2000 Dodge Intrepid

ON FEB 17,2006,MY KIDS WAS GOING OUT OF TOWN AFTER ABOUT 55 MILES OUT OF TOWN. MY DAUGHTER HEARD A SOUND UNDER THE HOOD,THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON SHE PULLED OVER ON INTERSTATE 10 . THEN SHE TRIED TO START IT UP AGAIN AND IT WOULDN'T START. THE TOW TRUCK CAME AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR. TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND WE WAS TOLD THE ENGINE HAD LOCKED UP (BLEW). IT ONLY HAVE ABOUT 71,000 MILES, BOUGHT AT ABOUT 18,300 MILES PAID CASH. I WAS TOLD IT IS HARD TO FIND A USED MOTOR AND IT WILL COST FROM 2,500-3,000 TO FIX IT AND A NEW MOTOR WILL COST 4-6,000 DOLLARS. WE CAN'T AFFORD THAT WE HAVE 2 KIDS IN COLLEGE AND 2 KIDS TO GRADUATE NEXT YEAR AND PLUS 2 SMALLER KIDS,ON A FIXED INCOME AND MY HUSBAND IS DISABLED. SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE I HAVE READ A LOT OF COMPLAINTS TONIGHT. I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN THIS MANY PEOPLE WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I AM HAVING. THIS IS A SHAME. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. THANK YOU *JB

I BOUGHT MY 2000 DODGE INTREPID IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. HAD ALL FLUIDS CHANGED ON A REGULAR BASIS. STARTED NOTICING BLUISH/GRAY SMOKE. TOOK VEHICLE TO REPAIR SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS. WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF PROBLEMS. WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND HAD COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. GOOD THING I LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN, SOME ONE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT! I HAD NO IDEA THIS MOTOR WAS THIS POORLY ENGINEERED. ALSO KNOW FIRST HAND OF THREE OTHER CASES WITH THIS MOTOR RIGHT HERE IN MY HOMETOWN. SADLY, I AM UNABLE TO MAKE THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT AT THIS TIME BECAUSE I AM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THE VEHICLE. *JB

I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE ON 9/14/2004. THE VEHICLE STOP FUNCTIONING ON DECEMBER 21. THE CAR WASN'T FUNCTIONING UNTIL JUNE OF 2005. TO REPAIR THE CAR IT COST $4,500, WE HAD TO CHANGE THE MOTOR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, TEXAS STAR MOTORS IN JUNE. ON DECEMBER I LEFT THE CAR ON MARYLAND MALL, AND THE KEYS AT THE DEALERSHIP SO THAT THEY COULD GO GET THE CAR. THEY KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO INTERCHANGE CARS. ON DECEMBER I WENT OUT OF TOWN AND NO ONE STAYED IN CHARGE OF THE CAR. ON THE FIRST WEEK OF JANUARY THEY SAID THE CAR WAS READY BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO LOCATE ME. WHEN I SHOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY WERE ALREADY SELLING THE CAR TO SOME OTHER PEOPLE. I TALKED TO A SALESPERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP, BUT SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT CAR I HAD EXCHANGE. THE CAR WAS INSURED UNTIL JANUARY. I COULDN'T INTERCHANGE THE CAR UNLESS SHE PAID TWO MORE YEARS OF INSURANCE WHICH I HAD ALREADY AGREED TO PAY ONLY ONE YEAR. BY THE DEALERSHIP THE CAR COST $1,785. I WANTED TO INTERCHANGE THE CAR AND GIVE AN DOWN PAYMENT OF $1000. THE OWNER WANTED ME TO GIVE THE $1000 AND GO EXCHANGE THE CAR IN A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. IF I WAITED THE TWO YEARS TO MAKE THE INTERCHANGE IT WOULD HAD BEEN TOO LONG. I STOP PAYING ON DECEMBER 29, 2005. THE NEXT PAYMENT WAS DUE ON JANUARY 15 AND THEY SEND A LETTER OF LATE PAYMENT ON JANUARY 14, WHICH MADE NO SENSE BECAUSE THE PAYMENT WAS NOT EVEN DUE ON THAT DATE YET. *NM

2000 INTREPID W/54K MILES BLEW (2) HOLES IN THE TIMING CHAIN COVERS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ROUTE 422 IN OHIO AT 11 PM 2/5/06. TOWED CAR IN FOR REPAIRS AND SLUDGE BUILD UP WAS UNDER THE VALVE COVERS. PURCHASED CAR FROM HALPER CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP ON 2/17/05. WE ONLY ADDED 13K MILES ON IT IN 12 MONTHS. WE DID REGULAR OIL CHANGES BUT IT STILL BUILT UP SLUDGE IN THE MOTOR. OUR 19 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING OUR CAR BACK TO COLLEGE WHEN IT BLEW. WE ARE GLAD HE IS SAFE AND HE IS A STRONG ENOUGH YOUNG MAN TO HOLD THE WHEEL WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE ADD ON WARRANTY WE PURCHASED WILL NOT COVER THIS REPAIR SINCE IT APPEARS THE OIL WAS NOT CHANGED REGULARLY SO WE NOW HAVE A $7K IN REPAIRS TO MAKE OR A $7K DRIVEWAY ORNAMENT UNTIL IT'S PAID OFF. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IT SOUNDED AS THOUGH VALVES WERE CLANKING. THE NOISE OCCURRED ONE DAY PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE NOT STARTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE CAUSING THE VALVES TO FALL INTO THE PISTONS. THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REBUILT AS A RESULT.