2001 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

THE RACK AND PINION STEERING ON MY 2001 DODGE INTREPID R/T STARTED MAKING THIS CREAKING AND CRACKING SOUND IT DOES IT 100% OF THE TIME I'M DRIVING THE DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM WE TOOK IT IN A SECOND TIME AND THEY SAID THE STEERING RACK HAD FAILED AND THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY SO THEY FIXED IT DROVE THE CAR NO MORE THAN 100 MILES AND THE SAME CREAKING AND CRACKING SOUND WAS BACK I FEAR FOR OUR LIVES BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD LOTS OF REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM ON THESE CARS AND YET DODGE HAS YET TO HAVE A RECALL FOR THE PROBLEM I FOUND THIS INFORMATION AT WWW.CHRYSLERVEHICLEPROBLEMS.COM I HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE THANK YOU *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS ON HIS VEHICLE BEGAN TO FOG APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS AGO. ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2006, AT 42,000 MILES, HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE AND BOTH HEADLIGHTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ONE HEADLIGHT IS HEAVILY FOGGED AND THE OTHER IS APPROXIMATELY 60-70% FOGGED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

AT FIRST THE MOTOR STARTED TO KNOCK FROM BELOW(BEARINGS) BROUGHT IT IN AND REPLACED THE CAM AND CRANK SENSORS. DROVE THE CAR FOR 4 DAYS AFTER AND IT WILL NOT START AND THE KNOCKING IS WORSE. THE ENGINE IS GETTING FUEL AND SPARK BUT WILL NOT FIRE. CHECKED THE OIL AND CHANGED IT TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, STILL NOTHING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. THE CONTACT BACKED HER VEHICLE OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT 2 MPH, PLACED IT INTO DRIVE, AND BARELY DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHEN THE DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED. FRANTICALLY, SHE SHIFTED INTO PARK AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT A PLASTIC PIECE ON ONE OF THE SEAT ARMS WAS STRIPPED, WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE REPAIR COST WOULD TOTAL APPROXIMATELY $955. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED A MINOR STRAIN IN HER SHOULDER DUE TO THE SUDDEN SEAT COLLAPSE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,968 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,500. UPDATED 07/15/08 *BF THE SEAT ADJUSTER ASSEMBLY WAS BROKEN. UPDATED 07/15/08 *JB

I WAS WEARING MY SEATBELT TRAVELING 30 MILES PER HOUR IN MY 2001 DODGE INTREPID ES. MY RIGHT FONT TIRE SOMEHOW SNAPPED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT COURSE AND DID NOT HIT ANY DEBRIS OR POTHOLES WHILE ON THE ROAD. I HAD NO CONTROL OF ANY STEERING WHILE IT HAPPENED AND CRASHED INTO AND ONCOMING CAR AT 30MPH AS I SAID I HAD MY SEATBELT ON AND HIT THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE OPPOSING VEHICLE. THE RESULT WAS A 4 INCH GASH IN MY FOREHEAD FROM THE B BAR OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE SEATBELT DIDN'T PROPERLY RESTRAIN ME EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ADJUSTED TO PROPER SHOULDER HEIGHT AND PULLED TIGHT AROUND MY WAIST. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN THE CAR AT ALL. AS A RESULT I SUFFERED INJURIES RESULTING IN THE PAYMENT OF $2900 TO MY LOCAL HOSPITAL AND AMBULANCE BUSINESS. THE VEHICLE HAD PASSED AN INSPECTION JUST A COUPLE MONTHS EARLIER HAD A TUNEUP AND INSPECTION FOR WORN JBALL JOINTS FITTINGS WIRES HOSES AND WIRES AND BOLTS WHICH COST A LARGE SUM OF MONEY. A FEW MINOR PARTS WERE REPLACED AND THE CAR WAS DEEMED TO BE IN SAFE WORKING ORDER. *TR

ON THREE TIMES IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER ON MY 2001 DODGE 2.7L. THE FIRST TIME THE LOCAL DEALER DID THE REPAIR THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD AT THAT TIME BY THE DEALER THAT I HAD ENGINE SLUDGE AND THAT THIS REPAIR AND FUTURE REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE LAST TIME THE I HAD A FAILURE ON THE HIGHWAY AND HAD TO LIMP 2 MILES TO GET OFF, THIS CAUSED MAJOR INTAKE VALVE DAMAGE AND HAS IS COASTING ME ABOUT $1,200.00 TO FIX MYSELF. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT MOISTURE WOULD GATHER INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHTS, CAUSING VISIBILITY TO BE IMPAIRED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. SHE ATTEMPTED TO CONSULT THE MANUFACTURER, BUT WAS NEVER ABLE TO SPEAK WITH ANYONE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 92,000. UPDATED 6/16/08 *CN

THIS CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN OFF THE HIGHWAY MOSTLY. WHEN TAKEN TO THE HIGHWAY THE STEERING DEVELOPED EXCESSIVE PLAY; ABOUT A QUARTER TURN TO EACH SIDE, LEFT AND RIGHT. ID DIDN'T CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BUT IT NEARLY DID. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WHERE THE CAR IS TAKEN MANY TRUCKS ALSO COMMUTE AND THE EXCESSIVE PLAY THROWS THE CAR ONTO ADJACENT LANES OR THE SEPARATING BARRIER. *TR

I PURCHASED THE CAR USED IN DECEMBER 2007, IT HAD 147,000 MILES ON IT. SINCE I PURCHASED IT I HAVE HAD THE OIL CHANGED TWICE. ON THE MORNING OF MAY 7, 2008, I CHECKED THE OIL PRIOR TO A LONG TRIP AND FOUND IT TO BE 1 QUART LOW. I ADDED ADDITIONAL OIL TO BRING THE LEVEL TO FULL. ABOUT 5 MILES INTO THE TRIP, WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MILES AN HOUR, I BEGAN HEARING A VERY LOUD KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. AS I BEGAN CHANGING LANES, I FOUND THAT ONCE I SLOWED DOWN SLIGHTLY, I WAS UNABLE TO PICK UP SPEED AGAIN, AND I WAS SLOWLY LOOSING SPEED. AS I ENTERED THE OFF RAMP THE OIL LIGHT BEGAN TO FLICKER. AT THE END OF THE OFF RAMP, MY CAR DIED AT THE STOP SIGN, AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN, LEAVING ME IN A VERY UNSAFE PLACE. I PLACED THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND ATTEMPTED TO PUSH IT INTO A PARKING LOT FROM THE DRIVERS DOOR IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL OR APPLY THE BRAKES IF NEEDED. I WAS UNABLE TO PUSH FROM THAT POSITION, SO I WAS FORCED TO TAKE THE RISK OF PUSHING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. BY SHEER LUCK THE CAR ROLLED BETWEEN A STREET SIGN AND A PARKED VEHICLE, AND CAME TO A STOP WHEN IT HIT A BUSH JUST BEFORE ROLLING INTO THE DITCH. I WAS INFORMED BY MY MECHANIC THAT THE ROD KNOCK WAS CAUSED BY A SEVERE BUILDUP OF OIL SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. I WAS OFFERED 2 OPTIONS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE; 1) HAVE A REMANUFACTURED 2.7 L ENGINE INSTALLED THAT HAD BEEN MODIFIED TO COMBAT THIS PROBLEM, OR 2) HAVE A 3.2 OR 3.5 L ENGINE FROM ANOTHER INTREPID OR CONCORD INSTALLED, WHICH WOULD INVOLVE NO MODIFICATIONS SINCE THE TRANSMISSION AND EXHAUST SYSTEMS FOR ALL THREE OF THE ENGINES WERE IDENTICAL. TO MY SURPRISE, THE ESTIMATE FOR INSTALLING THE LARGER ENGINE WAS LESS THAN INSTALLING THE SAME SIZE ENGINE, EVEN CONSIDERING THE PERIPHERAL PARTS SUCH AS AIR CONDITIONING, POWER STEERING, ETC. THAT WOULD NEED TO COME ALONG WITH THE LARGER ENGINE! ALL TOLD, I WILL HAVE SPEND $3000 TO PURCHASE THE CAR AND NEARLY THE SAME AMOUNT TO REPAIR IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A VERY LOUD CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, THE MOTOR STOPPED RUNNING AND WHITE SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE EXHAUST. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A MECHANIC ADVISED HIM TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE MOTOR. THE VEHICLE IS STILL AT THE CONTACT'S HOME AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 110,000.