1999 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

MY 1999 DODGE INTREPID HAS HAD STEERING PROBLEMS WITH CLUNCKING, STICKING AND PLAY IN THE STEERING. ON 7/22/2005 THE STEERING STUCK SO BAD THAT I COULD NOT TURN THE WHEEL AND ENDED UP IN THE LANE OF ON COMING TRAFFIC. WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION STEERING WHICH I HAVE RESEARCH IS A MAJOR FALIURE IN THE DODGE INTREPID AND A MAJOR SAFTEY ISSUE.

1999 DODGE INTREPID W/A 2.7L ENGINE. ENGINE FAILURE AT APPROX. 78,000 MILES. SPUN 2 ROD BEARINGS. I HEARD THE RATTLE FROM THE BOTTOM END AS I PULLED INTO WORK ONE MORNING. PULLED THE OIL PAN BEFORE IT COULD GET WORSE. I HAVE USED MOBIL1 SYNTHETIC 10W30, CHANGED EVERY 5000 MILES. CAR IS DRIVEN ALOT OF THE TIME ON THE HIGHWAY. HAVING BEEN A MECHANIC FOR 18 YRS I REBUILT THE ENGINE MYSELF. I REPLACED THE MAIN AND ROD BEARINGS, RINGS, OIL PUMP, WATER PUMP, TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND GASKET SET. ALSO THE CRANK WAS GROUND AND THE RODS RESIZED, ALONG WITH HAVING ALL THE ENGINE PARTS CLEANED. I TOOK NUMEROUS PICTURES AND KEPT THE OFFENDING COMPONENTS. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 3 WEEKS AND HAD TO PAY FOR A RENTAL.

1999 DODGE INTREPID- ORIGINALLY TAKEN TO THE DEALER WITH A RIGHT-PASSENGER WINDOW DEFECT AS THE WINDOW WOULD NOT GO UP AND DOWN ELECTRONICALLY. NEXT, IT WAS THE AIR-CONDITIONER WHICH WAS REPAIRED BUT DID NOT WORK CORRECTLY. YOU HAD TO TURN THE KNOW TO HEAT AND THEN BACK TO AIR-CONDITIONING. MOST RECENTLY, WHEN YOU TOUCHED THE BRAKE AND THEN TRIED TO ACCERLERATE THE CAR WOULD STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO OUR MECHANIC FOR THIS REPAIR AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER. IT WAS RUNNING HOT AND THEN WOULD DROP. THEY REPLACED A THERMOSTAT, IDLING MOTOR AND THE COMPUTER. THEY HAD TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FOR TWO WEEKS. WE WERE ALSO APPRISED OF A SLUDGE PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG LIGHT DOES NOT GO OFF AND THE MILEAGE NOT LONGER APPEARS AND ONLY THE TRIPOMETER. THIS VEHICLE IS APPROXIMATELY SIX YEARS OLD AND IT HAS HAD CONSISTANT PROBLEMS. IN REVIEWING THE RECALS ON THIS MODEL, THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN RELATED TO SEATBELTS.

DT: THE TIMING CHAIN WAS GETTING READY TO SNAP. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS KNOCKING AND MAKING A FUNNY NOISE. DEALER STATED THAT IF CONSUMER HAD TO DRIVE MUCH FURTHER IT WOULD SNAP WHILE DRIVING IT. THERE WAS OIL SLUDGE BUILT UP IN THE ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED ON MARCH 15, 2005.*AK

DT: THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE ON 1999 DODGE INTREPID. CONSUMER WERE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ENGINE LOCKED AND THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. THE SPEED WAS ABOUT 35 MPH. THIS TOOK PLACE ON JULY 13, 2005. CONSUMER HAD NOT ANY HAD TROUBLE WITH THE CAR BEFORE THIS. TOOK CAR TO A DODGE DEALERSHIP, WHO INFORMED CONSUMER THAT ENGINE REPLACEMENT WOULD COST $6000.00. CONSUMER DID NOT PLAN TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BECAUSE THE CAR WAS ONLY WORTH ABOUT $7,000.00. THE MECHANIC SHOWED CONSUMER THAT THE VALVE SPRING BROKE, AND THE VALVE DROPPED DOWN INTO THE CYLINDER. CONSUMER UNDERSTOOD THAT THESE MOTORS WERE HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS. CONSUMER TALKED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD THE CAR. THE CONSUMER CALLED MANUFACTURER. MECHANIC WANTED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF OIL AND FILTERS THE CONSUMER WAS USING, THIS WAS THE CLEANEST ENGINE THAT THE MECHANIC HAD SEEN. *AK

1999 DODGE INTREPID VIN [XXX] ENGINE FAILURE. THIS IS A 6 YEAR OLD CAR WITH 80,000 MILES. THE ENGINE FAILED OUT OF NO WHERE! DODGE COULDN'T CARE LESS! WHY? *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH THE DRIVER HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND AND THE ENGINE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS ENGINE SLUDGE WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE. *AK *NM

ENGINE FAILURE WITH THE 2.7 LITER ENGINE. ENGINE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND IT FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. DODGE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT IT WAS A FLAWED ENGINE BUT DODGE WOULD NOT WARRANTY ENGINE. ENGINE MANUFACTURERS AND CONSUMER REPORTS(AUGUST 2005) ADVISE THIS IS A DEFECTIVE ENGINE AND DODGE REFUSES TO FIX OR REPLACE THE ENGINE.

DT: WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER HEARD A TAPPING NOISE AND STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE CONSUMER PROCEED TO DRIVE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES OR A MILE IN DISTANCE. THE CONSUMER DROVE TO AN INTERSECTION AND THE ENGINE DIED. THE TAPPING NOISE STOPPED AFTER A LOUD NOISE. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE. HE HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OUT OF WAY AND CALLED FOR TOW TRUCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED HOME. A MECHANIC CAME BY TO CHECK THE VEHICLE AND HE SUGGESTED THE BEARING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE MOTOR BROKE. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE AS OF YET. SUGGESTED REPLACEMENT FOR AN ENGINE COSTS $3,500.*AK

I HAVE 68,000 MILES ON MY 1999 DODGE INTREPID 2.7 LITER ENGINE AND AFTER ONE MONTH SINCE THE LAST SERVICE AND AFTER BEING SERVICED RELIGIOUSLY EVERY 3,000 MILES I AM NOW BEING GIVEN AN ESTIMATE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE IN THE AMOUNT OF $5,000 TO $7,000. I DON'T EVEN THINK THE BLUE BOOK ON THE CAR IS EVEN THAT HIGH NOW. BASICALLY, THE MECHANIC SAID THE COOLANT AND OIL IN THE CAR WERE COMPLETELY GONE AND WITH IT NOW HAVING THE KNOCKING NOISE NEEDS AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. WENT TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP LOCALLY AND THEY ADMITTED IT WAS NOT THE BEST OF THEIR ENGINES, BUT NEVERTHELESS THEY INDICATED SINCE IT IS PAST THE WARRANTY PERIOD OF 36,000 THERE WASN'T MUCH THEY COULD DO. THEY TRIED TO SUGGEST THAT THE SERVICING I RECEIVED MAY HAVE BEEN FAULTY AND I POINTED OUT THAT WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO THINK THAT, BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SERVICED ONE MONTH PRIOR AND TO HAVE ALL COOLANT AND 5 QUARTS OF OIL DISAPPEAR WITHOUT ANY OF THE OBVIOUS SIGNS COULD NOT WARRANT THAT SUGGESTION. I EXPLAINED THAT REGARDLESS OF THE SERVICING THAT IN ONE MONTH THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOME INDICATION, SUCH AS OIL SERVICE LIGHT INDICATOR, ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT, SMELLS, OIL LEAKS ON DRIVEWAY, BLUE SMOKE FROM TAIL PIPE, ETC. TO AT LEAST INDICATE A PROBLEM THAT MAY NEED CORRECTION, BUT THERE WAS NEVER AN INDICATION. I EXPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP, IF I WEREN'T SERVICING MY CAR THAT I COULD SORT OF SIDE WITH THEM, BUT THE POINT IS I DID WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO PROLONG THE USEFUL LIFE OF THIS CAR AND AT NO FAULT OF MINE THE ENGINE HAS FAILED MUCH SOONER THAN IT SHOULD AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING.