2001 Dodge Intrepid

WE HAVE A 2001 DODGE INTREPID ES 4 MONTHS OFF WARRANTY THAT NEEDS A COMPLETE RACK N PINION REPLACEMENT. AFTER NOTICING A LACK OF MOBILITY ON CORNERS, WE PURCHASED NEW TIRES (HEY NEVER THOUGHT IT COULD BE SOMETHING AS HUGE A DEFECT AS THIS) AFTER THEY SHOWED SOME WEAR AND WINTER IS COMING. MANUEVERABILITY ON CORNERS BECAME WORSE AND MY HUSBAND TOOK IT IN TO OUR DEALER TODAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2004 AND WAS TOLD IT NEEDED A COMPLETE RACK N PINION, STEERING STABILIZERS, AND BUSHINGS. THIS CAR HAS 38,000 MILES ON!!! AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB, IT SEEMS VERY BLATANT THAT IT SHOULD BE A DEFECT ON THESE AUTOMOBILES OR AT A MINIMUM A WARRANTY ITEM. I WILL NEVER LET MY TEENAGER DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AND AFTER GETTING IT REPAIRED WILL TRADE IT. IT IS A SHAME THAT IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE MANY ACCIDENTS AND GOD FORBID DEATHS BEFORE EITHER NHTSA OR DODGE WILL ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.

I WAS TURNING CORNER, GOING APPROX. 5 MPH, WHEN MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, I COULDN'T STEER THE CAR AT ALL. I ENDED UP 1/2 IN THE DITCH 1/2 IN THE STREET. I HAD TO PUT ON THE BRAKE TO STOP, BUT HAD NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. WE CALLED DOUGLAS IN CLINTON, IL. THEY PROVIDED ME WITH A LOANER CAR AND WERE GOING TO LOOK AT IT FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING. THEY NOTIFIED MY HUSBAND AT WORK, MONDAY AND TOLD HIM THAT THE RACK & PINION HAD BROKE. THEY HAD TO REPLACE PART, REMANUFACTURED WAS $300.00 NEW WAS $800.00. THEY FINALLY GOT PART IN ON FRIDAY AND I WAS ABLE TO GET MY CAR BACK THAT EVENING. TOTAL REPAIR BILL WAS $640.72. THAT INCLUDED PART,LABOR, TAXES AND REALIGMENT. *AK *SC *JB

JULY, 2004, I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 DODGE INTREPID WHEN I MADE A LEFT TURN AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP, THE WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN BACK TO THE RIGHT. IT HAPPENED TWICE AS I TURNED INTO INTERSECTIONS SAME DAY. HAD THERE BEEN A VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE LANE, I WOULD HAVE HAD NO RECOURSE BUT TO CRASH IN TO IT. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NO CAR IN THE INSIDE LANE! THIS WAS A SUNDAY..TOOK CAR TO DODGE REPAIR SHOP EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE BUSHINGS. 4 DAYS LATER, WAS TOLD AFTER THE BUSHINGS WERE PUT IN, IT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM...THAT IT WAS NEEDING A NEW RACK! THE BUSHING REPAIR WAS $426.46. THE REPAIRMAN TOLD ME THAT IN HIS OPINION, A RACK SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED IN A VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AS WAS THE CASE IN MY VEHICLE. I CALLED CHRYSLER AND THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING. THE DODGE REPAIR MAN EVEN CALLED THEM AND THEY REFUSED HIM, BECAUSE IN MY FRUSTRATION AFTER THEY DECLINED MY REQUEST I HAD USED THE WORD "[XXX]" AND "[XXX]" IN THE CONVERSATION. WHICH IS BESIDE THE POINT, AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE...WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED ME A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT! MY CAR WAS FINALLY REPAIRED AFTER BEING IN THE SHOP 3 WEEKS (THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AS I AM A SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLD) AND I WAS CHARGED A TOTAL OF $823.48 FOR THE BUSHINGS AND A REBUILT RACK! SHIELDS MOTORS IN CHANUTE MAY STILL HAVE THE OLD PART, I AM UNSURE. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT CHRYSLER SHOULD BE RECALLING THEIR VEHICLES AFTER RESEARCHING AND FINDING SEVERAL OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE THE STEERING HAS CAUSED ACCIDENTS, ETC. *JB INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

3 YEAR OLD DODGE INTREPID, BOUGHT NEW, WITH 75,000 MILES HAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL BEFORE DIRECTION CHANGE OCCURS. INDICATIONS ARE STEERING RACK NEEDS REPLACED. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS CONDITION, BUT NO RECALL. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER FOR ASSISTANCE, BUT THERE POSITION IS WARRANTY IS OUT. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A STEERING RACK GOING OUT THIS QUICKLY, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS POSTED ON THE INTERNET FOR FAILURES AS LOW AS 38,000 MILES. MY OTHER VEHICLE IS 11 YEARS OLD , WITH 145,000 MILES AND HAS NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE STEERING ON THIS VEHICLE, AND OTHER MODEL CHRYSLER WHICH IS LEADING TO THE EARLY FAILURE RATES, AND CHRYSLER KNOWS IT, AND SHOULD HELP OWNERS REPAIR. *JB

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.

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE VEHICLE MADE KNOCKING NOISES FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE HAD SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT THE DEALER REFUSED COVERAGE FOR THE SLUDGE PROBLEM. THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE POWER STEERING PUMP LEAKED WHICH CAUSED NOISE WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. *TS *NLM