As I am cruising between 55-60 mph in my '95 neon, it'll tug back and forth as if it wants to stop running. This tugging back and forth is kinda scary as I'm not sure if I would lose power on the expressway. I also noticed that my engine light comes on and off during this tugging process. Also, as I am pulling into park, the engine will die but I have no problem starting up again. This also happens if I am slowly turning. Any advice would be appreciated.

yeah man My car is doing that same thing i have a 95 to it will do it in all my gears though. but on the highway it will tug back and loose power and you hit the gas and it dont go anywere my rpms dont go to. I think that its the throttle sensor or the throttle body its self. Try having your car running and then shut the hood by a slight drop and see if your car stals.

sit in the drivers seat with pen and paper.... do not start car...turn ignition switch on and off 3 times in 5 seconds, without cranking the engine ....the "check engine" light will start to flash a code....count the flashes ie ( flash, pause, flash,flash means code 12 ) and so on . then post results

Thanks, Pegasus

I had taken it to decent mechanic when the engine light came on. He quickly plugged in for the DTC and it came up " park/neutral switch". He replaced it. However, per my earlier post, that did not solve the tugging/jerking/pulling and the engine light came on and off. I talked to the mechanic again and he was sure that no other DTC came up. He charged me a reasonable rate of $45 (Parts and labor---the guy's Asian and he gets a lot of business, so I trust him). I did mentioned to him the possibility of a bad fuel pump or O2 sensor---he suggested that I tried a bottle of fuel injector first before spending more money (you gotta like this guy---a dealer would probably replace everything possible). And again today as I made a slow right hand turn, the car died--no problem starting up again. From everything that I read on this forum, this problem seems to persist and no one who had the problem came back and provided details on what they did to cure the problem. I'll be on the highway again this Monday---hope the fuel injector is the fix but I doubt it.



sit in the drivers seat with pen and paper.... do not start car...turn ignition switch on and off 3 times in 5 seconds, without cranking the engine ....the "check engine" light will start to flash a code....count the flashes ie ( flash, pause, flash,flash means code 12 ) and so on . then post results

Did you replaced the throttle sensor? Did it solve the problem? It's kinda freaky to see that rpm needle rapidly moving up and down--you would think an alien ship is hovering over your car and causing the electrical to go beserk. When you're cruising along at 60 -65 mph and that first tug- -and-jerk occurs, it wakes you up fast because it feels that you are standing still while everyone passes you by. By the way, I'm not sure if I understand your last sentence about shutting the hood? Thanks


yeah man My car is doing that same thing i have a 95 to it will do it in all my gears though. but on the highway it will tug back and loose power and you hit the gas and it dont go anywere my rpms dont go to. I think that its the throttle sensor or the throttle body its self. Try having your car running and then shut the hood by a slight drop and see if your car stals.

I don't know about the RH turn problem, as I've never seen what people did to fix it. But your problem sounds to me like an O2 sensor, or loose/corroded battery connection. I had the same trouble, and a downstream O2 sensor fixed 'er right up. Good luck!

while your car is running pop your hood and then close it by dropping it shut like about a foot up and see if your car stalls. One thing about your turn that is usually a sign of the fuel pump going bad that is a common problem the car will loose power up hills and sometimes stall around corners.

Thanks Scatch---I never thought about the loose/corroded battery connection...I did put in a new battery a few months ago. I definitely think its the O2 sensor...I had a similar thing about five years after owning the car and the Firestone mechanic replaced 4 or 5 parts (one of which was the sensor, I believe)---hell, I think he got lucky with all the parts he replaced. Well, I'll let everyone know what happens in a week or two.


I don't know about the RH turn problem, as I've never seen what people did to fix it. But your problem sounds to me like an O2 sensor, or loose/corroded battery connection. I had the same trouble, and a downstream O2 sensor fixed 'er right up. Good luck!

"the guy's Asian and he gets a lot of business, so I trust him".....sounds like your in good hands. I worked for a THAI family for close to 14 years as a mechanic, trust and not losing face is very important to Asians , must be something in their upbringing :)

Yeah Me agian I replaced the TPS (Throttle Postion Sensor), and my car is doing much better now. I was getting bad gas milage to and now im not. You can try that if you want to my car dont jerk anymore.

Sounds great! But let's not get too euphoric too soon---let's give it a couple of weeks and if I don't hear back from you, I will assume that the tug-and-jerk problem did not come back and I will have my mechanic check it out. I will post afterwards. Thanks again.


Yeah Me agian I replaced the TPS (Throttle Postion Sensor), and my car is doing much better now. I was getting bad gas milage to and now im not. You can try that if you want to my car dont jerk anymore.

yeah, that o2 sensor thing prolly was/is the problem, i have ann o2 sensor problem and my engine revs like im punching the gas (which im not) everytime i shift, i gotta get a new one soon

rolnaldo, I think in your case it might be a TPS. Have it checked before you go replacing O2 sensors. Those suckers are kinda pricey...

iight, cool, thx for the advice

im replacing my o2 sensors today if not today tomorrow but ill write back as soon as they are in and let you guys know whats up. The TPS i guess wasnt the problem but it did help a lot i did the obd thing today and got code 12 21 55 21 is the o2 sensors. My car started to rev when i had my clutch in today as well like it wouldnt go back down after the clutch was in. hope the o2's help ill get back to you

My mechanic is pretty sure that it's the TPS (per Scatch's post) and not the O2 sensor---he's trying to get just the throttle sensor and not the whole damn thing (that costs alsmost $300). The sensor runs about $ 100....we'll try that first. Will know by this weekend and get back to you. Good luck.


im replacing my o2 sensors today if not today tomorrow but ill write back as soon as they are in and let you guys know whats up. The TPS i guess wasnt the problem but it did help a lot i did the obd thing today and got code 12 21 55 21 is the o2 sensors. My car started to rev when i had my clutch in today as well like it wouldnt go back down after the clutch was in. hope the o2's help ill get back to you

You only had to replace the sensor, right? Not the whole throttle body/system---my mechanic says the dealer told him they don't sell just the sensor anymore---my mechanic is calling various auto part suppliers to just get the sensor for about $ 100---- I'm hoping he can get it so that I can get this done for under $ 200 parts & labor----what did you replaced exactly? And was it hard to get the part that you need?


Yeah Me agian I replaced the TPS (Throttle Postion Sensor), and my car is doing much better now. I was getting bad gas milage to and now im not. You can try that if you want to my car dont jerk anymore.

As I am cruising between 55-60 mph in my '95 neon, it'll tug back and forth as if it wants to stop running. This tugging back and forth is kinda scary as I'm not sure if I would lose power on the expressway. I also noticed that my engine light comes on and off during this tugging process. Also, as I am pulling into park, the engine will die but I have no problem starting up again. This also happens if I am slowly turning. Any advice would be appreciated.

Flashing MIL is a misfire indicator. In the OBDII spec. this is the only severe trouble code that can bypass the pending code state and go straight to a stored trouble code. Your model year is a hybrid OBDI-II if I am correct. Either way, this is your probable cause. You can verify this is it by putting the car under load or heat soaking it and seeing if it happens more. This is not an electrical issue as some posts might think because your battery isn't driving the firing ignition and your alternator wouldn't "trigger" at speeds.

My mechanic is pretty sure that it's the TPS (per Scatch's post) and not the O2 sensor---he's trying to get just the throttle sensor and not the whole damn thing (that costs alsmost $300). The sensor runs about $ 100....we'll try that first. Will know by this weekend and get back to you. Good luck.

Don't just replace O2 sensors, put a tool on it. I was sent to evaluate this forum because they want to review our product on this forum (www.autoenginuity.com). Don't think this is a plug....get any scan tool you want. Just check the pre-cat O2 sensor for regular switching. You will be able to tell your cat. efficiency instantly and the fuel adaptpion will tell you what your fuel system is doing--lean or rich. This will take you right to your issue. O2s go bad all the time but that is a symptom of a problem--not the problem. Leaking valve cover gaskets or coolant in the down pipes can fowl O2s and the cat. With either bad your fuel adpation will be so far off that your vehicle will perform badly. Your model year tells me that you've got enough miles that it could need O2 sensors by now--but don't buy tehm and trying them. Costs too much that way. Good luck.

As I've said before make CERTAIN the sensors are bad, because it can get expensive in a hurry.

If the sensor is in fact bad, call up Bob Kise at Fenton Dodge. Tell him that you're a Neon person, and he'll make you a great deal. If Mopar sells it, he can get it.

Fenton Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge
15123 North Road
Fenton, MI 48430
810-714-3300
810-714-5013 FAX

i went to pep boys got the tps for 79 dollars and put it on myself its cake to put on and you dont have to replace the whole thing.

If the problem continues, check the connections under the fuse box (the one under the hood). Mine had come loose when we did another head gasket job on my car last month and the car was acting up. After reconnecting them properly no more problems :D

If that does NOT solve the problem, your speed sensor may be going out or the wiring may be bad.

Hey man I replaced my O2 sensors yesterday and took my car on a nice long drive and it didnt jerk anymore. It did great it picked up when i wanted it to. Before i put them in it was messing up and all that but right after they were in it did great. That is what i would do if i were you try the OBD Thing to.