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Dodge NeonModel year report

2000 Dodge Neon Problems

Complaints
337filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
62,500miles, 96 complaints with mileage
Recalls
5campaigns on record
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
27 mpgcombined, 2.0L 4-cyl FWD · 24 city / 31 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2000 Dodge Neon (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about front air bags that did not deploy in crashes, rear brake noise and premature wear, and cooling and head gasket problems that sometimes lead to transmission fluid contamination. Reports cluster from near-new mileage through the 60,000-100,000 mile range, and a distinct later group describes rusted front subframe and suspension mounting areas on older, high-mileage cars.

  1. Air bags

    Front air bags not deploying in a crash

    • 69 complaints (20%)
    • median 75,625 mi at 5.4 yrs old (14 state mileage)
    • 54 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 1999–2012

    Complaints describe frontal impacts at moderate to highway speeds, and rollovers in some cases, where neither front air bag deployed. Several owners say the vehicle was totaled and that occupants were injured or struck the steering wheel. A related group reports the air bag warning light staying on, sometimes along with the horn and cruise control quitting, which dealers attributed to a failed clockspring. Reported at widely varied mileage, from around 12,000 to over 110,000 miles, usually after a collision rather than at a predictable age.

    Recall 99V043000

    What to check: Ask whether the air bag warning light has ever lit and whether the clockspring or air bag system has been diagnosed; a light that stays on means the system may not be armed.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “The word airbag stayed red. My local mechanic said the air bag would not deploy in a crash. He did not attempt to repair. As rain water is leaking into the trunk and from there into the floor of the back seat I wondered if the water seeped into the circuitry. I did not have time to bring to the dealer yet - but the air bag deployed for no reason while I was driving.”

    NHTSA complaint #10102440, filed 2004-12, 76,250 miles

    “Bought car from father in law, he bought the car new. He had no problems with it.soon after I bought from him in 2000(it was still new!),power windows quit working then started working again.cruise control went out, still dont work. Front end crash 2003 may, 4783.45 in damage, air bag did not deploy at 40mph !!! I had car repaired by non chrysler garage as per advice of erie insurance co. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10071137, filed 2004-01, 44,000 miles
  2. Engine cooling

    Overheating and head gasket leaks

    • 52 complaints (15%)
    • median 58,012 mi at 4.8 yrs old (22 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $625 (median of 8 quotes)
    • filed 2000–2008

    Complaints describe overheating that starts on hot days and becomes constant, coolant loss, and oil or coolant leaking around the head gasket. Owners say the dealer or an independent shop diagnosed a blown head gasket, and some report the repair being quoted at several hundred to more than two thousand dollars. A few also note oil-fouled plugs and rough running or stalling alongside the leaks. Reported from about 24,000 miles up to roughly 100,000 miles, with several cases in the 30,000-60,000 mile range.

    What to check: Check coolant level and condition, look for oil or coolant residue around the head gasket area, and ask whether the head gasket has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I bought the vehicle 2 months ago. Since then I have put $750 into repairs and have estimates for $1000 more worth of repairs. The manufacturers problems included a rear main oil seal leak, an oil pan gasket leak, and a distributor switch leak. There was also a bent wheel, damaged tire, and bad starter. The dealer (dick morris chevrolet) will do nothing to fix it.”

    NHTSA complaint #10137227, filed 2005-09, 60,000 miles

    “I have a 2000 Dodge NEON I bought at 32,000miles. Started over heating at 34,000mi. Only on really hot days. Now at 56,000 miles over heats all the time. Can't drive it. Found out it is a blown head gasket. Dealer estimates $2500 repair. (single mom, can't afford it) found out through research and mechanics that neons are prone to blown head gaskets between 30 to 60 thousand miles. Mechanic explained that the gaskets chemical compounds within the metals are not compatible. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10005793, filed 2003-02, 35,000 miles
  3. Body and structure

    Rusted front subframe and control arm mounts

    • 26 complaints (8%)
    • median 96,500 mi at 8.9 yrs old (16 state mileage)
    • filed 2000–2014

    Owners describe rust-through in the front subframe or suspension cradle, in one case letting the control arm break away and the drive axle pull out of the transmission. Others report the frame breaking with a loud noise and the engine dropping, or a clunk traced to a rusted subframe. Several say the dealer or manufacturer declined help, citing the vehicle's age. Generally reported on older, higher-mileage cars, roughly 90,000 to 170,000 miles, often in vehicles driven in wet or snowy regions.

    Recall 99V114000

    What to check: Get underneath and inspect the front subframe, cradle and control arm mounting points for flaking rust or thinning metal before buying.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I was hearing a clunk under my car. Took it to goodyear. They said it was a rusted subframe. Needs to be repaired to the tune of 1000 dollars. They said nothing else looked rusted. Hmmmm odd.”

    NHTSA complaint #10492052, filed 2013-01, 93,000 miles

    “I was driving through a enter section and I hit a slight bump and it broke my sub frame. When I went to look at it the whole right side of the sub frame was rusted out.”

    NHTSA complaint #10615823, filed 2014-07, 283,000 miles
  4. Brakes

    Rear brake noise and early brake wear

    • 35 complaints (10%)
    • median 31,750 mi at 4.5 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
    • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2000–2014

    Owners describe squealing or grinding from the rear, warped rotors that cause vibration through the steering wheel when braking, and rear brake assemblies that failed twice within a few thousand miles. Some say the dealer found nothing wrong on repeat visits and only charged for the repair at the end of a lease. Others link brake trouble to moisture in the power booster area, with brakes feeling frozen in cold weather. Mostly reported between roughly 24,000 and 45,000 miles, though some appear later past 70,000 miles.

    Recall 01V154000

    What to check: Listen for rear brake squeal on a test drive and ask for service records on rear shoes, rotors and the brake booster vacuum hose.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “My 2000 Dodge NEON has had two brake failures. At approx 30000 miles, my driver rear brake assembly failed. At approx 33000 miles, my passenger side rear brake assey has also failed. In the first incident the dealer repaired without explaining the nature of the problem. I'll find out about this one. It goes into the shop on thursday, 12/04/03.”

    NHTSA complaint #10049048, filed 2003-12, 33,000 miles

    “I leased a 2000 Dodge NEON for 4 years. Over the course of the lease, I had continued trouble with rear brake noise (squealing), and took it in for service 3 times, and was told there was nothing wrong with the brakes. When I returned the vehicle at the end of the lease, I was billed $150 to fix the squealing rear brakes. I do not feel that I should be held accountable for this since I did attempt to have the brakes fixed 3 times. I should not be penalized for Dodge/chrysler's faulty product.”

    NHTSA complaint #10036695, filed 2003-08, 12,000 miles
  5. Transmission and drivetrain

    Coolant mixing with transmission fluid

    • 29 complaints (9%)
    • median 84,800 mi at 5.2 yrs old (12 state mileage)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 5 quotes)
    • filed 1999–2015

    Complaints describe the radiator fitting or tank failing, coolant and transmission fluid mixing, and the transmission then failing or the car refusing to move with fluid on the ground. Owners say the radiator was replaced first and the transmission needed work shortly after, and that assistance was limited to part of the radiator cost. One owner was told the radiator separated from the engine and the transmission leaked into it. Reported from roughly 34,000 to 150,000 miles, with several cases in the 70,000-90,000 mile range.

    What to check: Check transmission fluid for a milky or pinkish appearance and ask whether the radiator or transmission cooler has ever been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Trans died in middle of road. Dealer claims I need a new radiator to repair. Now I read here that this seems to be re occurring. Also, mechanic from another dealer I called indicated that this was the third he has seen in the past 2 weeks. This will cost me $ 500 for radiator replacement. Please help !”

    NHTSA complaint #10053281, filed 2004-01, 84,800 miles

    “When I attemped to pull out from a stoplight the vehicle wouldn't go anywhere. Almost was rearended by a tractor trailer being that I was trying to move and my foot was not on the brake to engage the brake light. ... Took a few seconds to realize it wasn't going to move and put my four ways on. This was at an intersection where the speed limit is 45. Vehicle finally engaged but was leaking trans fluid. Got it home in 1st gear and now the car is constantly engaged in drive. When started in park the car lurches forward. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10758543, filed 2015-08, 147,000 miles

Buying note. This model year draws a long list of owner reports covering brakes, cooling and head gasket work, transmission fluid contamination and rust in the front structure. On a used example, service records and a careful inspection of the cooling system, brakes and subframe matter more than mileage alone.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 337 consumer complaints for the 2000 Dodge Neon. 96 of the complaints include a mileage, and 34% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 62,500 miles. Of all complaints, 73 involved a crash, 6 a fire, 56 an injury, 2 a death, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns and 16 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Tires (15), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (14), Exterior lighting (12), Equipment (11), Other or unknown (8), Wheels (5), Seats (4), Fuel system (3), Latches, locks and linkages (3), Interior lighting (2).

Example complaints

Air bags: “I was in an accident. Going about 65 miles an hour.. I rear ended someone on the freeway. I had my cruise control at the time.. Was a car and a half away. The car ahead of me stopped very suddenly I didn't have time to react when I hit him head on. My air bags did not deploy.”

NHTSA complaint #10370975, filed 2010-12, 83,116 miles

Brakes: “Unfortunately I ran into a driver whom was in front of me due to low visibility & bad brakes. My headlights are extremely dull & foggy. Also, whomever own the car before me had the brake vacuum replaced due to recall & ever since I've purchased the car there's been a brake problem. Such as needing a new master cylinder, new propositioning, new brake shoes, and wheel cylinder. I have receipts of all work completed. I have a one year old whom ride along and I'm highly concerned about his safety. …”

NHTSA complaint #10621019, filed 2014-08, 15,000 miles

Engine cooling: “I took our 2000 NEON (that I've had since late summer/early fall of 1999) to get an oil change and the mechanic said it looked like we had an oil leak. After further checking, he informed me that the head gasket was leaking and needed to be replaced. He told me it would cost approximately $1200. I am in the process now of calling other garages for quotes. A co-worker told me she had the same problem with her NEON and the dealer covered most of the cost since this is an on-going problem with neons. Please let me know any information you have on this on-going head gasket problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10018675, filed 2003-05, 98,376 miles

Electrical system: “I have had the same thing happen to two different 2000 Dodge neons. My headlights go out and then I have smoking around the steering wheel. The wiring harness to the headlights has burnt up. When I went to the dealer they said it was not a recall and my vehicle is not under warranty. It will cost about 3000 to replace.”

NHTSA complaint #10106277, filed 2005-01, 74,500 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

34% of the 96 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 39,038 and 90,000 miles.

3%0–106%10–2525%25–5026%50–7522%75–10014%100–1504%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (96 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 62,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

’0178’04’07’10’13’16
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2000 Dodge Neon. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Neon · sedan not rated4 / 4———

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2000 Dodge Neon version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Neon FWD2.0L 4-cyl5-speed manual243127$2,500
Neon FWD2.0L 4-cyl3-speed automatic222824$2,800

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2000 Dodge Neon → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 16 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 16 bulletins →

Other model years of the Dodge Neon

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20059645,2000—25Not compared (before 2008)Falling
20049460,0000—25Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200320254,7000—25Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200217348,0000—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200114653,5004—26Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200033762,5005—27Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199911659,9950—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199833961,0001—29Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199739062,0001—29Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199661181,5002—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199597682,7416—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19949—0———Not enough data

All Dodge Neon model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2000 Dodge Neon?

Owners of this model year most often write about front air bags that did not deploy in crashes, rear brake noise and premature wear, and cooling and head gasket problems that sometimes lead to transmission fluid contamination. The issues reported most often: Front air bags not deploying in a crash; Overheating and head gasket leaks; Rusted front subframe and control arm mounts.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2000 Dodge Neon have?

NHTSA recorded 337 consumer complaints for the 2000 Dodge Neon as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2000 Dodge Neon is reported most often?

Air bags is named most often, in 71 complaints (21% of the total), followed by brakes with 69.

Has the 2000 Dodge Neon been recalled?

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2000 Dodge Neon get?

The EPA rates the 2000 Dodge Neon (Neon, 2.0L 4-cyl) at 27 mpg combined, 24 city and 31 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,500 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2000 Dodge Neon reported?

Among the 96 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 62,500 miles and the middle half falls between 39,038 and 90,000 miles; 34% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.