Severe shimmy at speeds above 30 MPH. Car is two years old with 18k and has only been serviced by the dealer. Was told by dealer that it needed tires rebalanced. Had tires rebalanced at 18,197 miles. 21k problem got worse, was told by dealer goodyear tires were no good and needed brake rotors turned. Pads were fine, metallic pads cause rotor warpage in just a few miles. Repair estimate on a two year old car is $495.00. No warranty on brakes or factory tires.
Dodge Neon premature wear problems
14 of the 3,483 owner complaints about the Dodge Neon describe rotors or pads wearing out early, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 14
- worst model year
- 1995
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20041
- 20031
- 20021
- 20002
- 19962
- 19957
Often reported together
Headlights 2Grinding brakes 2Brake failure 2Pulling 1Knocking 1
What owners say
The front and rear brakes on the 2002 dodge neon seem to have many problems and I feel this should be looked into. The front brakes (pads and rotors) had to be replaced at around 7000 miles due to warped rotors causing severe shaking of the vehicle during braking. Now again at 17000 miles the vehicle exibits the same problem with the front brakes. The rear brakes have had a severe squeal since the car was purchased - it was in three seperate times for this. We were told this is a normal problem that all neons have. The first two times it was taken to the dealer they cleaned the breaks and said they were fine. The third time we were told the rear shoes were no good and the rear drums were ruined and needed replaced. (at 16500 or so miles) I called the dodge corporation and after many calls they offered the parts on the rear free but we had to pay for labor. This has been a problem with this vehicle since new and I feel the brake system needs improved to keep this from happining. The vheicle is a 2002 dodge neon sxt driven very little by my mother-in-law, a very easy person on the car so there is no excessive driving by any means that would contribute to this problem. Rear drums should almost never need replaced, they seem to last forever on most vehicles and rotors do warp sometimes but not two sets in 17000 miles. I have seen many neons exibit the rear squealing problem on the roads so I know this is not just this car and I would like someone to look into this. Thank you for your time. Ben hodges.
While driving 45 MPH a loud ticking noise was heard coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. Consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, however the mechanic could not duplicate or resolve the problem. *ak the headlights had gone out while the consumer was driving the vehicle, the wheel needed to be replaced, there was a problem with the brake line in the front, the wheel bearing was broken in half, the fog lights had gone out, there was a roaring sound when the vehicle was in motion, there was a whirling sound in the engine which would get worse when accelerated, the rotor/pads rusted, the steering pulled to the left, and when slowing down, the steering wheel would shake. (dodge neon sxt 2004)
Consumer states vehicle brake pad makes a gridding noise,feels like wheel is about to fall off,problem only exsits in the morning.had vehicle serviced,brake pad and rotor are fine. Dealer states the condensation from the humidity causes mositure and makes the rotor rust,that causes the noise.cannot fix problem. Nlm
Driving in our car we experienced a loud noise from the right rear of the car, took it to our local goodyear mechanic, he stated and showed me that the calipers were not funcitioning correctly in the rear, both inboard brake pads were metal to metal while the outboard pads were like new. Thankfully we heard the noise so a brake failure did not occur. Upon taking it to the dealer they stated this was abnormal and a problem, but not covered under warranty, no replacement or service to the calipers were made. I am now waiting for it to prematurely wear out again. The dealer exclaimed that he had never seen a car wear out that quickly on one side of the pads. I believe it is a caliper failure, confirmed by the goodyear service person.
Engine leaks oil. The brake pads wear out every 6 months & have to be changed. Have taken to dealer & informed the leaking is from cracked engine head gasket. Head gaskets needed to be replaced.
Consumer experiences random brake failure due to premature wear of pads and shoes, which causes vehicle not to stop properly when brakes are applied. Vehicle been in/out of dealer shop on several occasions. Dealer infomed consumer that nothing could be found. This incident is one of the factors which causes a vehicle to be totaled during an accident. Dealer notified.
Premature wear of front brake rotors.
Premature wear of front brake pads/rotors, causing brakes to make loud screaching noise.
Transmission malfunctioned. In addition, premature wear of front brake pads/rotors/headlights failed/electrical short due to severed wires/winshield washer bottle had hole in it and installed horn.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. In the presence of oil and heat, the brake booster vacuum hose could swell and loosen from the intake manifold.
- Risk
- This could cause a loss of power brake assist and an increase in engine idle speed.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum hose. Owner notification began july 2, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 01V154000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- The brake master cylinder can leak brake fluid due to a damaged double lip rear piston seal.
- Risk
- Brake fluid leakage can result in diminished effectiveness of one half of the split brake system. The instrument panel warning light(s) will signal system impairment prior to partial brake system loss.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear brake master cylindr piston assembly.
Recall number 96V075000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- The rear brake hose mounting bracket screws can fail allowing the brake hoses to move out of position. The unrestrained hoses are then susceptible to damage which could result in brake fluid leakage.
- Risk
- Brake fluid leakage will reduce the braking performanceof the vehicle, extend stopping distances, and could result in an accident.
- Remedy
- The rear brake line hose bracket screws on these vehicles will be replaced.
Recall number 94V034000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- The ABS brake master cylinder rear seal allows air to enter the brake system, causing spongy brakes or partial brake system loss.
- Risk
- Air entering the brake system caused extended stopping distance or partial loss of brakes which may result in an accident.
- Remedy
- Master cylinders will be inspected for the suspect build date code range and will be replaced if necessary.
Recall number 94V026000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Neon premature wear
Which Dodge Neon years have rotors or pads wearing out early problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (7 complaints), 1996 (2 complaints) and 2000 (2 complaints).
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