1999 DODGE INTREPID Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY NEAR TRACY, CA VEHICLE DROVE OVER SMOOTHLY PART IN FREEWAY THAT SLIGHTLY WENT UPWARD THEN SLIGHTLY DOWNWARD CAUSING VEHICLE SPRINGS OR STRUTS TO LIFT UP OR HOP FAR TOO MUCH CREATING VERY POOR VEHICLE TRACTION, TRAFFIC THEN ABRUPTLY HALTED, HAD TO BRAKE HARD TO STOP VEHICLE, VEHICLE HAD POOR TRACTION AND JUST SLID MAKING A LOUD TIRE SCREECHING NOISE, HAD TO VERY QUICKLY RELEASE THE BRAKE SINCE VEHICLE WAS SKIDDING, SHIFTED INTO AUTOSTICK AND DOWNSHIFTED QUICKLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH QUICKLY USING BRAKE GET VEHICLE TO STOP PROPERLY. I AM USING STOCK GOODYEAR TIRES WITH GOOD TREAD, SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME TIRES ARE OK, I AM SUPPOSED TO HAVE ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKES) SO THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. I BELEIVE THAT THE ABS FAILED DUE TO THE SPRINGS OR STRUTS BOUNCING ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO LIFT UP TOO MUCH THUS LOOSING TRACTION CAUSING ABS TO FAIL. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH ABS HOWEVER BRAKES ARE STARTING TO SOMETIMES FEEL FUNNY, ALMOST A LITTLE ROUGH WHEN APPLIED LATELY. I TALKED TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE SKIDDED AS IT DID AND MY SPRINGS COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXCESSIVE UPLIFT THAT OCCURED. VEHICLE DOES SEEM TO HOP OR BOUNCE A LITTLE MUCH ALSO AT TIMES CAUSING THE FRONT WHEELS TO LOOSE TRACTION OR SLIDE ON SLIGHT TURNS. NEW SPRINGS OR WHATEVER WITH ONLY 32,000? I HAVE NEVER HAD THAT HAPPEN IN MY OLD 1995 DODGE INTREPID ALTHOUGH IT HAD IT'S PROBLEMS. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AND IS DANGEROUS, I ALMOST SMASHED INTO THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU.*AK

REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE POWER WINDOW IS DEAD AND HAS FAILED. WHEN ELECTRONIC COOLING FANS FOR ENGINE TURN ON AUTOMATICALLY AS THEY SHOULD DURING CERTAIN ENGINE TEMPERATURES FRONT HEADLIGHTS NOTICEABLY DIM ALMOST LOOKING LIKE THEY ARE BEING FLASHED FOR A SECOND OR WHAT SOMEONE COULD INTEROPERATE AS THE DRIVER FLASHING HIS LIGHTS. HEADLIGHTS ALSO SEEM TO DIM SLIGHTLY WHEN ROLLING DOWN TWO WINDOWS AT THE SAME TIME. I PURCHASED A PROFESSIONAL BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR TESTER HAS SHOWN THAT THE VEHICLES BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR ARE WORKING AS NORMAL. THIS MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.*AK

1999 DODGE INTREPID ES: KEYS JAMMED IN THE INGITION ON 3 DIFFERENT OCASSIONS, KEYS WOULD BECOME STUCK, KEYS WOULD BECOME JAMMED, HAD TO MOVE KEY BACK AND FOURTH AND WORK IT OUT UNTIL IGNITION WOULD CLICK AND WOULD TURN OR KEYS COULD BE REMOVED. THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS IF SOMEONE NEEDED TO USE CAR IN EMERGENCY OR GET AWAY FROM DANGER.*AK

1999 DODGE INTREPID ES 3.2L: VEHICLE FREQUENTLY FAILS TO BE CONSISTANT WITH ACCELERATION. SOMETIMES DELAYED TRANSMISSION SHIFT RESPONSE EVEN WHEN USING AUTOSTICK. TRANSMISSION OFTEN SEEMS TO SHIFT VERY ROUGHLY. VEHICLE SOMETIMES SEEMS TO DOWNSHIFT PROPERLY WITH PROPER ENGINE RESPONSE AND HAS EXCELLENT ACCELERATION EVEN AT 50MPH WHEN IN AUTOMATIC THEN SOMETIMES HAS EXTREMELY POOR AND DELAYED ACCELERATION AND DOES NOT SEEM TO DOWNSHIFT EVEN AT SPEEDS SLOW AS 35MPH EVEN WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS FLOORED OR STOMPED, WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO GET ONTO FREEWAY, MERGING OR PASSING. IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO GET VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE SMOOTHLY WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL, LACK OF THROTTLE ACTION AND VERY SLOW ACCELERATION SOMETIMES WHEN PRESSING ACCELERATOR PEDAL SOMETIMES HALF WAY DOWN, THEN WHEN PRESSED FURTHER AND ALMOST FLOORED TRANSMISSION KICKS DOWN HARD, VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD AND OVER COMPENSATES INTENDED ACCELERATION. ONCE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PRESSED DOWN HARD, DOWN ABOUT HALF, NOT FLOORED VEHICLE RESPONDED, ACCELERATED AND SHIFTED MUCH FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE, VEHICLE HAD NEVER PERFORMED THIS WELL OR TAKEN OFF SO FAST, WAS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED, VEHICLE WENT FROM 5-40MPH IN ABOUT 2.5 SECONDS. THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD QUICKER THAN EVER EXPERIENCED AND THE ENGINE MADE MORE NOISE THAN USUAL. NO COMPLAINTS AND ACTUALLY LIKE THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE PERFORMANCE BUT IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN THE VEHICLE DOES NOT USUALLY PERFORM LIKE THIS THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN DOES COMPLETELY UNEXPECTEDLY. I HAD TO SHIFT INTO AUTOSTICK AND DOWNSHIFT IN CONJUCTION WITH THE BRAKE TO SLOW THE SCREAMING VEHICLE DOWN. DUE TO SOME CONCERN AND TRYING TO CONTINUALLY MAINTAIN THE VEHICLE PROPERLY HAD FIVE STAR DEALERSHIP AND SERVICE CENTER WHERE PURCHASED REPLACE AND REFILL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FILTER. HAD DEALERSHIP RESET THE VEHICLE'S FUEL MIXTURE SENSOR AND ADAPTIVE LEARN TO FACTORY DEFAULTS. THIS DID NOT HELP. THIS ISSUE IS VERY INTERMITTENT AND I BELIEVE DEALER WILL NOT HELP.

1999 DODGE INREPID ES: STEERING IS EXTREMELY LOOSE, FLIMSY FEELING AND OVER SENSITIVE. STEERING SEEMS TO HAVE FAR TOO MUCH PLAY. VEHICLE USUALLY JERKS OR SWAYS WHEN CHANGING LANES BECAUSE OF THIS. STEERING WILL ALSO USUALLY JERK WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPS, ACCELERATING OR BRAKING. VEHICLE USUALLY STEERS AND PULLS TO THE LOWEST SIDE OF UNEVEN ROADS. STEERING ASSEMBLY FEELS LIKE IT VIOLENTLY JERKS ALL OVER THE PLACE WHEN DRIVING OVER RAILROAD TRACKS OR HEAVILY BUMPY AREAS. VEHICLE IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO CONTROL DUE TO REALLY LOOSE, FLIMSY FEELING STEERING THAT MOVES WAY TOO FREELY. FRONT WHEELS SOMETIMES SEEM TO SLIDE, SLIP OR LOOSE TRACTION AROUND SOME SLIGHT TURNS AT 30+ MPH. THE VEHICLE HAS TRACTION CONTROL, NOT SURE IF PROBLEM IS RELATED. VEHICLE HAS 17" STANDARD ALUMINUM STARBLADE WHEELS AND STANDARD GOODYEAR TIRES. STEERING LOCK FOR WHEN VEHICLE IS PARKED IS DEFECTIVE, NEVER WORKS OR IS NOT PRESENT. I HAD NEVER HAD THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY OLD 1995 DODGE INTREPID AND I DO NOT BELEIVE THAT THEY ARE NORMAL. I TOOK THE 1999 DODGE INTREPID ES INTO THE FIVE STAR DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT, HAD TECHNICIAN DRIVE IT, I WAS TOLD THAT IT HANDLED FINE AND THAT SOME VEHICLES HAVE SENSITIVE STEERING AND THAT IT WAS NORMAL AND NOTHING WAS WRONG. IT HAS BEEN DANGEROUS AT TIMES, I HAVE TO USUALLY KEEP BOTH HANDS TIGHTLY ON THE WHEEL BEING PREPARED TO SLOW DOWN WHEN IT STARTS LOOSING CONTROL OR I FEEL THE FRONT WHEELS SLIPPING OR SLIDING.*AK

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE FOR A ROUTINE CHECK UP. MECHANIC STATED THAT WATER PUMP NEEDED TO BE CHANGED BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE, PART NUMBER 501718388AA. TUBE AND GASKET, PART NUMBER 5277928, WERE REPLACED. DEALERSHIP IWAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

CAR WAS STUCK IN SECOND GEAR. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SHUTTERED, THEN IT WAS STUCK IN FIRST. CONSUMER PROCEEDED TO DEALER ,AND THEY SAID TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. *AK THE TRANSMISSION FAILED FOR THE THIRD TIME AND BURNT OUT THE TORQUE CONVERTOR. THE DEALER HAD REPLACED SENSOR TWICE. *YH

A/CEVAPORATOR HAS GONE OUT IN MY CAR. ADDITIONALLY, THE SENSOR ON TRANSMISSION WENT OUT 4 MONTHS AGO. MY MECHANIC SAYS THE EXHAUST SYSTEM HAS RUST SPOTS. ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOOKED AT THE CAR SAY THESE PROBLEMS SHOUND NOT BE HAPPENING ON A CAR WITH ONLY 48,000 MILES. *AK

TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED IN VEHICLE THREE TIMES WITHIN 70,000 MILES OF EACH OTHER. ALSO, WHEN TRAVELING 30-35MPH VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

THE FIRST TIME WE TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER, THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THE SECOND TIME WE TOOK IT IN, AND ONLY UP DAVID'S INSISTENCE, WERE THEY THEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM. IT TOOK THEM 45 MINUTES OF DRIVE TIME TO ASCERTAIN THE PROBLEM. THEN, DESPITE A DROUGHT OF 30 DAYS, THEY HAD TO WAIT TO FULLY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS IT HAD BEGUN TO RAIN, AND APPARENTLY THE FINAL DIAGNOSTIC TEST HAD TO BE DONE IN THE DRY WEATHER. THEN ONLY THE FIRST PART OF THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED. AT THIS TIME, DAVID PROVIDED THEM WITH NUMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL NOTICES THAT THEY THEN PROVIDED US. NO SAFETY DEFECT. *AK