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1998 Plymouth Neon Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

237 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.68 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious99V001000

Structure:Body

THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN STRUCTURAL CRACKS IN THE BODY, AND REDUCED CRASH PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A REAR IMPACT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR ANY MISSING WELDS, AND WILL HAVE STRUCTURAL RIVETS INSTALLED IN PLACE OF THE MISSING WELDS.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE REAR SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER MAY BE MISSING SPOT WELDS.

Complaint volume

237 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

23Crashes
5Fires
20Injuries
2Deaths

Across 237 complaints. Severity Index 0.68.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine And Engine Cooling…69 · 29%Engine And Engine Cooling…15 · 6%Air Bags · Frontal14 · 6%Suspension · Front8 · 3%Engine And Engine Cooling7 · 3%Power Train · Automatic T…6 · 3%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…5Vehicle Speed Control5
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 69 reports
  2. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 15 reports
  3. Air Bags:Frontal — 14 reports
  4. Suspension:Front — 8 reports
  5. Engine And Engine Cooling — 7 reports
  6. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 6 reports
  7. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 5 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 5 reports
  9. Unknown Or Other — 5 reports
  10. Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly — 5 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (6) · 1996 (2) · 1997 (1) · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 (6) · 2001 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.