NHTSA Complaint #10008220 — 1996 PLYMOUTH NEON

I HAVE A 1996 NEON WHICH I PURCHASED USED IN AUGUST OF 2001 WITH ONLY 35,000 MILES ON IT. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO I TOOK IT IN FOR MY MONTHLY OIL CHANGE/LUBE AND WAS TOLD THAT MY HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO GET IT REPLACED. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE A $1200 REPAIR. I BEGAN TO CALL AROUND AND EACH PLACE, WHEN I MENTIONED THE PROBLEM AND THE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL OF MY CAR, TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD HAVE GUESSED WHAT THE REPAIR WAS THAT I NEEDED JUST BY ME GIVING THEM THE TYPE OF CAR I DRIVE. I'VE CALLED 5 PLACES NOW TO GET A QUOTE ON THIS REPAIR AND PRICES RANGE ANYWHERE BETWEEN $700 - $1200, DEPENDING ON THE SHOP I USE. BY THE WAY - I LOSE ABOUT A QUART OF OIL PER WEEK. I WANTED TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH TO SEE HOW COMMON OF A PROBLEM THIS IS, SO I WENT ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SO MANY COMPLAINTS THAT IT BLEW MY MIND! I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE HEAD GASKET DESIGN IN PRE-99 MODELS AND CHRYSLER KNEW ABOUT IT. IT WAS NEVER RECALLED, BUT AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED IT IS A HUGE CONSUMER FRAUD ISSUE. I HAVE FOUND THAT 32% OF NEON OWNERS HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THIS PART - WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY HIGH. IT REALLY IS TOO BAD THAT CHRYSLER DID NOT STAND UP FOR THEIR PRODUCT RIGHT AWAY BY VOLUNTARILY ISSUING A RECALL OR BY AT LEAST FIXING THE CARS THAT WERE AFFECTED BEFORE THE PART WAS REDESIGNED. I CANNOT AFFORD A REPAIR LIKE THIS ON MY CAR - I BOUGHT A NEON BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE RELIABLE CARS WITH GREAT GAS MILEAGE, WHICH I NEED FOR MY LONG COMMUTE TO WORK EVERY DAY. IF THIS IS A PROBLEM THE MANUFACTURER KNEW ABOUT, I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THE REPAIR. WHAT CAN I DO?! *JB