IllustrationVEHICLE LEAKING OIL SEVERELY; AT OIL CHANGE TOLD CAM SEAL BROKE. *AK
1998 Plymouth Neon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Plymouth Neon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 151.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Neon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 22 of 167 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 91 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports4 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
167 reportsTHE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE HANDLING OF THE CAR. THE NOISE OCCURS AFTER THE CAR IS COMPLETELY WARMED UP, WHETHER THE CAR IS MOVING OR STOPPED AND IS HEARD WHEN THE CAR IS IN OR OUT OF DRIVE. IT IS A GRINDING NOISE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISES THAT I 'JUST GO BUY…
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THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE HANDLING OF THE CAR. THE NOISE OCCURS AFTER THE CAR IS COMPLETELY WARMED UP, WHETHER THE CAR IS MOVING OR STOPPED AND IS HEARD WHEN THE CAR IS IN OR OUT OF DRIVE. IT IS A GRINDING NOISE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISES THAT I 'JUST GO BUY A BATTERY.' I THINK IT IS UNREASONABLE FOR A CAR TO HAVE THESE PROBLEMS AFTER TWO YEARS, ALTHOUGH THE MILEAGE IS HIGH, THESE ARE NOT HARD MILES IN MY OPINION. *AK
VEHICLE WAS LEAKING SMALL AMOUNT OF OIL, AND WAS CONSUMING ALOT A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER NOTICED THAT HEAD GASKET WAS PUMPING OIL ONTO THE ROAD SURFACE. ACCORDING TO DEALER, CHRYSLER HAS UPGRADED THE GASKET THREE TIMES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK UP WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH. DLR CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM HAPPEN 3XS. *AK
WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75MPH WHEN A DEER JUMPED IN FRONT OF VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT WITH DEER, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. VEHICLE TOWED TO BODY SHOP. WHILE AT BODY SHOP FOR REPAIRS, MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND LOCATION OF AIR BAG SENSORS. FOUND WIRING HARNESS FOR AIR BAGS. 1 INJURY. NO EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT.*AK
BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND CRACKED HEAD. MECHANIC SAYS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN ABOUT A YEAR AS WELL HE SAYS IT IS A REACCURING PROBLEM FOR THE NEONS.
UPON COMPLETION OF OTHER REPAIRS TO ACCIDENT DAMAGE WE DISCOVERED AN OIL LEAK, WHICH WE WERE TOLD WAS UNRELATED TO THE ACCIDENT, AND WAS A HEAD GASKET FAILURE. AFTER INVESTIGATING WE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN NEONS. *AK
WHEN DRIVING OR UPON MAKING A STOP VEHICLE CUT OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING LOSS OF ALL POWER. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
CONSUMER BELIEVES THE INSIDE DOOR LOCK ARE POORLY DESIGNED ENABLING THIEVES TO EASILY USE A COAT HANGER OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO BREAK INTO THE VEHICLE, CONSUMERS VEHICLE WAS BROKEN INTO BUT NOT STOLEN BECAUSE THE CLUB WAS IN USE. NLM
THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO STALL, DEALER REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY, BATTERY AND THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR BUT THE CONDITION STILL EXIST. NLM
Official recalls
199V001000 · Structure:body
Jan 7, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER MAY BE MISSING SPOT WELDS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN STRUCTURAL CRACKS IN THE BODY, AND REDUCED CRASH PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A REAR IMPACT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR ANY MISSING WELDS, AND WILL HAVE STRUCTURAL RIVETS INSTALLED IN PLACE OF THE MISSING WELDS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE02082 · Safety Belt Cinching Latch Plate
Opened Nov 6, 2002 · Closed Apr 23, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts
THERE ARE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ALLEGED DEFECT.WHILE CONDUCTING THIS INVESTIGATION, ODI FOUND THAT THE SUBJECT CINCHES MEET THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD 208, AND THAT MANY OF THE REPORTED FAILURES WERE DUE TO INCORRECT CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSTALLATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE REPORT RATE IS LOW (1.60/100K).THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE FAILS TO ESTABLISH THE EXISTENCE OF A DEFECT TREND AT THIS TIME.FURTHER ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES TO THIS ISSUE IS UNWARRANTED AND THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION IS BEING CLOSED.