Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1995 Dodge Neon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1995 Dodge Neon. Throttle body. Was built without an "o" ring seal. Engine gets wet, throttle body ruined. When it gets moisture inside, the car has trouble accelerating. Sometimes it does, others it does not. It feels like driving a four cylinder car with three bad spark plucks, the engine misses, and bogs down. Bad news if your on the highway and the people behind you want to drive through you because your not going the speed limit. Dodge says that since its not a "safety issue* which, it is if you see the people in my rearview driving up to my bumper when it happens, they don't have to replace it, but I can feel free to pay the 450 dollars in parts alone and let them fix their problem.
Chronic engine oil leaks. Cylinder head oil leak repaired (including front cam seal, valve cover, spark plug tube, EGR, cover tube flange, intake manifold, and throttle body) on 11/26/99 at 82K miles. Front cam seal replaced on 12/31/01 at 105k000miles. Front cam seal failure on 6/9/02 at 125K miles. Failure caused damage to cam shaft. All leaks were potential fire hazards.
While traveling approximately 45mph on narrow road, vehicle veered to side & hit another vehicle. Driver (sister) overcorrected into other lane & hit another vehicle head-on, both air bags deployed. Driver (sister) died. Possibility accelerator pedal stuck. Information provided by the brother (eric nelson).
Smoke poured out from steeringcolumn, dealership said wiring under dash were burned. Dealer replace harness. Air conditioner did not work after the fire, vehicle has been repaired four times for both problems. Also vehicle surged forward whenever foot was taken off the brakes.
Upon traveling at 15 MPH on wet pavement and upon depressing the brake pedal the vehicle acclerated, causing the consumer to lose control of the vehicle, resulting in an accident. Consumer states dealer has been contacted. Please provide any additional details.
Cruise control was set at 63 MPH. Coming to brake, did not disengage. Pedal got stuck, did not release. Rearended vehicle in front. Air bag deployed. Had seat belt on. Vehcile caught on fire. This defect resulted in an accident.
Was picking up speed ran off shoulder into gravel, turned to pull back and I could not steer, put on brakes and spun around and around across to the other side of road and turned completely around and was hit from behind.
As soon as this car hit 36000mls the problems just added up. Everytime I turned around something was going wrong this car. Chrysler were the worst manufaturer I had ever dealt with and will never buy anything from then again. We had to let the car go back because we could no long afford the repairs on it. The cruise control had to have some thing to do with the computer, and was replacedby myself. The alternator went bad was replaced by myself. The radio went bad was replaced by myself. The transmission had a pin that was not fitted and wore a hole through the transfer case. Malfunction!! We could not afford it and did not repair.
Within the last 8 months A/C compressor went out; the speed control surged, worked intermittently then stopped functioning; the left rear ABS wheel speed sensor failed causing the system to work intermittently; the engine head gasket blew and my rear window blew out and shattered when I closed the door during 00f weather. Presently I have had no response from the manufacturer stating the technicality of "out of warranty" "nothing we can do" deaf ears. I would greatly appreciate any assistance or suggestions on how I can proceed to recover some of my costs for repairing so many items that have failed within a short period of time.
Cruise control went out shortyly after dealer reprogrammed PCM. Rear main seal has been an ongoing problem with constant leaks. Radio began working intermittently about year and half ago and now is completely out. Instrument cluster was working intermittently for about a year and then completely went out. A/C condensor went out and took belts with it. I have done alot of internet research and word of mouth research and found that all these components are common failurs. Called Dodge complaint line only to have them tell me I'm sol since warranty is up.
Acceleration complaints in other Neon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1995 Dodge Neon?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1995 Dodge Neon, 5% of the model year's 976 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 Dodge Neon acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 1995 Dodge Neon, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1995 Dodge Neon acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 2 fires and 1 injury and 1 death to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.