U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Dodge NEON problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

146 owner complaints analyzed

4 distinct recall campaigns

53,500 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 52 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags:Frontal is the most frequently named component, appearing in 23 of 146 complaints (15.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Steering behavior	27	18.5%
Braking behavior	24	16.4%
Electrical and battery issues	13	8.9%
Engine operation	12	8.2%
Transmission and shifting	6	4.1%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags:Frontal

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Air Bags

Electrical System

Electrical System:Ignition

Steering

Structure

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags:Frontal: 23; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 10; Air Bags: 9; Electrical System: 8; Electrical System:Ignition: 6; Steering: 6; Structure: 6; Vehicle Speed Control: 6

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 3; 25,000 to 49,999: 21; 50,000 to 74,999: 15; 75,000 to 99,999: 5; 100,000 to 149,999: 5; 150,000 and above: 3

25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (21). 94 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

2020

2000: 1; 2001: 26; 2002: 37; 2003: 25; 2004: 20; 2005: 11; 2006: 7; 2007: 5; 2008: 2; 2010: 3; 2011: 3; 2013: 1; 2014: 2; 2015: 1; 2020: 2

Pattern summary

Air Bags:Frontal leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 27 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 24 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 13 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10001153 · 2002-12-18 (December 18, 2002)

WHILE DRIVING THE DASHBOARD LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE SERVICED BY A DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM RECURRED, AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP ALSO, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. TS

Owner-reported narrative. 34,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10001153 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10002120 · 2003-01-13 (January 13, 2003)

CONSUMER STATED WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT, AS SHE ATTEMPTED TO STEP ON THE GAS, THE PEDAL BEGAN TO ACT ERRATIC, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HIT THE PERSON IN FRONT AND WOULD NOT STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT NOW IT HESITATES WHEN DRIVING OR STOPPING. OTHER PROBLEMS ARE AS FOLLOWED: THE ELECTRICAL LIGHTS AND ALARMS, ENGINE/COOLING SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT(NOT SPEC), FUEL SYSTEM, HEATER/DEFROST/VENT, PARK BRAKE, POWER TRAIN, SERV. BRAKES, STEERING, STRUCTURE, SUSPENSION, VISUAL SYSTEMS, THE AIR BAG MODULE, (BRAIN OF THE VEHICLE) COMPUTER, AND A…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10002120 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10002551 · 2003-01-10 (January 10, 2003)

WHEN VEHICLE EXCEED SPEEDS OF 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE WILL VIBRATE, THE VIBRATION BECOMES WORSE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THEERE IS ALSO A GRINDING NOISE, BUT THE BRAKE PAD OR ROTOR ARE NOT WORN. THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT LOCATE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.*JB

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10002551 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10028694 · 2003-07-21 (July 21, 2003)

AUTOMOBILE FAILED TO START, ACTS AS IF BATTERY HAS BAD CELL, TESTER SHOWS GOOD BATTERY, ENGINE WILL NOT TURNOVER OR START.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10028694 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10010752 · 2003-03-19 (March 19, 2003)

ENGINE IDLES VERY ROUGH. CAR HAS STALLED OUT TWICE THIS WEEKEND WHILE IN REVERSE WITH NO WARNING. DEALER HAS SEEN CAR TODAY AND SAID IT CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO THEY HAVE NOTHING TO FIX. MY CAR HAS BEEN IN CLOSE TO A DOZEN TIMES IN REGARDS TO THE ROUGH HANDLING. ESPECIALLY WHEN A/C WAS ON. NOW IT SEEMS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WHILE COMING TO A STOP AT A LIGHT...WHEN YOU TRY TO GO THE CAR SEEMS LIKE IT ISN'T GETTING GAS. CAR DEALER IS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE ALTHOUGH MY HUSBAND AND FRIENDS HAVE ALL NOTICED/EXPERIENCED THE ROUGH FEELING WHILE DRIVIN…

Owner-reported narrative. 33,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10010752 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10038464 · 2003-09-09 (September 9, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE STALLED. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10038464 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10004283 · 2003-01-21 (January 21, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE WILL SKIP GEARS. THIS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE DEALERSHIP FLUSHED THE AUTOMACTIC TRANSMISSION, BUT 5 WEEKS LATER THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT, IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. PH

Owner-reported narrative. 48,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10004283 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10098096 · 2004-11-01 (November 1, 2004)

TRAVELLING ON INTERSTATE, GOING 30 TO 40 MPH BECAUSE OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. TRANSMISSION STARTS TO SLIP. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO PULL CAR ONTO THE SHOULDER AND OUT OF TRAFFIC. AFTER TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, I'M TOLD A PLUG ON THE RADIATOR THAT CONNECTS TO THE TRANSMISSION "POPPED" OFF. THIS CAUSED ALL THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO DRAIN ON THE INTERSTATE AND IMMOBILIZED MY CAR. THE RADIATOR HAS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED BECAUSE OF THIS PLUG.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 73,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10098096 at NHTSA ↗