2000 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. CAR STOPPED WORKING HAD AND EXTENDED WARRANTY, TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKE CAUSING THE MOTOR TO GO OUT. PER TECH SLUDGE CAUSE THE TIMING CHAIN AND MOTOR TO GO OUT. NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE. HAVE ONLY HAD CAR LESS THAN 4 MONTHS. I KNOW THEIR IS ALOT OF CLASS ACT LAWSUITS ON DODGE INTREPID FOR MOTOR FAILING. PLS HELP!! PER TECH STATED THAT THEIR WAS LOTS OF SLUDGE IN THE CAR. I HAVE READ ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS CAR AND THEY ALL STATE ABOUT THE SAME FAILURES. SLUDGE MAKING MOTORS AND TIMING CHAINS GO BAD. *TR

HAD SHORT BLOCK REPLACED BY WARRANTY, TIMING CHAIN LET GO ONE NIGHT JUST OFF THE HIGHWAY WHICH WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO DRIVE IT FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS, I JUST PAID IT OFF !!!! *TR

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH MY 2000 INTREPID 2.7L. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ALL THE DOOR LOCK MOTORS AT DIFFERENT TIMES, STARTING ALL THE WAY BACK FROM 1/8/04 AND THE FINAL ONE WAS JUST THIS MONTH (FEBRUARY.) I WAS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR STALLING OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. SOME TIMES IT WOULD START BACK UP WHILE IT WAS STILL COASTING, OTHER TIMES IT WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME BEFORE IT WOULD START AGAIN, LEAVING ME SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN HOOKED UP TO A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE IT WOULD NOT SHOW WHAT CAUSED THE MALFUNCTION. MY MECHANIC HAD TO CHANGE RANDOM CENSORS UNTIL WE FOUND THE CORRECT ONE. WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE THE CRANK SENSOR. THIS PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING AROUND FEBRUARY/MARCH OF 2007, WITH ONLY 60,121 MILEAGE WHEN THE FIRST ONE WAS REPLACED. THEN THIS PAST WEDNESDAY, 2/27/08, THE ENGINE STARTED TO MAKE A KNOCKING SOUND. WE THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS DUE TO THE EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER WE WERE HAVING. IT DID NOT DUE IT AFTER THE CAR WAS HEATED UP. WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM PICKING UP MY KIDS TODAY, FRIDAY 2/29/08, THE ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING VERY LOUDLY AND LOST POWER. I DID MAKE IT TO MY DRIVEWAY BUT JUST BARELY. I STILL OWE QUITE A BIT FOR THE CAR AND NOW I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DRIVE AND CAN'T EVEN TRADE THE VEHICLE IN. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET TO TRY TO FIND A REPLACEMENT ENGINE I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON THING WITH THIS ENGINE. I HAVE 73,945 MILES ON THE CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SEAT RECLINED BACKWARDS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW SEAT TRACK. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V035000 (SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER). THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 73,512.

WE BOUGHT A 2000 DODGE INTREPID, USED, HAS 112K MILES ON IT. ENGINE IS TICKING, ABOUT TO BLOW A ROD. MY HUSBAND IS A MECHANIC, HE DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE ENGINE AND FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE SLUDGE BUILD UP. JUMPED ONLINE AND FOUND TONS OF ISSUES WITH THESE 2.7L ENGINES. I'VE EMAILED, CALLED, WRITTEN LETTERS TO CHRYSLER / DODGE AND HAVE HAD NO LUCK OBTAINING A RESPONSE BACK FROM THEM. I THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THEY CREATED A DISPOSABLE CAR. ACCORDING TO THE PREVIOUS OWNERS, THE ENGINE BEGAN HAVING HEATING PROBLEMS, THEN THE NOISE BEGAN AROUND 95K, THE PARKED THE CAR AND PUT IT UP FOR SALE. THAT'S WHEN WE BOUGHT IT. WE HAD PLANNED ON FIXING IT AND THEN HAVING ANOTHER FAMILY VEHICLE. NOW THAT WE REALIZE WE'LL HAVE TO SINK ABOUT $2,000 OR MORE INTO IT, WE'RE NOT HAPPY. *TR

AT 81,000 MILES, THE VEHICLE TIMING CHAIN BROKE ON HIGHWAY CAUSING IT TO LOSE ALL POWER, INCLUDING POWER STEERING, AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SAFELY PULL OVER. THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAYS TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN AT 100,000 MILES. AND THE OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC IT IS DEFINITELY A DEFECT OF THE ENGINE AS HE NOTED EVIDENCE OF SLUDGE BUILD-UP. *TR

