RoadVitals

1996 Dodge Neon Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
85
Latest Aug 22, 2011
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
14%
of 611 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
3
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Dodge Neon submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 85 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

The 25 most recent of 85, in the owner's own words

Electrical
Filed Aug 22, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 DODGE NEON. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE VEHICLE STALLING AND ADVISED THAT IT WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 96V026000 ( ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD). THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

NHTSA ID
10421054
Incident
Jul 23, 2011
Mileage
120,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Mar 26, 2008

I HAVE A 1996 DODGE NEON THAT KEEPS BLOWING FUEL PUMP FUSES WHEN SHIFTING TO 3RD GEAR. IT IS AN ELECTRICAL SHORT THAT I FOUND IN SAME VEHICLE MADE FEW MONTHS SOONER JULY THROUGH NOVEMBER CAR IN 1995 THROUGH 1996 I FEEL THIS IS STILL HAPPENING MY CAR IS AT RISK TO CATCH FIRE. WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IF THIS COULD BE RESOLVE AND CHECKED OUT. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID
10222375
Incident
Jul 24, 2007
Mileage
150,643 mi
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Jun 29, 2006

1996 NEON SPEEDOMETER FAILED AND TRANSMISSION FLUID IS LEAKING. *TS AFTER A SENSOR AND OTHER PARTS WERE REPLACED, THE PROBLEM CONTINUED AND IT WAS SOON DISCOVERED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING HARNESS. A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM THAT THE CONSUMERS SON WAS EXPERIENCING. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED HIS SON'S VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.*JB

NHTSA ID
10161596
Incident
Jan 1, 1901
BrakesElectrical
Filed May 26, 2006

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WERE TWO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH ALL THE ELECTRICAL WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH BOARD AND INTERMITTENT STALLING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A FRIEND WHO DETERMINED THE WIRING HARNESS WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST AND THE WIRING WAS MELTED. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE AT 60MPH, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE SKIDDED. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED FLUID LEAKING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE REAR WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NEVER INSPECTED BY A SERVICE DEALER, HOWEVER THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. THERE IS A RECALL 96V026000, CONCERNING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND A RECALL 96V075000, CONCERNING THE SERVICE BRAKES. HOWEVER, THE VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALLS.

NHTSA ID
10158321
Incident
May 26, 2006
Mileage
134,037 mi
BrakesHeating & air conditioningDriver assistance+8 more
Filed Nov 28, 2005

I HAVE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH MY 1996 DODGE NEON SPORT, IT HAS BEEN INOPERABLE FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO, DUE TO ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND STALLING WHICH I BELIEVE STEM FROM THE WIRING HARNESS. I HAVE HAD THE BRAKES REPLACED A FEW TIMES, THE A/C REPLACED, FUEL INJECTION ACTS UP AND THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATES, MY TRANSMISSION HAS STARTED SLIPPING, POWER STEERING AND EXHAUST ARE LEAKING, NUMEROUS OIL LEAKS, REAR LIGHTS/ BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED IN OVER A YEAR, DRIVERSIDE WINDOW BROKE ALONG THE EXTENDING ARM INSIDE OF THE DOOR FRAME, TRUNK RELEASE IS BROKEN AND MY CRUISE CONTROL IS BROKEN! FOR THE LAST 4MONTHS MY CAR HAS BEEN SITTING AT ATLANTA DODGE LLC! JUST AFTER LEAVING IT WITH THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT, I RECEIVED A CALL SAYING I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY AND UNTIL IT WAS REPLACED FOR $180 THEY COULD NOT DO A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK FOR ANY OTHER PROBLEMS!! THE BATTERY WAS NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD AND WORKED FINE WHEN I LEFT THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP!! BUT IN HOPES OF ANY DECENT SERVICE I BOUGHT ANOTHER BATTERY FROM ADVANCED AUTO PARTS $40 AND TOOK IT IN MYSELF. DURING THIS VISIT I REMINDED THEM THAT MY MAKE AND MODEL CAR WAS UNDER A RECALL, THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS NOT!! I GAVE THEM THE NHTSA RECALL DOCUMENTATION AND WAS TOLD THAT IT DIDN'T APPLY TO MY CAR, ONLY TO THE NEONS FROM THE PLANT IN NEW MEXICO!! JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING I DECIDED TO CALL THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON. I SPOKE WITH BRIAN THE CS REP. AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE MECHANICS COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR AND REFUSED TO RESEARCH ANY FURTHER UNLESS I AGREED TO SPEND NO LESS THAN $250 TOWARDS THE REPAIRS!! IT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE SAME PARTS ARE IN NEED OF REPAIRS AS 15,000 OTHER NEONS -- REGARDLESS OF WHICH PLANT THE VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLIED, THE DEFECTS LIE IN THE PLACEMENT AND/OR MANUFACTURING OF THE FAULTY PARTS AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER ANY RELATING RECALLS! *NM UPDATED 12/1505. *JB

NHTSA ID
10143833
Incident
Sep 21, 2005
Mileage
50,000 mi
BrakesElectrical
Filed Sep 26, 2005

THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS. THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING WITH MY 1996 DODGE NEON HAS ALSO BEEN IDENTIFIED WITHIN THIS SAME YEAR AND MODEL CAR AND A RECALL WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER MY CAR DID NOT COME FROM THE SAME PLANT AS THE RECALLED NEONS. THIS DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT THE SAME PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE SAME PRODUCT!! THE DODGE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE RECALL FOR MY NEON. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THIS? *NM

NHTSA ID
10137673
Incident
Aug 20, 2005
BrakesElectrical
Filed Aug 8, 2005

N/A. *JB

NHTSA ID
10131952
Incident
Aug 8, 2005
BrakesElectrical
Filed Nov 1, 2004

THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DID NOT WORK AT ALL . THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE NHTSA RECALLS 96V026000 96V075000. *JB

NHTSA ID
10099097
Incident
May 21, 2002
Mileage
70,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 14, 2004

WIRING HARNESS BURNED AND SHORT CIRCUITED SOME FUSES. THE FUEL PUMP BOX SHORTED OUT. MANUFACTURER ISSUED A RECALL, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK THE SERVICE DEALER FOUND NO ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE CAMSHAFT OR CRANKSHAFT SENSORS, FOUND ENGINE OIL IN THE SPARK PLUG TUBE HOLES DUE TO A LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET, FOUND ELECTRICAL WIRE LEADING TO THE ECM MODULE, CAMSHAFT AND CRANKSHAFT SENSORS FUSED TOGETHER, CAUSED BOTH SENSORS AND ECM TO FAIL. THE ENGINE DISPLAYED A ROUGH IDLE. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID
10073565
Incident
Jun 1, 2004
Mileage
108,000 mi
AirbagsElectricalEngine+1 more
Filed May 23, 2004

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD CAUSED THE FAN RELAY TO MALFUNCTION WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT.*AK

NHTSA ID
10073007
Incident
May 22, 2004
Mileage
83,000 mi
Electrical
Filed May 11, 2004

A SHORT IN THE WIRING HARNESS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND HEADLIGHT FAILURE. THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL WIRE HARNESS FRONT UNDERHOOD RECALL 96V026000 CONCERNING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WIRING FRONT UNDERHOOD, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED AS THE CONSUMER PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH WERE FLASHING. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AS THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. DUE TO THE WIRING HARNESS FAILURE THE ECM FAILED. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID
10067336
Incident
Jan 25, 2004
Mileage
111,000 mi
BrakesElectricalEngine
Filed Mar 2, 2004

ENGINE, WIRE HARNESS AND BRAKE PROBLEMS. *PH ENGINE AND WIRE HARNESS WERE REPLACED TWO OR THREE TIMES. LEFT FRONT PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. ENGINE BLEW UP FOR THE THIRD TIME AND WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID THAT VEHICLE'S ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT. ALSO, INSTRUMENT PANEL NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. AIR CONDITIONER (AC) WENT OUT AFTER TWO YEARS OF PURCHASE. AC WAS NEVER REPAIRED. VEHICLE OVERHEAT MOST OF THE TIME. CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE ON ENGINE WIRING HARNESS MAY SHORT CIRCUIT DUE TO CONTACT WITH EGR TUBE FROM CHRYSLER CORPORATION. *LA

NHTSA ID
10062888
Electrical
Filed Feb 5, 2004

THE VEHICLE'S WIRING HARNESS FAILED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STALL INTERMITTENTLY. *NM

NHTSA ID
10057573
Incident
Feb 4, 2004
Mileage
92,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 23, 2004

VEHICLE REJECTED BY AZ DEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. OBD NOT READY , DEALER HAS FLASHED COMPUTER , RETEST DONE AGAIN , NOW SAME INFORMATION OBD NOT READY. THEY WILL NOT PASS IT THEY SAY THEY CANT READ IT?? CPU IS FINE BY CHRYSLER... BEEN CHECKED 2 TIMES... HELP *LA

NHTSA ID
10054750
Incident
Jan 23, 2004
Mileage
63,332 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 9, 2004

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID
10053741
Incident
Jan 9, 2004
Electrical
Filed Dec 11, 2003

VEHICLE KEEPS TURNING OFF UPON STARTING AND SOMETIMES WHEN COMING TO A STOP. *AK

NHTSA ID
10050437
Electrical
Filed Sep 9, 2003

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WILL INTERMITTENTLY STALL. AFTER A FEW MINUTES ENGINE COULD BE STARTED AS IF NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM TWELVE TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRING HARNESS, AND THERE WAS A RECALL. HOWEVER, CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK

NHTSA ID
10038535
Incident
Sep 4, 2002
Mileage
92,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Mar 17, 2003

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AS STATED IN RECALL #96V026000, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.*JB

NHTSA ID
10011923
Incident
Mar 11, 2003
Electrical
Filed Dec 19, 2002

SAME ENGINE WIRING HARNESS PROBLEM AS STATED IN RECALL # 96V026000, BUT MY NEON WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT MADE IN MEXICO. AN ENGINE WIRING HARNESS CAN SHORT CIRCUIT DUE TO CONTACT WITH THE EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION TUBE.. SHORTING OF THE WIRING HARNESS CAN CAUSE VARIOUS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS, INCLUDING ENGINE STALLING.

NHTSA ID
10000276
Incident
Dec 19, 2002
Mileage
85,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Oct 9, 2002

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED, CONSUMER STOPPED FOR A LIGHT AND BATTERY DIED. CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACED BATTERY, SAME DAY BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. TOOK TO PEP BOYS AND THEY STATED BATTERY CHECKED OUT O.K. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. MR

NHTSA ID
8020512
Incident
Aug 9, 2002
Electrical
Filed Oct 6, 2002

PROBLEM WITH WIRING HARNESS. MR

NHTSA ID
768138
Incident
Jan 11, 1999
Electrical
Filed Sep 24, 2002

LIGHT SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED TWICE RESULTING IN SOME WIRES MELTING TOGETHER INTERACTING WITH ALL INTERIOR LIGHTING INCLUDING THE CONSOLE. THE OWNER SAW SPARKS SEVERAL TIMES AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS*JB

NHTSA ID
8019285
ElectricalEngine
Filed Jun 18, 2002

THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE GASKET FAILED. *YH

NHTSA ID
566123
Electrical
Filed Jun 13, 2002

VEHICLE WILL STALL OVER 65 MPH, DEALER DETERMINED WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE HOOD WOULD SHORT OUT, CAUSING STALLING. WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED. AT THIS TIME, VEHICLE IS STALLING AGAIN WHEN OVER 65 MPH.*AK

NHTSA ID
8011773
Incident
Jan 1, 2001
ElectricalEngineFuel system+1 more
Filed Jun 6, 2002

CONSUMER STATES THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, FUEL GAUGE, TEMPERATURE GUAGE, AND SPEEDOMETER FAILED. DEALER FOUND FAULTY CIRCUIT BOARD. REPLACED PLUGS AND WIRES. *TT

NHTSA ID
786005

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .