Selling a dead or junk Plymouth Neon

Even a Neon that failed inspection or has a dead engine still has a buyer. We buy whole non-running and junk cars and offer free pickup anywhere in the US. You sell the whole car as it sits.

The Neon's NHTSA file, year by year

Figures come from NHTSA owner reports as of October 10, 2026, and the 2000-2001 cars have had fewer years to pick up reports than the 1995. Three complaints are filed under a 1994 model year, before the Neon's first full year.

The file holds 9 death reports and 163 injury reports in all. Recall vehicle counts below are whole-campaign counts, which may include other models.

What owners reported, generation by generation

1995-1999: the first Neon

Wikipedia says production began November 10, 1993, at Belvidere, Illinois, and Toluca, Mexico, and ran to August 1999. The engine list shows 1.8- and 2.0-liter fours, with a 5-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic. These five years drew 1,179 complaints, and the engine leads every one of them.

The 1995 has the most complaints of any Neon, 481, with engine (121), brakes (68) and steering (59) on top. No other Neon year has as many recall campaigns as its six:

• 94V033000: moisture could get into the powertrain control module and cause stalling. 7,100 vehicles.
• 94V026000: an ABS master cylinder seal could let air in, causing spongy brakes. 2,700 vehicles.
• 94V034000: rear brake hose bracket screws could fail and let the hoses get damaged. 7,100 vehicles.
• 96V075000 (1995-1996): the brake master cylinder could leak fluid past a damaged piston seal. 151,800 vehicles.
• 96V228000: fuel and rear brake tubes could corrode where they meet a rubber isolator. 180,000 vehicles.
• 97V169000: the steering column coupler could come apart after an underbody impact. 375,000 vehicles.

On the 1996, engine complaints climb to 150 of 308. Recall 96V026000 covers an engine wiring harness that could short against the EGR tube (15,000 vehicles). The 1997 has recall 97V080000: the air bag could go off when the ignition is shut down (125,000 vehicles). The 1998 has 99V001000, for rear suspension crossmembers missing spot welds (3,683 vehicles).

2000-2001: the second Neon

The redesign started production in January 1999 for the 2000 model year, again at Belvidere and Toluca. The pattern changes: 190 complaints over two years, and engine complaints fall behind brakes and air bags.

The 2000 has five campaigns. Two are tiny: 99V043000 for passenger air bags that might not inflate properly (488 vehicles), and 99V114000 for poorly welded front lower control arms (744). Recall 00V194000 covers PCV vapors that could freeze inside the throttle body in extreme cold (263,000). Recall 01V154000, on 2000-2001 cars, covers a brake booster vacuum hose that could swell and loosen from oil and heat (353,000). Recall 00V366000 only added a page to the owner's manual; its 1,211,756 vehicles include pickups and SUVs.

Safety ratings tell the rest. Wikipedia reports that IIHS rated the second generation Poor in its side impact test, and that IIHS listed the Neon at 161 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, against 103 for its class. Plymouth sold its last Neon as a 2001.

Selling a Neon whole

1. Note what's wrong: overheating, no start, brake warning, or a body that won't pass inspection. Add the VIN and mileage.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it is: a driveway, the street, a lot, or a garage. Let us know if the Neon rolls and turns, so we send the right truck. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Keep the Neon complete. Leave its battery, wheels and catalytic converter on, and tell us if any Neon parts are already gone.
5. Our driver will ask for the Neon's title and your ID. What to do with the plate varies by state; see after you sell.

Is a Neon worth fixing now?

Put the repair quote next to the going price for a running Neon from that year. When the Neon quote comes near that number or goes past it, sell it as it sits.

• Running hot or losing coolant? That falls under engine and engine cooling, the Neon's biggest complaint group. The head gasket guide explains what overheating can mean.
• Soft or failing brakes? Brakes come second in the file and carry four Neon recalls. See bad brakes.
• Want to see your car's recalls? Enter the VIN at NHTSA's lookup.

Other Plymouths: the Sundance and Colt the Neon replaced, the Breeze, and the Voyager.