KnownCarProblems2002 Dodge Neon Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 173 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Dodge Neon, most often about the transmission (21% of complaints, typically around 53,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Neon model year since 2000.
Most common 2002 Dodge Neon problems
Transmission
36 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 53,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, axle assembly, manual transmission, clutch assembly.
My car was working fine. All of a sudden would not go into gear and made loud noise. Took it to aamco and they tell my throttle regulator box blew up. My car has 50,000 miles on it. I drive it 10 miles to and from work. Needed a whole new transmission as when the box blew up it send shards of metal through my…
Driving at 49.9k miles on the odometer. This being 19.9k miles after warranty expires (30k mile warranty). Just made a long trip from hampton, va to appleton, wi. About a week after arriving in wi, I am heading to work and start to hear a high-pitched whine. Within about 10 minutes of hearing this whine, I was able to…
Engine
33 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 42,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
Rapping sound was heard from 2002 Dodge Neon engine upon cold start which would stop after about 30 seconds. First dealer we took car to said it was carbon buildup; I knew it was more than that and brought it another dealer who at first denied they heard the sound at startup. I told them to keep the car and try…
Dt: the contact recently purchased a vehicle, and when checking out the vehicle it had serious problems. The frame was bent, the radiator was bent into the fan, the air cleaner was not bolted on the side, the radiator was painted red and bent, the core supplier was damaged, and underneath the hood the wiring was…
Electrical
25 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 46,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, 12v/24v/48v battery, starter assembly, instrument cluster/panel.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Neon. While driving at any speed, the fuel gauge, speedometer, and other instrument panel gauges were inoperable. The dealer stated that the instrument panel cluster caused the failure. As of november 14, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were…
A problem with a wiring harness on my 2002 Dodge Neon has caused the head lights to suddenly fail on my vehicle while I was driving at night. According to my auto repair man, the wiring harness connected to the switch on the steering column that operates the lights suddenly burned out. This caused the head lights to…
Air bags
22 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 36,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Complaint received via e-mail." my daughter was involved in a rear end collision which was bad enough to cause the car insurance company to declare the vehicle repairs would exceed the value of the car, so it was totaled. The air bags did not deploy during this accident. Since this vehicle was totaled I by allstate…
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Neon. The air bag cover came off and made it very difficult to hold the steering wheel. The cover was placed over the horn and caused the horn to sound. The contact lost control of the steering once and struck a curb. The dealer stated that the excessive heat loosened the trim piece. The…
Body and structure
21 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Neon. The vehicle was taken to a tire shop to have the struts replaced. The mechanic stated that the front suspension k-member corroded the vehicle and should be taken to the dealer for a diagnosis. The current and failure mileages were 60,888. Updated 12/12/07 the undercarriage cross…
The car has less then 63k miles on it and I was told it was unsafe do to a rusted k frame. Everywhere I look online people have the same issue with low mileages how can this not be recalled!?!? It was only found when I went to 2 different places in nashua, nh and it failed inspection at both.
Brakes
18 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 26,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
: the contact stated the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a state safety inspection. The mechanic determined the front rotors were completely worn. The contact replaced the rotors and brake pads.
Vehicle 2002 Dodge Neon 22,351 miles on vehicle. While my wife was backing out of garage the brakes failed. Three pieces of front disk brake pads were found lying on the garage floor (still in my possession). Both front inside disk pads appeared to have broken in half. Upon checking the front brakes I found no pads in…
Suspension
15 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 44,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
Vehicle is experiencing a problem with the rear coil springs. Consumer was driving at approximately 15 MPH and felt something rubbing against the rear right tire. Had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and saw that the coil spring had broken, and was right on top of the tire.
The lower control arm bushings are a big problem with this car. You will lose control of steering if the bushing and bolt let go. On average my local repair shop replaces 3 a week. Should be a recall.
Lights
11 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 66,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, tail lights, fog lights.
Headlight switch failed when changing from high beams to low beams. I had no low beam headlights for several seconds on a very dark road,where there are many deer. The multi-function switch ( headlight/turn signal) was replaced. The previous owner of the car had replaced the same part at 36,000 miles. The vehicle does…
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Neon. While driving 40 MPH, the headlights were foggy and provided poor illumination. The lights also face downward instead of straight ahead. The contact was also experiencing transmission failure. When she would shift into drive, the gear would shift into reverse or neutral. The dealer…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2002 Dodge Neon recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Headlight failure
Summary
This ea was opened after receiving reports that the multifunction switch on these vehicles would fail, causing a loss of headlight illumination.some complainants report loss of headlight function while for others temporary lighting was available by pulling on the multifunction switch stalk to illuminate high beam lighting.analysis of the complaint and warranty data show a low and declining failure trend.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted; accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the cir
Headlight failure
Summary
Odi has reviewed complaints from consumers stating that they do not have headlight function while operating their vehicle.the reports indicate that a loss of both high and low beam headlights is the result of problems with the vehicles multifunction switch and connecting wiring harness.consumersnoticed that the steering column area (where these parts are located) is heating up.in some cases, smoke would come out of the steering column area and the plastic trim would begin to melt.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-019) to further study this issue.
Safety belt cinching latch plate
Summary
There are no injuries or fatalities associated with this alleged defect.while conducting this investigation, odi found that the subject cinches meet the load bearing requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 208, and that many of the reported failures were due to incorrect child safety seat installations. Additionally, the report rate is low (1.60/100k).the information available fails to establish the existence of a defect trend at this time.further allocation of agency resources to this issue is unwarranted and the preliminary evaluation is being closed.
Questions about the 2002 Dodge Neon
- What are the most common problems with the 2002 Dodge Neon?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (36 complaints, typically around 53,500 miles); engine (33 complaints, typically around 42,000 miles); electrical (25 complaints, typically around 46,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2002 Dodge Neon have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2002 Dodge Neon. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2002 a bad year for the Dodge Neon?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Neon model year since 2000, with 173 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.