Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Dodge Neon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Bought car from father in law, he bought the car new. He had no problems with it.soon after I bought from him in 2000(it was still new!),power windows quit working then started working again.cruise control went out, still dont work. Front end crash 2003 May, 4783.45 in damage, air bag did not deploy at 40mph !!! I had car repaired by non Chrysler garage as per advice of erie insurance co. Erie wont cover because they say its Chrysler's problem, Chrysler says its my problem because work was done at non daimler Chrysler garage and they were rude and hung up on me! Erie told me to have diagnostic check done on it becuz in aug 03 the air bag lite started to come on and horn wont work. I had the check done and they said clockspring needs replaced. Not erie or Chrysler will fix.
As with a multitude of other owners of this vehicle, whenever there is a rain (heavy or light), water leaks into the interior of the car (most likely through the trunk, possibly around the taillight or another hard to diagnose area). The water will fill up the spare tire well and pool there, then move under the back seats and the back seat floors where again the water pools and soaks into the lining/cushions/interior. All of this water causes both structural damage to the body of the car (rust and other issues), produces mildew and mold in the interior of the vehicle (a potential health hazard), and creates highly humid and moist environment inside the car. The leak and water have also affected the reverse/backup lighting (another hazard) and rusted parts of the spare tire well. …
Dt: was driving to work and first stopped at the red light on the outside lane the green light came on ,and the car was in first gear. When trying to place car in second gear consumer was unable to shift and felt that the vehicle did not have gears. The consumer was able to coast the vehicle off the road to the nearest turnoff lane. A police officer followed consumer as to see what was wrong. Had to have vehicle towed to a dealer, and the dealer said the crossover cable broke. No explanation as to why this happened. Consumer had this repaired and had no problems since repair. The batteries have been replaced in the consumer's vehicle. The gasket were replaced because water was getting inside the car during rainstorm. The right front motor mount cracked.
Severe corrosion caused a weakness in the suspension cradle/ engine cradle that resulted in the front suspension control arm to break away from its mounting to the suspension crossmember/ cradle. The control arm and all associated components seemed to be in acceptable condition and did not exhibit any failures. The failure was severe enough that the drive axle was pulled out of the transmission. The vehicle was completely undriveable. I was extremely lucky to have had the failure at a very low speed while turning into a driveway. The same failure at posted speed (45mph at the time) would have resulted in total loss of control and likely severe crash.
Turned into parking lot when car suddenly made horrible banging-type noise and suddenly stopped. Black smoke poured out of front of car and car wouldn't move. When mechanic examined vehicle, it was discovered the frame had rusted through and broke. The axle broke, control arm dropped and everything inside the front of the car (I.e. Engine, etc.) crashed to the ground! Mechanic said this was a common problem in the 2000 Neon. It was advised, due to the age of the car, that it was not worth fixing.
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was being serviced at a local repair shop the mechanic noticed the front cross member was very rusty. The vehicle was then taken to a service dealer for inspection who agreed, but there was no clear determination of how to remedy the problem. The contact expressed the dealer should have noticed the problem before the warranty expired because the vehicle had been seen by the service dealer for regular maintenance. Updated 5/31/2006 -
Tl contact owns a 2000 Dodge Neon. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10-15 MPH the vehicle suddenly came to a complete and abrupt stop, he also noticed a grinding noise in the front end. The vehicle was towed to a gas station where a mechanic informed him that the k-frame had completely rusted through on the front passenger side. The current mileage was approximately 42,800 and the failure mileage was 42,280.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Dodge Neon. The contact stated that the sub frame became rusted completely. The middle of the frame and each wheel where the control arm was located was also rusted. The contact spoke with the manufacturer and was told that there was no repair available for the vehicle because it was over the 10 year statute of limitations. The failure and the current mileage was 110,000. Kmj
My son was driving his 2000 Dodge Neon and the sub frame broke and I look under the car the hole frame was rusted out he can not afford to fix the car where glad that he was not on the free way when it happen is there a recall where he can get this fix I been looking at neons and they all see to be rusted out by looking at the body you would think the sub frame would not be like that.
Water comes in the passenger's side floor board. Driver took vehicle to the dealer for analysis. The mechanic could not duplicate the problem. During heavy rains water enters the vehicle through the passenger side floor board. Water has damaged fan blower, dashboard, carpet, seats, hood and panels. Due to water damage mold is forming on the vehicle carpet.
Body complaints in other Neon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2000 Dodge Neon?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the body & structure of the 2000 Dodge Neon, 10% of the model year's 337 complaints. The component named most often is frame and members (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Dodge Neon body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2000 Dodge Neon, though it has 5 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 2000 Dodge Neon body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure 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.