The dodge neon's 2.0 l engine has an apparant manufacturer's defect in the head gasket assembly. The car leaks oil. Our particular car received dealer service once already for the head gasket defect but the oil leak persists. When the vehicle was taken to the dealer a second time the dealer said they found no apparant leak. Close after that our factory warranty expired. Our car now leaks almost a quart of oil every day. This problem is not one isolated to just our particular vehicle. There have been many cases of failed head gaskets recorded and shared by neon owners. According to a user website "neons.org" 32% of all neon owners have already had to replace the defecive part within 30,000 miles of the vehicle's life; most at their own cost. Please document and address this problem that plagues neon owners who are just trying to buy a reliable little car. Thank you.
1996 Dodge Neon engine complaints
Page 5 of 13: complaints 101 to 130 of 341, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The problems that are occuring on a daily basis are: the gas gauge doesn't work,the speedometer doesn't work,the temperature gauge doesn't work,the mileage gauge doesn't work because the speedometer isn't working.sometimes while you are driving the lights(seat belt,etc.)will pop on making the dinging noise letting you know that everything is on(like when you 1st start up the car)but nothing starts working then but the temperature gauge.we never know how much fuel we have put in our car,how fast we are going,or if the car is running hot or cold.at one point we were having to get jump starts all of the time. This is an ongoing problem that I noticed you have had a recall on but this vehicle wasn't included.since it is having the same exact problems that is described in the recall I don't understand why the manufacturer will not fix the vehicle.this is rediculous there was a recall on the same type of vehicle,same year and everything but because there was only 15,000 cars done and our car could have been the 15,001 car on the assembly at the time we have to suffer and pay for the manufacturers mistakes.
Vehicle needs to have head gasket replaced.
Engine oil leaking problem went worse wnd worse, even after changing some potential parts of the engine.
First head gasket failure occurred at less than 36,000 miles; covered on warranty. Dodge refuses to cover second failure and claims "no known problems" with head gasket longevity when called. Good maintenance record on vehicle; av. 15-16k miles/year use.
Vehicle is experiencing problems with spark plug tubes.
Vehicle leaking oil technician stated head gasket needed to be replaced. Please provide further information.
There was an oil leakage around head gasket. The dealer told me that chrysler jeep's have the same problems and are being recalled. The dodge dealer told me I have to pay for it. My warranty was expired, and the dealer said chrysler won't pay for neons. This is a defect not something I did to the car. I have never had an accident. I hope this helps, because I can't afford to fix it.
Headgasket is blown,
Vehicle has a blown headgasket. Consumer waiting to hear from dodge. *ak the leak in the head gasket resulted in oil dripping on to the transmission. The head gasket was fixed.
I learned of my head gasket problem about a week ago, I was shocked because my car is only five years old, I just paid it off, and the warranty expired not even two months ago. I have an appointment to take it back to the dealer next week, that was the soonest I could get. I expect them to cover it 100% especially after finding your website and reading about how many other people had the same problem w/ their 1996 neon. I was curious as to if anyone has taken legal action in this matter?ak
Head gasket was first replaced under warranty with 20,901 miles on the vehicle. The transmission let go with 35,654 miles on the vehicle. My vehicle was out of warranty at this time. The head gasket failed a second time with 46,958 miles on the vehicle. This repair was done at dartmouth dodge, 225 state rd., north dartmouth, ma. 02747, since it was closer to my home, and they were not in business at the time that I purchased the vehicle. Chrysler gave me a $300.00 credit towards the repair of the head gasket. I strongly feel that I should be reimbursed for this repair since it was replaced under warranty the first time, and it broke again approximately 26,000 later. Apparently, there has been a problem with head gaskets for this vehicle. I also feel that a recall campaign should be instituted to repair all these vehicles since it is a common problem with them.
Had head gasket replaced in july 1998. Currently, leaking again. Dealer told consumer first time, dealer had to use faulty part. Dodge paid for repair first time. Currently, they refuse. Also, had to have air conditioner and cruise control replaced. *ak the A/C failed for the second time. Brakes make loud noise.
Engine head gasket has prematurely failed at 66,000 , causing a leak. Please provide further information.
Defective engine head gasket broke which caused oil to leak onto engine compartment and could ruin engine compartment. Common problem. Dodge won't assist consumer because he went to independent dealer. Please provide further information.
Vac assist sourced thru egr valve. Leak in egr valve allows exhaust condensate in vacuum assist - freezes in cold weather, brakes won't stop car
Engine gasket have been replaced three times in past 2 years. It needs to be replaced again.
Ongoing problem with head gasket failures; first occurred at 24,976, and second occurred at 41,743 miles. Both heead gaskets were repaired under warranty. Also, failure of egr valve caused wheel to lock up. Dealer notified. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
Oil leak by head gasket leaking onto exhaust manifold. Replaced valve cover gasket (rocker arm cover gasket)& problem still exists - fire hazard. Based on info from mechanic chrysler has faulty head gaskets which have to be replaced by new process head gasket. Need assistance with facilitating repair at dealer. I am also constantly replacing the brakes within less than 7 - 8 mos. Less than everyday use of vehicle should not require 2 brake jobs per year.
Head gasket is a known issue at chrysler, and should have been rectified by recall. Transmission also had to be replaced. Electrical problems becuase because of poor design. Chrysler did not help becuase of mileage and used car. What can a 19 yr old afford other than a used car?
Engine head gasket was diagnosed as failing 2 years ago. Vehicle leaked oil & would sometimes cut off. It took 2-3 minutes before starting back up. Dealer was going to inspect vehicle for head gasket problem again. Consumer found that there was a extended warranty. However, dealer said there was no such thing.
Head gasket failed at 50k miles.
Vehicle experiencing problem with oil leakages from side of the engine. Vehicle taken to a independent shop, and informed of a heah gasket failure on the 2.0l engine. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was out of its warranty, and manufacturer was not responsible. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
Consumer had found engine leaks. Took vehicle to a technician, and he said that head gasket was replaced before for same problem.
Replaced head gasket 3 times and still leaks. Apparently I'm screwed. I won't buy another chrysler car since they don't back their products.
Head gasket has blownout, causing oil leakage. Manufacturer has been notified.
Head gasket failure-----this is the second time I have had this same problem---my local midus replaced this gasket the first time. But now it is gone again. It sure looks like a recall is in order!!!!
Valve cover gaskets have failed twice since 1998 and currently needing to have the problem fixed again. Also, the transmission failed just after warranty term. Dodge knows of oil leak problems and have made no efforts to rectify.
The head gasket leaks, with a cold engine radiator cap off fluid will be forced out like old faithful. Oil leaking from back of the engine on the driver side. I found out this isn't just a one car problem. I have 14 pages of people with the same problem. I also have 15 service bulletins reporting the same thing. It seems it should be a recall. Plus I shouldn't have to pay anything for engineering faults.
Vehicle started leaking oil at engine block, had to replace 2 head gaskets. Problem has come back, and may have to replace a third head gasket.
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