2002 Dodge Neon

I BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW. NO PREVIOUS OWNERS. THE CAR IS A 2002 DODGE NEON 4 DOOR. THE PAINT BEGAN TO PEEL OFF APPROX TWO YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. I TOOK IT TO A DODGE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT DODGE WOULD NOT HELP ME SINCE IT LOOKED LIKE THE PAINT WAS COMING OFF BECAUSE OF STONES HITTING IT. YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE WHERE THE PAINT IS ABOUT TO PEEL MORE, BECAUSE IT BUBBLES UP FIRST, THEN SPLITS, THEN PEELS OFF. THE PAINT WILL LITERALLY FLY OFF WHEN DRIVING AND YOU CAN SEE IT GO UP PAST THE WINDSHIELD. THE PAINT IS PEELING OFF IN SHEETS. I HAVE READ MANY, MANY OTHER CONSUMERS WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM. WHY ISN'T DODGE TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS? I HAVE CONTACTED DODGE WITH NO RESPONSE. NOW THE CAR IS PAST ITS WARRANTY STAGE. SOMEONE SHOULD MAKE DODGE MAKE THIS RIGHT. *NM

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

THE FOG LIGHT MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH IN MY 2002 DODGE NEON WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND THE FOG LIGHTS WERE TURNING ON WITHOUT BEING TURNED ON. THIS CONTINUED FOR ABOUT A MONTH UNTIL SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN FOR ~30 SECONDS, UNTIL THE CAR WAS PULLED OVER AND THE IGNITION TURNED OFF. THE FOG LIGHTS NO LONGER WORK AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO MORE INCIDENCES OF SMOKE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET TO RECTIFY THIS, BUT THE DEALERSHIP WILL BE CONTACTED SHORTLY. WE FOUND NO OBVIOUS RECALLS FOR THIS FOR THIS VEHICLE. *NM

I HAD A CAR WRECK ON MAY 3 @ 5PM THE POINT OF IMPACT WAS AROUND 25-30 MPH. MY AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY AND DO TO THAT I WAS THROWN INTO MY WINDSHIELD WHICH I CRACKED IT. I HAD TO GO TO THE DOCTOR FOR MY INJURIES. I AM ONLY 4 FOOT TALL AND I SIT TOO CLOSE TO MY STEERING WHEEL TO BEGIN WITH AND IN AWAY I AM GLAD THAT IT DIDN'T GO OFF. BUT IF I HAD A PASSENGER WITH ME THEY COULD OF BEEN HURT TOO. I ALSO NEED TO KNOW HOW I CAN GET A SWITCH PUT IN TO TURN MY BAGS ON AND OFF. *NM

THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE STARTED SINCE THE CAR HAD A COUPLE OF THOUSAND MILES. STARTED OFF WITH A TICKING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL, TO A POPPING NOISE AND THEN TO CLUNKING. THE CAR ITSELF HAD A LOT OF THE SUSPENSION REVIEWED OVER 20 TIMES BY THE DEALERSHIP WITH "NO PROBLEM FOUND" THEY DID REPLACE STEERING COUPLERS BASED ON TSB'S BUT THAT DIDN'T RESOLVE IT. THE CAR STILL HAS A CLICK/POP IN THE STEERING WHEEL, WHEN ON TAKE OFF THE STEERING WHEEL STILL HAS THE ORIGINAL CLUNK. THE MAJOR CONCERNED IS THE STEERING!! AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 50 MPH THE CAR IS NOT CONTROLLABLE, IT SWAYS, SWERVES LOSS OF CONTROL WHEN TRYING TO HOLD THE CAR IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE FEELS AS IF ITS TURNING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS WHILE DRIVING, IT REQUIRES A LOT MORE EFFORT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN THEN A RIGHT TURNS. THE VEHICLE IS DEEMED UNSAFE BY ANY STANDARD, THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THE DEALER SHIP STATES THAT ITS WITHIN "SPEC"... IF I HAVE TO COUNTER STEER ON A STRAIGHT LINE THERE IS A PROBLEM. I HAVE ALMOST HAD SEVERAL ACCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE STEERING ISSUE, I AM STILL FIGHTING WITH DODGE TRYING TO GET A COURTESY DISTRICT MANAGER TO REVIEW THE PROBLEMS. THEIR "OFFICIAL" ANSWER IS THAT ITS OUT OF THE STANDARD WARRANTY AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WILL DODGE PAY FOR THE REPAIRS FOR STEERING ISSUES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A PREEXISTING ISSUE!! THE DEALER STATED THAT MY LOSS OF CONTROL WAS DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE OEM GOODYEAR TIRES, SO I BROUGHT IT TO GOOD YEAR AND THEY SAID THAT THERE ISN'T ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE TIRES. I INSISTED THEY REPLACE THE TIRES, AND OUT OF GOODWILL THEY DID REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED!!!.. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED THAT AFTER REVIEWING THE CAR THAT IS THE CARS HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAR. I KNEW IT WASN'T B/C THE CAR NEVER HAD THOSE ISSUES PRIOR TO THE 5000 MILES, THE DEALERSHIP THEN REPLACED SOME SHOCKS AND OTHER ODDS AND ENDS THAT MADE NO IMPROVEMENT TO THE VEHICLES STEERING. *NM

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