2003 Dodge Neon

THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. I IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE CAR. AFTER STARTING THE CAR, I REALIZED MY HEADLIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. I PULLED ON THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH TWICE AND REGAINED THE USE OF MY HEADLIGHTS. I DROPPED THE VEHICLE OFF AT THE DEALERSHIP (BIG VALLEY DODGE/SUBARU) ON 5/24/06. ON 5/26/06, AT ABOUT 4:20 PM, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MARVIN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. HE ADVISED THEY WERE GOING TO REPLACE THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH AND WIRE HARNESS. HE ALSO ADVISED I WAS BEING CHARGED $386.00 + TAX AS MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. IT SEEMS AS THERE IS NO TSB ON THIS PROBLEM ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MANY NEON OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. PLEASE SEE LINKS BELOW. HTTP://WWW.SRTFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=3461887#POST3461887 HTTP://WWW.SRTFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=255414&HIGHLIGHT=MULTIFUNCTION+SWITCH HTTP://WWW.SRTFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=251467&HIGHLIGHT=MULTIFUNCTION+SWITCH HTTP://WWW.SRTFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=191421&HIGHLIGHT=MULTIFUNCTION+SWITCH. *JB

LAST WEEK THE CAR STARED BLOWING THE DASHBOARD LIGHT FUSE. I'VE REPLACED IT 4 TIMES, AND THEY ALL BLEW WITH IN A FEW MINUTES. THE DEALER SAID THEY SPENT 2 HOURS TRYING TO FIND THE PROBLEM. I PAID THE $100.00 DIAGNOSTIC FEE AND THREE BLOCKS FROM THE DEALER, THE FUSE BLEW AGAIN. I TOOK BACK TO THEM AND WILL PAY ANOTHER $100.00 FEE TOMORROW. THE FACTORY WARRANTY RAN OUT 2600 MILES AGO, AND I PURCHASED CHRYSLER'S BEST MAXIMUM CAR UPGRADE SERVICE CONTRACT SO I WOULD NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS KIND OF STUFF, BUT IT IS NOT COVERED. NOW I HAVE A CAR I CAN'T SAFELY DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE THE DASHBOARD. *JB

THIS IS A PROBLEM NUMEROUS SRT-4 OWNERS AS WELL AS NEON OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING (HTTP://WWW.SRTFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=221333, HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/CARS/PROBLEMS/COMPLAIN/RESULTS.CFM, HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/CARS/PROBLEMS/COMPLAIN/RESULTS.CFM). MY MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH HAS GONE OUT TWICE BOTH RESULTING IN INSTANCES WHERE THE HEADLIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS DO NOT WORKING. FIRST TIME I HAD TO PAY THE DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE SWITCH. THEY NOTED THE WIRING HARNESS WAS MELTED BUT DID NOT REPLACE NOR ASK ME IF I WANTED IT REPLACED. THIS TIME I REPLACED THE SWITCH MYSELF AND HEADLIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS STILL DON'T WORK. THE WIRING HARNESS LOOKS COMPLETELY BURNT. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR SHORTED AND CAUSED THE COMPUTER TO SHORT OUT. THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY LOCKED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT PUSHED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE IT WAS THEN TOWED TO A CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP. THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE WERE REPLACED AS A RESULT OF THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE SENSOR. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE STALLED AND DIED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THERE WAS TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, AND THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO ACCURATELY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. NO FURTHER REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME. *AK

(1)HEADLIGHTS AND DRIVING LIGHTS ( THAT WAS PUT ON BY DODGE) WENT OUT. (2) WIRE HARNESS AND TURN SIGNAL/ HEADLIGHT SWITCH AT STEERING WHEEL MELTED TOGETHER.!!!!! NEVER BLOWING A FUSE !!!!! FOUND OUT THE DRIVING LIGHTS WERE STAYING ON AT HIGHBEAM. WHEN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO GO OUT. (3) REPLACING THE SWITCH AND HAD THE END OF THE WIRE HARNESS REPLACED. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE (FORGOT TO GET FROM MECHANIC). *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE HORN WAS NOT WORKING. THE HORN WAS REPLACED ON AUGUST 3, 2004 AND THE PROBLEM RECURRED. ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2004 . SHE STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE NOT STARTING WHEN CRANKED. SHE STATED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS IT WOULD START. THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP , AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, THE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR, AND THE FLASHED PCM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT STARTING AGAIN; THIS BEGAN ON OCTOBER 19, 2005. THE VEHICLE WILL HAVE TO BE TOWED THIS TIME. *AK

DT: THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE WIRING UNDER THE DASHBOARD. THIS HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND THEY WERE GOING TO INVESTIGATE IT, BUT HAVE NOT DONE SO. THE VEHICLE CUT OFF, AND SMOKE CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH. THEN , THE VEHICLE TURNED ON FOUR TIMES BY ITSELF WHILE CONSUMER HOLDING THE KEY IN HAND. THE HORN STARTED BLOWING AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON. *AK

DT: THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY WHILE IN MOTION AND THE STEERING WOULD LOCK. ALSO, THE HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED IN A TEN MONTH SPAN. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS ON NOVEMBER 15, 2004, THE SECOND WAS MARCH 23, 2005, AND SEPTEMBER 25, 2005. THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TWICE, AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY TWICE. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING, NOISE AND OR WARNING LIGHTS. *AK (11/21/05) *SC

I HAVE A 2003 DODGE NEON THAT I BOUGHT BRAND NEW WITH ONE MILE ON IT WHEN I TOOK IT OFF THE LOT. SINCE THAT DREADFULL DAY I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE STARTING AROUND 10K MILES. FIRST SOME ELECTRICAL COMPONETS IN THE SOUND SYSTEM WENT OUT. FROM THERE I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS REPLACEDBECAUSE NEARLY EVERY 5K MILES STARTING AROUND 10,500 MILES. THE CAR HAS A HARD TIME STARTING WHEN THE TEMPERATURES GET TOO CLOSE TO 20 DEGREES F, WHEN YOU GET TO ZERO FORGET IT. I HAVE HAD THE BATTERY TESTED MY DEALER CHARGED ME $30.00 SOME ODD DOLLARS TO DO THAT AND SAID IT IS JUST ME. WHEN IT GETS TOO HOT LIKE AROUND 85 DEGREES OR SO IT RUNS LIKE IT IS BOGING DOWN. THE FULE INJECTION SENSORS HAVE GONE OUT TWICE 200 MILES APPART AND AT THIS TIME THE VEHICLE HAS NEARLY 33K MILES ON IT. I HAVE IT SERVICED EVERY 3K MILES AND HAVE CHANGED THE AIR FILTER AND SPARK PLUGS AS DIRECTED. I ALSO HAVE ALL OF MY SERVICE RECEIPTS FROM THE TRIPS TO THE DEALR I REGUARDS TO THE ELECTRICAL, BREAK AND INJECTION WORK I HAVE HAD DONE. THE VEHICLE HAS ALSO BEEN TAKEN TO THREE DIFERENT DODGE DEALERS HOPING ONE WOULD FIND SOMETHING THE OTHERS KEEPT OVERLOOKING. MORE INFO CAN AND WILL BE PROVIDED IF REQUESTED.