2001 Chrysler Neon LE from North America - Comments

I own a 2000 Chrysler Neon and the brakes squeak when wet. I've had the brakes checked and been told that they are fine. Passengers and pedestrians stare at me as if I am stupid and don't realize my brakes need replacing. My air conditioner condenser is shot and is expensive to replace. And finally, the most frustrating thing is that my key gets stuck in the ignition. The lock cylinder has been replaced and I am always careful not to turn the key too far forward into the auxiliary position, but there is nothing getting that key out this time... I wish someone would steal and total the car off for me.

I bought a 2001 Chrysler Neon LE at the end of May 2006. It had 81 000 kms on it when I purchased it, and I also ended up purchasing the extended warranty. The dealership assured me the car had been certified and that everything was in perfect working condition. It only took me about a week to realize I had been lied to.

Within the first week, I had to disconnect my interior light due to the door sensor being shot.. it was telling me the door was open so the light would stay on, and the car now beeps at me everytime I step on the gas. I was told this would not be covered under warranty (huge surprise) and would cost me almost 400 to fix, so I now live with the beeping.

The next problem was when the car started making a crunching sound while I was driving, turns out I needed to change the whole front end (tie rod ends, bushing, control arms...). This was also not covered under the magnificent warranty I had purchased. So 1300 dollars later I can now drive my car.

Until recently it has started "not starting". So I will be making a trip back to the garage with my crumpled up warranty paper in hand so that they can tell me that this is not covered either.

Another ongoing problem with the car is that the brakes squeak, I've had them checked and apparently there is nothing wrong with them, but the squeaking is very embarrassing. I work in a nice office where the parking lot is usually quiet, then I pull in and everyone now knows it's me.

I have always been a Ford fan, but decided to try this car out.. the salesman was very convincing that this was a great car, he left out that the service I would be receiving would be awful and that the car would cost me more than my mortgage just in repairs.

Overall I am extremely upset with the way I was taken and the way the dealership has ignored my requests for them to honour the promises made to me when I purchased the car. I will never purchase another Chrysler vehicle, back to Ford I go!!!

Great Car Besides The Tires And Brakes.

I purchased a 2001 Chrysler Neon LX from the dealership off lease with only 29,000km on it and have been alarmed at how quickly I have had to replace the brakes. It seems that every six months I am back in shop and have to spend another $400 for some brake related problem.

I'm surprised that only one other person has mentioned the horrible blind spots in the front arc of view in this car. I have had a number of near misses after almost turning into someone that I couldn't see because of this.

For comparison, I also have a 2001 Toyota Corolla that I purchased with 90,000km on it two years later. The brakes cost less to have replaced and need replacing much less often. I found this forum because I was looking to see if other people have had similar maintenance costs associated with their Neon.

Comparing my annual maintenance costs between the two cars makes it clear to me why I will not be buying a Chrysler again. My average year with the Neon is just shy of $2500 while my average year for the Toyota is just a hair over $1000 (this is averaged over the past four years). To top it off the Toyota is more fun to drive (and I drive it harder) and I feel safer because I can see more clearly.

One last point about why I'm upset with Chrysler goes back to the service department. The last time I went to them for "dealer" service my brakes would squeak whenever I turned right. I figured this to be a basic adjustment issue and took it back only to be told that is how they were designed. I complained to the manager and he backed up the technician and didn't offer to do anything. The new garage I started using (which is costs about 25% less on average) fixed the squeak for free and told me the pad hadn't been seated properly.

While I was at the Chrysler dealership arguing about my brakes there was another man who had been in to complain about squeaking brakes in the past only to be told his brakes are now glazed and needed replacing. The dealership didn't seem to think this was out of line.

Both cars cost similar amounts up front, but the Toyota dealership has been more pleasant to deal with and the Toyota has been cheaper to maintain and more fun to drive. Guess what my next car is going to be.

