1997 Plymouth Neon Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Plymouth Neon, 64% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 65,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “head gasket” (61% of reports).
- 103engine and engine cooling complaints
- 65,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,300typical repair cost reported by owners
- 33%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 63 of 103 complaints (61%)
- Oil leak: mentioned in 15 of 103 complaints (15%)
- Please provide: mentioned in 8 of 103 complaints (8%)
- Further information: mentioned in 6 of 103 complaints (6%)
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 Plymouth Neon at $1,300, and half of them between $1,100 and $1,400.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (1999–2003), 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 17 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 103 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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.
Car stalled out and stopped on freeway! I was almost rear ended. Stated right up but stalled again. Had it towed to shop (pepboys). They replaced several parts before referring me to dealership as they could not find and fix the problem. Chrysler dealership says it is engine wire harness at $930.00…
1997 plymouth neon headgasket failure. This problem is a known design problem of the original gasket.*ak
Major oil leak from head gasket which was replaced. Cracked manifold replaced. Blower motor to heater went out and was replaced. Ignition coil replaced. Also tires, brakes, struts, battery. When i first leased the car i had to get new tires as there were plugs in two of the tires and they blew out…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Plymouth Neons have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 103 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1997 Plymouth Neon (64% of the 161 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 Plymouth 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 65,000 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 Plymouth Neon?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,300 (half paid between $1,100 and $1,400), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Plymouth Neon?
The most frequent phrase is “head gasket”, in 63 of 103 complaints, followed by “oil leak” (15).
See all 1997 Plymouth Neon problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Neon years.