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- Electrical fault - would not start.
- Electrical fault - not properly grounded.
- Electrical fault - chip in the key had to be reprgrammed.
- window replaced three times - I mention this because the windshieild seems suceptable to damage.
- Horn stopped working.
- transmission slipping - this is when I sold it.
- dashboard deteriorated - it bubbled up like paint and had to be replaced.
- tires needed replacement - I mention this because the factory tires are unique to Neons ONLY and cost almost 200 dollar each. I could justify 200 dollar tires on my BMW, but not on an econo-box.
- The brakes are really noisy when wet - nothing woring with the brakes, but the horrible noise does not instill confidence with passengers or pedestrians.
- ari conditioning condensor needed to be replaced. - The dealer said it was a rock damage however, 2 air conditioning shops said that it was the poor quality of the condensor. One shop even told me that Chrysler AC condensors are notoriously cheap.
It looked good, but what a terrible experience. I bought this car new along with an 1800 dollar extended warranty. You will definitly need a warranty with this car... assuming that you can get Chrysler to honour it. The car has been towed no less than 6 times in the 2.5 years that I have owned it. I have never, ever spent so much time in Chrysler garages in my life.
Prospective car owners, please don't take engine stalling lightly. With my 6 year old son in the back seat, I once had this car stall on me at 4:00 AM on a major bridge with freight trucks careening around. It was a horrifying experience.
The dealer was as greasy as their car. The one time that I appealed to Chrysler I was barricaded by one of their so called Customer Service Managers. These 'managers' are really phone clerks with no surnames and no one that they report to. If you can't get satisfaction from them, you are at a dead end.
The final indignity comes when you try to sell the car. You can almost hear the car de-valuate in your driveway at night.
Just because you had a bad dealer and a lemon does not mean that all dealers and cars are bad.
True, not all dealers are seedy and not all cars are lemons. However, my experience with Chrysler indicate a systemic problem with the corporation itself. Good corporations don't ignore paying customers' legitimate concerns nor do they renege on 2 thousand dollar extended warranties.
I have to agree with the original poster on this topic, I have had a few problems with my 2001 Chrysler Neon, but nothing to the extent that you have listed. I love my car it's a blast to drive. My only pet peeve about it is that the headlights continuously have condensation in them and my tires are wearing unevenly. I would suggest this car to any one, but I would take it to a few different Chrysler dealerships to get all the problems worked out.
I have a 2001 Chrysler Neon LE and I have never had a problem with it. It runs great and I have never had to take it back to the dealer for anything except oil changes. I love my Chrysler Neon.
I also have a 2001 Neon, purchased new which has had some similar problems.
The air conditioner condenser was defective, and apparently this is a problem with the model - it was replaced under warranty. The battery died - it was replaced under warranty. The clutch on the transmission went - the transmission was overhauled under warranty. I have had absolutely no problems with the above work being covered under warranty.
I've had to replace the front brakes after only 35,000km - and they also squeaked and squealed from the start. The front brakes no longer squeak - they were replaced with heavy-duty pads, but the sad thing is the rotors also had to be replaced, which the manager of the shop told me is pretty much standard with this car. The rear brakes still squeak especially when wet or cold.
The tires are also wearing unevenly, and I've had to replace one which cost me nearly $200 - this is when I found out that the tires are unique. The other 3 now need to be replaced - this after only 50,000km.
The one thing I am totally upset about is that the car was involved in an accident recently (my son rear-ended a Ford Taurus). There was minimal damage to the Taurus, but there was $7,400 damage to my car - it basically crumpled the whole front end, including front side panels. Although so much damage was caused to the car, the airbags did not deploy.
This was my first Chrysler purchase, and I'm sorry to say it will be my last.
I too have had similar problems as listed above. My biggest peeve is with the squealing rear brakes. Has anyone had problems with front wheel bearings? I suspect I'll be making a trip to the dealer yet again.
I have a 2000 Plymouth Neon that runs great, except every so often the car won't start. When I turn the key to start the engine, all lights go on (so it's not a problem with the battery), but the engine won't turn over. If I jar the car a little and pump the gas sometimes it'll start (worst case it's taken up to an hour to start). This goes on for about 3 or 4 days, then it miraculously gets better. Strange. It seems to be on a cycle... around every 3 months or so. Of course, the dealer has no idea what it is. Very perplexing...
Owned a 2001 Chrysler Neon R/T
Do not buy this car or any Chrysler product. Nothing since the slant 6 has ever been any good.
Had to replace ignition lock twice at cost of $300 each time. Dealer stated I had to lubricate it regularly. When asked where it stated this in the owner's manual he could not point to the page. Asked mechanic how often this occurred he said he's seen it occur on cars 3 months old as though it was an okay occurrence. I asked myself how often my front door lock failed in the last 15 years or an ignition on any other car for that matter? Mechanic said to use a regular flathead screwdriver. It worked fine. What does that tell you?
Interior trim is nice in the front, but the rear passengers are completely forgotten. Exposed metal door frames, no rear power windows, no full leather trim like the front half of the cab.
Cab forward design has a very nasty blind spot at each corner pillar.
Dealers where incredibly dishonest and uncaring once they got the money from you.
Do not even consider buying this car no matter how big the discount is the dealer is offering. You really end paying for it later.
The motor in my Chrysler Neon purchased new in February 2001 has been replaced twice due to problems with collapsing pistons. The original motor lasted 58000 kilometers and the second 26,000. My greatest concern is that this third motor will suffer the same fate as the previous two. Needless to say I am very disappointed with this vehicle and I will not buy another Chrysler product.
