2000 PLYMOUTH NEON Electrical System Problems

I STARTED MY CAR GETTING READY TO LEAVE MY HOUSE AT NIGHT, TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS AFTER STARTING. THEN I SMELLED A PLASTIC BURNING SMELL AND SHORTLY SMOKE BEGAN TO COME OUT OF THE AREA AROUND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND STEERING WHEEL. I TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS AND THE CAR BUT SMOKE STILL CAME OUT. I POPPED THE HOOD AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, THEN THE SMOKE EVENTUALLY STOPPED. LATER I FOUND THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH CONNECTOR MELTED AND BURNED UP, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS FIRE IF I HAD NOT CAUGHT IT IN TIME.

Mileage: 265,500

START TO SMELL ELECTRICAL BURNING. THEN SAW SMOKE COME FROM STEERING COLUMN. STEERING COLUMN HOT TOP LEFT. REMOVED COVERS. WIRING HARNESS HOT. APPEARS TO BE THE HARNESS FOR THE HEAD LIGHTS. TURN OFF HEAD LIGHTS AND COLUMN COOLED DOWN. *TR

Mileage: 250,000

2000 PLYMOUTH NEON VIN: [XXX], MULTI-FUNCTION PLUG, AND WIRING HARNESS UNDER STEERING WHEEL COLUMN MELTED AND CAUGHT FIRE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 98,500

2000 NEON MY AIR BAGS AND CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN ARE NOT WORKING. I NEED A CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY AND THIS HAS HAPPEN TO OTHER CAR SAME YR AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANY THING ABOUT IT CAN YOU HELP ME. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A WIRING HARNESS. PROBLEM. HARNESS OVERHEATED AND MELTED THE WIRE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE ELECTRICAL OUTPUT/LIGHTS, AND DASHBOARD RESOLUTION. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND WAS WAITING FOR FINAL REPAIRS.*AK *TC

Mileage: 56,500

WATER LEAKAGE IN TRUNK AREA, AND REAR OF THE CAR FLOOR BOARDS, SATURATED.

Mileage: 82,000

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. THE CAR IS PAID FOR AND WAS BOUGHT BECAUSE I NEEDED MORE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION THAN MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE. SAD PART IS MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE IS STILL RUNNING WITH MINIMAL REPAIRS MADE TO IT SINCE I HAD IT. ALSO I HAVE CALLED DAIMLER CHRYSTLER AND EMAILED THEM ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT.

Mileage: 25,000

THE KEYS COULD BE TAKEN OUT THE IGNITION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL RUNNING. *NLM

Mileage: 61,547

THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THE HORN WAS INOPERATIVE. *JB

CONSUMER HORN STOPPED OPERATING. CONSUMER STATES CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. CONSUMER FEELS UNSAFE DRIVING AND NOT BEING ABLE TO WORN OTHER DRIVERS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE IGNITION CYLINDER BROKE CAUSING THE KEY TO GET STUCK IN THE IGNITION. TS

I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR IN FOR REPAIRS SEVERAL TIMES, AND THEY DONT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO REPAIR IT.NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED. *AK

TAIL LIGHTS DID NOT WORK BECAUSE THERE WAS A COMPONENT IN STEERING COLUMN THAT HAS BURNED OUT. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT EXAMINED VEHICLE YET. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *AK

TAIL LIGHTS DID NOT WORK BECAUSE THERE WAS A COMPONENT IN STEERING COLUMN THAT HAS BURNED OUT. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT EXAMINED VEHICLE YET. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *AK

WHILE VEHICLE IS IN PARK IGNITION BLOCK LOCKS UP, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

HORN IS LOCATED ABOVE THE FRONT LEFT TIRE WELL. THE HORN FAILS WHEN IT GETS WET. LIVING AND WORKING IN THE LOW COUNTRY, IT IS HARD NOT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED AREAS SINCE IT FLOODS EVERYTIME IT RAINS. WHEN I GO THROUGH A FLOODED AREA (FLOODED BEING NOT MORE THAN 1 FOOT) WATER GETS INTO THE HORN AND IT STOPS WORKING. I CANNOT ALWAYS AVOID THESE AREAS, ESPECIALLY IF THE ENTIRE ROAD IS UNDER WATER. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THE HORN AFTER EVERY STORM WE GET. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, SO I HAVENT HAD TO PAY ANYTHING YET. I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD MOVE THE HORN TO A SAFER, DRYER AREA IN THE CAR. *AK