1996 PLYMOUTH NEON — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 307 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (133 complaints · 43.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 32
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 31
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1995 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 133 of 307 owner complaints (43.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 133 complaints, 43.3% of reports ENGINE 133 · 43.3% · 2 crash reports 3 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 34 complaints, 11.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34 · 11.1% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 20 complaints, 6.5% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 20 · 6.5% · 2 crash reports AIR BAGS: 19 complaints, 6.2% of reports AIR BAGS 19 · 6.2% · 16 crash reports 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 18 complaints, 5.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 18 · 5.9% · 2 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 3.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 11 · 3.6% · 4 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 7 complaints, 2.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 · 2.3% STEERING: 7 complaints, 2.3% of reports STEERING 7 · 2.3% · 2 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 7 complaints, 2.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 · 2.3% · 2 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 189 complaints, 61.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 189 · 61.6% · 29 crash reports 8 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 133 43.3% 2 crashes · 3 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34 11.1% 1 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 20 6.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 19 6.2% 16 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 18 5.9% 2 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 11 3.6% 0 crashes · 4 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 7 2.3% 0 crashes · 2 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 2.3% 2 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 189 61.6% 29 crashes · 8 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1996; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 1996. 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 1997-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 1998-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 1998-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 1998-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 1999-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 1999-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 1999-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2000-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 2000-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2000-Q3: 26 owner reports 26 2000-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2001-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2001-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2001-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2002-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1996 Jan 2022 Recall campaign 96V026000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V026000 Recall campaign 96V075000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V075000 Investigation PE98012 ● Investigation PE98012 Investigation PE02082 ● Investigation PE02082
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 3
1996-Q3 Owner reports 3
1996-Q4 Owner reports 10
1997-Q1 Owner reports 5
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 3
1997-Q4 Owner reports 10
1998-Q1 Owner reports 5
1998-Q2 Owner reports 8
1998-Q3 Owner reports 12
1998-Q4 Owner reports 4
1999-Q1 Owner reports 18
1999-Q2 Owner reports 16
1999-Q3 Owner reports 12
1999-Q4 Owner reports 15
2000-Q1 Owner reports 21
2000-Q2 Owner reports 17
2000-Q3 Owner reports 26
2000-Q4 Owner reports 14
2001-Q1 Owner reports 15
2001-Q2 Owner reports 14
2001-Q3 Owner reports 7
2001-Q4 Owner reports 6
2002-Q1 Owner reports 10
2002-Q2 Owner reports 9
2002-Q3 Owner reports 7
2003-Q1 Owner reports 7
2003-Q2 Owner reports 4
2003-Q3 Owner reports 2
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 3
2004-Q3 Owner reports 3
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 96V026000
Recall campaign 1 96V075000
Defect investigation 1 PE98012
Defect investigation 1 PE02082
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V026000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    SHORTING OF THE WIRING HARNESS CAN CAUSE VARIOUS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS, INCLUDING ENGINE STALLING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REROUTE THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS PROPERLY AND ANY WIRE THAT HAS BEEN DAMAGED WILL BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V075000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE CAN RESULT IN DIMINISHED EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE HALF OF THE SPLIT BRAKE SYSTEM. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING LIGHT(S) WILL SIGNAL SYSTEM IMPAIRMENT PRIOR TO PARTIAL BRAKE SYSTEM LOSS.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE MASTER CYLINDR PISTON ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 307 complaints · page 1 of 13

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources