2001 Dodge Intrepid

2001 DODGE INTREPID 2.7 V6 HAD OIL LIGHT FLICKER ON AND OFF AT STOP SIGNS. CHECKED OIL, IT WAS FINE. TOOK IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE. I DID OIL CHANGES REGULARLY AS SUGGESTED BY DODGE. CAR STARTED MAKING KNOCKING NOISE. TOOK CAR TO MECHANIC. HE RAN COMPRESSION TESTS AND SAID TIMING CHAIN WAS BAD AND VALVES WERE BENT. IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHRYSLER INTREPID. THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY OF 2008. THREE DAYS LATER, THE SHIFTER CABLE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPONENT. IN APPROXIMATELY APRIL OF 2008, THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED AND WAS ALSO COVERED BY THE DEALER. IN ADDITION, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT ROLL BACK UP PROPERLY. A MONTH AGO, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER SYSTEM HAD COMPLETELY FAILED. THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE. THE CONNECTOR ROD IN THE ENGINE SNAPPED, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. CURRENTLY, THE VEHICLE IS INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE FAILURES WERE DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000. UPDATED 07/01/09 *BF THE PCM WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 07/02/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE AT A RED LIGHT, THE ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO RESTART. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE THREE FAULTY COILS AND THREE FAULTY SPARK PLUGS. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THE VALVE TRAIN IS FAULTY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND BLUISH-GRAY SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE TAIL PIPE, WHICH WAS AN INDICATION OF ENGINE FAILURE. IN ADDITION, THE FUEL CONSUMPTION INCREASED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 88,600.

2001 DODGE INTREPID SE - 2.7L, LOST POWER ON THE WAY TO WORK. OIL LIGHT BEGAN FLICKERING (HAD SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE) AND COASTED OFF THE ROADWAY. HAD CAR TOWED IN TO THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. DIAGNOSED "CATASTROPHIC INTERNAL ENGINE FAILURE." MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALL PAST REPAIR WORK HAD BEEN COMPLETED BY THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER. THEY HAVE REPLACED TWO OF THE MAIN BRAINS IN THE CAR (@ 40K & 55K - BOTH COST $850 EA.), OIL PAN GASKETS (@ 35K, 45K, & 60K), GENERATOR (@ 60K), RADIATOR (@ 65K), TRANSMISSION RADIATOR (@ 65K), REBUILT TRANSMISSION (@ 98K), AND NOW THE MOTOR HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A JASPER REBUILD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE INTREPID. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A POPPING NOISE IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE POWER AND HAD TO BE PLACED INTO NEUTRAL AS IT COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE CONTROLLED. THE ENGINE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND THEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT A PISTON ROD BLEW A HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $5,750. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD PAY $1,000 TOWARDS THE REPAIR COST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE MONEY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000. UPDATED 04/16/09.*JB

I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN APRIL OF 2002 FROM A DODGE DEALER. IT WAS A PROGRAM CAR AND HAD ABOUT 16,000 MILES ON IT. THE CAR WAS NEVER RUN HARD WHILE I DROVE IT AND OIL WAS CHANGED APPROXIMATELY EVERY 5,000 MILES. THIS CAR WAS GREAT AND RAN LIKE A TOP FOR 2 1/2 YEARS. IN THAT TIME, THE ONLY CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE REQUIRED ON THE CAR WAS MINOR BRAKE WORK IN SEPTEMBER 2004. OCTOBER 8, 2004: NOTICED A SLIGHT KNOCKING FROM ENGINE, SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO JIFFY LUBE FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS SOME OIL DEPOSIT BUILD-UP AND THEY WOULD FLUSH THE ENGINE BEFORE REPLACING THE OIL. CAR STILL KNOCKED AFTER THE OIL CHANGE, SO I CALLED A LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP IN DANVILLE IN TO INQUIRE ABOUT SERVICE. I WAS TOLD TO BRING THE CAR IN ON THE FOLLOWING MONDAY (OCT. 11) FOR TESTS. I DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR THAT WEEKEND. MONDAY MORNING, I STARTED THE CAR, AND IT SOUNDED AWFUL, BELCHING SMOKE. I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, SO I CALLED A WRECKER SERVICE AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE NEXT DAY, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CALLED AND INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS EXCESSIVE OIL-SLUDGE BUILDUP IN THE ENGINE "DUE TO NOT CHANGING THE OIL EVERY 3,000 MILES." I WAS QUOTED A COST OF $4,560.00 TO REPAIR THE ENGINE, OR $7,700.00 TO REPLACE IT. I DON\'T CLAIM TO HAVE RELIGIOUSLY CHANGED MY OIL; LIKE I SAID, ABOUT EVERY 5,000 MILES. BUT THIS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN EVERY OTHER CAR (13) I HAVE OWNED AND THEY ALL LASTED WELL OVER 100,000 MILES OR AT LEAST UP TO THE TIME THAT I SOLD THEM. I STILL HAVE 30 MONTHS LEFT TO PAY ON MY 60-MONTH LOAN, AND OWE $8,100.00. DEALERS WILL ONLY GIVE ME $500.00 IN TRADE. I'VE DECIDED TO REFINANCE THE CAR OVER 72 MONTHS, WHICH HAS CUT MY PAYMENTS IN HALF, AND JUST YESTERDAY PURCHASED ANOTHER CAR THAT I WILL ALSO BE PAYING FOR THE NEXT SIX YEARS. I FIND IT IRONIC THAT I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THIS ENGINE, BUT NOW EVERYONE I TALK TO IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY HAS LONG KNOWN ABOUT JUST WHAT JUNK CHRYSLER HAS PUT OUT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY ENGINE STARTED MAKING A CLANKING NOISE. AS I PROCEEDED TO GET OVER INTO THE FAR LANE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY I LOST SPEED AND THE CAR TURNED OF. I BARELY MADE IT ACROSS THE LAST TWO LANES OF HIGHWAY SAFELY COASTING ONTO THE EXIT RAMP. LONG STORY SHORT, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE HAD DIED DO TO SLUDGE AND THE REPAIR WOULD BE, FOR ME, VERY COSTLY. SO NOW MY BEAUTIFUL RED DODGE INTREPID SETS IN MY DRIVEWAY WITH A $4,000 BALANCE THAT I CAN NOT AFFORD TO PAY OR REPAIR. *TR

WHILE IDLING AT A STOP LIGHT AN OFFICER OF THE LAW WAS BEHIND ME AS THE LIGHT CHANGE I MADE MY WAY TO MY DESTINATION ONLY TO BE STOPPED BY SAID OFFICER. HE STATED THAT WHEN I PULLED AWAY AT THE LIGHT THERE WAS A BIG SMOKE TRAIL LEAVING MY EXHAUST. I INFORMED HIM OF THE MANY TROUBLES WITH THE 2.7L CHRYSLER ENGINE HE INFORMED ME THAT IF I CONTINUE TO DRIVE I WOULD BE CITED FOR EPA VIOLATIONS. THE CAR HAS 80,432 MILES AND HAS BEEN BURNING OIL AT A CONSTANT RATE. NOW THE OIL PRESSURE SENDING UNIT IS LEAKING ALSO WHICH BY READING SOME COMPLAINTS IS WHAT HAPPENS JUST BEFORE TOTAL BREAKDOWN. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS WILL COST APRX. $2600 TO REBUILD ENGINE. *TR