1995 Dodge Neon: loss of power steering

Filed Mar 12, 2004 · Brakes, Steering · FL · crash

My daughter was driving my 1995 dodge neon when the steering wheel locked and caused her to have an accident. She was traveling at approx 35 - 40 MPH .there were no abnormal weather or road conditions. Suddenly the steering wheel jerked the car off the road towards the right, at that point she had a loss of steering and no control of the vehicle. She was not applying the brakes or making a turn, just driving along as she normally would. Previosly we have had problems, serious problems with the antilock brake system failing. When applying the brakes on two separate occasions the front wheels locked up once causing a minor accident , the other just caused damage to the tires. The accident when the steering failed was fortunately a minor one . But could just as easily been a very serios possibly fatal. Since at the time of the steering loss, there was no way to control the direction of the vehicle, which resulted in damage to a residential homeowners yard and personal property that was located in the yard. The vehicle came to rest between two trees because it was stopped by a tension wire attached to a telephone pole which was struck and became wrapped around the front left tire. If not for that she would have struck a concrete culvert only a few feet away.. We are presently involved in proceedings to have the citation she received dismissed due to faulty equipment. Also I did inquire with dodge motor corp re safety recall info...which I was informed that my vehicle has no incomplete recall work , but I also received a car facts report from consumer guide stating that there was a recall and there is no information stating the work had been completed by dodge to correct the problem. Which if it had been corrected the info would have been updated to show that. If you could please help me with this matter, and possibly save someone from this mess. Also I have a friend who lost her arm from her 95 neon crash from steering failure of which I was unaware until after mine.

Filed Mar 29, 2002 · Steering · IN · crash

While driving and without warning there was loss of steering due to defective column coupling which resulted in an accident. Mechanic stated there was recall 97v169000; however, consumer was not notified. Manufacturer stated they will repair defective component. Other repairs were consumer's responsibility.

Filed Sep 6, 1999 · Electrical, Steering · PA

Loss of steering occurred when I drove through a puddle of water during a rainstorm and the steering power was cut causing me to hit a concrete curb at about 15 MPH in a parking lot scratching the paint on the front bumper. Second the wiring in the dome switch in the passenger door and the wires in the lights on reminder in the driver's door is shorted causing them not to work properly. After the recall for the steering coupler was performed the car tends to pull to the right and the steering wheel is not "straight" when driving on a straight road 2 alignments have been performed and the problem is still not corrected. The hood is not properly attached and the hood hits the right fender now causing rust to form. The original battery also corroded through both terminals first causing the car not to even start then after the terminals were replaced caused the "check engine" light to remain lit until the terminal was replaced again. Also finally the brakes make loud screeching noise when applied and when I had them checked was told it was "break dust and not to worry

Filed Oct 30, 1998 · OH

Steering problem- when going through puddles, loss of steering experienced for a few seconds and sometimes total loss. Car had to be shut off to gain control back. Power steering belt was tightened by local mechanic because dealership said nothing was wrong. There's something wrong with this picture. Transmission- when put into reverse, tranny hesitated, took a couple of seconds to engage. Told nothing was wrong. Took vehicle in a second time at a different dealership. Service bulletin found. Transmission servo replaced after 4 days of being in the dealership due to incompetence of mechanics. Problem was eventually fixed. Cruise control failure- cruise control failed to keep a constant speed. Turned into dealership. Told nothing was wrong. Turned in a second time to a different dealership. Replaced speed sensor. Problem was solved. Oil leak- oil was found on the underside of the engine compartment. Oil pressure switch was replaced. Problem solved. Check engine light- check engin light came on. Took into dealership. Oxygen sensor was replaced. Problem solved. Check engine light- check engine light came on again. Took into dealership. Engine light was off. Next day it was back on again. Turned in a second time. Turned off. Came back on within a couple of hours. Took in a third time. Computer needed to be reprogrammed. Problem solved. Oil leak- oil found all over the underside of engine compartment. Checked by a neighborhood mechanic. Found the head gasket leaking at just 45000 miles. Oil has been changed every 3000 miles.

Filed Sep 25, 1998 · Steering · LA

When driving about 30-35 MPH on wet pavements the power steering stopped working, making it hard to turn corners. Dealer contacted, and stated steering was wet, cannot make any repairs.

Filed Mar 31, 1998 · Steering · CA

Recall 97v169000. Replacement part for recall does not fit properly on a vehicle with no power steering.

Filed Oct 7, 1997 · Transmission · MD

Vehicle's wheels spin when trying to accelerate from a stopped position with loss of steering.

Filed Sep 16, 1997 · Steering · NY

Vehicle experiences loss of steering control while driving during heavy rain storms.

Filed Jul 28, 1997 · Steering · FL

While driving vehicles experienced loss of steering. Cause is unknown. *ak during rain, especially in puddles, the steering wheel locks or freeze and can not be turned.

Filed Jul 22, 1997 · Steering · FL

When driving in wet/puddle area vehicle has intermittent loss of steering for about 30 seconds at a time.

Filed Jul 21, 1997 · Steering · CA

Ea97-009, while driving the vehicle's defective steering wheel came loose and the bolt came off, causing no steering control. Almost resulted in an accident. Dealer cannot determine problem.

Filed Jul 1, 1997 · Steering · NJ

Power steering failed.