2004 Dodge Neon Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 23about this part
- Share
- 24%of 94 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 51,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 23 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2004 Dodge Neon, 24% of the 94 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 51,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10442685, filed 2012-01, 134,000 miles“I have a Dodge NEON 2004 when driving to school the car started accelerating on it's own which was very risky. It was revving up to 3200 RPM atg 40 MPH I had to pull by the side of the road all of a sudden I saw a leak behind the plate on the transmission the check engine light came on too bad. I was wondering if there is any recall on this car because I can see a lot of complains from other individuals on here. There are a lot of safety issues regarding the neons revving up or accelerating on it's own.”
NHTSA complaint #10467602, filed 2012-07, 153 miles“I drove my 2004 Dodge NEON sxt to school last tuesday and parked it everything fine. I came out to leave started it and I had no reverse. It kicked in for a second and then again nothing. I put it in drive and the same thing nothing. When I got out and opened the hood I saw all the transmission fluid on the ground had it towed to dealership. I have a 70,000 mile powertrain warranty with 69,765 miles on it. The dealer said radiator failed causing trans fluid and coolant to mix through out. …”
NHTSA complaint #10260827, filed 2009-03, 69,784 miles“This is on behalf of many owners of 2003-2005 Dodge NEON srt-4 vehicles. My vehicle as well as those of several hundred others commonly have problems shifting into 3rd gear. The problems continue to get worse until the transmission ceases to function entirely leaving the driver stranded. There are many owners who have experienced this with less than 10k miles on their car. I have 65k miles and I am on my 2nd transmission and now it is starting to act up as well. …”
NHTSA complaint #10169710, filed 2006-10, 50,000 miles“Upon purchasing my car, brand new in 2004, I have had several problems with it. After a short year of having my car my power windows went out, shortly after my front door speakers stopped working and my radio/cd player often doesn't work correctly...cd discs will get stuck in player and continually play until car is shut off and sometimes that doesn't even resolve problem. Front brakes started to squeak and groan constantly, I took the vehicle to the dealership 4 times to have them try to fix brakes. …”
NHTSA complaint #10182021, filed 2007-02, 35,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10217728Jul 30, 2014Generic Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Procedure This bulletin involves programming a generic PCM with software.
- 10141243Jul 30, 2014Generic Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Procedure This bulletin involves programming a generic PCM with software.
- 10021684Apr 26, 2007Generic powertrain control module (pcm) procedure.
- 10021239Aug 25, 2006Powertrain control module initialization.
- 10013731Mar 2, 2005Powertrain control module initialization.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 14 | 15% |
| 2004 | 23 | 24% |
| 2003 | 28 | 14% |
| 2002 | 36 | 21% |
| 2001 | 8 | 5% |
| 2000 | 28 | 8% |
| 1999 | 9 | 8% |
| 1998 | 20 | 6% |
| 1997 | 26 | 7% |
| 1996 | 47 | 8% |
| 1995 | 93 | 10% |
| 1994 | 2 | 22% |
Other parts of the 2004 Dodge Neon
20 complaintsElectrical system
15 complaintsAir bags
14 complaintsBrakes
9 complaintsExterior lighting
8 complaintsSuspension
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsEngine
6 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsSeat belts
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsEquipment
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Dodge Neon
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology