NHTSA Complaint #10221649 — 2004 DODGE NEON

IT WAS A SUDDEN PART FAILURE WHICH CAUSED IMMEDIATE DANGER. I WAS DRIVING 35 MPH DOWN A ROAD NEAR MY HOME AND MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED MY CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED MY FATHER FOR HELP. HE NOTICED THE ENGINE COOLANT POURING OUT OF IT'S CONTAINER AND MY TRANSMISSION FLUID DANGEROUSLY LOW. WE REFILLED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, BUT IT WOULDN'T STAY, IT WAS LEAKING SOMEWHERE. WE CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE US TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP. THE TOW TRUCK GUY IMMEDIATELY TOLD US THAT HE'S SEEN THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME WITH DODGE NEONS. THE RADIATOR BRAKES AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKS INTO THE COOLANT. THE REPAIR SHOP MECHANIC ALSO CONCLUDED THE SAME THING. HE TOLD ME HE'D HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE TRANSMISSION AND FLUSH OUT THE SYSTEM TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE TRANSMISSION, BUT THAT I WOULD DEFINITELY NEED TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR. HE TOLD ME HE USED TO WORK FOR DODGE SERVICE REPAIR AND WOULD SEE THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME AND NORMALLY IT WOULD CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO BLOW TOO. IN PICKING UP THE CAR HE TOLD ME HE MANUALLY FLUSHED OUT THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS AS BEST HE COULD, BUT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO SOMEONE WHOM COULD POWER FLUSH OUT EVERYTHING TO MAKE SURE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE OK. I DID ASK HIM WHAT'S MY GUARANTEE THAT THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. HE STATED THE NEW RADIATOR THAT DODGE NOW PROVIDES FOR THEIR NEONS WHEN THE ONE FROM THE FACTORY FAILS IS CONSTRUCTED ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. I ASKED HIM IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS RADIATOR SINCE DODGE IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE? HE TOLD ME NO. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND DISCOVERED MANY STORIES LIKE MY OWN. I'VE FOUND THAT ANY NEON FROM 1999 TO 2005 HAS HAD A FAULTY RADIATOR. SOME OF THE STORIES ARE WORSE THAN MINE. TRANSMISSIONS BLOWN AND COSTING PEOPLE THOUSANDS. IT HAS CAUSED ACCIDENTS AND MAY HAVE COST LIVES, I'M NOT SURE. I CAN ONLY THINK WHEN A CAR STOPS ACCELERATING ON A FASTER ROAD, WHAT KIND OF ACCIDENT'S CAN OCCUR. *TR