2001 Dodge Intrepid

I'M A CONSUMER AND A VICTIM OF A FAILED 2.7 LITER ENGINE. I PURCHASED A 2001 DODGE INTREPID IN JUNE OF 2001 IT ONLY HAD 100 MILES ON IT AT TIME OF PURCHASE. I HAD THIS CAR ONLY 2YEARS AND 7MONTHS. I GOT TO WORK PULLED IN THE PARKING DECK OIL LIGHT COMES ON. I PARKED WENT IN TO WORK. LEAVING THE PARKING DECK MY CAR JUST SHUT DOWN. NO TAPPING NO SMOKE OR ANYTHING. I'M THINKING THIS IS JUST MY BATTERY. MY HUSBAND CAME AN TRIED THE SAME THING. PUSHED THE CAR OUT OF THE ROAD, AND HAD A WRECKER COME AND GET THE CAR TOOK IT TO HANSEN CHRYSLER FOR REPAIRS. HE STATED THAT IT WAS THE BATTERY AND HE REPLACED THE BATTERY THEN HE RETURNED A CALL TO ME AND STATED THAT THE ENGINE MAY BE SLUDGED AND HE WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE ME $84 TO TAKE OFF THE GASKETS AND $84 TO PUT THEM BACK ON JUST TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, BUT IF I WANTED TO WAIT THAT THE CAR WAS DRIVING FINE AND I COULD COME AND GET IT BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS ENGINE WOULD HOLD UP. I WENT AND GOT MY CAR AND DROVE OFF THE LOT. I GOT AROUND THE CORNER NOT EVEN A HALF A MILE AWAY IT SHUT OFF AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD BUT THIS TIME THE ENGINE WAS TAPPING. NEVER SINCE I'VE HAD THIS CAR HAD I HEARD ANY TAPPING UNTIL THAT DAY. I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED BUT NOW THEY'RE TELLING ME THAT MY ENGINE IS BLOWN. I FIND OUT FROM THE MECHANIC THAT THESE 2.7 LITER ENGINES ARE NOT REALLY GOOD ENGINES. THE MECHANIC STATES THAT I WOULD BE LOOKING AT SPENDING ABOUT 6 - 7,000 DOLLARS ON THE ENGINE ALONG NOT EVEN COUNTING THE LABOR. I DON'T HAVE THAT TYPE OF MONEY. I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN ROBBED. I HAVE A CAR WITH ONLY 64,555 MILES AND TWO YEARS TO PAY ON IT AND CAN'T EVEN DRIVE IT. I CAN'T GET ANYONE TO TAKE IT AS A TRADE IN, SO NOW I'M RIDING THE BUS AND PAYING A CAR NOTE. I'M SEEKING LEGAL HELP. WHAT AM I TO DO?*AK

I HAVE A 2001 DODGE INTREPID WITHOUT ANY WARNING MY CAR'S ENGINE STOPPED WORKING CAUSING MY POWER STEERING AND BRAKES TO GO. LUCKLY I WAS TRAVELING AT SLOW SPEED, AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT CAUSING ANY ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES. ALTHOUGH I AM OK MY CAR IS NOT. THIS IS A NEW VEHICLE THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE NOT GONE, BUT IT DID. I AM PAYING FOR A NEW CAR THAT DOES NOT WORK AND CHRYSLER DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY SINCE THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED.

PURCHASED THE CAR IN NOVEMBER OF 2002. HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT TIME OF PURCHASE. TOOK FOR ANOTHER OIL CHANGE IN APRIL AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE AND THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE ENGINE FLUSHED. I HAD THAT DONE AND 2 DAYS LATER THE MOTOR HAD BLOWN. MY CAR IS STILL SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE THE ESTIMATED COST FOR REPAIR IS ANYWHERE FROM $4000.00 TO $8000.00.

DEC 1, 2003 OUR 2001 DODGE INTREPID HAD ENGINE FAILURE WITH NO WARNING WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK. AFTER STRUGGLING TO GET THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND SAFELY OFF THE ROAD, WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A SERVICE CENTER WHERE THEY REFERRED US TO THE DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR. THE SERVICE CENTER INFORMED US THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED BY THE DEALER. WHEN TOWED TO THE DEALER, THEY WANTED $500.00 TO TAKE APART THE ENGINE BECAUSE AS THEY SAID THE CAR HAD NO OIL. AFTER TAKING THE ENGINE APART THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED US THE CAR DID HAVE OIL, BUT WAS BLOWN DUE TO SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 36,363 MILES, HAS HAD THE OIL CHANGED AS THE OWNERS MANUAL RECOMMENDED. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER THE CAR WAS "OUT OF WARRANTY". THEY QUOTED $9900.00 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. WE WERE ALSO INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY ANYWAY BECAUSE IT WAS DUE TO "OWNER MAINTENANCE AND NEGLECT, EVEN THOUGH WE PROVIDED THE RECEIPTS FOR THE OIL CHANGES. I WAS INFORMED THAT HAD THEY PROVIDED THE SERVICE, DODGE/CHRYSLER WOULD HONOR THEIR WORK AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, BUT SINCE IT WAS PERFORMED ELSEWHERE I WAS ON MY OWN. I CALLED ANOTHER DEALERSHIP ACROSS TOWN AND WAS INFORMED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE AND THEY SEE SEVERAL A MONTH. THE SECOND DEALERSHIP QUOTED $5500.00 DOLLARS. AFTER GETTING THIS INFO FROM THE SECOND DEALERSHIP, WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE'S ENGINE (THE 2.7L ENGINE). I EVEN FOUND A LETTER FROM MITSUBISHI, WHO DESIGNED THIS ENGINE FOR CHRYSLER,R STATING THE ENGINE RUNS TOO HOT FOR THE OIL CHRYSLER RECOMMENDS TO USED. THE LETTER STATES THIS WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE OF HIGH ENGINE HEAT AND RECOMMENDS USING A SYNTHETIC OIL INSTEAD OF THE 10W/30 CHRYSLER RECOMMENDS IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. *LA

ON 11/30/03, ON MY WAY TO WORK, MY CAR STARTED MAKING A TICKING & KNOCKING SOUND. AS I PULLED OFF OF THE EXIT, IT CUT OFF. I HAD MY MECHANIC LOOK AT IT & HE SAID IT WAS THE ENGINE -- THE CAR ONLY HAD A LITTLE OVER 86,000 MILES ON IT; & IT'S ONLY 2 YEARS OLD! I CALLED THE DODGE'S CUSTOMER CARE LINE; THEY SAID TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO CHECK OUT ($65 TOW, $80 DEALER DIAGNOSTIC). BEFORE THE SERVICE PERSON LOOKED AT IT, HE ASKED IF I HAD PROOF OF MY OIL CHANGES, I SAID I DID NOT -- BUT THAT I DID HAVE THEM DONE EVERY 3,000 MILES. NATURALLY, IT TURNED OUT THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE IN MY ENGINE (MY INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DID NOT SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF IT) & THAT IT WOULD COST $6900 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE! IT SEEMS TO ME THAT DODGE IS RUNNING A SCAM. I HAVE NOW DISCOVERED ON VARIOUS WEBSITES THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 2001 INTREPID. THERE ARE 20 SUCH COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEBSITE ALONE! I HAVE 4 YEARS LEFT TO PAY ON THIS CAR! IT IS RIDICULOUS & UNACCEPTABLE THAT DODGE IS ALLOWED TO IGNORE & REFUSE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR INSTALLING FAULTY ENGINES IN THE INTREPID!*AK