What breaks most · 1994 to 2001 model years
Plymouth Neon problems by year
Owners have filed 1,372 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Plymouth Neon across model years 1994 to 2001. Three years stand out: 1995 for engine and cooling complaints, 1996 for engine and cooling complaints and 1998 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1999 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 1996, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1999, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 13721994 to 2001, all trims
- Worst year
- 1995481 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 18354 fires · 163 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 19Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 481 | 59 | 6 | Engine and cooling (147) | |
| 308 | 32 | 2 | Engine and cooling (167) | |
| 161 | 19 | 1 | Engine and cooling (103) | |
| 167 | 20 | 1 | Engine and cooling (91) | |
| 62 | 8 | 0 | Engine and cooling (30) | |
| 141 | 29 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (36) | |
| 49 | 15 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (14) |
What fails on the 1995 Plymouth Neon
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 31% |
147 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1995 Plymouth Neon |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 18% |
86 | 15 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1995 Plymouth Neon |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 15% |
71 | 8 | Shop steering parts for the 1995 Plymouth Neon |
| Air bags | 13% |
61 | 32 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
54 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1995 Plymouth Neon |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
38 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 5% |
24 | 0 | — |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 4% |
21 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1995 Plymouth Neon |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Poor design leads to head gasket of plymouth neons to blow frequently. Chrysler offers no re-call or financial assistance to customers with this problem. My car has 63,000 miles on it and this has happened 3 times.*ak
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The car was run for 45mins at 10mph following a tractor. The last 2 miles were at 55mph. A few minutes after the vehicle was home and the engine turned off, the engine compartment caught on fire. All wiring and plastic components are a complete loss, hood is damaged, and all light units are ruined.
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Reports on defective parts made by chrysler with regard to 1998 plymouth neon engine overheating as a result of a manufacturing defect in the radiator fan relay, coolant reservoir and/or the coolant cap. *nj
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Plymouth Neon years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 1996, 1998 carry the most filings on the Plymouth Neon. The 1995 alone has 481 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Plymouth Neon problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 147 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Plymouth Neon problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Plymouth Neon complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.