Several car probs: 2000 Dodge Neon ES

Factual Questions
1

So I have about 10,000 miles to go before my extended warranty runs out, and several problems have begun to crop up. Of course, I want to address them while it’s not likely to cost me extra, but the nature of the problems I’m experiencing strikes me as hard to reproduce on demand/diagnose. I don’t even know if they are all likely realated, which is why I’m hoping tha tsomeone with auto knowledge might be able to give me a likely diagnosis before I bring it in to the dealership.

  1. The car sometimes sputters like it’s gonna stall. This usually happens as I’m braking, just as the car comes to a stop. This is an automatic transmission. So far, the engine has recovered each time on its own.

  2. Yesterday, as I was stopped in a long line of cars at a stop light, I looked down and noticed that my fuel gauge had zeroed out. The tank had been filled that morning. When I inched forward, the gauge shot back up to where it belonged, and has been fine since.

  3. This morning, the front right dashboard speaker suddenly crapped out, but came back on a minute later.

  4. My wife claims that the gear shift used to light up when the lights were turned on. They no longer do so. For the life of me, I can’t remember for sure if she’s right, or if they have never lit up. I checked the manual, which makes no specific mention of these lights, and I’ve checked all the fuses- non are burnt out. So I guess I need to first confirm that they are supposed to light up, and then figure out what the problem might be.

That’s all. The car’s been really good to me right up until now. I really need to keep this thing going for another couple of years so like I said, I want to get this stuff fixed ASAP under warranty, but since some of these only happen randomly, I just know that they’re gonna tell me they can’t reproduce the problem at the dealership.

Thanks in advance to any Doper who can lend a hand.

-j

2

  1. Lots of possible causes. Will need inspection and testing to determine what’s going on.

  2. Most likely a fault in the tank sending unit, but could be a poor wiring connection or even a faulty dash gauge.

  3. Poor wiring connection between radio and speaker or intermittent fault in the radio itself.

  4. Yes, there’s a light for the shift indicator. Most likely its bulb is burned out.

Unless the intermittent symptoms occur simultaneously, the problems are almost certainly not related.

3

Intermittent problems are very frustrating for everyone concerned. Usually they have to be caught in the act to afford diagnosis. However, if the complaint is registered while the warranty is in effect, they may well be covered even if they can’t be resolved until after the warranty expires. So take it in, and carefully describe the symptoms you’ve observed.

4

Thanks, Gary T- weach of your answers are very helpful, especially the possiblility that a registered complaint under warranty MIGHT cover my butt if the prob can’t be immediately diagnosed. I really appreciate it, and I will be making an appointment with the dealership.