Most common 2000 Plymouth Neon problems
Share of the 141 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Plymouth Neon complaints by model year
Best Neon years: 2001, 1999, 2000. Years to avoid: 1995, 1996. Compare all years →
2000 Plymouth Neon recalls (5)
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. In the presence of oil and heat, the brake booster vacuum hose could swell and loosen from the intake manifold.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum hose. Owner notification began July 2, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within…
Child seat
Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." some of the owner's manuals for these vehicles are missing instructions that provide a step-by-step procedure, including diagrams, for properly…
Remedy: Owners will be provided with an addendum to the owner's manuals.
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: passenger cars. Vapors from the positive crankcase ventilation (pcv) system can condense and freeze inside of the throttle body when the vehicle is operated in extremely cold ambient temperatures.
Remedy: Dealers will replace and relocate a pcv system tube.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front suspension lower control arms May have been inadequately welded between the pivot tube and the arm.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the lower control arm.
Air bags › Frontal
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some frontal (passenger side) air bags May not inflate properly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the air bag module on the passenger side.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2000 Plymouth Neon:
Control arm welds
There is no summary currently available
Safety belt cinching latch plate
There are no injuries or fatalities associated with this alleged defect.while conducting this investigation, odi found that the subject cinches meet the load bearing requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 208, and that many of the reported failures were due to incorrect child safety seat installations.
What 2000 Plymouth Neon owners say
Brakes all 36 →
I bought the car new which would not start for test drive was told someone left dome light on. After jump, it worked fine for a few thousand miles. Then went to car and would not start one day. There was no battery light on or any warning. It has happened 2 more times since then. Rear brakes wear out within a few months from replacement. Dealer fixed once and I have incured the expense several times since. I can not even afford to do it anymore leaving me to take a risk of driving with bad rear brakes. The most recent of events to occur this morning my drive belts broke. After taking vehicle to dealer to replace them I was told the belts broke because the tensioner pulley had tilted. I was also informed from service tech that they see lots of them come in like that and that they were surprised that there had not been a recall or at least a TSB. …
Tl contact owns a 2000 Plymouth Neon. While attempting to park, the contact changed gears into reverse and the vehicle shut off. She restarted the vehicle and shifted into park; however, the vehicle continued to accelerate on its own. The brakes failed to work when the pedal was depressed. The contact was able to shift into park, but the vehicle shut off a few minutes later. She waited a while before restarting the vehicle and it returned to normal. She will take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.
Air bags all 23 →
I was driving down the road, came to a complete stop to allow a vehicle with a blow out to get off the road. I started to accelerate, looked at the car with the blow out and apparently a truck in front of me felt the same way because when I looked up he had come to a stop and I couldn't stop before hitting him. I was going 15 MPH. My air bags didn't deploy. I didn't even scratch the other vehicle but within seconds a fire started coming out where the windshield wipers were, in a matter of minutes my car was enguled. The front of my car had little damage but the fire engulfed the rest.
While driving SRS light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. This caused t horn to become inoperative. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the clock spring needed to be replaced and replaced it. The consumer was concered about the recall for Chrysler Mini vans with the same problems he is having since both vehicles use the same parts.
Engine & cooling all 21 →
Frame of car was so rusted that the actual engine mounting system broke in half., lost control of steering and movement. My daughter was driving and the car began to shake she lost control of the steering then it stopped moving though the car was still in drive. Car was moving on a city street and turning was nil.
Head gasket failure at 40,000 miles. Vehicle only driven 6000 miles by first owner (my grandfather) and is now at 40,000 with my mother as current owner, with a blown head gasket. All maintenence performed as mandated by daimlerchrysler by both owners. Vehicles now has oil leak, resulting from this defect. Repair cost estimated at approximately $1000 by ase-certified kumler automotive in lancaster, oh. Mechanic stated that original Dodge/Plymouth Neon head gaskets (genuine daimlerchrysler parts) are made poorly and often fail on 1995-2000 neons. As the first generation of Neon vehicles used the same part, this defect has existed since 1995. As a result of such, daimlerchrysler has worded the warranty statement in such a manner to avoid correcting being required to correct this defect under warranty.
2000 Plymouth Neon engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 24 / 31 / 27 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | 3-speed automatic | FWD | 22 / 28 / 24 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Plymouth Neon a good car?
Based on 141 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2000 Neon rates average: 21% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Neon at the same age. It is one of the best Neon years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 Plymouth Neon?
The brakes — 36 complaints, 26% of all complaints for this model year, most often about foundation components. Next are the air bags (23) and engine & cooling (21).
How many recalls does the 2000 Plymouth Neon have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2000 Plymouth Neon, the most recent from May 8, 2001 (vacuum). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Plymouth Neon?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2001, 1999 and 2000. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1995 and 1996. See the full Plymouth Neon years comparison.
At what mileage do 2000 Plymouth Neon problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 75,000 miles; 25% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.