Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Plymouth Neon, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling103
- Air bags16
- Power train14
- Unknown or other11
- Service brakes, hydraulic11
- Structure9
- Electrical system8
- Steering6
- Exterior lighting5
- Tires5
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 23 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1997 Plymouth Neon failed the safety check 3.28% of the time — 105% more often than the average 1997 passenger car (1.60%). Median odometer at inspection: 73,025 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 8.2–9.3 L/100 km (about 25–29 mpg US), CO₂ 189–214 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neon · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 6.5 | 8.2 |
| Neon · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.6 | 7.6 | 9.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 1997 Plymouth Neon.
| 1997102 21 May 1997 | Seats And Restraints THE CIRCUIT DESIGN IN THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE MAY ALLOW THE POTENTIAL FOR INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN. CORRECT… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Plymouth told its dealers about the 1997 Plymouth Neon: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634272 | FLASH PROGRAMMING FAILURE RECOVERY. *SLC |
| 634077 | SUBJECT REGARDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR GLASS REPLACEMENT. *SLC |
| 620066 | SUBJECT REGARDING GENERIC SCAN TOOL (GST), PUBLICATION NO. 81-170-00008 PROVIDED WITH THIS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO PROVIDE REFERENCE INFORMATION WHEN USING GENERIC SCAN TOOL ON OBDII VEHICLES. *TT |
| 620059 | SUBJECT REGARDING AIRBAG / CLOCK SPRING SERVICE FOR VARIOUS MODELS INCLUDING 2002 MODEL YEAR JEEP LIBERTY. *TT |
| 615688 | SUBJECT REGARDING CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT |
| 612600 | SUBJECT ON PROPORTIONING VALVE BRAKE PRESSURE ADAPTER TOOL REVISION. *TT |
| 610635 | SUBJECT REGARDING CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT |
| 610007 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION IS NOW OFFERING INTERNAL EMERGENCY TRUNK RELEASES FOR SELECTION VEHICLES. *TT |
| 609995 | THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES A REVISED WIRE SPLICE PROCEDURE AND RELATED PARTS. *TT |
| 609988 | SUBJECT REGARDING MISDIAGNOSED LEAK DETECTION PUMP SYSTEMS WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P1494, P0442 P0455, OR P0456. *TT |
| 6092304 | SUBJECT REGARDING NON-DEPLOYED AIRBAG HANDLING PROCEDURES. *TT |
| 6089824 | CONCERNS WITH SUNROOF MAKING A RATCHETING TYPE NOISE WHEN OPENING OR CLOSING. *TT |
| 6089800 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION IS NOW OFFERINB AIRBAG ON / OFF SWITCHES FOR SELECTED VEHICLES. *TT |
| 6088834 | INFORMATION REGARDING NHTSA AUTHORIZED AIRBAG DEACTIVATION FOR MEDICAL NECESSITY. *NLM |
| 6088786 | CONCERNS WITH ENGINE COOLANT USAGE. *NLM |
| 6088542 | PAINTED SURFACES OF THE VEHICLE THAT ARE COVERED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME WITH FRONT END COVERS OR MAGNETIC SIGNS MAY APPEAR TO HAVE A WHITE "MILKY" OR "FOGGED" DISCOLORATION. *AK |
| 607963 | INFORMATION ON CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT |
| 607959 | THIS BULLETIN ANNOUNCES THE AVAILABILITY AND INSTALLATION OF A RESUABLE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OIL PAN GASKET. *TT |
| 607620 | CONDITIONS WITH ENGINE ROUGHNESS / MISFIRE USUALLY ONLY APPARENT ON INITIAL COLD ENGINE START. *TT |
| 607298 | THIS BULLETIN EXPLAINS THE OPERATION AND APPLICATION OF THE LEAK DETECTION PUMP (LDP) MONITOR TEST. *TT |
| 603635 | SUBJECT ON FLASH PROGRAMMING FAILURE RECOVERY. *YC |
| 603153 | SUBJECT REGARDING AIRBAG ON - OFF SWITCHES. *YC |
| 603143 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CONDITION WHERE THE MIL ILLUMINATES FOR MISFIRE BUT NO REASONS CAN BE FOUND FOR THE MISFIRE FAULT OCCURRENCE. *YC |
| 603107 | SUBJECT REGARDING OIL SEEPAGE AT CAM POSITION SENSOR / MISINTERPRETED HEAD GASKET LEAK. *YC |
| 602898 | A NEW MULTI-LAYER STEEL ( MLS ) HEAD GASKET HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND IS BEING IMPLEMENTED INTO PRODUCTION VEHICLES. *YC |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
SAFETY BELT CINCHING LATCH PLATE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation