11 of the 141 complaints about the 2004 Dodge Neon are about the braking system — 8% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 58,252 miles.
11
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
SERVICE BRAKES
RUNNING LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING (ON A CITY STREET), WHEN REPAIRED, WAS DUE TO A WIRE IN THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH BURNING OUT AND MELTING THE CASING OF THE MFS
NHTSA complaint #10884541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND HE GOT TO THE DRIVEWAY WHERE WE LIVE AND HIS BACK DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL LOCKED UP. WE TOOK IT TO A SHOP HERE IN RUTHVEN AND THEY TRIED TO FIX IT. WE LATER HAD TO TAKE IT TO A DEALER IN SPENCER IOWA. ASHER MOTORS. IT NEED A BREAK KIT BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON IT HAD COME APART AND THE SPRING WAS MISSING. AND SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE E-BRAKE NOW YESTERDAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO THE PASSENGERS SIDE. I WAS READING UP ON THE OTHERS THAT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH RECALLS ON THERE BREAKS AND THINK THE 2004 SHOULD ALSO BE LOOKED AT. I HAVE TALKED WITH OTHER NEON OWNERS AND THEY TO HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I CALLED DODGE AND THEY SAID THEY CAN LOOK UP RECALLS AND MY CAR HAS NOT HAD THAT PROBLEM BUT WE CAN SAVE OUR RECORDS AND IF IT IS A RECALL THEN WE CAN FILE TO BE RE PAID BACK. IDK WHAT ALL IS INVOLVED IN GETTING OR EVEN HAVING A RECALL LOOKED INTO BUT THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD START.
NHTSA complaint #10510601 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 2004 DODGE NEON ON THE 101 FREEWAY NEAR SANTA BARBARA, CA IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. SUDDENLY AND WITH NO WARNING THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND SHE HAD NO BRAKES. AT THE SAME TIME THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. BECAUSE SHE WAS TRAVELING SLOW SHE WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH WAS NEARLY IN-EFFECTIVE. IF SHE HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT FREEWAY SPEED SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE THE RIGHT REAR DRUM BRAKE CYLINDER WAS LEAKING WHICH ALLOWED ALL OF THE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK FROM THE SYSTEM.
NHTSA complaint #10325267 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
PARKING BRAKE
MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 2004 DODGE NEON ON THE 101 FREEWAY NEAR SANTA BARBARA, CA IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. SUDDENLY AND WITH NO WARNING THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND SHE HAD NO BRAKES. AT THE SAME TIME THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. BECAUSE SHE WAS TRAVELING SLOW SHE WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHICH WAS NEARLY IN-EFFECTIVE. IF SHE HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT FREEWAY SPEED SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE THE RIGHT REAR DRUM BRAKE CYLINDER WAS LEAKING WHICH ALLOWED ALL OF THE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK FROM THE SYSTEM.
NHTSA complaint #10325267 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:SHOES/LININGS
UPON PURCHASING MY CAR, BRAND NEW IN 2004, I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH IT. AFTER A SHORT YEAR OF HAVING MY CAR MY POWER WINDOWS WENT OUT, SHORTLY AFTER MY FRONT DOOR SPEAKERS STOPPED WORKING AND MY RADIO/CD PLAYER OFTEN DOESN'T WORK CORRECTLY...CD DISCS WILL GET STUCK IN PLAYER AND CONTINUALLY PLAY UNTIL CAR IS SHUT OFF AND SOMETIMES THAT DOESN'T EVEN RESOLVE PROBLEM. FRONT BRAKES STARTED TO SQUEAK AND GROAN CONSTANTLY, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES TO HAVE THEM TRY TO FIX BRAKES. WHILE HAVING BRAKE PROBLEMS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CAR STARTED TO CHUG AND JERK FREQUENTLY. TOOK BACK TO DEALERSHIP, DIAGNOSTIC SHOWED #4 CYLINDER MISFIRE, HAD PLUGS AND WIRES REPLACED, HOWEVER CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AFTER DRIVING CAR <10 MILES. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES TO FIX, ON THE FOURTH OCCASION THEY FINALLY FOUND A BROKEN RING LEADING TO THE MOTOR, PROBLEM IS STILL UNRESOLVED. I THEN CALLED WARRANTY PEOPLE TO DISCOVER THAT MY RING IS COVERED UNDER MY POWER-TRAIN WARRANTY AFTER HAVING BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THE RING COULDN'T BE FIXED. WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE WIRING WAS FAULTY IN THE RADIO PLAYER AND NOT THE SPEAKERS.
NHTSA complaint #10182021 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING HIS 2004 DODGE NEON DOWN HILL AT A SPEED OF 40 MPH, HE TRIED TO APPLY THE BREAKS AND THE BRAKES SEIZED, REAR ENDING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE WAS CRUSHED, AS WELL AS, THE ENGINE FALLING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT CONTACT STATED THAT HIS HEAD STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38504. THE CONTACT CAN PROVIDE A COPY OF POLICE REPORT AND PICTURES IF NEEDED. UPDATED 2/16/2007 -
NHTSA complaint #10178797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
STARTED HAVING BRAKE PROBLEMS RIGHT AFTER BUYING THE CAR BRAND NEW. AT 13,000 MILES BRAKING WAS BECOMING DIFFICULT. DEALER SAID THE CAR NEEDED NEW BRAKE ROTORS AT 13,000 . THE ONES THAT CAME NEW ON THE CAR WERE BAD.
NHTSA complaint #10148983 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
I BOUGHT MY 2004 DODGE NEON AROUND MARCH OF 2005. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, THE BRAKES WOULD SQUEAK WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. AT FIRST IT WAS NOT TOO BOTHERSOME, BUT I TOOK IT TO THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THE BRAKES WERE JUST DIRTY, AND THAT NOTHING ELSE WAS WRONG. NOW, THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED TO PROGRESS, AND THE BRAKE SQUEAKING IS REALLY LOUD AND IRRITATING. I HAVE YET TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER, AS IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. PREVIOUSLY, I OWNED A 2000 DODGE NEON, AND I WENT THROUGH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH IT. I NOTICED WHILE SEARCHING THROUGH PREVIOUS RECALLS, THAT MY OLDER NEON DID HAVE A RECALL ON THE "BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE". WHEN I HAD MY OLDER NEON FIXED OF THIS PROBLEM, I TOOK IT TO MIDAS, AND THEY DID NOT INFORM ME OF ANY RECALL REGARDING THIS PROBLEM; HOWEVER, THEY MAY NOT HAVE KNOW. I DON'T KNOW IF THE MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY SQUEAKING BRAKES OF THE 2000 NEON, AS I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT MIDAS DID TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, IF THIS IS RELATED TO THE RECALL IN THE 2000 MODEL, IT IS A PROBLEM AGAIN WITH THE 2004 MODELS. THE BRAKE SQUEAKING, ALTHOUGH REALLY ANNOYING, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A SAFETY PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH IT (AS I'M NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED). I'M SURE IT CAN'T BE SAFE THOUGH, HAVING BRAKES THAT SQUEAK ALL THE TIME, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU'RE SLOWING DOWN OR NOT.
NHTSA complaint #10135857 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR
I PURCHASED MY NEON IN FEB OF 2004 SHORTLY AFTER MY PURCHASE MY BRAKES BEGAN TO SQUEAK AFTER GOING IN REVERSE, I HAVE TAKEN THE VEH TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND ALL THEY KEEP TELLING ME IS THAT THE BRAKES NEED TO BE CLEANED, THEY CLEAN THE BRAKES THEY STOP SQUEAKING FOR A BOUT A DAY AND THEN THEY BEGIN SQUEAKING AGAIN.
NHTSA complaint #10125091 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH A LOUD TICKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, HOWEVER THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE HEADLIGHTS HAD GONE OUT WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE LINE IN THE FRONT, THE WHEEL BEARING WAS BROKEN IN HALF, THE FOG LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT, THERE WAS A ROARING SOUND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THERE WAS A WHIRLING SOUND IN THE ENGINE WHICH WOULD GET WORSE WHEN ACCELERATED, THE ROTOR/PADS RUSTED, THE STEERING PULLED TO THE LEFT, AND WHEN SLOWING DOWN, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE. (DODGE NEON SXT 2004)
NHTSA complaint #10063565 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH A LOUD TICKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, HOWEVER THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE HEADLIGHTS HAD GONE OUT WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE LINE IN THE FRONT, THE WHEEL BEARING WAS BROKEN IN HALF, THE FOG LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT, THERE WAS A ROARING SOUND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THERE WAS A WHIRLING SOUND IN THE ENGINE WHICH WOULD GET WORSE WHEN ACCELERATED, THE ROTOR/PADS RUSTED, THE STEERING PULLED TO THE LEFT, AND WHEN SLOWING DOWN, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE. (DODGE NEON SXT 2004)
NHTSA complaint #10063565 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.