2004 Dodge Neon

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED IN AND OUT OF DRIVE. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION FLUID SPILL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE RADIATOR. THE RADIATOR WAS CRACKED AND CAUSED THE FLUID TO CONTAMINATE THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 134,526.

THE NEON WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN I LOST ACCELERATION AND IT SPEWED TRANSMISSION FLUID (AND MIXED WITH WHAT I LATER FOUND OUT WAS COOLING FLUID) ALL OVER THE ROAD. THE CAR COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE AND IS INOPERABLE. THE MECHANIC LATER DETERMINED THAT THE RADIATOR HAD FAILED AND LEAKED COOLANT INTO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING IT TO OVERHEAT AND FAIL. *TR

CAR WAS TAKEN FOR OIL CHANGE AND TUNE-UP @ 134,000 MILES. COUPLE DAYS LATER CAR STARTED STALLING INTERMITTENTLY. WOULD START IN THE AM FROM SITTING ALL NIGHT BUT WHEN DRIVEN TO WORK AND PARKED FOR 5 1/2 HOURS CAR WOULD NOT START W/O A JUMP. MECHANIC DID NOT READ ANYTHING ON DIAGNOSTICS. WENT TO ADVANCED AUTO WHO READ BATTERY WAS LOW. REPLACED BATTERY & CAR STILL STALLED. CAR NO LONGER RESPONDED TO JUMP AND HAD IT TOWED TO MECHANIC. WHEN MECHANIC RECEIVED CAR WAS ABLE TO START CAR WITH NO HESITATION AND DROVE FOR 30 MINUTES. TURNED CAR OFF AND LET IT SIT FOR ANOTHER 30 MINUTES AND HAD NO PROBLEM STARTING. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH VEHICLE. STUCK WITH A CAR THAT INTERMITTENTLY STALLS AND SHOWS NO OTHER SIGNS OF FAILURE. CAR HAS NOT CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ONLY STALLS WHILE TRYING TO START VEHICLE. *TR

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING - LETTER FROM REGARDING DODGE PROBLEMS. *KB 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONSUMERS WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED ACCELERATING. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND SHE WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE HOOD WAS EXTREMELY TOO HOT TO TOUCH AND NOISES AND LIQUIDS WERE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION COOLER IN THE RADIATOR. THE TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, HOSES AND THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE ENGINE WAS FLUSHED. *JB

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE STARTED BUCKING.NO MORE GEARS OR SHIFTING INTO DRIVE.LOSS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID AND COOLANT. A PIECE OF TRANSMISSION LINE OR FITTING CORRODED AND LET LOOSE INSIDE THE RADIATOR. THIS CAUSED THE MIXING OF FLUIDS INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND COOLING SYSTEM.RADIATOR FAILED AND BLED FLUIDS. RADIATOR WAS REPLACED AND COOLANT SYSTEM WAS FLUSHED. TRANSMISSION WAS ALSO FLUSHED.THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED TO MY CO-WORKER THAT HAS THE SAME TYPE VEHICLE(04 DODGE NEON,2.0 LITRE ENGINE,74000 MILES). I SUSPECT IT IS HAPPENING TO EVERY CUSTOMER THAT HAS THAT TYPE AND YEAR NEON. PART NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

2004 DODGE NEON SXT. TRANSMISSION / COOLING SYSTEM FAILURE RESULTING IN ANTIFREEZE MIXING WITH TRANSMISSION FLUID DESTROYING TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR. DODGE REFUSES TO HONOR THEIR POWER TRAIN WARRANTY CITING THE COOLING SYSTEM AS THE CAUSE OF THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE, AND NOT THE POWERTRAIN. THIS SHOULD BE A RARE OCCURRENCE ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR ONLINE. THERE SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR DEFECT IN THESE CARS CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. DEALER ESTIMATED 3900 PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT TOOK HER VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE BRAKE PADS SERVICED. THE TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID PACT WAS LEAKING AND MADE THE REPLACEMENT. THE REPAIRS TOTALED $1,000, OF WHICH THE CONTACT PAID $865. TWO DAYS AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE REVVED UP WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH. ON ONE OCCASION, THE CONTACT RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. SHE ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE STILL ACCELERATED. WHEN SHE ARRIVED HOME, SHE NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT HAS NOT YET RECEIVED ANY FEEDBACK. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 96,978.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR REPEATEDLY FAILED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL AUTO BODY SHOP AND THEY STATED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE COMPONENTS HAVE NOT YET BEEN REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD ONLY ASSUME PARTIAL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 88,000.

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ONE EVENING WHEN IT SUDDENLY STOPPED ACCELERATING. I PULLED OVER AS BEST AS I COULD BEING ON A HILLY CURVING ROAD IN A THUNDERSTORM. I WAS ABLE TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION FLUID; THERE WAS NO FLUID ON THE STICK. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND A FRIEND NEAR BY. WE BOUGHT TRANSMISSION FLUID TO SEE IF THAT WOULD HELP. WE PUT ALMOST 2 QUARTS OF FLUID IN IT AND ATTEMPTED TO PUT IT IN GEAR. IT DIDN'T GO INTO GEAR, JUST COASTED BACKWARDS AND SAW FLUID ON THE PAVEMENT. IT WAS LEAKING FROM FRONT, APPEARED TO BE HOSE RELATED. WHEN I GOT HOME AND THE HOSE FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE RADIATOR WAS DISCONNECTED. THE HOSE AND CONNECTOR WERE INTACT HOWEVER THE THREADS INSIDE THE RADIATOR WERE STRIPPED. I GOT ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH NEONS. I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WERE SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH NEONS FROM 1999-2005 WITH FAULTY FACTORY INSTALLED RADIATORS. EVENTUALLY THE PROBLEM CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND ANTIFREEZE TO MIX AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION BLOWS. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I ORIGINALLY BOUGHT MY CAR, LOOKING FOR POSSIBLE ANSWERS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT A CAR THAT IS JUST UNDER 4 YEARS OLD, HAS JUST OVER 30K MILES AND I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER WOULD HAVE SUCH A HUGE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP OFFERED NOTHING. THEY BLEW IT OFF STATING WHEN I FIND OUT WHAT IS "REALLY" WRONG WITH MY CAR, THEN TO CALL THEM. THE MAN SAID HE HAD ONLY SEEN IT ONCE AND DOUBTED IT WAS WHAT I SAID IT WAS. FORCED TO SEEK HELP SOMEWHERE ELSE, I CALLED ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. HE HAD SAID THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM A COUPLE OF TIMES AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS EXPLAINING. I TOOK IT DOWN AND HAD MY CAR BACK THE NEXT DAY. THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR, FLUSHED BOTH THE RADIATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION. IT COST $760. MY TRANSMISSION WAS SPARED. I ALSO CONTACTED DODGE/CHRYSLER AND GOT A POLITE THANK FOR YOUR "OPINION" LETTER. *TR