I OWN A 2000 DODGE INTREPID THAT HAS 57,000 MILES ON IT. I LEFT WORK AT 12PM ON 1/4/08 TO RUN AN ERRAND. I PULLED INTO THE PARKING SPACE AND MY CAR WAS CLANKING UNDER THE HOOD. I SHUT THE CAR OFF, RAN IN TO COMPLETE MY ERRAND, CAME BACK OUT TO MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS 45 MINUTES LATE BACK TO WORK. THE MECHANIC RAN EXTENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND THE CONCLUSION WAS ENGINE SLUDGE. THE MECHANIC STATED "THIS IS THE WORST ENGINE I HAVE EVER SEEN". THE MECHANIC HAD ME COME TO THE CHOP TO VISUALLY SEE THE SLUDGE. I WAS SHOCKED AT THE SIGHT OF SLUDGE BUILDUP. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CHRYSLER/DODGE 2.7 ENGINE AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET FOR THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. DODGE REFUSES TO ADMIT TO A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND REFUSES TO FIX OR ASSIST IN THE REPLACEMENT OF AN ENGINE. *TR

PURCHASED A 2000 DODGE INTREPID NEW FROM DEALER. TAKE AMAZING GREAT CARE OF MY CAR AND HAVE RECORDS TO PROVE THAT. JUST HIT 59,000. MILES AND MY MOTOR BLEW UP. IM NOW LOOKING AT SPENDING $4000. TO REPLACE MOTOR OR PURCHASE A NEW CAR. LISTENING TO ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THESE MOTORS THAT ARE WELL DOCUMENTED I HAVE DECIDED TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR A HONDA. I WILL NEVER AGAIN BUY AMERICAN MADE. HOW CAN THEY BE LET TO GET AWAY WITH THIS. EVERY CONSUMER SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR THERE LOSE. WE ALL DO THE RIGHT THING, PAY OUR TAXES, OUR MONTHLY CAR PAYMENTS WITH HIGH INTEREST RATES, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CRAPPY PRODUCTS WE JUST HAVE TO EAT IT. THAT'S WHY THERE PEOPLE OUT THERE TRYING TO BEAT THE SYSTEM. I SAY THEN GO FOR IT. I WANT $3500.00 FOR MY USELESS CAR. THAT'S WHAT MY BOOK VALUE IS. I ALSO WANT $3500.00 I HAVE TO SPEND FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT FOR MY NEW CAR AND TWO WEEKS OF BEGGING FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR RIDES, AND ALL THE STRESS RELATED TO THIS MESS. SOMEONE NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE POORLY MADE MOTORS. THEY KNOW THERE CRAP AND THERE ALOUD TO GET AWAY WITH IT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, CAR STARTED TO MAKE NOISES UNDER HOOD AND SMOKING. REPLACED MOTOR. 2 YEARS LATER AND WE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *CN

MY 2000 DODGE INTREPID 2.7L DOHC ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I HEARD A NOISE THAT COULD BE DESCRIBED AS A "DIESEL ENGINE" SOUND WHILE MY CAR WAS IDLING AND RUNNING AT LOWER SPEEDS. I HAD SEVERAL FRIENDS LISTEN TO IT AND THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WITHOUT GETTING "INSIDE THE ENGINE". I PLANNED ON TAKING MY CAR TO THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY, AND WHILE MY CAR WAS PARKED AND IN IDLE, THE CAR DIED. WHEN TRYING TO RESTART IT, IT WOULD RUN FOR 5 TO 10 SECONDS AND THEN DIE AGAIN. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC SPENT THREE HOURS DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM AND CREATING AN ESTIMATE. THE BILL WAS $280.00 INCLUDING THE TOW AND LABOR. THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND SUBSEQUENTLY CRACKED THE VALVE COVER AND DAMAGED THE VALVES, AMONG OTHER COMPONENTS. THE ESTIMATE TO REPLACE MY ENGINE IS $4500.00 INCLUDING PARTS AND LABOR. I HAD APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES ON MY INTREPID. UPON RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THAT MANY OTHER VEHICLE OWNERS WITH THIS SAME ENGINE CAME INTO THE SAME PROBLEM, MOST LOSING THEIR ENGINE BETWEEN 30,000 AND 70,000 MILES. I HAVE NOT HAD THE WORK DONE TO MY CAR YET, DUE TO THE OUTRAGEOUS COST, AND I HAVE TO DECIDE NOW IF IT IS WORTH IT TO REPAIR IT MYSELF OR JUST PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS IF MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR