2000 Dodge Intrepid

I DO NOT HAVE THE DATE OF MY VERY FIRST INCIDENT. I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE ENGINE CUT OFF. IT STARTED UP WITH NO PROBLEM SO I CONTINUED MY ERRANDS. AT MY NEXT STOP, WHEN I CAME OUT TO LEAVE, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO CALL FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE THRU MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THE PERSON WAS ABLE TO START MY CAR. ON THE NIGHT OF OCTOBER 29TH AT ABOUT 9 PM MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE BOTH IN THE CAR WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RPM GUAGE WENT TO ZERO AND THE ENGINE QUIT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE POWER STEARING WENT OUT BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET US TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE BEING HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. I TRIED AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES TO START THE CAR WITHOUT SUCCESS. SO WE SAT THERE HOPING WE WOULD NOT BE SIDE SWIPED BY THE CARS COMING UP BEHIND US. I TRIED TO START THE CAR ONE MORE TIME BEFORE I CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND THE CAR STARTED. WE WENT DOWN THE ROAD AND TURNED AROUND TO HEAD BACK HOME. ABOUT A MILE FROM OUR HOME THE ENGINE DIED AGAIN. I JUST THANK GOD THAT AGAIN I WAS ABLE TO GET US OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT BEING HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. THIS TIME THE ENGINE STARTED ON THE THIRD OR FOUTH TRY AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED EVERY SINCE. I PLAN TO TAKE IT INTO THE LOCAL DEALER FOR SERVICE ON 11/04/05 AND WAS DOING RESEARCH ONLINE ABOUT THE PROBLEM I WAS HAVING WITH THE CAR AND DISCOVERED A WEBSITE THAT DESCRIBED MY INCIDENT EXACTLY. NOW I KNOW IT IS AN ENGINE PROBLEM.

DT: CONTACT STATES WHEN SHE STARTING THE VEHICLE THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS THE OIL GASKET, ALTERNATOR IDLER PULLEY, AND THE AIR CONDITIONER IDLER PULLEY. SHE HAS NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. SHE CONTACTED DEALER ABOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THEY STATED THE PARTS FOR HER VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY HER WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLE AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS MAKING A RATCHETING SOUND. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATING, INDICATING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, A LOCAL MECHANIC FOUND THERE WAS MASSIVE SLUDGE BUILD-UP IN THE ENGINE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN, TIMING CHAIN COVER, AND THE OIL PAN. THE ENGINE MAY HAVE TO BE REPLACED, BUT AT THIS TIME THEY WERE GOING TO TRY TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THERE HAS BEEN ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE.*AK UPDATED 1/11/2006. THE REPLACEMENT PARTS DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NM

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO MAKE A KNOCKING NOISE. IT STALLED 2 TIMES AND THEN JUST DIED. I AM DISABLED, A SINGLE MOTHER OF 2 AND THE CAR BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE FOR ME TO GET IT OFF TO THE SIDE. WE DRIFTED DOWN THE ROAD TILL WE STOPPED AT A BETTER LOCATION. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND HELP TO GET ME AND MY 2 SONS HOME. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO BROWN DAUB DODGE WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW. THEY SAID THE ENGINE FAILED AND IT WOULD COST ANYWHERE FROM 5,000 TO 8,000 TO REPAIR. THEY BLAMED IT ON MAINTENANCE. THE CAR HAD BEEN VERY WELL MAINTAINED. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME YOU HAD TO USE A SPECIAL OIL (5W30) INSTEAD OF 10W30 BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS WITH THE 2.7L ENGINES. I CHECKED MY RECORDS AND DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD I TOOK THE CAR TO THEM EVERY 3,000 MILES AND THEY WERE USING 10W30 . THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE I TOOK MY CAR TO AFTER THE WARRANTY WAS OVER WAS USING 5W30 THE CORRECT OIL. I AM LIVING ON SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS TO SUPPORT MYSELF AND MY 2 SONS. I HAVE NO MEANS OF COMING UP WITH THIS MONEY AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TOO. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE NOTORIOUS ENGINE/TRANSMISSION FAILURES IN THESE CARS. I HAVE A FRIEND WHO USE TO WORK FOR CHRYSLER AND SAID HE COULDN'T WORK FOR A COMPANY WHERE THE WERE TOLD TO "SAY NOTHING" BUT WHAT THE TOLD HIM TO TELL PEOPLE IN THESE SITUATIONS. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A POTENTIALLY DEADLY ACCIDENT FOR US. BROWN DAUB WILL ACCEPT NO LIABILITY FOR USING THE WRONG OIL AND I CONTACTED CHRYSLER AND THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING EITHER. I AM KNOW UNDER THE EMOTIONAL STRESS OF BEING STRANDED WITHOUT A CAR AND HAVE TO RELY ON WHATEVER HELP I CAN FIND TO GET MYSELF TO MY DOCTOR APPTS. TO FOLLOW UP ON MY DISABILITY AND GET MY CHILDREN WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. *NM

DT: CAR WAS RUNNING FINE UNTIL A FAILURE OCCURRED. NO LIGHTS OR WARNINGS PRIOR TO FAILURE. AT THE INTERSECTION, DRIVER STOPPED AND VEHICLE SHUT OFF, AND WOULDN'T START. NO TURN OVER OF ENGINE. ELECTRIC SYSTEM WAS STILL WORKING, BUT THERE WERE NO LIGHTS OR CODES TO INDICATE TO DRIVER WHAT COULD BE WRONG. VEHICLE WAS REGULARLY MAINTAINED WITH SERVICE RECORDS AVAILABLE.*AK *JB

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I WAS AROUND 700 MILES FROM HOME FOR MY SON'S WEDDING IN MAY AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO KNOCK, MY HUSBAND WHO IS A CERTIFIED AUTO MECHANIC BY THE STATE OF OHIO FOR OVER 25 YEARS LOOKED IT OVER AND FOUND NOTHING. THE NEXT DAY WE WERE DRIVING BACK HOME AND THE KNOCKING STOPPED . THE CAR DROVE FINE AFTER THAT AND DID NOT MAKE THE NOISE AGAIN. WE ALWAYS HAD THE OIL CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES AND WE HAVE ALWAYS USED SYNTHETIC OIL IN THE CAR. 1 MONTH LATER ON MY WAY TO WORK I WAS DRIVING ON STATE ROUTE 571 WHEN THE CAR STARTED JERKING AND STOPPING THEN STARTING AGAIN I ALMOST GOT REARENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK BEFORE I COULD GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO TELL HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED I WAS VERY SHOOK UP SCARED OUT OF MY MIND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE RAN OVER BY A SEMI. HE TOLD ME TO DRIVE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD UNTIL I COULD TURN OFF ON A SIDE ROAD SO I DID. I WAS ABLE TO NURSE IT HOME AND TAKE ANOTHER CAR TO WORK THAT DAY. WE TOOK IT DOWN TO THE CHRYSLER DEALER IN TOWN AND THEY TOLD US THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE OIL AND TOLD US IT WOULD BE 7200 DOLLARS TO FIX THE CAR I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY LAYING AROUND SO THE CAR IS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY WHILE I TRY TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY TO FIX IT. *JB