What are the common problems with the 1999 Dodge Neon?
Owners of the 1999 Dodge Neon have filed 116 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine cooling (55) and the electrical system (13). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 30 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 116 owner complaints on the 1999 Dodge Neon. Owners named engine cooling most often: 55 complaints, and half of the 17 that list a mileage came after 54,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 116 complaints, 21 report a crash, 4 report a fire and 13 report an injury (19 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 1999 Neon
NHTSA's file holds 116 owner complaints on the 1999 Dodge Neon. Owners named engine cooling most often: 55 complaints, and half of the 17 that list a mileage came after 54,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 55 | 17 | 54,035 |
| Electrical System | 13 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Air Bags | 12 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Power Train | 9 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Visibility | 9 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 116 complaints, 21 report a crash, 4 report a fire and 13 report an injury (19 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 1999 Neon
The 30 mileages owners gave run from 2,800 to 235,500 miles. A quarter are at or under 43,950 miles, half at or under 59,990, three quarters at or under 72,000 and nine in ten at or under 102,000; 4 (13%) came after 100,000 miles, 2 (7%) after 150,000 and 1 (3%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1999 Neon wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 26 of the 30 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 1999 Neon can cover.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 2,800 miles |
| 25th percentile | 43,950 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 59,990 miles |
| 75th percentile | 72,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 102,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 235,500 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 4 (13%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 2 (7%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 1 (3%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 757 NHTSA owner complaints on the Dodge Neon that list mileage came after 59,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Dodge Neon last? →
Is the 1999 Neon a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1999 is a good or a bad Neon: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1999 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 116 complaints, the 1999 ranks 9th of the 11 Dodge Neon model years from 1995 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1995 (976). The fewest: the 2004 (94).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 Neon | 976 | 35 | 82,741 |
| 1996 Neon | 611 | 38 | 80,000 |
| 1997 Neon | 388 | 35 | 62,000 |
| 1998 Neon | 339 | 44 | 60,000 |
| 1999 (this page) | 116 | 30 | 59,990 |
| 2000 Neon | 337 | 96 | 62,000 |
| 2001 Neon | 146 | 52 | 51,000 |
| 2002 Neon | 173 | 113 | 48,000 |
| 2003 Neon | 202 | 158 | 54,400 |
| 2004 Neon | 94 | 73 | 60,000 |
| 2005 Neon | 96 | 83 | 45,200 |
Every Neon year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Dodge Neon years to avoid →
1999 Dodge Neon recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 1999 Dodge Neon (0 vehicle campaigns and 4 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1999 Neon lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1999 Neon.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 86 of the 116 complaints on the 1999 Dodge Neon give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: NEON. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: NEON.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1999 Dodge Neon questions
What are the most common 1999 Dodge Neon problems?
NHTSA's file holds 116 owner complaints on the 1999 Dodge Neon. Owners named engine cooling most often: 55 complaints, and half of the 17 that list a mileage came after 54,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 116 complaints, 21 report a crash, 4 report a fire and 13 report an injury (19 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 1999 Dodge Neon?
Of the 30 complaints on the 1999 Dodge Neon that list mileage, the middle half came between 43,000 and 72,000 miles; 4 (13%) came after 100,000 miles, 2 (7%) after 150,000 and 1 (3%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 1999 Neon can cover.
Is the 1999 Dodge Neon a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1999 is a good or a bad Neon: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1999 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 116 complaints, the 1999 ranks 9th of the 11 Dodge Neon model years from 1995 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1995 (976). The fewest: the 2004 (94).
How many recalls does the 1999 Dodge Neon have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 1999 Dodge Neon (0 vehicle campaigns and 4 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1999 Dodge Neon before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1999 Dodge Neon.