Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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).
Dt: the caller said that brakes will not work one has to hit the brakes at the last minute. She said one can feel a pop, and then the brakes fail. She had to run into a ditch to keep form hitting someone. The police were called, and there a report was taken. There was a crash. There were injuries to the pedestrian. She said the hub assembly was bad and had it replaced. Also, the tie rod wobbled and had it replaced. Had another accident with the brakes when the car in front of stopped suddenly and brakes did not work. Police came and a report was taken. The lady in the other vehicle was injured. Dealer will take the car to dealer, and they will talk about it. Manufacturer has not been contacted yet. Caller said she was not informed about the problems the vehicle had when she bought it.
The current owner was driving the car to work after dropping the baby off at the baby sitters. She had just gotten on the freeway and was accelerating to crusing speed when the steering wheel locked and she could not steer the car. The vehicle veered to the right and ran over the curbing along the side of the highway. This the second time the steering has locked up since she purchased the car. When she had the vehicle checked out, they could not see figure out what caused the wheel to lock up. She thought it was a fluke until it happened again this time. The manufacturer has already looked at the car an denied any liability. This is an 18 year old single parent with no money and no transportation to work, now. She would appreciate any help she can get, especially since there are so many complaints already reported about this problem with this vehicle. My name is larry e. Johnson. …
This accident while driving at 35mph. The car veered left and pass airbag deployed then driver airbag. I tried to turn the steering to the left but the car did not respond. I sustained injuries of a broken neck. Two months after accident I received the recall notice for both the steering column and the brakes. I believe that the vehicle was purchased by a junkyard however I believe it was rebuilted. I would like to know if there are other reported incidents of this nature.
As indicated on police report driver lost control of vehicle, ran off the side of a 2 lane highway, straddled a guard rail and some trees, before flipping over and catching on fire. Vehicle totaled. Driver and passenger were killed. Two days prior to the accident, the driver complained about steering problem . Steering column coupling recall 97V169000 repairs were performed on 02/06/98. Cause of fire was undetermined.
Consumer contacted superior Mazda in reference to recall 97v-16900, manufacturer 741 to have repaires corrected, dealer corrected problem listed under recall. The day after repaires was were done consumer was involved in an accident due to the steering wheel locking up. Consumer has contacted the dealer. Please provide any further details.
Consumer feels that there May have been a defect in 1995 Neon causing the driver to lose his life. A recall notice was sent 5 months after the consumers son was killed. The consumer didn't pursue any legal action to determine if a steering defect as mentioned in the recall notice caused the her son to loose control of the vehicle.
Vehicle was parked, lights were on and switch was off, smoke came from steering column. Fire department came and disconnected the battery. Vehicle towed for service. Dealer stated the vehicle was fixed, and indicated that the alarm system caused the fire. Noticed battery melted battery cable. Dealer cannot duplicate the problem.
While driving and without warning there was loss of steering due to defective column coupling which resulted in an accident. Mechanic stated there was recall 97V169000; however, consumer was not notified. Manufacturer stated they will repair defective component. Other repairs were consumer's responsibility.
Driver made right turn , steering locked up ,lost control of vehicle, and crashed onto a curb when the gas tank ruptured, causing 4 deaths and two were severely burned and 1 had minor burns. All were occupants inside the vehicle, three in front and four in the back. Gas tank had no rotective shield.
My daughter was driving my 1995 Dodge Neon when the steering wheel locked and caused her to have an accident. She was traveling at approx 35 - 40 MPH .there were no abnormal weather or road conditions. Suddenly the steering wheel jerked the car off the road towards the right, at that point she had a loss of steering and no control of the vehicle. She was not applying the brakes or making a turn, just driving along as she normally would. Previosly we have had problems, serious problems with the antilock brake system failing. When applying the brakes on two separate occasions the front wheels locked up once causing a minor accident , the other just caused damage to the tires. The accident when the steering failed was fortunately a minor one . But could just as easily been a very serios possibly fatal. …
Related recalls
Steering › Steering wheel/handle bar
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The steering column coupler can become disconnected when the vehicle experiences an underbody impact.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the steering column coupler with a coupler design that collapses on impact.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of steering control
There is no summary currently available
Loss of steering control
There is no summary currently available
Loss of steering control
There is no summary currently available
Steering column separation
Mr. Larry a. Sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) by letter dated April 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the defective collapsible steering shaft system on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr ? 30120(g), NHTSA has decided to limit the scope of the petition vehicles to 1993-1995 models,…
Steering complaints in other Neon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1995 Dodge Neon?
NHTSA has 124 complaints about the steering of the 1995 Dodge Neon, 13% of the model year's 976 complaints. The component named most often is steering wheel/handle bar (53 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 Dodge Neon steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 97V-169 (steering wheel/handle bar, Oct 7, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1995 Dodge Neon steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 131,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 25 crashes, 8 fires and 22 injuries and 11 deaths to steering 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.