I own a 2000 Neon LX and except for few small problems I don't have too much to complain about it. So I bought it at 82k kms and since then I replaced both front ends tire rods. Also I replaced myself front and back breaks because of too high level of squeaking. Using generic ones solve the problem. Don't use Chrysler's ones because you will experience the same problem. I'm saying this because this is the second 2000 Neon that I own. First one was a LE model and I drove it for 30k kms (it was bought at 62k) without any problem except the squeaking problem caused by the brakes. The only reason why I sold that car was that my wife (she is the main driver on the car) wanted a better loaded one. I also replaced to the actual owned one the tranny's cooler. Actually I adapted one because part of old one is the engine's cooler so I didn't stick with a new one just because I consider my patch better than Chrysler's idea to stuck two coolers in the same body. And I'm saying this just because a friend of mine had the same problem so I think that the the coolers are prone to get broken especially at very low air temperatures (-35 C) that are very common for Quebec. And the last (hopefully) problem was that I changed both Neon's batteries. Also with generic ones, but with bigger capacities. Better starting during the the winter. So after all this I can say that I'm pretty satisfied about the car thinking that I didn't pay too much for it (around 8k CAD). Before ending I just have to add that since I bought my last Neon (March 2004) I put around 35k kms on it with all the problems described above.
I myself have a 2001 Chrysler Neon and I think it is fabulous. Perfect for a starting car for anyone. It is really a pleasure to drive.
I noticed your review said you bought the extended warranty and it cost you $1800. That should have said a lot to you right there. Shows the confidence the company has in it's cars. I leased my 2005 Honda Civic and bought the extended warranty and it only cost me $600. Do yourself a favour next time and buy something from one of the 3 big Japanese car companies. You may pay more at first, but you will save in the long run when it comes to repairs. Plus you won't get taken on an $1800 extended warranty charge. Sorry man, but $1800 for an extended warranty charge should have alarmed you right there to the quality of the car.
Do yourself a favor and buy something from one of the big three japanese car companies? What for, when most people here are happy with their Neons? The other problems seem pretty minor. I don't think replacing front brakes at 35,000 kms is that unreasonable, depending on how you drive. Interesting that the person's son was driving when it rear-ended a Focus. The worn out tires and brakes make one wonder if the kid is routinely driving it a little hard. Maybe she should be talking to her son rather than the dealership. And crumpling up like that is what the safety advocates tell you is supposed to happen--the car crumpled up to absorb the impact, that's the price you pay for safety. As for the collapsing pistons from the other poster--I have a suspicion that a slick mechanic is ripping you off because I have never in my life heard the term "collapsing pistons". To me, that sounds right up there with the "muffler bearing" or the "windshield washer fluid cam".
I bought a 2001 LE Neon last summer after I got an advancement at my job, and I decided I needed a better car.
The dealership I bought this car from (Maple Ridge Chrysler) by the way, has excellent service, they are rated as the number four dealership in the whole country, and it truly shows in the quality of service I have received thus far. Moving on now.
My Neon is not the typical Neon, it's been lowered to 3 inches above the ground at it's lowest point and has a heavy duty after market suspension system upgrade (all done before I purchased the car) and it also has some minor performance parts added to the air intake and the ignition systems. The spoiler is also after market.
That being said, the only things that were wrong with the car when I bought it were the clock spring in the steering wheel, so I had no horn, and a blown fuse (due to the clock spring). The dealer fixed all that for me as par an agreement before I signed for the car.
Here's a list of things that have gone wrong with the car after wards.
-My power sunroof no longer works, the left clip on the slider disengaged from the wire, and no longer will open. This costs 1100 dollars to fix, even though the clip theoretically costs 56 cents worth of plastic. I've decided to remain with my moonroof...
-My car was leaking, and for the longest time I could not find out where. Turns out it was coming in through my rear tail lights into my trunk, soaking through into my back floors. Silicone molding fixed that for good.
-My brakes squeal, but only when they are cold or wet, not a problem for me personally for I listen to my tunes while driving. The pads are fine and the calipers and rotors are still in great shape.
-The stock deck's volume control was busted shortly after I bought the car, so I upgraded to after market toys.
The car itself was at 127 thousand kilometers when purchased, I am now at 158 thousand kilometers in a span of 8 months. I live 2 minutes from work, so the great bulk of my driving comes from recreational driving. And to be clear, I really beat this car up when I drive it. I am in no way, nice to this car. I maintain it well, but aside from that it gets some really rough driving.
I truly love how much of a sleeper my car is. People see Neon and think they can take you no problem. I've put 500 dollars worth of upgrades into my vehicle and it does the 400 meters in 13.1 seconds. You're average RX-7 does it in 16-17 seconds. Pretty much the only thing I can't take nowadays are the newer Vette's and Camaro's and the SRT-4.
So guys, if you want a good tuner car that is cheap and easy to boost up, get yourself a Neon from the years 2001 and up.
2001 neon LE, bought new. Overall has been a so so car. Tires are a rip off - cannot fit standard tires to the car. brake discs need to be replace at 35K intervals (the way I'm driving according to the dealership). Battery failed and 40,000 km. Called roadside assist - don't even bother. I joined a private automobile association. Front headlights have permanent condensation. Undetermined leak means that trunk usually hold 1-3 inch water. dealerships seem unable to detect major problems (replaced spark plugs when really the ignition cables were arcing).
Very poor quality of paint on external bodywork.
All in all a below average car for an above average price. I wouldn't have much confidence in another Chrysler vehicle unless they paid me to drive it. Also have a Honda and the difference is phenomenal. No brainer - and chrysler wonder why foreign car companies dominate the market??