2002 Dodge Neon

I GOT MY OIL CHANGED, TIRES ROTATED, AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS REPLACED ON APRIL 13 2011 AROUND 6:30PM. MY OIL CHANGE TOOK APPROXIMATELY 15 MIN. AFTER THE OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION, I PAID AND WENT STRAIGHT HOME. I WAS NOT INFORMED BY ANYONE AT VALVOLINE THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR. I GOT IN MY CAR AROUND 7:40AM ON APRIL 14TH AND HEADED TOWARDS MY INSURANCE COMPANY ON ASHEVILLE HIGHWAY. AS I ENTERED ONTO BUSINESS 85, MY CAR STARTED TO SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND I COULD FEEL HEAT ON MY FEET NEAR THE GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE. AS I TRIED TO BRAKE AND SLOW THE CAR DOWN, SOMETHING UNDER THE HOOD CAUGHT FIRE AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE CAR AND THE CAR ENDED UP SLIDING INTO THE BACK OF A PICK UP TRUCK AND THE HOOD AND FRONT END OF THE CAR COMPLETELY BURST INTO FLAMES. THE BRAKES ON THE CAR WERE REPLACED SUPPOSED HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALER BEFORE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN DECEMBER OF 2010. BECAUSE OF THE INCIDENT, I SPRAIN MY WRIST, DISLOCATED MY TOE, AND AM WITHOUT A VEHICLE. *TR

MY ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON INITIALLY. I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE THE COMPUTER READ BY A MECHANIC. THE LIGHT TURNED OFF BEFORE I ARRIVED TO THE SHOP, BUT I THOUGHT THAT THERE WOULD BE SOMETHING IN THE COMPUTER HISTORY. THE MECHANIC STILL PUT THIS ON THE COMPUTER WHICH READ NOTHING IN THE HISTORY. I THOUGHT THAT THIS MUST BE SOME TYPE OF DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT I COULD OF JUST PUT THE GAS CAP ON WRONG OR SOMETHING. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO AND NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR WHEN I HAD THIS INSPECTED. THE ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON WILL NOT PASS EMISSIONS. THEN ON 06/22/09 I GOT AN FULL OIL CHANGE AND ALL FLUIDS WERE CHECKED. STILL NOTHING WRONG. I TURNED THE CAR ON 07/04/09 THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS FLASHING AND THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE AND FUEL GAUGE WAS SHAKING. THE BATTERY DIED. I REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE BATTERY WAREHOUSE CHECKED THE FLOW OF THE BATTERY AND STATED THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN JUST A BAD BATTERY BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE IS WRONG. THEY EVEN STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT THE ALTERNATOR. THEN 2 DAYS LATER I TURN THE CAR ON AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND ANTIFREEZE WERE POURING ON THE GROUND. I TURNED THE CAR OFF IMMEDIATELY. THE DODGE DEALERSHIP THINKS THIS IS THE TRANSMISSION FROM EXPERIENCE WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE CAR. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND WOULD LIKE THIS TO BE LOOKED INTO FURTHER WHEN LOOKING ONLINE IT LOOKS AS IF I AM NOT THE ONLY OWNER OF 2002 NEON THAT IS HAVING THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE WARNING. THERE WAS NO POP-THE ENGINE STILL RUNS WITHOUT A NOISE I JUST NOTICED THAT I LOST ALL GEARS AND FLUIDS ARE DUMPING VERY QUICKLY FROM MY CAR. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT THIS DOWN. DODGE IS QUOTING JUST FOR A TRANSMISSION THE BILL WILL BE $3500.00 AND NEEDED MY VIN # JUST TO TELL THAT WITHOUT SEEING MY CAR. LUCKILY MY EMPLOYER IS NOT UPSET ABOUT THE FLUIDS ALL DUMPED IN THE PARKING LOT, BUT THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED PROPERTY DAMAGE. *TR

RAPPING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM 2002 DODGE NEON ENGINE UPON COLD START WHICH WOULD STOP AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS. FIRST DEALER WE TOOK CAR TO SAID IT WAS CARBON BUILDUP; I KNEW IT WAS MORE THAN THAT AND BROUGHT IT ANOTHER DEALER WHO AT FIRST DENIED THEY HEARD THE SOUND AT STARTUP. I TOLD THEM TO KEEP THE CAR AND TRY ANOTHER COLD START - ENDED UP THAT THIRD CYLINDER PISTON WAS CRACKED AND FOURTH CYLINDER WAS SCORED AND THEY REPLACED THE SHORT BLOCK. LUCKY FOR ME, I WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THE COST WAS $100 FOR THE DEDUCTIBLE. CAR HAD JUST UNDER 42,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED PROPERLY - OIL CHANGES EVERY 3,000 MILES, AND IS DRIVEN IN A MODERATE MANNER (NOT BEAT ON). *TR

2002 NEON DEVELOPED A TAPPING NOISE AT COLD START; THE NOISE CONTINUES UNTIL THE CAR IS WARMED UP. NO WARNING LIGHTS TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS; OWNER TOLD IT IS A ROD OR WRIST PIN, BEST TO REPLACE THE ENGINE FOR 4,600. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED. *TR

THE RADIATOR BROKE IN MY 2002 DODGE NEON. THE COOLANT WENT INTO THE TRANSMISSION. THIS WAS LAST 7/2007. NEXT THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID WENT 4/2008. NOW THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REBUILT. 7/2008 IN TALKING TO NUMEROUS REPAIR SHOPS I AM FINDING OUT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH THESE NEONS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I THINK ITS A DEFECT WITH THE WAY THIS WAS BUILT. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE, UPON HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE GARAGE WE WERE INFORMED, IT HAD A SIZABLE HOLE IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY ALSO FOUND AN OIL LEAK. TOTAL REPAIR COST EXCEEDED $600. THIS VEHICLE IS A 2002 DODGE NEON AND WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. THE VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS RECEIVED PROPER CARE AS FAR AS OIL CHANGES, TIRES, SPARK PLUGS ETC. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT EVEN REACHED 60,000 MILES YET, AND WE'RE ENCOUNTERING SUCH PROBLEMS. IN ADDITION, THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED US, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SMALL LEAKS, BUT IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR EACH LEAK, THUS THEY ONLY FIXED WHAT WAS CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO SLIP AND THE OIL LEAK, WHICH WAS ALSO SUBSTANTIAL. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN A LOUD POPPING SOUND WAS HEARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE AXLE WAS BROKEN. THIS MANUFACTURES DEFECT CAUSED PROBLEMS WITH THE CB UNIT AND THE ENGINE COMPUTER UNIT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT WHERE THE CB UNIT WAS REPLACED. THE PROBLEMS STILL PERSISTS. THE VEHICLE WAS AWAITING A PART TO ARRIVE FOR THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO PERFORM A REPLACEMENT. THERE WERE NO RECALL NOR COMPLAINT FOUND ON THIS PROBLEM. UPDATED 12/05/06. *JB

MY 2002 DODGE NEON ES HAS HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS LEADING UP TO THE EXPIRATION OF MY WARRANTY. EVERYTHING FROM ELECTRICAL ISSUES TO RADIATOR PROBLEMS TO THE TRANSMISSION. I TOOK IT FOR SERVICE AT 65,000 MILES BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. MY DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS FINE. I KNEW THEY WERE LYING AND SURE ENOUGH, AT 72,000 MILES, 2,000 MILES AFTER MY WARRANTY EXPIRED, MY TRANSMISSION IS DEAD. CHRYSLER CORP. REFUSES TO FIX OR EVEN DISCOUNT A TRANSMISSION FOR ME SAYING THAT MY CAR IS "ABOVE AND BEYOND" ANY WARRANTY. I DON'T CONSIDER 2,000 MILES ABOVE AND BEYOND, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE CAR HAD 5,000 MILES WHEN I BOUGHT IT AND WAS CONSIDERED BRAND NEW. *JB

ON FEB 14, 2006 WHILE DRIVING TO WORK THE CAR STARTED MAKING DINGING NOISE AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WENT TO HOT AND I HEARD A BUBBLING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. AS I PULLED THE CAR INTO A PARKING LOT, THE CAR STOPPED. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP IN TOWN AND THEY RAN A CHECK THROUGH THE ONBOARD COMPUTER SYSTEM. WHAT THEY FINALLY FOUND WAS THAT THE RADIATOR HAD AN INTERNAL FAILURE (THAT THE RADIATOR SEAL HAD FAILED) AND LEAKED BETWEEN THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING THE COOLANT AND TRANSMISSION FLUIDS TO MIX. SINCE THE CAR IS A 2002 AND I HAVE HAD IT FOR 4 YRS AND 3 MONTHS WITH ONLY 68,348 MILES ON THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD HAVE BEEN STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BUT CHRYSLER REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY STATED, BECAUSE THE RADIATOR CAUSED THE PROBLEM AND IT (THE RADIATOR) WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION. I EXPLAINED TO THE REPRESENTATIVE OF CHRYSLER ON THE PHONE, THAT INDEED THE RADIATOR IS ONE OF THEIR COMPONENTS ON THE CAR AND ON A 4 YEAR OLD CAR IT SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED (AS STATED BY THE SERVICE PERSONNEL AT THE DEALERSHIP), AND IT WAS FACTOR FOR THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS ALSO THE MAIN FACTOR THAT RESULTED IN THE CAR STOPPING WHILE BE DRIVEN ON A BUSY ROADWAY, WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT, PERSONAL INJURY, OR EVEN DEATH. *NM