, and a full tank of fuel lasts for nearly a month.

Just recently I started having the gauge problem, where for no reason at all they would stop working. I just did the 20 pin resolder trick yesterday and we'll see if that does the trick. If it does it again, it could be nothing more than a bad ground. I hear it's in the steering column (?) but not sure. I often wondered if the problem was in the key switch itself, since when the gauges would stop working, a restart of the car would get them to work again. Is the gauge ground tied in the key switch somehow?

It looks like the gauge clusters are easily interchanged with performance model gauge clusters. ie with tachometer. Can I pop out my standard cluster and insert one from an R/T? I'd swear that the harness in back of the gauges is common to all the first generation Neons and the gauge clusters are interchangeable. I guess that made things real simple on the assembly line. Does anyone know? Has anyone upgraded their gauge assembly?

Also want to find the optional leather front and back seats in a parts car. Cloth seats are OK, but would love to upgrade the interior a bit. Send me a line at Fueldyne@aol.com Steve.

Well my friend wants to sell me his 1996 neon for $400.00 that's parked in his yard and won't start-(except for about 20 min and then he says it shuts off) sounds like a good buy if I knew what the problem is. Some say its the fuel pump, some say its the ignition module. Who knows!! All I know is I don't want it sitting in my yard with a for sale sign on it. I need something that saves gas but can't make up my mind if I should take my chances on the neon. R.C.