2000 Dodge Intrepid

IN JAN 2004, OUR 2000 DODGE INTREPID EXPERIENCED 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHERE WE WOULD TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND AFTER ABOUT 2/3 STEERING WHEEL TURN, IT WOULD STOP. WE WOULD TURN THE WHEEL BACK TO THE LEFT AND THEN TO THE RIGHT NOTING THAT IT WOULD THEN TURN AS IF NOTHING WAS WRONG. WHEN WE WENT TO THE DEALER, THEY SAID THAT THE RACK AND PINION WOULD NEED REPLACING. I DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM ON A NEWSGROUP AND IT WAS SUGGESTED TO CHANGE THE POWER STEERING FLUID. WE DID (SINCE IT WAS CHEAPER) AND THE PROBLEM DIDN'T REOCCUR. ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO, WE WOULD NOTICE AN OCCASIONAL RATTLE FROM THE FRONT END. I INITIALLY ATTRIBUTED IT TO NORMAL SUSPENSION WEAR SINCE IT WAS APERODIC AND NO CONSISTANCY TO IT. AS TIME WENT ON, THE RATTLES WOULD OCCUR MORE OFTEN. IT WOULD DO IT GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS OR RAILROAD TRACKS. FINALLY, I COULD GET THE RATTLE TO OCCUR REGULARLY WHILE DRIVING BY PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE AND LETTING THE CAR PERFORM A "JERK" AS THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED. THAT PROMPTED ME TO TO A SEARCH ON ALLDATA FOR TSB INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUSPENSION. I CAME ACROSS TSB 19-01-00 THAT MATCHED MY EXPERIENCE TO THE LETTER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE STEERING GEAR (RACK AND PINION). REPLACING IT ALSO "CURED" A "KNUCKLING" SOUND THAT I AGAIN ATTRIBUTED TO JUST AN "AGE" NOISE. *MR

I OWN A 2000 DODGE INTREPID AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. I HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT WHEN IT WAS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD. JUST THIS PAST THURSDAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY ENGINE JUST STOPPED, CAUSING ALL POWERE STEERING, ETC. TO GO OUT. I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD ME THE ENGINE WAS LOCKED UP AND ESTIMATED $3100 TO REBUILD MY ENGINE $3900 FOR USED ENGINE AND TWICE AS MUCH FOR A NEW ENGINE. GRANT IT, AT THIS POINT I'M STILL UNDECIDED AS TO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT MY ENGINE OVERHEATED AND LOCKED UP. MY CAR SHOWED NO INDICATION OF OVERHEATING...NO LIGHTS CAME ON, NO TEMPERATURE GAUGE READING HOT AND NO SIGNS. MY CAR WAS DRIVING NORMALLY AND JUST STOPPED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH THERE WAS A TAPING NOISE, AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FOLLOWING DAY, AND DEALER INDICATED THAT BECAUSE OF A DESIGN FLAW IN THE ENGINE THE OIL DIDN'T FLOW PROPERLY, CAUSING AN OIL BUILD UP. DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE TYPES OF ENGINES. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, SUDDENLY THERE WAS A KNOCKING NOISE IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD GUMMED UP, WHICH CAUSED THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONOR TO STICK IN THE OPENED POSITION. THEY ALSO, INDICATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINE AND THE MANUFACTURE WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT A REMEDY OR IMPROVEMENT PART HASN'T BEEN FOUND. THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

2000 DODGE INTREPID WITH 47,000 MILES JUST GOT 2 MONTHS AGO. STEERING WHEEL HAD 2" OF PLAY IN IT BUT STILL DROVE OKAY AND I THOUGHT I COULD LIVE WITH IT UNTILL I COULD SAVE ENOUGH $$ TO GET NEW RACK AND PINION. *AK WAS TURNING LEFT AND STEERING LOCKED UP, HAD TO SLAM ON THE BREAKS BEFORE I HIT SOMEONE WALKING!!! GUY THOUGHT I WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM AND HE GAVE IT TO ME. I YANKED ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND GOT THE HECK OUT OF THERE. NOW WHEN I DRIVE THE CAR I EXPECT THE LOCK UP AND ABLE TO CONTROL IT BUT IS VERY SCARY BECAUSE ITS GETTING WORSE AND I CANT AFFORD TO GET IT FIXED AND ITS MY ONLY CAR. OH WELL JUST HAVE TO DIE TO GET ACTION. THANKS FOR NOT HELPING US OUT HERE.