2000 Dodge Intrepid

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 65-70 MPH, THE CONTACT'S SON NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL OVER, BUT THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NOT STOP PROPERLY. THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO COAST TO A STOP. HE EXITED THE VEHICLE AND NOTIFIED THE POLICE. FLAMES BEGAN TO APPEAR FROM UNDER THE ENGINE AND HOOD. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARRIVED, STABILIZED THE FIRE, AND TOWED THE VEHICLE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY THEN TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THEIR SALVAGE YARD TO INVESTIGATE. THE CONTACT HAS STILL NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 130,400.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. HE WAS FORCED TO COAST TO A STOP. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE HOOD AND THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED OCCASIONALLY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A STORAGE AREA. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. UPDATED 09/15/08 *BF UPDATED 09/18/08. *JB

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT 29709 MILES. AT 31900 MILES THE OIL LIGHT SENSOR WAS REPLACED. BOTH SAID TO BE FAULTY. ON FRI EVE MAR 14, 2008 WITH 39,250 MILEAGE & WITH NO WARNING, THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A TERRIBLE CLANKING NOISE. THE OIL CAP WAS FULL OF SLUDGE. I HAD THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER REPLACED. THE TENSIONER FAILED AFTER 11 DAYS. MY MECHANIC, PER CHRYSLER, PUT IN 2 ADDITIVES TO MAKE THE TENSIONER WORK PROPERLY. ONLY DAYS LATER THE ENGINE SEIZED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT WOULD COST ME $5400. CHRYSLER WAS "KIND ENOUGH" TO OFFER ME A NEW ENGINE FOR $3500. I WAS ABLE TO PROVE WITH RECEIPTS THAT THE OIL & FILTER HAD BEEN CHANGED 5 TIMES IN LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO HAVE THIS CAR FIXED. WHEN I SPOKE TO CAROL, A REP AT THE CHRYSLER CORP, TRYING TO MAKE HER UNDERSTAND MY FRUSTRATION ABOUT THIS ISSUE, SHE HAD THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME THAT I "NEEDED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEMS IN MY OWN LIFE." THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT SOMETHING I BROUGHT ON MYSELF. INCIDENTALLY, IF THE CAR HAD TO HAVE BOTH THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT & THE "OIL SENSOR" LIGHT REPLACED, WHY DID NEITHER GIVE ME ANY WARNING OF A PROBLEM? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. THE ENGINE FAILED WHILE TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE INTO A PARKING SPACE AND PUSHED IT THE REST OF THE WAY. WHEN HE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE TWENTY MINUTES LATER, HE HEARD A KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. HE SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND LATER HAD IT TOWED TO THE CHRYSLER DEALER. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED 9,000 MILES PRIOR TO THIS RECENT FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE ENGINE AND, AS A RESULT, THE FAILURE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER'S COSTUMER SERVICE HOTLINE AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THE DEALER DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE AGAIN. HE IS STILL AWAITING THEIR RESPONSE. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON OTHER WEBSITES RELATED TO THIS ENGINE FAILURE. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 87,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH ON A DIRT ROAD AND SLOWING FOR A STOP SIGN, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE VEHICLE REMAINED ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE ENGINE SEIZED AND THE HEAD GASKETS SUCKED UP ALL THE OIL. THERE WAS STILL OIL IN THE ENGINE, BUT NOT ENOUGH, WHICH CAUSED A ROD TO BLOW. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 141,389. UPDATED 07/15/08.*LJ UPDATED 07/15/08

INITIALLY MY 2000 DODGE INTREPID BEGAN MAKING A CLANKING NOISE UNDER THE HOOD AS I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30MPH. I HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED REGULAR OIL CHANGES OF 3000 MILES OR LESS, BUT WHEN I CHECKED THE OIL, IT WAS ABOUT A QUART LOW (WHICH IT HAD NOT EVER BEEN LOW BEFORE.) WHEN I OPENED THE CRANKCASE TO ADD OIL, THE CAP WAS FULL OF SLUDGE. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE THE ENGINE FLUSHED WITH OIL, REPLACED THE OIL AND FILTER, AND ALSO HAD LUCAS ADDED TO THE ENGINE. THE NOISE CONTINUED. I THEN TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALL PARTS WERE ORDERED DIRECTLY FROM CHRYSLER. LESS THAN 125 MILES LATER, THE NOISE BEGAN AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO MY MECHANIC. HE CONTACTED CHRYSLER, THEN, PER CHRYSLER, ADDED TWO SEPARATE ADDITIVES TO THE CRANKCASE. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE TENSIONER WORK PROPERLY. HOWEVER, THE NOISE CONTINUED TO GET WORSE IN THE FEW DAYS THAT FOLLOWED. (I WAS TOLD TO DRIVE THE CAR TO SEE IF THESE ADDITIVES WOULD WORK.) THE ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. HE EVENTUALLY WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE ENGINE FAILED DUE TO LOW OIL PRESSURE. AFTER NOTIFYING CHRYSLER, I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTICS. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THE ROD BEARINGS WERE BAD AND THE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS IT WILL BE $5400 FOR A NEW ENGINE. I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO GET THIS FIXED. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT $1300 ON THE ENGINE PLUS THE COST OF TWO TOWS. I STILL OWE ON THIS CAR AND CANNOT USE IT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 39K MILES ON THIS ORIGINAL ENGINE. I WILL NEVER DRIVE, RENT, OR OWN ANOTHER DODGE OR CHRYSLER VEHICLE AGAIN BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE THAT CHRYSLER KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES AND HAVE NO INTEGRITY TO MAKE IT RIGHT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING LOUD NOISES AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE THEN SHUT COMPLETELY OFF AND HAD TO BE TOWED. THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS LATER, THE SECOND ENGINE FAILED. THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 167,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000. UPDATED 06/03/08. *LJ UPDATED 05/30/08

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE ENGINE FAILED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STEERING ABILITY. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WILL HAVE TO BE TOWED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 82,000.