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#BS-1996-PLYNEO-72CE

1996 Plymouth Neon

Based on reports from 476 owners and 2 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
476
Crashes
41
Fires
11
Recalls
2
TSBs
46
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 476 complaints, 41 crashes, 11 fires, and 2 recalls. Complaint rate is 2.0x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

runs roughly stalls while driving

2 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
2

battery wont hold a charge

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
3

poor gas mileage

1 complaints • Severity 6/10

$X,XXX

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Engine And Engine Cooling:engineHIGH

119 owners reported engine and engine cooling:engine issues — failures commonly reported around 73K miles.

!Inspect the Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasolineMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

2
0–30K
4
30–60K
8
60–90K
5
90–120K
1
120–150K
1
150K+

Peak failure range: 60–90K miles (8 reports) • Median: 73K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Engine And Engine Cooling:engine (119 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine119 (25%)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline44 (9%)
Other23 (5%)
Air Bags:frontal22 (5%)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components14 (3%)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip14 (3%)
Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood14 (3%)
Power Train:automatic Transmission13 (3%)

1996 Plymouth Neon: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine complaints account for 25% of all reports filed for the 1996 Plymouth Neon, with 119 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 73,238 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 73K-mile mark.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 1996 Plymouth Neon, with 44 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Air Bags:frontal Issues

Air Bags:frontal complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1996 Plymouth Neon, with 22 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to air bags:frontal-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components Issues

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components complaints account for 3% of all reports filed for the 1996 Plymouth Neon, with 14 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

109
00
56
01
44
02
14
03
16
04
6
05
3
06
2
07
3
21
1
22

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1996 Plymouth Neon. Recent trend: decreasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (2 recalls)

96V026000Mar 1996

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

AN ENGINE WIRING HARNESS CAN SHORT CIRCUIT DUE TO CONTACT WITH THE EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION TUBE..

96V075000Jun 1996

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER CAN LEAK BRAKE FLUID DUE TO A DAMAGED DOUBLE LIP REAR PISTON SEAL.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Plymouth Neon is the 1997 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is electrical.

1996 Plymouth Neon vs. Class Average (Compact Cars)

This vehicle

476

Class avg

236

2.0x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical compact cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 476 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 2 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Plymouth Neon Model Years

202620252024202320222021202020192018201720162015201420132012201120102009200820072006200520042003200220012000199919981997199619951994
View all Plymouth Neon years →

1996 Plymouth Neon: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1996 Plymouth Neon?
The most commonly reported issue with the 1996 Plymouth Neon is related to the engine and engine cooling:engine, with 119 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 1996 Plymouth Neon reliable?
The 1996 Plymouth Neon has 476 complaints, 41 crash reports, and 11 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 2.0x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 1996 Plymouth Neon problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 1996 Plymouth Neon have any recalls?
Yes, the 1996 Plymouth Neon has 2 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Plymouth Neon problems start?
Based on 21 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 73,238 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 60–90K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 476 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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