The nightmare scenario for any owner of a Dodge or Plymouth Neon is to have the radiator blow up, which results in the transmission getting drowned by antifreeze. By the way, the Dodge Neon is a front-wheel-drive car that's compact and sold in the USA and everywhere else. In Europe, Mexico, and Canada, it's instead known as the Chrysler Neon. It's also the Neon that's most susceptible to radiators blowing up and ruining its transmission with coolant.
Symptoms and Causes of a Blown Radiator
- Transmission Slippage: When it takes too much time for your Dodge Neon to coast or if you're suffering from acceleration delays, then your radiator must've blown up or leaking antifreeze all over your transmission. The transmission is, after all, the one that transmits power to your car's engine through the driveshaft and the live axle. Automatic cars allow you to shift gears without pedals and levers, but manual transmission Dodge Neons are susceptible to damage.
- Overheating Car: Naturally, if your radiator has blown up, then the heat that it normally absorbs to keep the car cool won't get transferred to it anymore. This will then lead to a car that overheats constantly. Other symptoms of radiator damage include radiator coolant leaking all over or right under your vehicle. Watch out for the presence of sludge as well, which is just green coolant mixing with oil and/or rust.
- Radiator Lifespan and Mileage: Although your mileage may vary in regards to how long your Neon radiator is supposed to last, Dodge Neon owners with past experience contend that it typically takes the average mileage of 79,000 miles before the radiator starts acting up. Careful driving, regular tune-ups, long trips, and using the right brand of coolant for your radiator is called for in order to extend its lifespan beyond those 79,000 miles.
- Radiator Failure Caused by Design Flaws: Although this design flaw hasn't caused recalls of the Dodge Neon, owners of the car model should still watch out for it. If your car starts overheating more than usual, have the repairmen of your local car repair facility take a look at the state of your radiator immediately. It's also bad to have coolant fill your transmission because this destroys your sealing rings and causes our band and clutch friction material to wear out.
Dealing with the Dodge Neon's Fatal Flaw
There are several things that you should expect when this disaster happens so that you can fix it and minimize the potential damage to your vehicle and your inevitable expenses. You should identify the symptoms of a radiator that's about to blow or has already blown. Or a transmission that's full of antifreeze. It's therefore imperative that you go to your nearest dealership to "deal" with this problem before you end up spending thousands of dollars to fix it.