2002 Dodge Neon Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2002 Dodge Neon. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 230 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
24
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
14
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
13
13crashes7injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
12
1crashes1fires1injuries
AIR BAGS
9
8crashes7injuries
STRUCTURE
9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8
POWER TRAIN
7
STRUCTURE:BODY
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
6
Total complaints230

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“I was driving down the road and heard a whirring noise from under the hood and I lost the ability to go into drive and reverse come to find out it was a clogged trans filter so I replaced it and the car ran great for about 2 weeks and now I have torque converter out of range codes popping up the…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2018-12-31

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge neon. When the contact opened the vehicle door, a mouse was seen running from the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle and under the seat. The contact stated that the rodent entered the vehicle through the air vents in the rear of the vehicle to chew on the…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2017-07-24

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge neon. While driving various speeds, a knocking sound was coming from the engine and the engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine piston detached and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…”

ENGINE · reported 2017-05-17

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge neon. While driving approximately 40 mph, the contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of the preceding vehicle. The air bags did not deploy without warning. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was contacted, but the call was…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2016-05-16

“I bought this car with 49000 miles on it. I was driving everything seemed fine then I slowed down for a stop sign to between 3 and 7 mph and the whole thing just locked up. I tried every gear but nothing would unlock the tranny.. It's still locked up now I had to get it towed.. Luckily I was on a…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2016-05-03

“2002 dodge, was in a front end collision and the front airbags didn't deploy. The hood was bent. Accident happen on the highway”

AIR BAGS · reported 2015-12-21

“I driving off the interstate wen car shut off idled tried to crank it up but it only made whining noise and won't start I also notice my car was smoking so I let the car cool off before I put water... The next day I went and a new timing belt put on and a crank shaft sensor and it still won't crank”

ENGINE · reported 2015-10-28

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge neon. While servicing the vehicle, the contact discovered that the subframe was rusted and partially fractured. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2015-09-25

Defect investigations

Investigation EA06019 Opened 2006-11-22 · closed 2007-11-07

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

THIS EA WAS OPENED AFTER RECEIVING REPORTS THAT THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES WOULD FAIL, CAUSING A LOSS OF HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION.SOME COMPLAINANTS REPORT LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE FOR OTHERS TEMPORARY LIGHTING WAS AVAILABLE BY PULLING ON THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH STALK TO ILLUMINATE HIGH BEAM…

Investigation EA06019 Opened 2006-11-22 · closed 2007-11-07

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

THIS EA WAS OPENED AFTER RECEIVING REPORTS THAT THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES WOULD FAIL, CAUSING A LOSS OF HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION.SOME COMPLAINANTS REPORT LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE FOR OTHERS TEMPORARY LIGHTING WAS AVAILABLE BY PULLING ON THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH STALK TO ILLUMINATE HIGH BEAM…

Investigation EA06019 Opened 2006-11-22 · closed 2007-11-07

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

THIS EA WAS OPENED AFTER RECEIVING REPORTS THAT THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES WOULD FAIL, CAUSING A LOSS OF HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION.SOME COMPLAINANTS REPORT LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE FOR OTHERS TEMPORARY LIGHTING WAS AVAILABLE BY PULLING ON THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH STALK TO ILLUMINATE HIGH BEAM…

Investigation EA06019 Opened 2006-11-22 · closed 2007-11-07

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

THIS EA WAS OPENED AFTER RECEIVING REPORTS THAT THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES WOULD FAIL, CAUSING A LOSS OF HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION.SOME COMPLAINANTS REPORT LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE FOR OTHERS TEMPORARY LIGHTING WAS AVAILABLE BY PULLING ON THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH STALK TO ILLUMINATE HIGH BEAM…

Investigation PE02082 Opened 2002-11-06 · closed 2003-04-23

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.…

Investigation PE06028 Opened 2006-07-28 · closed 2006-11-22

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

ODI HAS REVIEWED COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS STATING THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE OPERATING THEIR VEHICLE.THE REPORTS INDICATE THAT A LOSS OF BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS IS THE RESULT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLES MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND CONNECTING WIRING HARNESS.CONSUMERSNOTICED THAT THE…

Investigation PE06028 Opened 2006-07-28 · closed 2006-11-22

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

ODI HAS REVIEWED COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS STATING THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE OPERATING THEIR VEHICLE.THE REPORTS INDICATE THAT A LOSS OF BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS IS THE RESULT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLES MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND CONNECTING WIRING HARNESS.CONSUMERSNOTICED THAT THE…

Investigation PE06028 Opened 2006-07-28 · closed 2006-11-22

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

ODI HAS REVIEWED COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS STATING THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE OPERATING THEIR VEHICLE.THE REPORTS INDICATE THAT A LOSS OF BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS IS THE RESULT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLES MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND CONNECTING WIRING HARNESS.CONSUMERSNOTICED THAT THE…

Investigation PE06028 Opened 2006-07-28 · closed 2006-11-22

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

ODI HAS REVIEWED COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS STATING THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE HEADLIGHT FUNCTION WHILE OPERATING THEIR VEHICLE.THE REPORTS INDICATE THAT A LOSS OF BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS IS THE RESULT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLES MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH AND CONNECTING WIRING HARNESS.CONSUMERSNOTICED THAT THE…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Dodge Neon as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.