2000 Plymouth Neon Electrical Problems

I STARTED MY CAR GETTING READY TO LEAVE MY HOUSE AT NIGHT, TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS AFTER STARTING. THEN I SMELLED A PLASTIC BURNING SMELL AND SHORTLY SMOKE BEGAN TO COME OUT OF THE AREA AROUND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND STEERING WHEEL. I TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS AND THE CAR BUT SMOKE STILL CAME OUT. I POPPED THE HOOD AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, THEN THE SMOKE EVENTUALLY STOPPED. LATER I FOUND THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH CONNECTOR MELTED AND BURNED UP, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS FIRE IF I HAD NOT CAUGHT IT IN TIME.

NHTSA ID

11045152

Incident

Nov 9, 2017

Mileage

265,500 mi

START TO SMELL ELECTRICAL BURNING. THEN SAW SMOKE COME FROM STEERING COLUMN. STEERING COLUMN HOT TOP LEFT. REMOVED COVERS. WIRING HARNESS HOT. APPEARS TO BE THE HARNESS FOR THE HEAD LIGHTS. TURN OFF HEAD LIGHTS AND COLUMN COOLED DOWN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10610209

Incident

Jul 13, 2014

Mileage

250,000 mi

2000 PLYMOUTH NEON VIN: [XXX], MULTI-FUNCTION PLUG, AND WIRING HARNESS UNDER STEERING WHEEL COLUMN MELTED AND CAUGHT FIRE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10361125

Incident

Oct 18, 2010

Mileage

98,500 mi

2000 NEON MY AIR BAGS AND CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN ARE NOT WORKING. I NEED A CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY AND THIS HAS HAPPEN TO OTHER CAR SAME YR AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANY THING ABOUT IT CAN YOU HELP ME. *TR

NHTSA ID

10226537

Incident

May 1, 2008

Mileage

75,000 mi

CD PLAYER ON THE 2000 NEON IS MOUNTED ON THE FLOOR. ...AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK OF CENTER DASHBOARD EQUIPMENT. BEYOND A WORKING REACH OF MOST DRIVERS. *JB I FEEL MY DAUGHTER'S LINE OF SIGHT WAS OBSCURED AS SHE REACHED DOWN TO PUT IN A CD. SHE HAD JUST STARTED DRIVING THIS CAR 2 WEEKS PRIOR. SHE DROVE IT 30 MILES TO WORK IN THE NEXT TOWN. THIS CD ALIGNMENT IS SUCH THAT EVEN I (WHO IS 4" TALLER THAN MY DAUGHTER) WOULD NOT REACH THE CD PLAYER WITHOUT COMPROMISING MY ABILITY TO DRIVE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT MY CONCERN WOULD BE JOINED WITH OTHERS: WHERE THIS ISSUE WOULD BE BROUGHT FORWARD TO RAISE THE AWARENESS OF AUTOS THAT ARE BUILT IN A RISKY WAY. ... WHERE AUTO MAKERS WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO CONSTRUCT ACCESSORIES AT THE EXTREME LIMITS OF THE REACH OF THE DRIVER. I WOULD BE WILLING TO BE A PART OF A WATCHDOG GROUP THAT WOULD TAKE THIS ISSUE FORWARD. ILLUSTRATING THE ISSUE, ASKING FOR CHANGE. 8 WEEKS AGO MY DAUGHTER DIED IN THAT HEAD ON COLLISION. YESTERDAY, AFTER THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT WAS COMPLETED, I WAS ALLOWED TO TAKE THE CD PLAYER OUT TO SEE IF SHE WAS USING IT. AND YES, THERE WAS A KIDS CD IN THE MACHINE THAT MY WIFE AND I HAD NOT PLAYED. (I HAD NEVER USED THE CD PLAYER. MY WIFE ONLY MINIMALLY. I THINK OUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER WAS ATTRACTED TO TRY TO USE IT, EVEN WHEN IT WAS BEYOND REASONABLE REACH.) MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MY DAUGHTER REACHED DOWN TO MANIPULATE THIS FACTORY INSTALLED CD PLAYER AND VEERED FROM THE DRIVING LANE. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF BRAKING. JUST THAT QUICK, SECONDS, SHE WAS HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. 2 MONTHS AGO ON A CLEAR DAY MY DAUGHTER DROVE HER PLYMOUTH NEON ACROSS THE CENTER LINE AND INTO AN ON COMING CAR. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION I WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND FROM THE OTHER PARTY THAT THEY COULD NOT SEE HER FACE AS SHE CAME FORWARD INTO THEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10088727

Incident

Jul 2, 2003

Mileage

42,000 mi

I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW WHICH WOULD NOT START FOR TEST DRIVE WAS TOLD SOMEONE LEFT DOME LIGHT ON. AFTER JUMP, IT WORKED FINE FOR A FEW THOUSAND MILES. THEN WENT TO CAR AND WOULD NOT START ONE DAY. THERE WAS NO BATTERY LIGHT ON OR ANY WARNING. IT HAS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES SINCE THEN. REAR BRAKES WEAR OUT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS FROM REPLACEMENT. DEALER FIXED ONCE AND I HAVE INCURED THE EXPENSE SEVERAL TIMES SINCE. I CAN NOT EVEN AFFORD TO DO IT ANYMORE LEAVING ME TO TAKE A RISK OF DRIVING WITH BAD REAR BRAKES. THE MOST RECENT OF EVENTS TO OCCUR THIS MORNING MY DRIVE BELTS BROKE. AFTER TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER TO REPLACE THEM I WAS TOLD THE BELTS BROKE BECAUSE THE TENSIONER PULLEY HAD TILTED. I WAS ALSO INFORMED FROM SERVICE TECH THAT THEY SEE LOTS OF THEM COME IN LIKE THAT AND THAT THEY WERE SURPRISED THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN A RECALL OR AT LEAST A TSB. THE CAR IS PAID FOR AND WAS BOUGHT BECAUSE I NEEDED MORE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION THAN MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE. SAD PART IS MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE IS STILL RUNNING WITH MINIMAL REPAIRS MADE TO IT SINCE I HAD IT. ALSO I HAVE CALLED DAIMLER CHRYSTLER AND EMAILED THEM ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT.

NHTSA ID

10071113

Incident

Mar 15, 2000

Mileage

25,000 mi

WATER LEAKAGE IN TRUNK AREA, AND REAR OF THE CAR FLOOR BOARDS, SATURATED.

NHTSA ID

10069279

Incident

Nov 15, 2003

Mileage

82,000 mi

THE KEYS COULD BE TAKEN OUT THE IGNITION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL RUNNING. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10019707

Incident

Mar 17, 2003

Mileage

61,547 mi

THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THE HORN WAS INOPERATIVE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10016020

Incident

Apr 16, 2003

CONSUMER HORN STOPPED OPERATING. CONSUMER STATES CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. CONSUMER FEELS UNSAFE DRIVING AND NOT BEING ABLE TO WORN OTHER DRIVERS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS

NHTSA ID

8023710

Incident

Mar 1, 2001

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE IGNITION CYLINDER BROKE CAUSING THE KEY TO GET STUCK IN THE IGNITION. TS

NHTSA ID

8022503

Incident

Oct 27, 2002

I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR IN FOR REPAIRS SEVERAL TIMES, AND THEY DONT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO REPAIR IT.NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED. *AK

NHTSA ID

748853

TAIL LIGHTS DID NOT WORK BECAUSE THERE WAS A COMPONENT IN STEERING COLUMN THAT HAS BURNED OUT. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT EXAMINED VEHICLE YET. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *AK

NHTSA ID

889074

Incident

May 1, 2001

FRONT AND BACK BRAKES, ROTORS REPLACED AT 3000 MILES, BACK BRAKES UNDECTED UNTIL AFTER FAILURE PARTS WERE GRINDED AND FELL OFF REPLACED BY DEALER. *JB

NHTSA ID

785359

Incident

Dec 12, 1999

WHILE VEHICLE IS IN PARK IGNITION BLOCK LOCKS UP, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ID

874648

HORN IS LOCATED ABOVE THE FRONT LEFT TIRE WELL. THE HORN FAILS WHEN IT GETS WET. LIVING AND WORKING IN THE LOW COUNTRY, IT IS HARD NOT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED AREAS SINCE IT FLOODS EVERYTIME IT RAINS. WHEN I GO THROUGH A FLOODED AREA (FLOODED BEING NOT MORE THAN 1 FOOT) WATER GETS INTO THE HORN AND IT STOPS WORKING. I CANNOT ALWAYS AVOID THESE AREAS, ESPECIALLY IF THE ENTIRE ROAD IS UNDER WATER. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THE HORN AFTER EVERY STORM WE GET. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, SO I HAVENT HAD TO PAY ANYTHING YET. I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD MOVE THE HORN TO A SAFER, DRYER AREA IN THE CAR. *AK

NHTSA ID

720506

Incident

Feb 1, 2000