1999 Dodge Intrepid

STEERING: I STARTED TO FEEL A SLIGHT BINDING IN THE STEERING WHEN TRYING TO RETURN WHEEL TO CENTER FROM A TURN. IT GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE I OCCASIONALLY HAD TO "WRESTLE" THE STEERING WHEEL BACK TO CENTER POSITION. IT ALSO FEELS LOOSE, SUSPENSION RATTLES AND I'VE GOT 4 INCHES OF PLAY AT CENTER. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED IT WOULD COST $1200 TO FIX. SERVICE REP TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS WAS PRETTY COMMON NOWADAYS WITH THE SEALED RACKS AND NOT JUST DODGE. I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IN ALL OF THE YEARS I'VE OWNED CARS AND THINK THIS IS JUST A POOR DESIGN THAT DODGE IS KEEPING MUM ABOUT. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD WITH MOSTLY HIGHWAY DRIVING. I'M PURCHASING A USED RACK FROM A SALVAGE YARD AND HAVING DODGE INSTALL IT FOR $380 AND THEN I'M SELLING IT. THIS CAR IS QUICKLY FALLING APART. AIR CONDITIONING: STARTED HEARING A HISSING TYPE SOUND FROM BEHIND THE DASH. SOON AFTER A/C DID NOT BLOW COLD AIR. CONTROL MODULE DISPLAY ALSO STOPPED WORKING. DODGE SAID IN ORDER TO FIX THE A/C THEY HAD TO REPAIR THE MODULE. COST: ABOUT $600. I BOUGH A MODULE FROM A SALVAGE YARD AND DID IT MYSELF, SAVED $500. THEN DODGE RECHARGED THE SYSTEM ONLY TO HAVE IT LEAK OUT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. BROUGHT IT BACK TO DODGE WHERE THEY FOUND A CRACK IN THE EVAPORATOR. REPLACEMENT COST: $500. POWER WINDOW MOTOR: RIGHT FRONT POWER WINDOW STARTED FAILING INTERMITTENTLY, THEN STOPPED WORKING ALTOGETHER. DEALER SAID THAT THE WINDOW SOMETIMES GETS STUCK IN THE TIGHT WEATHERSTRIPPING DUE TO DIRT AND GRIME ON THE WINDOW AND I SIMPLY NEED TO COAX IT BY MY PALM PRESSING DOWN ON IT WHILE ACTUATING THE BUTTON. WHAT A BUNCH OF @*$%! REAR RIGHT WINDOW MOTOR WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, THIS MUST BE A COMMON PROBLEM. DEALER WANTS $200+ TO REPAIR. WHAT A RACKET! I'VE NEVER HAD SO MANY MAJOR REPAIRS ON A RELATIVELY NEW CAR IN MY LIFE, AND DON'T PLAN TO EVER AGAIN IF DODGE KNOWS WHAT I MEAN!!*AK

I PURCHASED A NEW 99 DODGE INTREPID IN JUNE 1999. WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF THE PURCHASE, THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW MOTOR BURNED OUT AND IT WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR HOME, I DISCOVERED THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO SAID A ROD WAS NOT REATTACHED TO THE DOOR WHEN THE WINDOW MOTOR WAS REPLACED. THEY FIXED IT AND THE DOOR WORKED FINE. IN APRIL OF 2000, THE LEFT REAR WINDOW MOTOR BURNED OUT AND I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT REPLACED. IN FEBRUARY OF 2001, I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR. I WAS TOLD THE SOLENOID PACK BURNED OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HERB GORDON WAS NOT VERY HELPFUL, SO I CALLED CHRYSLER IN MICHIGAN AND TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. THE SAID TO PAY FOR THE WORK AND SEND THEM THE ORIGINAL RECEIPT AND THEY WOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR MOST OF THE WORK. I HAD THE WORK DONE AND SENT THE RECEIPT. IN JULY OF 2001, THE TRANSMISSION HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. HERB GORDON SAID IT WAS THE SPEED SENSOR AND SINCE THEY WOULD NOT DO THE WORK NOR DID THEY OFFER TO COVER ANY PART OF THE WORK, I CALLED CHRYSLER AGAIN. THEY SAID TO HAVE THE WORK DONE AND SEND THE RECEIPT FOR REIMBURSEMENT. I DID HAVE THE WORK DONE. APPROXIMATELY DECEMBER 2001, THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW STOPPED WORKING AND IN JANUARY OF 2002 THE DRIVER'S WINDOW STARTED TO WORK INTERMITTANTLY. HERB GORDON SAID THE REAR MOTOR BURNED OUT AND THE DRIVER'S MOTOR WAS GOING TO BURN OUT, SO I CALLED CHRYSLER AGAIN. THEY AGAIN SAID SINCE I WAS PAST THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY, THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE WORK. AFTER TALKING WITH THEM, THEY SAID THEY WOULD COVER ALL BUT $100, BUT NOT A RENTAL CAR EVEN THOUGH THE WORK WOULD TAKE A FEW HOURS. I LEARNED LATER THE DRIVER'S DOOR LATCH SUBASSEMBLY WAS GOING TO BURN OUT AND I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE REMOTE TO OPEN THE DOOR, ONLY THE KEY. I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER PRODUCT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH THE CAR, DEALER AND CHRYSLER.*AK

