2001 Dodge Intrepid

THE OIL LIGHT ON MY 2001 DODGE INTREPID BEGAN FLICKERING AT STOP LIGHTS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A SHORT IN MY ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, NOT A MAJOR ISSUE. TWO MONTHS LATER, MY ENGINE BEGAN SPUTTERING AND DIED ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT AND MAKE IT TO WORK WITH MY ENGINE SMOKING BADLY, BUT HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC, WHO TOLD ME MY ENGINE WAS SHOT. DEALERSHIP WOULD DO NOTHING. CAR HAD 81500 MILES AND WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 80000. *JB

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WHEN ENGINE SUDDENLY STARTED MAKING TICKING NOISES, THEN EVENTUALLY CHOKING AND THEN QUIT. COULDN'T GET IT STARTED, HAD IT TOWED TO MECHANIC WHO SAID ONLY 2 QTS OF OIL IN ENGINE. OIL LIGHT NEVER CAME ON, NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. CHANGED OIL AND MECHANIC SAID THERE WAS STILL A TICKING NOISE THAT WOULDN'T GO AWAY AND ENGINE WAS PROBABLY "TOAST" AND THEY COULD DO NOTHING TO REPAIR IT, REPLACEMENT WOULD BE ONLY OPTION. CAR IS NOW SITTING BECAUSE IT DOESN'T RUN CORRECTLY AND ENGINE MOST PROBABLY RUINED, P1391 CODE (CAMSHAFT OR CAM) PROBLEM. READ ABOUT MANY OTHER 2.7L ENGINE PROBLEMS AND IT WAS SUGGESTED TO ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA BECAUSE IT WAS "INTERESTED" IN THE PROBLEM, HAVEN'T CALLED CHRYSLER BECAUSE I KNOW OF NO ONE WHO HAS HAD SUCCESS IN GETTING CHRYSLER TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *NM

MY DODGE INTREPID SE 2.7L ENGINE SUFFERED A BLOWN ENGINE WITH NO WARNING ON 4-16-06 ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF A PROBLEM, NO WARNING LIGHTS AND NO SIGNS OF OVERHEATING. I SUDDENLY HEARD A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE THAT INCREASED QUICKLY TO A LOUD BANGING. I GOT OFF THE EXIT IMMEDIATELY AND COASTED INTO A HOTEL PARKING LOT. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE ANTIFREEZE ALL OVER THE ENGINE. I REMOVED THE CAP TO THE COOLANT CONTAINER AND BROWN ANTIFREEZE BOILED OVER ONTO THE GROUND. THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED ON 2/7/06 AND THE FLUIDS TOPPED OFF. THE OIL AND FLUIDS HAD BEEN CHECKED EVERY WEEK AFTER THAT UP UNTIL THE ENGINE BLEW AND THE FLUIDS WERE OF NORMAL COLOR AND CONSISTENCY. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 65,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I PURCHASED IT AND PROPER MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE TIME I HAVE HAD MY IT. THE CAR HAD JUST RECENTLY REACHED 100,000 MILES AND I STILL OWE NEARLY $5000 ON THIS CAR, HAVE NO VEHICLE TO GET TO WORK AND CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A NEW ONE WITH THE CAR PAYMENT I HAVE TO MAKE ON IT EACH MONTH. I HAVE BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY THAT THE 2.7L ENGINE IS WORTHLESS AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS CATASTROPHE FROM OCCURRING. IT WOULD COST ME APPROXIMATELY $2000-$3000 TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE ENGINE WITH NO GUARANTEE IT WOULDN'T SLUDGE UP AGAIN AND BLOW A SECOND TIME. I ALSO EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS FROM DAY ONE, SUCH AS CONSTANT SQUEALING FROM THE BRAKES AND ROTORS DESPITE CHANGING THEM OUT TWICE, FOLLOWED BY PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING FROM SUSPENSION PROBLEMS AND PROBLEM STEERING BOLTS. THE PROBLEMS ON THIS CAR FROM DAY ONE RANGE FROM THE ISSUES MENTIONED BEFORE TO ELECTRICAL SHORTS, FAULTY STEERING BOLTS, BROKEN THE-ROD ENDS AND SUSPENSION PROBLEMS ALL OF WHICH ARE COMMON ISSUES I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND ON NUMEROUS BLOGS AND WEBSITES SUCH AS DODGEINTREPID.NET. *NM

