2001 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

JULY, 2004, I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 DODGE INTREPID WHEN I MADE A LEFT TURN AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP, THE WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN BACK TO THE RIGHT. IT HAPPENED TWICE AS I TURNED INTO INTERSECTIONS SAME DAY. HAD THERE BEEN A VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE LANE, I WOULD HAVE HAD NO RECOURSE BUT TO CRASH IN TO IT. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NO CAR IN THE INSIDE LANE! THIS WAS A SUNDAY..TOOK CAR TO DODGE REPAIR SHOP EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE BUSHINGS. 4 DAYS LATER, WAS TOLD AFTER THE BUSHINGS WERE PUT IN, IT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM...THAT IT WAS NEEDING A NEW RACK! THE BUSHING REPAIR WAS $426.46. THE REPAIRMAN TOLD ME THAT IN HIS OPINION, A RACK SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED IN A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AS WAS THE CASE IN MY VEHICLE. I CALLED CHRYSLER AND THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING. THE DODGE REPAIR MAN EVEN CALLED THEM AND THEY REFUSED HIM, BECAUSE IN MY FRUSTRATION AFTER THEY DECLINED MY REQUEST I HAD USED THE WORD "[XXX]" AND "[XXX]" IN THE CONVERSATION. WHICH IS BESIDE THE POINT, AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE...WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED ME A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT! MY CAR WAS FINALLY REPAIRED AFTER BEING IN THE SHOP 3 WEEKS (THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AS I AM A SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLD) AND I WAS CHARGED A TOTAL OF $823.48 FOR THE BUSHINGS AND A REBUILT RACK! SHIELDS MOTORS IN CHANUTE MAY STILL HAVE THE OLD PART, I AM UNSURE. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT CHRYSLER SHOULD BE RECALLING THEIR VEHICLES AFTER RESEARCHING AND FINDING SEVERAL OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE THE STEERING HAS CAUSED ACCIDENTS, ETC. *JB INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NO WARNING--OTHER THAN A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAT THAT WE DIDN'T REALIZE WAS RELATED UNTIL AFTER. AS MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE CAR HOME, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY DIED, IN TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC, WHO INFORMED US THAT THE CAR HAD AN ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM, LIKE MANY OTHER INTREPIDS HE HAD SEEN, AND IT WOULD COST US ROUGHLY $6,000 TO REPLACE IT. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY SITTING AT THE MECHANIC'S BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AN EXTRA SIX GRAND LAYING AROUND, SO IT IS INTACT IN IT'S UNREPAIRED STATE. I FEEL IT COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE HAD TRAFFIC BEEN HEAVIER AND ONE OF MY KIDS HAD BEEN DRIVING. THIS IS A REAL PERSONAL INJURY DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN TO OTHER INTREPID OWNERS.*AK

DRIVING AT SPEED OF 50-53 MPH AROUND A CURVE; 2001 DODGE INTREPID APPEARED TO BE IN NEUTRAL, THEN "CAUGHT" ; PROBLEM PERSISTS INTERMEDIATELY EVEN ON STRAIGHT HIGHWAY. *AK

ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO MY OIL WAS BURNING UP AND I HAD WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. I HAD IT LOOKED AT AND THE PROBLEM WAS UNKNOWN. I HAD THE OIL CHANGED AND FILTER CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN 2 MONTHS (DUE TO OIL BURNING UP). A COUPLE WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY ENGINE STARTED TO SOUND LIKE A SEMI TRUCK SO I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY. I CHECKED THE OIL WHICH WAS FINE AND THERE WAS NOTHING SMOKING SO I WAS GOING TO TAKE IT TO MY DADS HOUSE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE CAR IT WOULDN'T START. I HAD IT LOOKED AT AND NOW THEY ARE SAYING MY ENGINE IS HISTORY. I FOUND OUT OIL SLUDGE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE 3 YEARS LEFT TO PAY OFF A CAR THAT I CAN'T DRIVE AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. EVEN IF I TRIED FOR A USED ENGINE I WOULD BE ON A WATING LIST (WHICH TELLS YOU SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.*AK

I WAS APPROX. 10 MILES OUT OF TOWN WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND PROCEEDED TO OPEN HOOD WHERE I FOUND FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE. FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED WHEN HOOD WAS CLOSED. I BELIEVE THAT THE OIL THAT WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE WAS WHAT WAS BURNING. THERE WAS OIL DOWN THE SIDE OF THE CAR FROM FRONT FENDER WELL TO THE BACK BUMPER AND PUDDLE ALONG THE SIDE OF THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE COOLANT WAS EVAPORATING INSIDE THE ENGINE, AND IT WAS NOT COOLING THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO WARNING FROM ANY GAUGES THAT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS LOW OR THAT THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND THAT A REBUILT ENGINE FROM CHRYSLER WAS $4700 AND THAT WAS WITHOUT LABOR. *AK

THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DEALERSHIP INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM PERTAINED TO THE SLITS ON THE RUBBER VENT VALVE HOSE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING A LOUD CLANKING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT. THEN, VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT DUE TO WORN OUT PARTS. *AK THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE DEVELOPED SLUDGE. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE UNLESS THE CONSUMER CAN PROVE THAT THE OIL WAS CHANGED REGULARLY. *NM

WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON THEY WILL FLICKER ALONG WITH THE INTERIOR AND DASH BOARD LIGHTS. DEALER HAS EXAMINED THE VEHICLE 9 TIMES FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM, BUT HAS NOT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT WITH THE BRAKES APPLIED, THE RPM'S HAD GONE UP AND THE ENGINE REVVED. *SC *JB

MY CAR DIED WITH ONLY 30 SECONDS WARNING. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON RT 83 JUST SOUTH OF ST CHARLES AVE IN VILLA PARK WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO JERK AND MAKE LOUD NOISES. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE AND THEY SAID THAT SLUDGE WAS PRESENT IN MY ENGINE. I HAD MY OIL CHANGED 6/15/2004 ATR MIDAS IN VILLA PARK IL AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF SLUDGE IN MY ENGINE. I HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN AN ESTIMATE, EXEPT THAT IT WILL TAKE $400 FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE PROBLEM.*AK

WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE FAILED (AT 50,223 MILES). I WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE ROAD TO SAFETY. MCKINNEY DODGE, GASTONIA, NC INFORMED THE THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE DEALERSHIPE STATED THIS THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO NOT CHANGING THE OIL AS REQUIRED, EVEN THOUGH I CHANGE THE OIL FREQUENTLY AS REQUIRED. CHRYSLER REFUSES TO FIX THE ENGINE UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY RESEARCH INDICATES THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2.7 LITER V6 ENGINE.*AK