1995 DODGE NEON Electrical Systemwiringinteriorunder Dash Problems

CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT SHORTYLY AFTER DEALER REPROGRAMMED PCM. REAR MAIN SEAL HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH CONSTANT LEAKS. RADIO BEGAN WORKING INTERMITTENTLY ABOUT YEAR AND HALF AGO AND NOW IS COMPLETELY OUT. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND THEN COMPLETELY WENT OUT. A/C CONDENSOR WENT OUT AND TOOK BELTS WITH IT. I HAVE DONE ALOT OF INTERNET RESEARCH AND WORD OF MOUTH RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT ALL THESE COMPONENTS ARE COMMON FAILURS. CALLED DODGE COMPLAINT LINE ONLY TO HAVE THEM TELL ME I'M SOL SINCE WARRANTY IS UP.*AK

SMOKE IS COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN DUE TO PARTS OF IGNITION SWITCH AND DASH WIRING HARNESS MELTING. MILEAGE 123000. *AK THE DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH SHORTED THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT GROUND WIRE. THE WIRE IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE IGNITION SWITCH AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE SMOKE EMITTED ONCE THE KEY WAS TURNED IN THE IGNITION. THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION CONCERNING STEERING COLUMN FIRES PE97-007, BUT THE DEFECT WAS IN THE MALFUCTION SWITCH AND NOT THE IGNITION. THE SWITCH WAS SET IN THE INTERMEDIATE POSITION INSTEAD OF THE RUN POSITION. CONSUMER THINKS THIS MAY HAVE BEEN RELATED. *JG

1)INSTRUMENT GAUGES WORK SPORADICALLY: SPEEDOMETER FAILS MOST NOT REPORTING ANY SPEED, OR STICKING AT LAST LOCATION. TACHOMETER FAILS SAME WAY, AND ON OCCASION ALL GAUGES STICK AT CURRENT POSITION. 2) EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS: BRAKES LIGHTS REMAIN ON/DO NOT SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND EVEN AFTER CAR HAS BEEN SHUT OFF COMPLETLY. I'VE FOUND THEM STILL ON AFTER SEVERAL HOURS (NO OTHER LIGHTS ON) 3) LEFT TURN SIGNAL: FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN YOU HIT THE BRAKES THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL SWITCHES ON. 4) CAR STEREO: STEREO/TAPE PLAYER STOPPED WORKING. CLOCK DOES NOT COME ON, NOTHING. IT DOES LIGHT UP WITH INTERIOR LIGHTS BUT DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. 5) WAS REAR-ENDED IN MVA AND AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

PARKED CAR IN A PARKING LOT. TURNED CAR OFF. LIGHTS WERE OFF. WENT INSIDE AND 30 MINUTES LATER SOMEONE SAID, "YOUR CAR IS ON FIRE." WENT OUTSIDE AND FOUND THE CAR ENGULFED IN FLAMES. FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. WITNESSES SAID THAT THE FIRE WAS COMING FROM THE DASH AREA ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED THE CAR. REPORTED IT TO DODGE. THEY SENT AN INSPECTOR WHO TOOK A FEW MINUTES TO INSPECT AND A FEW PICTURES. RECEIVE LETTER FROM DODGE STATING THAT, "FIRES CAN AND DO OCCUR AND WE ARE NOT AT FAULT." *AK

THERE HAVE BEEN TRACES OF AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL COMPONENT BURNING/OVERHEATING SMELL IN THE CAR FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS. NO OTHER SYMPTOMS WERE EVIDENT. ON 10/25/01, AFTER TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS IN THE EVENING BEFORE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS A PRONOUNCED ODOR OF AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT BURNING OR OVERHEATING, FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER BY THE LOSS OF THE HEADLIGHTS. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR AND THE STEERING COLUMN MOUNTED MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED OVERHEATING/BURNING/MELTING OF THESE COMPONENTS AS WELL AS THE INSULATION AROUND SEVERAL WIRES. I HAVE RETAINED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH AND WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR FOR FUTURE INSPECTION BY ANY INTERESTED PARTIES. THE STEERING COLUMN MOUNTED MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH HAD TO BE RETURNED TO THE DEALER DUE TO A CORE CHARGE. THE TOTAL COST FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO...

CONSUMER PULLED IN A PARKING LOT, CONSUMER TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, AND DASHBOARD STARTED SMOKING VERY BADLY TO THE POINT THAT CONSUMER COULD NOT SEE, THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD INDICATING THIS PROBLEM. CONSUMER SAID THAT IT SMELLED LIKE RUBBER BURNING, CONSUMER FELT THIS WAS VERY UNSAFE, ESPECIALLY IF KIDS WERE PRESENT. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LOSES POWER UNEXPLICABLY DURING NORMAL CAR USAGE. POWER IS IMMEDIATLY RESTORED AFTER THE LOSS, HOWEVER IT MAKES VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO DRIVE AT TIMES WHEN ODEMTER IS BEING RESET. EXCESSIVE LEAKAGE IN VEHICLE'S TRUNK AND DRIVER'S SIDE BACK SEAT HAS OCCURED. BOSAK TO FIX AFTER CAR WAS RECENTLY BOUGHT, HOWEVER, LEAK NOT COMPLETELY FIXED AND RE-DISCOVERED 1 YEAR LATER. A HOLE WAS DISCOVERED IN THE DRIVERE'S SIDE REAR WHEEL WELL AS A RESULT OF UNEXPLICABLE EXCESSIVE CORROSION. IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT SEALS WERE BROKED ON DRIVERE'S SIDE DOOR AND WINDOW TRACK WAS GLUED IMPROPERLY CAUSING THE WINDOW AND TRACK TO COME LOOSE. OUT OF POCKET EXPENCES NOT REVOVERED BY DEALERSHIP. ALSO DISCOVERED WAS A SEVERE LEAKE FROM HEAD GASKET. CALLED SEVERAL REPAIR PLACES AND FOUND THE NEON'S HAVE HAD MUCH TROUBLE IN THE PAST.. EXCESSIVE OIL LOSS, AND REPAIRS ARE COSTLY. FRONT ENGINE MOUNT OFF; CAUSING PRESSURE IN...

LOSS OF STEERING OCCURRED WHEN I DROVE THROUGH A PUDDLE OF WATER DURING A RAINSTORM AND THE STEERING POWER WAS CUT CAUSING ME TO HIT A CONCRETE CURB AT ABOUT 15 MPH IN A PARKING LOT SCRATCHING THE PAINT ON THE FRONT BUMPER. SECOND THE WIRING IN THE DOME SWITCH IN THE PASSENGER DOOR AND THE WIRES IN THE LIGHTS ON REMINDER IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR IS SHORTED CAUSING THEM NOT TO WORK PROPERLY. AFTER THE RECALL FOR THE STEERING COUPLER WAS PERFORMED THE CAR TENDS TO PULL TO THE RIGHT AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS NOT "STRAIGHT" WHEN DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD 2 ALIGNMENTS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AND THE PROBLEM IS STILL NOT CORRECTED. THE HOOD IS NOT PROPERLY ATTACHED AND THE HOOD HITS THE RIGHT FENDER NOW CAUSING RUST TO FORM. THE ORIGINAL BATTERY ALSO CORRODED THROUGH BOTH TERMINALS FIRST CAUSING THE CAR NOT TO EVEN START...

ELECTRIC WIRING HARNESS CAUGHT ON FIRE, BURNED THROUGH CAUSED EXTENSIVE SMOKE INDSIDE VEHICLE. DEFECT HAD TO BE IN ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. FEARFUL OF OTHER OWNERS INJURY . CONTACTED CHRYSLER WHO AGREED TO SEND AN INVESTIGATOR IN TWO WEEKS. FEAR FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. *AK

ENGINE LOST POWER IN CENTER LANE OF INTERSTATE DUE TO CONTROL MODULE SHORTING OUT THE FUEL PUMP. CONTROL MODULE AFFECTED BY MOISTURE. RECALL FOR EARLIER YEARS, PROBLEM APPEARS TO AFFECT LATER MODELS ALSO. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN WHILE DRIVING, INTERMITTENTLY OCCURS. DEALERS HAVE REPAIRED AND REPLACED VARIOUS PARTS, AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

DIFFERENT FUSES STARTED BLOWING IN INTERIOR LIGHTS/RADIO/TURN SIGNALS/HAZARDOUS WARNING LAMPS, ETC DUE TO A BURNED WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE DASH. THE WIRING HARNESS HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED. *AK

VEHICLE PARKED IN PARKING LOT LEFT LIGHTS ON SMOKE CAME FROM STEERING COLUMN, RESULTING IN FIRE UNDERNEATH THE DASH. *AK

THE STEERING COLUMN CAUGHT ON FIRE. PLEASE EXPLAIN. TT