MY CAR STALLS WHEN STOPPED, TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE FOR PROBLEM. THEY FINALLED REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AFTER CHARGING ME TO HAVE COMPUTER REPROGRAMMED. ENGINE STIL NOT OK, BUT NOT STALLING. WHEN ACCELERATING ENGINE SEEMS TO BE SLIPPING. THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW WAS FIXED ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND IS NOT WORKING AGAIN. CAR HAS BEEN IN 2 FOR NEW BRAKES, I HAVE HAD THE ROTORS REPLACED AND ALSO TURNED IN THE 2 YEARS I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. CAR SHAKES WHEN STOPPING AGAIN, SO ROTORS WILL NEED TO BE TURNED OR REPLACED AGAIN. WHY? BY LOOKING AT THIS WEB SITE IT SEEMS EVERYONE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE INTREPID. LOTS OF COMPLAINTS. WHY ARE THERE NO RECALLS. WE HAVE TO KEEP PAYING OUT OF POCKET FOR DEALER DEFECTS. MY DEALER IS 36 MILES AWAY. NOT EASY TO GET CAR REPAIRED. THAT IS WHY WINDOW NOT FIXED YET. HELP.*AK

1999 DODGE INTREPID ES: WHEN TEMPERATURE IS TURNED UP ON CLIMATE CONTROL AND DEFROSTER IS TURNED ON THERE IS A FLUTTERING NOISE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM DRIVERS SIDE DASH WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER VENT. THIS EXCESSIVE NOISE/FLUTTERING NOISE IS OFTEN A DISTRACTION WHEN DRIVING. NOISE IS ONLY WHEN TEMPERATURE IS TURNED UP OR TURNED TO HEAT ON CLIMATE CONTROL. NOISE CHAGNES WHEN TEMPERATURE IS ADJUSTED. NOISE SOUNDS LIKE BROKEN DAMPER IN VENTILATION HAYWARD AUTO CHRYSLER-JEEP DEALERSHIP STATES THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT. I DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM FOR SERVICE MANAGER GREGORY MARTIN. HE PUT A CARD ABOVE IT TO VERIFY THAT IT WAS BLOWING AIR THEN STATED "THAT'S AIR BLOWING THROUGH THE VENT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THAT". HE STATED HE'D HAVE THE TECHNICIAN CHECK IT OUT WHEN THEY REMOVE THE DASH ASSEMBLY OFF TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE DASH MIDRANGE SPEAKER. THEY NEVER DID, THEY NEVER DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. NONE OF THE SIMILAR DODGE INTREPIDS I TEST DROVE DID THIS.*AK

CAR WAS 4 MONTHS OLD - DRIVING DOWN I-70 AND HAD A BLOWOUT. THE TIRE SPLIT CLEAN IN TO. WAS TOLD THAT I MUST OF HIT A POT HOLE. ON 9/13/99 I HAD TAKEN THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM THE TIRE WAS LOSING AIR. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM, AIRED UP THE TIRE AND I LEFT. LITTLE OVER A MONTH LATER I HAD A BLOW OUT. I DID NOT HIT A POT HOLE. THE TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TIRE WITH MY OWN MONEY.*AK (TIRESIZE: P205/70R15)

WHILE DRIVING OUT OF DRIVEWAY VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT FULL SPEED, CAUSING LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE. CONSUMER TURNED IGNITION SWITCH OFF TO GAIN CONTROL. *AK REAR BRAKES LOCKED CAUSING THE VEHICLCE TO SKID. THE FRONT BRAKES COULD NOT OVER COME THE FULL ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHCILE HAS HEATER AND WINDOW MOTOR PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY ELECTRONIC FAILURE. *YH