MY DODGE INTREPID SE 2.7L ENGINE SUFFERED A BLOWN ENGINE WITH NO WARNING ON 4-16-06 ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF A PROBLEM, NO WARNING LIGHTS AND NO SIGNS OF OVERHEATING. I SUDDENLY HEARD A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE THAT INCREASED QUICKLY TO A LOUD BANGING. I GOT OFF THE EXIT IMMEDIATELY AND COASTED INTO A HOTEL PARKING LOT. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE ANTIFREEZE ALL OVER THE ENGINE. I REMOVED THE CAP TO THE COOLANT CONTAINER AND BROWN ANTIFREEZE BOILED OVER ONTO THE GROUND. THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED ON 2/7/06 AND THE FLUIDS TOPPED OFF. THE OIL AND FLUIDS HAD BEEN CHECKED EVERY WEEK AFTER THAT UP UNTIL THE ENGINE BLEW AND THE FLUIDS WERE OF NORMAL COLOR AND CONSISTENCY. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 65,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I PURCHASED IT AND PROPER MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE TIME I HAVE HAD MY IT. THE CAR HAD JUST RECENTLY REACHED 100,000 MILES AND I STILL OWE NEARLY $5000 ON THIS CAR, HAVE NO VEHICLE TO GET TO WORK AND CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A NEW ONE WITH THE CAR PAYMENT I HAVE TO MAKE ON IT EACH MONTH. I HAVE BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY THAT THE 2.7L ENGINE IS WORTHLESS AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS CATASTROPHE FROM OCCURRING. IT WOULD COST ME APPROXIMATELY $2000-$3000 TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE ENGINE WITH NO GUARANTEE IT WOULDN'T SLUDGE UP AGAIN AND BLOW A SECOND TIME. I ALSO EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS FROM DAY ONE, SUCH AS CONSTANT SQUEALING FROM THE BRAKES AND ROTORS DESPITE CHANGING THEM OUT TWICE, FOLLOWED BY PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING FROM SUSPENSION PROBLEMS AND PROBLEM STEERING BOLTS. THE PROBLEMS ON THIS CAR FROM DAY ONE RANGE FROM THE ISSUES MENTIONED BEFORE TO ELECTRICAL SHORTS, FAULTY STEERING BOLTS, BROKEN THE-ROD ENDS AND SUSPENSION PROBLEMS ALL OF WHICH ARE COMMON ISSUES I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND ON NUMEROUS BLOGS AND WEBSITES SUCH AS DODGEINTREPID.NET. *NM

1. I LEFT WORK TO GO TO LUNCH AND MY CAR WOULDN'T START. THE MECHANIC COULDN'T GET IT STARTED SO I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE MECHANIC'S GARAGE. HE GAVE ME THE BAD NEWS STATING THAT IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE. 2. PREMATURE ENGINE PROBLEMS IN MY 2001 DODGE INTREPID ENGINE WITH OIL SLUDGE AND TIMING CHAIN FAILURE CAUSING ENGINE DAMAGE AND FAILURE. 3. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN 08/2005. I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED SERVICE CONTRACT THAT COVERED MOST REPAIR COST, EXCEPT $625.78. THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE TWO TOWING COST THAT I HAD TO PAY. I WAS ALSO WITHOUT A CAR FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS AS THE DEALERSHIP WOULDN'T GIVE ME A LOANER AND MY INSURANCE DOESN'T COVER A LOANER. WE HAVE NO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN OUR SMALL COMMUNITY WHICH REALLY CREATED A HARDSHIP. *NM

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND WITHIN ONE BLOCK FROM HER OFFICE, SHE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT HER VEHICLE WAS IDLING ROUGH. SHE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE 6 MILE TRIP IN SHE COULD NOT GET ANY HEAT TO COME OUT OF THE HEATER. AS THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN TO GO SHE MADE THE TURN AND WAS ABLE TO CLEAR THE INTERSECTION WHEN SHE LOST POWER AND THE CAR DIED. SHE TOLD ME THAT THE CAR LOST STEERING AND SHE COASTED IT OFF OF THE ROAD 1/2 BLOCK FROM HER OFFICE. SHE STATED THAT THE ONLY WARNING SHE HAD WAS IT WAS IDLING ROUGH. SHE STATED THAT THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS NORMAL. I ARRIVED ON SCENE AND DISCOVERED ANTI-FREEZE IN THE OIL. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DODGE DEALER IN TOWN AND WAS LATER TOLD THAT A HEAD GASKET HAD BLOWN. IT IS UNKNOWN IF THERE IS ANY DAMAGE TO EITHER HEAD OR BLOCK. WE HAVE BEEN QUOTED ANY WHERE FROM 2000 TO 7600 TO FIX. WE HAVE 15 MONTHS LEFT ON THE LOAN AND THE CAR HAS 67,000 MILES. I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT MY WIFE HAD THE SAME MYSTERIOUS HEATER PROBLEMS HAS OTHER INTREPID OWNERS. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE OIL CAP DOES SHOW SIGNS OF POSSIBLE SLUDGE. WE HAVE SERVICED THE VEHICLE EACH AND EVERY TIME IT WAS NEEDED AND HAD JUST RECENTLY RECEIVED ONE. THE SCARY PART OF ALL OF THIS IS THE FACT THAT SHE COMPLETELY LOST ALL POWER. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35MPH THE ENGINE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. A BANGING NOISE CAME FROM THE ENGINE FOLLOWED BY WHITE SMOKE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A FIRE. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED TO INDICATE A FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REMOVED THE OIL PAN AND DETERMINED THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.