1997 Dodge Neon Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 222 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Dodge Neon, 57% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 50,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “head gasket” (55% of reports).
- 222engine and engine cooling complaints
- 50,000median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,250typical repair cost reported by owners
- 39%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Head gasket: mentioned in 123 of 222 complaints (55%)
- Leaking oil: mentioned in 22 of 222 complaints (10%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 1997 Dodge Neon at $1,250, and half of them between $720 and $1,650.
Based on 16 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (1999–2009), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 23 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 222 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 2 an injury.
Dodge Neon engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 1997 Dodge Neon. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I made a short trip to a local store and large amounts of smoke started coming from the front of my car. The car was overheating and i had to stop and pull over. The car had to be towed to the dealership. The car had a head gasket failure.which cost $920 to repair. Although the vehicle is old…
Safety/emissions reprt states recall on my vehicle/ defect number: dr-1158. The solid state fan relay may fail because of heat rellated electrical over stress causing the fan to stop and the vehicle to over heat. *tr
Whenever i sit in the driveway, or look for a parking spaces, or sit in traffic...the car's temperature gage goes all the way to hot. I had it diagnosed and they said that its the fan control module or relay...basically the fans stop working. *tr i had a new water pump put in, a new thermostat, a…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Dodge Neons have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 222 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1997 Dodge Neon (57% of the 390 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Dodge Neon engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 50,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Dodge Neon?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,250 (half paid between $720 and $1,650), from 16 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Dodge Neon?
The most frequent phrase is “head gasket”, in 123 of 222 complaints, followed by “leaking oil” (22).
See all 1997 Dodge Neon problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Neon years.