2003 Dodge Intrepid

CAR HAS 94,000 ODD MILES ON IT. WHILE DRIVING MY CAR THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD A OIL CHANGE 2 MONTHS PRIOR. CHECKED THE OIL WAS 1 QUART LOW, ADDED ONE QUART. DROVE CAR A COUPLE HOURS LATER IT STARTED SMOKING AND THE OIL STARTING LEAKING ENTIRELY OUT OF CAR. MADE IT HOME CRUNK THE CAR BACK UP AND THE CAR SOUNDED LIKE A LAWN MOWER WAS UNDER MY HOOD. WHEN MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT HE INFORMED ME THAT THE ENGINE WAS SHOT AND THAT IT WAS UNSUAL FOR THE ENGINE TO GO OUT SO SOON BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MILEAGE ON MY CAR. I HAVE BEEN OUT OF A CAR SINCE THEN, THE COST ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS ARE FROM 3.000 TO 6,000. IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF SENDING INFORMATION TO THE IMPARTIAL SERVICES GROUP. AND I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY. *NM

WHILE AT CRUISING SPEED ON THE FREEWAY MY 2003 DODGE INTREPID SXT SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING STOPPED RUNNING, LEAVING ME WITH NO POWER ON A VERY CROWDED FREEWAY. AFTER PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (AFTER MANY NEAR MISSES WITH OTHER VEHICLES, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND PROCEED HOME. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON FROM THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. AFTER RUNNING A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK THE DODGE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR HAD FAILED. *NM

WHEN TURNING INTO A DRIVEWAY THERE WAS A SNAPPING SOUND IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND I COULD FEEL IT IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WENT ON AND LATER WE FOUND OUT THERE WAS NO CRUISE CONTROL. I AM FAMILIAR WITH PEOPLE WHO WORK IN AUTO BODY SO I CALLED HIM AS WE WERE OUT OF STATE. HE TOLD ME TO PULL THE FUSE ON THE AIRBAGS BECAUSE THEY COULD ACCIDENTALLY GO OFF. I CALLED A DODGE DEALER IN THE AREA AND HE SAID IT NEEDED TO BE FIXED IMMEDIATELY SO THE AIRBAG DID NOT GO OFF ACCIDENTALLY. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALER WHOM TOLD US IT PROBABLY HAPPENED BECAUSE THE CLOCK SPRING WAS WOUND TOO TIGHT CAUSING IT TO BREAK AND EVEN THOUGH IT IS CAUSED WHEN MANUFACTURED IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THANKFULLY I KNEW TO CALL SOMEONE IMMEDIATELY OR IT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY STALLING OCCURRED CAUSING PROBLEMS TO THE BRAKES AND THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE TIRE ROD ENDS WERE SHOT AND VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE CENSOR OF THE VEHICLE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEMS ON THE STEERING AND THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE SOON ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SMOKE AND AN OIL BURNING SMELL TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DETERMINED THE CAUSE FOR OVERHEATING WAS DUE TO SLUDGE IN THE MOTOR AND THAT THE COST FOR REPAIRS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

THE OIL LIGHT IN MY WIFE'S CAR WOULD COME ON AT AN IDLE. THE CAR HAD ONLY 70,000 MILES ON IT. THE OIL WAS CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES. FOUND VERY LOW OIL PRESSURE ( UNDER 5 PSI ). REMOVED ROD AND MAIN BEARINGS. THE BEARINGS LOOKED LIKE NEW. USED PLASTIC GAUGE TO MEASURE BEARING CLEARANCE. FOUND THE CLEARANCE TO BE .003". THE SPEC IS .0015" TO .002". I FOUND THAT DODGE MAKES A .001" UNDERSIZE BEARING FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE CRANK SHAFTS WERE UNDERSIZE FROM THE FACTORY. WITH ONLY .001" OF "WEAR" THE ENGINE COULD NOT MAINTAIN OIL PRESSURE. WHEN I ORDERED THE UNDERSIZE BEARINGS I GOT ANOTHER SURPRISE. IN ALL THE ENGINES I HAVE REBUILT THE BEARING KITS RUN ABOUT $50. DODGE IS CHARGING $40 EACH FOR THE MAIN BEARINGS AND $64 EACH FOR THE ROD BEARINGS. THE TOTAL BILL FOR ROD AND MAIN BEARINGS CAME TO $500. COULD THERE BE A LITTLE PRICE GOUGING GOING ON TO FINANCE THE LEGAL BATTLE WITH THESE ENGINES. *NM

BELOW, PLEASE FIND A PARTIAL COPY OF AN EMAIL COMPLAINT SENT TO DODGE ON 4/27/06 COMPLAINT! PLEASE BE ADVISE THAT ON THE EVENING OF TUESDAY 4/25/06, MY 2003 INTREPID OVERHEATED SEVERELY (WITHOUT WARNING) AFTER A TEN MINUTE RIDE. SADLY, THE DASHBOARD INDICATORS AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND THUS I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE (WHICH WAS RECENTLY MAINTENANCE BY THE DEALER) WAS IN SUCH DISTRESS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED ON 4/26 AND I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALER DURING THE MID-AFTERNOON OF 4/27 STATING THAT TWO COOLING FANS HAD FAILED (DUE TO ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONING) AND A GASKET PERTAINING TO THE THERMOSTAT HAD BROKEN, ALL OF WHICH WAS BELIEVED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERHEATING OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT THERMOSTAT BE REPLACED AS A ??PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE??. IT WAS ALSO STATED THAT THE SITUATION WAS "UNCOMMON". WHEN QUESTIONED, I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE DISTRESS INDICATORS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED OFF BY THIS EVENT. MY QUESTION IS SIMPLE: WHY NOT? IS THAT NOT THE PURPOSE OF THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE OR THERMOSTAT INDICATOR? I DIRECTED THE DEALER TO REVIEW THE FUSES, SWITCHES AND ANYTHING PERTAINING TO THE ELECTRONICS OF THESE INDICATORS AND WAS GROSSLY INFORMED THAT THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE OF MY CAR WERE NO MORE "PREDICTABLE OR PREVENTABLE" THAN "KNOWING WHEN A LIGHT BULB IN YOUR HOME WILL BLOW". THIS COMMENTARY WAS BOTH APPALLING AND UNPROFESSIONAL. FURTHERMORE, MY VEHICLE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO ME UNTIL 5/1/06 (6 DAYS SINCE THE TOWING), I WAS INFORMED THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY AN ESTIMATED COST OF $500 FOR REPAIRS, ESTIMATED $300 IN RENTAL CAR FEES, NOT TO MENTION THE 26K+ THAT WAS PAID TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE 2 1/2 YEARS AGO.........

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE STALLED. SMOKE AND FIRE ERUPTED FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE VEHICLE WAS PUSHED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED; HOWEVER THERE WERE NO FIRE OR POLICE REPORTS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, UPON INSPECTION A ROD HAD BLOWN THROUGH THE ENGINE CAUSING OIL SPLATTER WHICH CAUSED THE SMOKE AND FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.

MY 2003 INTREPID HAD 43000 MILES ON IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT IN JUNE OF 2005. IT HAS THE 2.7 LITER V-6 ENGINE. THE OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED TWICE SINCE THEN, ONCE AT 43000 AND 45000. THERE WAS NO HINT OF TROUBLE FROM THE ENGINE AND I CHECKED THE OIL REGULARLY. I ALSO CAN'T VOUCH FOR WHAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER DID AS FAR AS MAINTENANCE EITHER. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE IN FARMINGTON, MICHIGAN ON A BUSINESS MEETING. THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN WENT OFF WHILE THE CAR WAS AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. IT ALSO FLICKERED WHILE DRIVING HOME TO LANSING, A SEVENTY MILE TRIP. IT ALSO DID THE SAME THING ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK TO NEXT DAY AND THERE WAS STILL NO USUAL SIGNS OF FAILURE SUCH AS CLICKING, ETC. NOT WANTING TO TAKE CHANCES I TOOK THE CAR WHERE I BOUGHT IT, I ALSO PURCHASED A WARRANTY WITH IT; THAT FRIDAY MORNING. THEY REPLACED AND OIL SENDER AND CHECKED THE ENGINE. THE OIL LIGHT IMMEDIATELY STAYED ON AND THEY CALLED ME BACK TO TELL ME THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF SLUDGE AND IT WOULD IN FACT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER, SUNDANCE CHEVROLET HAS BEEN VERY CORDIAL THUS FAR. I'M HOPING THERE'S A MORE PERMANENT SOLUTION FOR THIS FIX RATHER THAN SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY ON AN ENGINE THAT MIGHT FAIL AGAIN. THE CAR HAS 47700 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. *JB