2001 Dodge Intrepid

MY CAR NEVER GAVE ME ANY SIGNS OF BURNING OIL, NOR DID I HAVE ANY HEATER ISSUES OR SMELLS. OWEVER, ON 05/21/02 I TOOK MY CAR IN TO SPITZER MOTOR CITY IN CLEVELAND FOR SERVICE BECAUSE I WAS SEEING THE ENGINE LIGHT. THEY DETERMINED THAT THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE MY PCV VALVE AND GAS CAP ($24.02 FOR PARTS AND $149.00 FOR LABOR). LATER, DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2002 I BEGAN SEEING MY ENGINE LIGHT AGAIN. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AT, AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT IF THE GAS CAP IS NOT ON TIGHTLY IT CAN ALSO CAUSE THE ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON, AND TO MAKE SURE IT IS ALWAYS ON TIGHT. AFTER THAT, THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON FROM TIME TO TIME, TIL THE DAY THE ENIGNE FAILED ON AUGUST 18, 2003 WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING IT. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO DODGE DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE WAS SHOT DUE TO SLUDGE BUILD-UP. ( LAST OIL CHANGE, MAY 2003 ). ACCORDING TO A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE DAIMLER CHRYSLER SERVICE CONTRACT HELP DESK, IF AN ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR IS OVER $5,000, AN INSPECTOR MUST BE SENT TO INVESTIGATE BEFORE APPROVING THE COVERAGE OF ANY SERVICE REPAIRS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE REQUEST TO PICK UP THE TAB WAS DENIED, WITH STILL ONE MORE MONTH OF WARRANTY COVERAGE LEFT AND 63,000 PLUS MILES LATER. THE ONLY THING THAT I RECEIVED FROM THIS WAS A REFERENCE NUMBER FROM THE DAIMLERCHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER ON SEPT 16TH, 2003, AND OVER $12,000 LEFT IN INSTALMENTS. THATS ALL ! *AK

NO WARNING--OTHER THAN A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAT THAT WE DIDN'T REALIZE WAS RELATED UNTIL AFTER. AS MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE CAR HOME, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY DIED, IN TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC, WHO INFORMED US THAT THE CAR HAD AN ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM, LIKE MANY OTHER INTREPIDS HE HAD SEEN, AND IT WOULD COST US ROUGHLY $6,000 TO REPLACE IT. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY SITTING AT THE MECHANIC'S BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AN EXTRA SIX GRAND LAYING AROUND, SO IT IS INTACT IN IT'S UNREPAIRED STATE. I FEEL IT COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE HAD TRAFFIC BEEN HEAVIER AND ONE OF MY KIDS HAD BEEN DRIVING. THIS IS A REAL PERSONAL INJURY DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN TO OTHER INTREPID OWNERS.*AK

ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO MY OIL WAS BURNING UP AND I HAD WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. I HAD IT LOOKED AT AND THE PROBLEM WAS UNKNOWN. I HAD THE OIL CHANGED AND FILTER CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN 2 MONTHS (DUE TO OIL BURNING UP). A COUPLE WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY ENGINE STARTED TO SOUND LIKE A SEMI TRUCK SO I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY. I CHECKED THE OIL WHICH WAS FINE AND THERE WAS NOTHING SMOKING SO I WAS GOING TO TAKE IT TO MY DADS HOUSE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE CAR IT WOULDN'T START. I HAD IT LOOKED AT AND NOW THEY ARE SAYING MY ENGINE IS HISTORY. I FOUND OUT OIL SLUDGE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE 3 YEARS LEFT TO PAY OFF A CAR THAT I CAN'T DRIVE AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. EVEN IF I TRIED FOR A USED ENGINE I WOULD BE ON A WATING LIST (WHICH TELLS YOU SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.*AK

I WAS APPROX. 10 MILES OUT OF TOWN WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND PROCEEDED TO OPEN HOOD WHERE I FOUND FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE. FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED WHEN HOOD WAS CLOSED. I BELIEVE THAT THE OIL THAT WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE WAS WHAT WAS BURNING. THERE WAS OIL DOWN THE SIDE OF THE CAR FROM FRONT FENDER WELL TO THE BACK BUMPER AND PUDDLE ALONG THE SIDE OF THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE COOLANT WAS EVAPORATING INSIDE THE ENGINE, AND IT WAS NOT COOLING THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO WARNING FROM ANY GAUGES THAT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS LOW OR THAT THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND THAT A REBUILT ENGINE FROM CHRYSLER WAS $4700 AND THAT WAS WITHOUT LABOR. *AK

WHILE DRIVING A LOUD CLANKING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT. THEN, VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT DUE TO WORN OUT PARTS. *AK THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE DEVELOPED SLUDGE. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE UNLESS THE CONSUMER CAN PROVE THAT THE OIL WAS CHANGED REGULARLY. *NM

MY CAR DIED WITH ONLY 30 SECONDS WARNING. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON RT 83 JUST SOUTH OF ST CHARLES AVE IN VILLA PARK WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO JERK AND MAKE LOUD NOISES. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE AND THEY SAID THAT SLUDGE WAS PRESENT IN MY ENGINE. I HAD MY OIL CHANGED 6/15/2004 ATR MIDAS IN VILLA PARK IL AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF SLUDGE IN MY ENGINE. I HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN AN ESTIMATE, EXEPT THAT IT WILL TAKE $400 FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE PROBLEM.*AK

WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE FAILED (AT 50,223 MILES). I WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE ROAD TO SAFETY. MCKINNEY DODGE, GASTONIA, NC INFORMED THE THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE DEALERSHIPE STATED THIS THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO NOT CHANGING THE OIL AS REQUIRED, EVEN THOUGH I CHANGE THE OIL FREQUENTLY AS REQUIRED. CHRYSLER REFUSES TO FIX THE ENGINE UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY RESEARCH INDICATES THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2.7 LITER V6 ENGINE.*AK