2.0

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,481 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Dodge Neon engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Dodge Neon Owner Comments

problem #4

Jul 152010

Neon

  • 118,212 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

1. started to accelerate off of a green light heard a loud pop. The car started to accelerate, when in gear, without me having to apply any pressure to the accelerator. As I continued on my way home I heard a loud hissing like a metal on metal sound. Possibly the throttle control sensor 2. this is the first time that this has happened on any of my vehicles. 3. the incident just happened today taking it back to the dealership to get it fixed.

- Lakewood , WA, USA

problem #3

May 012009

Neon

  • 62,000 miles
While I was accelerating to get on the highway, my car suddenly lurched violently forward causing me and my passengers to sustain neck trauma, not significant enough though to require medical assistance. This has happened about 150 times since I have owned the car, which has been almost 3 years. This last time was concerning enough for me to file this report. Most times it is really not that significant of a jerk or lurch, but definitely noticeable and annoying/concerning. It happens when I am usually stopped and start to proceed, and the speedometer will show a drop in speed, hesitate, and jerk the car forward. I have had this problem since I bought my car and have had it in for service twice. Once they replaced the gas cap, and once they replaced the output speed sensor. I have since been online looking for other people having the same problem as me, and believe me, there are many, and find that it is the oxygen sensor that causes this problem. If I am having problems with my car jerking forward, enough to cause my neck to almost sustain whiplash, I feel this is a defect in the car, and should be looked into by your Agency.

- Ramsey, MN, USA

problem #2

Apr 192009

Neon

  • 109,800 miles
About 6 months ago while driving to work, it started raining and I turned my headlights on. The headlights would not come on but the driving lights did, I flip the headlight switch up to high beams and the brights worked. I noticed in the process that smoke started coming from steering column and it smelled like wires burning. While driving on the interstate, after it had rained. I set my cruise control, the first time, used it since the smoke. I set the cruise at 75 mph. The car started accelerating to 80 the computer caught the increase and downshifted on it's own. About 10 minutes later, the car started accelerating again, this time it was up to 90 mph, and continuing to gain speed. I pressed the brakes and the cruise control button to release the cruise and neither worked. I was coming up on the exit that I was needing to take. I down shifted the automatic to 2nd and 1st the car slowed, but not enough. I shifted to neutral and still the car would not stop. At the bottom of the exit ramp there was a wide spot that I knew that I could use if a car was coming. At the bottom of the exit ramp I was finally down to 30 mph but still not able to stop. I finally pulled the emergency brake, still the car would not stop. Finally when the car was headed up a hill the car slowed to 10 mph and I shifted the car into park and turned it off. Finally, I stopped without any damage to the outside of the car, and with out leaving the road. The brakes have been replaced since the smoke and headlights have not worked on dim. The Dodge place, dalton, ga is says that the multi functional switch that control the headlight will fix the problem that caused the cruise control to lockup that is on a different control. How many lives have to be injured or lost before Chrysler issues a recall for their cars. I had my 8 & 10 yr olds with me earlier, and had just dropped them off. Is fixing your parts that are installed on cars by manufacturers worth more than 3+ lives.

- Rocky Face, GA, USA

problem #1

Feb 052005

Neon 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,911 miles
While driving my 2003 Dodge Neon SXT the throttle cable snapped and I lost the ability to accelerate or control the car speed. This happened in the fast lane of a 6 lane roadway. I was able to coast the vehicle off the roadway and had it towed to the dealer. While with this incident I was fortunate to avoid a collision if the potential for a serious accident was obvious. Several approaching cars narrowly avoided colliding with my vehicle because of the sudden loss of the ability to maintain speed.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

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