2000 Dodge Intrepid

I OWN A 2000 DODGE INTREPID ES WITH THE 2.7 LITER ENGINE. THE VIN ON THE VEHICLE IS: [XXX]. I SAY THAT I OWN IT, BUT THERE ARE STILL 13 PAYMENTS REMAINING ON IT. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM WELLS FARGO FINANCE COMPANY IN EARLY 2001 FOR MY WIFE. AT THAT TIME, THE VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 12,000 TO 15,000 MILES ON IT. MY WIFE PASSED AWAY IN MAY OF 2002 AND SINCE THEN THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN ON A DAILY BASIS. HENCE, THE VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 37,000 - 39,000 MILES ON IT. WHILE RUNNING AN ERRAND WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTER ON JULY 8, 2005, THE ENGINE STARTED TO SPUTTER AND I HAD TO MANIPULATE THE GAS PEDAL TO GET THE VEHICLE THE FEW MILES TO HOME. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER THAT. I CALLED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A NEARBY MECHANIC AND HE MENTIONED THAT THEY FOUND ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF SLUDGE AFTER REMOVING THE VALVE COVER. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BE DONE IS AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. HE ENSURED ME THAT TRYING TO CLEAN THE SLUDGE MAY CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE. I STARTED INVESTIGATING THIS VIA THE INTERNET AND FOUND YOUR WEB SITE. I CALLED CHRYSLER AND OPENED A CASE NUMBER WITH THEM. CASE # [XXX]. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR ON HOLD, A PERSON CAME BACK TO ME AND STATED THAT THE CAR CAME TO THE U.S. FROM CANADA VIA A LEASING COMPANY AND THAT THE WARRANTY DID NOT TRANSFER, THEREFORE THERE WAS NOTHING HE OR CHRYSLER COULD DO. HE ALSO STATED THAT BECAUSE IT CAME FROM A LEASING COMPANY, THERE WAS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE ENGINE MAINTENANCE RECORDS COULD NOT BE VERIFIED. SO, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I STILL AM MAKING PAYMENTS ON A 2000 DODGE INTREPID, THAT I CAN'T DRIVE, THAT I CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE FIXED, AND THAT NO ONE WILL ASSIST. CAN YOU PROVIDE THE PHONE NUMBER OF THE "ZONE REP" FOR MY AREA (SEE BELOW).UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DT: THERE WAS A PERSISTENT NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER THOUGHT IT WAS THE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER HAD NOT EVEN TRAVELLED A MILE WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND WAS GOING 45 MPH. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER TO A GARAGE WHEN THE NOISE BEGAN AND TOOK THE KEYS OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE MECHANIC AT THE GARAGE THOUGHT IT WAS THE ENGINE OR THE TIMING CHAIN. *JB

AT LESS THAN 100,000 MILES THE ENGINE BLEW. SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS ADVISED US THAT THEY ARE SEEING A RASH OF THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WITH THE DODGE INTREPID. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON LINE, WE FOUND OVER 100 PEOPLE THAT LOGGED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR INTREPID. EVEN THE JUNK YARDS HAVE TOLD US THEY'VE HAD A RASH OF CALL ABOUT THE ENGINES GOING BAD AFTER 100,000 MILES.

MY INTREPID ONLY HAS 69900 APPROX MILES ON IT. THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN APRIL 22, 2005 WITH BAD TIMING GUIDES TENSIONER ETC... THE GARAGE HAD TO REPLACE 2 TENSIONERS TO GET ONE THAT WAS GOOD. GOT IT HOME ANDABOUT JUNE 1 IT STARTED MAKING RACKET AGAIN AND I HAD IT TOWED, THIS TIME TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP,WHOM I HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH. THEY CHARGED ME 252$ TO DIG INTO THE ENGINE AND SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. SUPPOSEDLY THERE WAS "GUNK" IN THE OIL PAN THAT THEY SAID SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLEANED OUT BEFORE INSTALLING THE TENSIONER, AND IT NEEDED A NEW TIMING CHAIN. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME OVER $1000.00. SO I PD $252 AND HAD IT TOWED BACK TO THE AUTO SHOP, BECAUSE I HAD JUST PAID THEM TO DO IT ALREADY. ALTOGETHER IT COST ME OVER $1200, NOT COUNTING THE RENTAL CAR I HAD TO PAY FOR BECAUSE ALL THIS NONSENSE TOOK SO LONG, SO I COULD GO TO WORK. WELL ON JULY 11 I WAS DRIVING IT AND IT STARTED MAKING LOUD NOISES UNDER THE HOOD. HAD IT TOWED ONCE AGAIN TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT NEW, AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW ENGINE AND IT WOULD COST AROUND 5000.00 ON THE LOW SIDE.HE SAID ALL THE PARTS I HAD JUST PUT IN WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. ALL THESE PARTS CAME FROM THERE, SO I AM STRANDED WITH A WELL MAINTAINED CAR WITH NO ENGINE.

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT WORKING. THE ENGINE ALSO STALLED WHILE SHE WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATED FROM A STOP ON A HILL. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL BACKWARDS. AFTER THE VEHICLE STALL IT COULD BE RESTARTED, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL REPEATEDLY FOR THE REST OF THE DAY BUT THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD RUN PROPERLY. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM THREE TIMES BUT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PERMANENTLY RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THE TRANSMISSION IS AN AUTOMATIC. THE CONSUMER IS ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING RECALL WORK DONE ON HER BRAKES. ALL THE DEALER WOULD DO IS RUN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND CHARGE HER MORE MONEY. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED AS OF YET. *NM

WHILST DRIVING THE VEHICLE HOME FROM WORK ALONG A BUSY HIGHWAY I SUDDENLY LOST ALL ENGINE POWER. THE STEERING, BRAKING AND ALL ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS FAILED WITH NO WARNING. THE VEHICLE BECAME HEAVY AND INOPERABLE AND I MANAGED TO SWERVE OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO THE SHOULDER, WHERE THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY GROUND TO A HALT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE WHICH IS A 2.7 LITRE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED ENTIRELY AND THE COST WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $6,000. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW 5 YEARS AGO, REGULARLY SERVICED AND HAS ONLY 70,000 MILES ON IT. I WOULD LIKE DODGE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT THEIR COST SINCE I UNDERSTAND THIS ENGINE FAILURE IS APPARENTLY BECOMMING COMMON!!

2000 DODGE INTREPID 2.7 ENGINE FAILURE. I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE A DEFECTIVE 2.7 LITER ENGINE THAT OTHERS ARE ALSO COMPLAINING ABOUT. I OPENED A CASE # WITH CHRYSLER AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE VEHICLE WHICH I PURCHASED USED AND HAVE DRIVEN LESS THAN 20,000 MILES. I MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE FAILED AT 78,000 MILES. I STILL OWE $4000 ON THE VEHICLE. I AM STUCK WITH NO WHERE TO TURN. I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF $6,900 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT THE DODGE DEALER.

DT: OWNER WAS DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE 95 ABOUT 70 MPH AND THE ENGINE FAILED WHEN A ROD BLEW THROUGH IT. THIS OCCURRED ON 7-2-05. THERE WAS NO WARNING PRIOR TO THE ROD BLOWING. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SOUNDED LIKE SOMEONE DROPPED MARBLES IN A BUCKET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. CHRYSLER WAS CONTACTED, BUT THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. A TOW TRUCK TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP. *AK