To the last commenter: I really don't know what are you doing with your Neon, so you have to replace something to brakes every 6 months. I own a Neon LX, a 2000 one and since I bought it, I replaced the brake pads (regular maintenance) just once in 3 years or in 90k kms. And not because they squealed. It was the normal wear and tear. And if you affirm that for a simple brake job you paid 400 dollars just because is a Neon, leave me just two conclusions: either you have been ripped off (because you don't know anything about cars) or you try to induce people in error. You are the only person who claims that Corolla is fun to drive. What it means "fun" for you? Corlolla is underpowered and compared with the Neon is way less responsive. It may be reliable (I have friends that own Corollas and they have all kind of problems with them, I will not discuss this now) but Corolla remain just an appliance and nothing more. And I bet that you paid a lot more for the Toyota than for the Neon when you bought the car, and you should add this to your calculations. As well, for sure, Neon LX is better loaded than the Corolla. If you had problems with a dealer, doesn't mean that the car is the problem. And is a lie to affirm that the parts for Corolla are cheaper than those for the Neon. Anyone can check that. I had myself small annoyances with my Neon, but I never remained stranded as my friend (a Corolla owner). In the past 3 years and a half, I spent for MAINTENANCE and repairs around 1000 dollars. But this doesn't change the reality: the Neon is a decent car, well priced and I would never changed it for a crappy overpriced Toyota Corolla. I would loose money for real... after all.

I have owned a 2001 Chrysler Neon and after 6 years we are parting ways. Only because my family has outgrown the car, when we bought it new we had one daughter and now we have three. In the six years we have owned this car, we have replaced the brake pads twice and aside from regular maintenance ie: oil changes every 30,000 km etc. we haven't had a problem with it. I would have to say I am sad to see it go, and I would highly recommend purchasing a used one as long as it is in good condition.

I bought a used 2000 Neon from a guy who said it had few problems.

In 5 months:

-the ignition won't turn and I have to use the "rubber mallet" method to turn on the car every 5th time I try

-the air conditioning unit burnt out and I am on my second new compressor

-the car horn started beeping randomly at 5am (and when I say beeping a mean one long continuous sound that would not stop -no alarm problem I promise) with no one and nothing near the car and would not turn off until I disconnected the battery -I have yet to fix this problem hence the reason I am on this website

-the engine mounts broke -all three had to be replaced

-the recalled "hose brake" and a "filter cr"

I would never in my life buy another Chrysler no matter the deal. This car sucks.

I've had a 2001 Chrysler neon LE from 2001 to present. Right now the car has 150019km on it. Now this is what happened to me, hopefully someone else can verify this with a similar experience (because I hear this is common). Once the car was past 120000km it began to make a ticking sound and the ride began to be rough. As the KM on the car climbed the ticking got louder and louder and the ride got continually rougher. Finally the car experienced major problems once the 150000km barrier was broken. The car shook, and made a very loud rumbling noise. I had to fight with the car to simply get it to a safe spot that would be out of traffic.

Upon further inspection of the car, I was told that the engine head had warped. Along with this I was told that the cost to fix the problem would be equal to that of just buying a different used car.

I have two friends who have had this almost exact problem happen to them. All at over 120000km.

My Chrysler Neon LE 2001 is toast. Does anyone else have a similar experience to this?

I have a neon 2001 LE with over 250,000 km on it. Just got it a month ago. Car is AWESOME for what it is.

Too many people are trying to compare Hyundai's to BMWs these days and finding faults. The car is a 4 cylinder 2 litre engine and has TONS of power. Of course you can hear the engine. I just had the tranny serviced and it is still in good condition. The engine had a minor oil leak.

The rear brake does squeak a tiny bit when very cold...so do all brakes.

Seems like a great car.

I had a 2001 Chrysler Neon (bought in 2006) and it was an amazing first car. I loved it. But recently it was a victim of theft and vandalism. I only lost $1000 from the time that I bought the vehicle to the point where the appraiser came to look at it. It isn't a bad car for the price!

I purchased a 2001 Neon just recently for my 18 year daughter and I love the car. It`s not a gas guzzler and the parts are cheap if you need them. I would buy one for myself but I like the suv`s. For all the people that have had problems with their`s all I can say is that if you maintain a car it will be good to you. I have worked on cars that cost 3 times what a Neon costs with 3 times the cost for parts. It is all relevant. Enjoy!!