Plymouth Neon Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,369 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Plymouth Neon (1995–2001) that have at least 5 complaints. 1995 has the most, with 481. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (564 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Neon model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 49 | 59,000 | 2 | 13 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 141 | 74,500 | 5 | 11 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1999 | 62 | 52,000 | 0 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 167 | 65,562 | 1 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 161 | 65,000 | 1 | 8 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 308 | 83,000 | 2 | 7 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1995 | 481 | 85,000 | 6 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling564 40%
- Brakes201 14%
- Air bags158 11%
- Electrical system144 10%
- Steering111 7.8%
- Transmission and drivetrain107 7.5%
- Other or unknown76 5.3%
- Body and structure65 4.6%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2001: “I was driving my 2001 with only 65,000 miles on it and heard a loud bang. I was able to bring it to my mechanic and he said the front end rotted out.its a good thing I was going slow or I could have been severly injured.in addition when it rains the floor boards and trunk well fill with water.this car should not be sold .I just read online about other drivers having had the same problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10991976, filed 2017-05, 65,000 miles1998: “Car has 36,000 miles on it and oil started running out underneath the car. Took car to dealer and the head gasket was blown. This is a known problem and chrysler has yet to correct it. Upon further investigation I have found that I will have this problem again since it is a defect from the manufacturer. I was told from mechanic that several other cars the heads are also affected by this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10404311, filed 2011-06, 36,000 miles2000: “I started my car getting ready to leave my house at night, turned on the headlights after starting. Then I smelled a plastic burning smell and shortly smoke began to come out of the area around the instrument cluster and steering wheel. I turned off the lights and the car but smoke still came out. I popped the hood and disconnected the battery, then the smoke eventually stopped. Later I found the multifunction switch connector melted and burned up, this could have caused a serious fire if I had not caught it in time.”
NHTSA complaint #11045152, filed 2017-11, 265,500 milesOther Plymouth models
5,239 complaintsPlymouth Grand Voyager
2,429 complaintsPlymouth Breeze
666 complaintsPlymouth Acclaim
424 complaintsPlymouth Sundance
306 complaintsPlymouth Colt
138 complaintsPlymouth Laser
110 complaintsPlymouth Prowler
56 complaints
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. Methodology