2000 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

WHILE DRIVING HOME APRIL 20, 2005 MY CAR BEGAN SPUTTERING AND STALLED OUT. I GOT IT HOME AND CALLED MY MECHANIC TO COME OVER AND CHECK IT OUT. HE IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME THAT I HAD A ROD KNOCK, AND THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE CAM SENSOR. ON APRIL 22, 2005 I HAD THE SENSOR INSTALLED, $37.00 FOR PART. THE CAR WAS THEN DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES AND THE KNOCKING IN THE ENGINE GOT INCREASINGLY WORSE UNTIL IT WENT BANG AND WOULD NO LONGER RUN. THE ENGINE HAD THROWN A ROD. NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT A REPLACEMENT ENGINE, AT AN APPROXIMATE COST OF $3,500.00 TO $5,000.00. THIS FOR A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 44,000 MILES. IT SHOULD BE JUST BREAKING IN AT THIS POINT, NOT BREAKING DOWN, ESPECIALLY FROM A BLOWN ENGINE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED, HAVING HAD THE OIL CHANGED REGULARLY AT 2,500-3,000 MILES. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL POSTINGS REGARDING THIS ENGINEERING FAULT CREATED BY CHRYSLER IN THE 2.7 LITRE ENGINE AND IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO OFFSET THE MAJOR EXPENSE CAUSED BY THEIR DESIGN.

DT: WHILE DRIVING TO WORK IN THE EARLY MORNING THE CAR QUIT WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE WAS TOWED HOME, AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ENGINE BLEW UP. THE LOCAL DEALER CALLED AND CONFIRMED THIS. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK

DT: THE ENGINE DIED, HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC: "PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE". WILL TOW TO A DEALER, AND CHRYSLER SAID THEY MIGHT ASSIST WITH THE PROBLEM. NO ENGINE LIGHT, OR PRIOR INDICATION BEFORE ENGINE DIED.*AK

PREMATURE ENGINE PROBLEM. ENGINE FAIL AND CAR WAS A WELL MAINTAINED VEHICHLE.CAR ENGINE FAIL WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND MECHANICS SAY THAT THE ENGINE FAIL DUE TO OIL SLUDGE.

DT: ENGINE HAS LOCKED UP BECAUSE OF SLUDGE BUILD UP. AS A RESULT, THERE IS A BLOCKAGE TO THE ENGINE .HE HAS CHANGED THE OIL 4 TIMES. OWNER WAS TURNING AND THE ENGINE LOCKED UP. *AK

CONTACT STATES: CONTACT HAS HAD THE ENGINE REDONE TWICE. THE VALVES TO THE ENGINE MADE A NOISE. THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE FAILED THE CAR STOPPED COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THE DEALER SAID ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. IT HAS ONLY BEEN 12 MONTHS SINCE THE LAST ENGINE WAS REDONE. WHEN VEHICLE SHUT OFF ON THE FREEWAY IT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK

WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE ABOUT 65 MPH ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON AND WITHIN 5 SECOND THE CAR LOST ALL POWER. ALMOST CAUSING A MAJOR WRECK ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK CAR TO DEALER, AND WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BECAUSE OF A ROD. ANOTHER MECHANIC TOLD CALLER THAT THERE WAS A MAJOR OIL SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING MY DODGE INTERPID (THAT HAS A 2.7 LITER ENGINE) THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A HORRIBLE NOISE. WE COULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 25 MPH AND THE ENGINE WOULDN'T STAY RUNNING IF YOU HIT THE BRAKE AT ALL. WHILE TURNING A CORNER INTO TRAFFIC, THE ENGINE DIED. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF THE NOISE BEGINNING, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THERE WAS NO WARNING SIGN THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG PRIOR TO IT HAPPENING. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC'S GARAGE AND WERE TOLD IT NEEDS A WHOLE NEW ENGINE AND IT WOULD COST 5,800.00. THE MECHANIC SAID THIS IS A KNOWN MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE AND THE PROBLEM USUALLY STARTS BETWEEN 50-60K MILES. (MINE HAD APPROXIMATELY 56,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME THE PROBLEM STARTED. I ALSO CALLED A CHRYSLER MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THE SAME EXACT THING ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE.

ON DEC.26 2004, AS WE WERE LEAVING OUR HOUSE THE CAR STARTING MAKING A TICKING SOUND, WE PULLED BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY AND CHECKED THE OIL, TRANSMISSION FLUID AND HOSES. NO LIGHTS WERE ON TO INDICATE A PROMBLEM BUT WE PARKED THE CAR SINCE IT WAS A NOISE WE HAD NEVER HEARD.THE NEXT MORNING, MONDAY, WE CALLED OUR MECHANICS AND HAD THE CAR TOWED IN, THE MECHANIC ASKED ABOUT THE OIL CHANGES AND I TOLD HIM TO CHECK THE DATE ON THE WINDOW I KNEW IT WAS RECENT. HE STATED HE WAS SHOCKED DUE TO THE SLUDGE BUILD UP IN THE ENGINE. I INFROMED HIM I HAVE REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND HAVE THE RECEIPTS. HE SUGGESTED TO CLEAN ADN REPLACE THE OIL PAN AND FILTER TOTALING $800.00, HE DID THE WORK. THURSDAY DEC 30 I GOT THE CAR BACK BUT DID NOT DRIVE IT DUE TO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. MONDAY MORNING ON A 2 LANE ROAD 37 MILES FROM HOME THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE THE ALL THE SUDDEN THE CAR STARTED TO RAPIDLY DECREASE SPEED AND THEN SHUT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO BARELY GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD BEFORE BEING HIT BY AN ONCOMING 18 WHEELER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK IN AND WAS TOLD THAT DUE TO THE OIL SLUDGE I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. THE PROMBLEM IS THEY REFUSED TO "GET INVOLVED" DUE TO THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND CLASS ACTION LAW SUITS REGARDING THE 2.7 ENGINES. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER AND WAS TOLD "I SYMPATHIZE AND HAVE HEARD OF THIS BEFORE BUT THE BEST I CAN DO IS $7800-8200.00 FOR A NEW ENGINE BUT CAN NOT WARRANTY SLUDGE BUILD UP. I ONLY OWED $6000ON THE CAR. AFTER CONTACTING 2 MORE DEALERS AND BEING TOLD THEY COULD NOT WARRANTY IT AGAINST THE SAME THING HAPPENING AGAIN THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO THE WORK. THIS ENGINE IS A SLUDGE ENGINE AND ALMOST COST ME MYLIFE AS WELL AS MY 2 KIDS THAT WERE IN THE CAR! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MECHANIC, WHO DISCOVERED SLUDGE INSIDE THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. *AK THE MECHANIC HAS QUOTED $6500 TO REPLACE ENGINE. CONSUMER SEEKING OTHER REPAIR OPTIONS. *BF *NM