2002 Dodge Neon

DT: THE CONTACT RECENTLY PURCHASED A VEHICLE, AND WHEN CHECKING OUT THE VEHICLE IT HAD SERIOUS PROBLEMS. THE FRAME WAS BENT, THE RADIATOR WAS BENT INTO THE FAN, THE AIR CLEANER WAS NOT BOLTED ON THE SIDE, THE RADIATOR WAS PAINTED RED AND BENT, THE CORE SUPPLIER WAS DAMAGED, AND UNDERNEATH THE HOOD THE WIRING WAS FRAYED. THE CONTACT JUST HAD THE CAR INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC, AND HE FOUND THE AFOREMENTIONED THINGS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE CONTACT WAS UPSET THAT THE DEALERSHIP WOULD SELL A CAR IN THAT CONDITION. THE CAR IS A 2002 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT WOULD CONTACT FTC ON THE DEALERSHIP SELLING THE CAR IN THAT CONDITION.*AK

OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE BATTERY REPLACED THREE TIMES IN THIS CAR. EACH TIME I HAVE ASKED FOR AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY A YEAR OLD BATTERY WOULD GO BAD. THE EXPLANATION LAST WEEK WAS "A SHORT IN THE BATTERY, NOT CAUSED BY THE CAR." SINCE THE FIRST 2 TIMES IT WAS REPLACED BY THE WARRANTY, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE. THIS TIME THE BATTERY WAS NOT COVERED. EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, IT HAS BEEN WITHOUT WARNING, NO LIGHTS FLASHING, NOTHING. JUST GO TO START THE CAR AND NOTHING. I HAVE BEEN LEFT STRANDED EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. CLEARLY, EITHER THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE BATTERIES BEING INSTALLED, OR THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH MY CAR. EITHER WAY, IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE COMPANY. AS IT IS, I HAD TO SHELL OUT $150 LAST WEEK. *JB

THE GAUGES, (GAS, RPM'S, OIL, TEMPERATURE) ON MY 2002 DOGE NEON WILL GO HAYWIRE WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. THE BELL FOR THE DOOR WILL ALSO GO OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING. I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I'M DRIVING OR HOW MUCH GAS I HAS LEFT. AND THE BELL FOR THE DOOR WILL CONSTANTLY RING. I TOOK IT TO A DODGE DEALER WHO RAN SOME TESTS ON IT AND THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. IT SEEM TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN THE WEATHER IS WARM.

BACK IN 2003 I TURNED MY VEHICLE OFF AND IT WOULDNT START AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD SO I CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE THEY TOOK IT TO CARMAX IN LOS ANGELES, CA FOR AT THE TIME I WAS LIVING IN THE AREA. CARMAX TOLD ME THE BATTERY WAS DISLODGED I FOUND THIS FUNNY BECUASE I HAVE NEVER TOUCHED THE BATTERY THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLD. WHEN I HAD TURNED THE KEY ALL THE LIGHTS WENT CRAZY AND IT WOULDNT START. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE BATTERY HAD DRAINED ITSELF. WELL THEY CHANGED THE BATTERY AND EVERYTHING WAS OK UNTIL NOW. ABOUT 1 YEAR AND HALF LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON THEN THE SEATBELT LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT AND THE SPEDOMETER STARTED TO BLINK. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND IT WOULD NOT START AGAIN. I GOT A JUMP TO GET HOME AND IT BLINKED THE WHOLE WAY THERE. I THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF WHEN I GOT HOME. WHEN I WENT TO THE CAR IN THE MORNING TO GO TO WORK THE CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN. I CALED AAA AND THEY GAVE ME A JUMP AND I WENT TO THE AUTO PLACE AND GOT A BATTERY IT HAS BEEN A FEW HOURS AND ITS OK RIGHT NOW BUT FOR HOW LONG. THEN I READ ABOUT THIS PERSON HERE THAT WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AS I DID AND SHE NEEDED TO HAVE HER CAR ALL REWIRED. I AM TAKING TO BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SUGGEST THAT ANYONE ELSE DO THE SAME.

ELECTRICAL PROBLEM PANEL LIGHTS INOPERATIVE. *BF THE DAY BEFORE THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN, THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE REPAIR SHOP FOR WHAT THE CONSUMER THOUGHT WAS A FAULTY WIRING PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED AN ESTIMATE FOR $825.00 TO REPAIR THE INSIDE CLUSTER. AN INSPECTION REVEALED THE VEHICLE HAD OIL AND TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THE RESERVOIRS, IN ADDITION TO THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS RATTLING, THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, BELT AND WATER PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB

MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP FOR THE 5TH TIME SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2003. SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING, THE CAR WILL LURCH OR WILL DIE UNEXPECTEDLY. WHEN IT LURCHES, THE RPM'S REV UP FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THE RADIO CRACKLES OFF. WHEN IT DIES, IT SOMETIMES DIES WHEN I AM AT A STOP OR WHEN I AM DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WHEN IT DOES, ALL POWER IS GONE, I CANNOT EVEN TURN ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS. IT SOMETIMES REGAINS POWER WITHIN A MINUTE, ONCE IT TOOK 16 HOURS. WHEN THE POWER RETURNS, THE RADIO HAS RETURNED TO THE BEGINNING OF THE DIAL AND THE CLOCK IS RESET TO 12:00 AM. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN THE POWER IS LOST...EVEN IF I'M ABLE TO COAST ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD I HAVE NO HAZARD LIGHTS TO WARN ONCOMING TRAFFIC, WHICH IS VERY FRIGHTENING AT NIGHT TIME. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE PCM MODULE, THE IGNITION SWITCH, FRONT END WIRING HARNESS, ENGINE HARNESS, MOTOR MOUNTS AND REPLACED THE WIRES THAT CONNECT THE BATTERY. NONE OF THE FIXES HAVE WORKED AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, MUCH LESS FIX IT.

MY CAR IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD. WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR WE BOUGHT AN AFTERMARKET WARRANTY FOR THE CAR. MY INSTRUMENT PANEL AND INTERIOR LIGHTS COMPLETELY WENT OUT ONE DAY AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM. THEY AMAZING COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. A SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED AND THE BATTERY DIED ON THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BATTERY THEY SAID BECAUSE THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF MY PROBLEM. THEY NEVER TRIED TO CHARGE OR JUMP THE BATTERY . I HAVE YET TO PICK UP MY CAR, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THE BATTERY GOING DEAD CAUSED THIS ISSUE. IF THAT WAS THE CASE THE BATTERY WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO EVER START THE CAR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH DODGE AS I HAVE TALKED TO OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. ALSO I DON'T THINK THAT IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR A CAR WITH A BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY ON IT THAT IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD SHOULD BE BREAKING DOWN. IT IS VERY UNSAFE TO HAVE ALL THE GAUGES GO OUT, AND AS SOON AS I CAN I AM GETTING RID OF THE CAR. I JUST DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE GETTING HURT BECAUSE OF DODGE'S RELUCTANCE TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.*JB

MY INTERIOR LIGHT AND MY GAUGES IN MY CAR ARE NOT WORKING. I CAN'T SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING OR HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE IN MY CAR BECAUSE THEY AREN'T MOVING. THE FIRST TIME IT STOPPED WORKING A FUSE WASN'T ALL THE WAY IN I PUSHED IT IN UNDERNEATH THE HOOD AND IT WORKED. THEN THE NEXT TIME THAT IT WENT OUT I TRIED THAT SAME FUSE AND PUSHED IT IN AND IT STILL DIDN'T WORK I HAD SOMEONE CHECK THE FUSE AND THEY SAID THAT THE FUSE WASN'T BURNT OUT. THEY PULLED THE FUSE OUT AND PUT IT BACK IN AND IT WORKED. NOW THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED AND NOTHING IS WORKING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE CLUSTERS NEED TO BE FIXED. THIS CAR IS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD AND I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR I DON'T HAVE 700 DOLLARS TO PAY FOR THIS AND THIS CAR IS STILL PRACTICALLY NEW. *JB

A PROBLEM WITH A WIRING HARNESS ON MY 2002 DODGE NEON HAS CAUSED THE HEAD LIGHTS TO SUDDENLY FAIL ON MY VEHICLE WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT. ACCORDING TO MY AUTO REPAIR MAN, THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTED TO THE SWITCH ON THE STEERING COLUMN THAT OPERATES THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY BURNED OUT. THIS CAUSED THE HEAD LIGHTS TO FAIL REPEADTEDLY. DAIMLERCHRYSLER, MAKERS OF THE VEHICLE, TOLD MY AUTO MECHANIC THAT THEY HAVE NO REPAIR MANUAL FOR THIS HARNESS, AND THAT THE HARNESS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1,000 TO $1,500 TO ME.