2001 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

WHILE DRIVING MY DODGE INTREPID, THE ENGINE FAILED AND SEIZED ON ME. THE LAST REGULAR OIL CHANGE I DID, I HAPPENED TO NOTICE THAT THE OIL WAS A LITTLE CHUNKY. AFTER THAT OIL CHANGE, THE OIL LIGHT STARTED TO FLICKER WHILE CAR WAS IN IDOL. ASKED MECHANIC FRIEND TO COME LOOK AT MY CAR, AND SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. LATER THAT WEEK MY CAR STARTED TO KNOCK VERY LOUDLY. FEAR OF A BREAKDOWN, I PARKED MY INTREPID AND ATTEMPTED TO FIX. WHEN I TOOK THE VALVE COVER OFF THERE WAS A THICK COATING OF SLUDGE ON EVERYTHING. I REPLACED A BEARING ON THE CRANK FOR THE #1 PISTON ROD. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR, IT RAN FINE. I DROVE IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES AND THE ENGINE SEIZED WHILE I WAS ON A BUSY 2 LANE HIGHWAY. NOW I NEED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. WHEN A CALLED A SHOP AND DESCRIBED THE SITUATION, HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THE TIME TO FIX MY CAR THAT WILL JUST BREAKDOWN OVER AND OVER. PLUS, I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDOW SWITCHES, AND A/C CONTROLS. BOTH PROBLEMS I TRIED TO HAVE A DEALERSHIP FIX AND THEY WOULDN'T COVER IT WITH MY WARRANTY! *TR

WE PURCHASED A 2001 DODGE INTREPID FOR OUR SON ON MAY 21,2007 FROM A REPUTABLE GOSSETT DEALERSHIP IN MEMPHIS TN. WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY HAD NO LIABILITY FOR THE VEHICLE AFTER PURCHASE. THE 2.7L V6 ENGINE FAILED DUE TO OIL SLUDGE ON 07/12/2007. THERE WAS NO WARNING! THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED THE DAY OF PURCHASE AND NO LIGHTS OR SENSORS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM OF ANY KIND. WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN THE CAR STALLED A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN STOPPED SUDDENLY. THE ENGINE OIL LIGHTS FLASHED ONLY AT THE TIME THAT THE VEHICLE QUIT. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE GARAGE. THE MECHANIC TOLD US THAT THE ENGINE WAS GONE AND THAT THE OIL WAS LIKE SLUDGE. ESTIMATED COST OF REPAIRS FOR A JASPER ENGINE $5926.04 AND FOR A USED 2.7L ENGINE $3992.30. I CALLED A RELATIVE WHO WORKS FOR THE US CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION. WE BOTH WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THROUGH CONTACTS AT UCPSC AND NHTSA DISCOVERED INFORMATION REGARDING DEFECTS WITH THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE AND PROBLEMS THAT CONSUMERS WERE HAVING WITH GETTING ISSUES RESOLVED. THERE ARE EVEN FORUMS DEDICATED TO ENGINE FAILURES FOR 1999 - 2001 DODGE INTREPIDS WITH THE 2.7L ENGINE. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING EVEN IF THE ENGINE IS REPLACED WITH ANOTHER 2.7L WE WILL BE DEALING WITH THIS SAME ISSUE OF ENGINE FAILURE AS THE PRODUCT IS FAULTY. IT IS ALSO OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE JASPER ENGINE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CORRECTED VERSION OF THE 2.7L ENGINE FOR THIS VEHICLE TYPE. I WAS ADVISED TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE ENGINE ON THIS WEBSITE AND THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY. I AM VERY BOTHERED BY THIS SITUATION AND THE DUPLICITOUS NATURE OF CHRYSLER PLACING AN INFERIOR PRODUCT ON THE MARKET WITHOUT PROVIDING RECOURSE SUCH AS A RECALL OR ADVISEMENT/WARNING. GIVEN HORROR STORIES THAT I HAVE READ ON THE WEB, I FEEL FORTUNATE BUT HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE FOR THE CHRYSLER PRODUCT LINE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS BEING PURSUED OR INITIATED IN THIS MATTER. *TR

MAY 06 WE HAD OIL SLUDGE IN OUR ENGINE. $850 CLEAN-UP BILL FOR A CHEAP QUICK FIX. JULY 07 THE SLUDGE IS BACK AND A VALVE IS DAMAGED. ENGINE REPLACEMENT IS NEEDED. *TR

ENGINE FAILED ON INTERSTATE 70 IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS. FORTUNATELY OCCURRED AS WE WERE APPROACHING AN EXIT RAMP AND I WAS ABLE TO STEER (WITHOUT POWER STEERING) ONTO RAMP AND GET STOPPED (WITHOUT POWER BRAKES) BEFORE ENTERING A SIGNAL-CONTROLLED INTERSECTION. NO WARNING SIGNALS CAME ON. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR SOUNDS WERE ACTIVATED. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE REMAINED WITHIN NORMAL OPERATING RANGE. ENGINE SMOKED BUT DID NOT CATCH FIRE. WE WAITED IN 90-DEGREE HEAT FOR TOW SERVICES. SO FAR, MECHANIC HAS DISCOVERED DESTROYED THERMOSTAT, MELTED THERMOSTAT HOUSING, DAMAGED INTAKE, BENT CAM SHAFT, WARPED CYLINDER HEADS, AND ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED BECAUSE WARPAGE OF HEADS AND CAM SHAFT IS SO SEVERE. ENGINE FAILURE IS AN APPARENT KNOWN LIABILITY OF THIS ENGINE, A 2001 CHRYSLER 2.7 LITER V6. ENGINE WILL BE REPLACED TO CORRECT THE FAILURE DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT DAMAGE TO LOWER PARTS OF OEM ENGINE AS A RESULT OF EXTREME HEAT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE THEN SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE OF FAILURE AS SLUDGE BUILD-UP. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 65,000.

THERE WAS A TAPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE OF THE 2001 INTREPID, AFTER WHICH THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. FIVE MINUTES LATER THE TAPPING BECAME MORE INTENSE. WE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR STALLED. WE DROVE IT A FEW FEET INTO A PARKING LOT, AND AFTER THAT, THE CAR WAS HISTORY. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A SERVICE CENTER, WHERE THEY TOLD US THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN, AND THE CAR NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. ALL THIS HAPPENED WITHIN A TIME FRAME OF ABOUT 10 MINUTES. WE THANK GOD WE HAD JUST EXITED THE NJ TURNPIKE AND WERE ON A COUNTRY ROAD. WE COULD HAVE ALL BEEN KILLED. *AK

AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING INTERMITTENTLY FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS. WE HAVE DONE REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON THIS RELIGIOUSLY. *AK THIS LAST TIME, IT WAS MAKING A KNOCKING SOUND AND BARELY MADE IT INTO MY DRIVEWAY. UPON GETTING IT TO MY MECHANIC, WAS TOLD THAT THE WATER PUMP AND FUEL PUMP WERE BOTH GOING OUT AND THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS TOAST, AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT WORK ON IT BECAUSE THE ENGINES ARE NOTORIOUSLY BAD AND NOT WORTH IT. SLUDGE BUILD UP WAS ALSO PRESENT. ENGINE IS NOW BLOWN, AND WE STILL OWE MONEY ON THIS THING!

CAR STARTED MAKING A KNOCKING SOUND, AND DIED ON ME. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED OIL AND TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. ON THE WAY TO SHOP CAR DIED IN AN INTERSECTION , MY HUSBAND HAD TO PUSH IT ACROSS TRAFFIC. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SHO, P AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN DUE TO SLUDGE AND THAT THIS WAS COMMON WITH THE DODGE INTREPID.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE ENGINE LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE HAS OIL SLUDGE AND A LOCAL MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS NEEDING A NEW ENGINE. THE PURCHASE DATE AND # OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 102,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE AT 5 MPH FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE HESITATED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 58,300.