NHTSA Complaint #10054458 — 1996 DODGE NEON

I PURCHASED A 1996 DODGE NEON FROM BOBB CHEVROLET ON 12/28/99. THE SALES FOLKS WERE TIM AND WENDY RYAN. I PAID $6343.85 FOR THE CAR. THE SERIAL NUMBER OF THE CAR IS [XXX] WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR I ASKED TIM RYAN 2 QUESTIONS: (1) WOULD HE HAVE THE HEAD GASKET CHECKED AND (2) WHY WAS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. BYERS FIXED THE HEAD GASKET AND HE SAID THAT SLIPPING TRANSMISSION WAS A CHRYSLER THING. THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING ALL THROUGH THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 2000. SO ON 9/8/2000, THE HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED AT BYERS. IT WAS BYERS INVOICE [XXX]. AT THIS TIME, I ASKED IF THE HEAD WAS RESURFACED AND CHECKED FOR CRACKS ALONG IF THE HEAD BOLTS WERE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT IF BYERS DID THIS AND WAS TOLD NO. I TOOK AWAY FROM THIS THAT THIS WORK WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE AND THAT WAS WHY IS WASNT DONE. I WAS TOLD YESTERDAY, 1/14/04 THAT I HAD A POSSIBLE HEAD GASKET LEAK AGAIN. SO I WENT BACK TO BYERS FOR HELP. TREAT SAID TODAY THAT CHRYSLER WONT COVER THIS WORK UNDER WARRANTY. QUESTIONS: 1.WHY DID THE HEAD GASKET LEAK AFTER 37,000 MILES? 2.IF THE HEAD WAS RESURFACED AND CHECKED FOR CRACKS AND HEAD BOLTS REPLACED AS I ASKED FOR IN 2000, WOULD I WILL HAVE THE PROBLEMS IN 2004. 3. HOW MANY OTHER DODGE NEONS HAVE BAD HEAD GASKETS AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN 44000 MILES. 4. WHEN THE WORK WAS DONE ON THE HEAD GASKET IN 1/2000 AND 9/2000, WHAT WORK WAS DONE EXACTLY? WERE THE HEADS TAKEN OUT AND CHECK BY DEFECTS. I NEED TO KNOW SINCE I NOW THINK THAT THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM IS CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM, IE THE ANTI-FREEZE IS LEAKING. *CB *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)