10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 50,458 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
: 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.
- Spokane, WA, USA
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.
- Genoa, OH, USA
: 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.
- Randallstown, MD, USA
Consumer has had 2 replacement brakes and 4 new radios on 2003 Dodge Intrepid after being told that there was nothing wrong with either. The windshield and both side mirrors were pitted. The check engine light illuminated and the vehicle jerked. The dealer replaced the camshaft position sensor. The second time the check engine light illuminated they replaced the maf sensor. The serpentine belt cracked. Transmission fluid leaked from cooler hoses. The front brake pads were replaced and the rotors were machined. The consumer request that the dealer reimburse his some of his money and return his trade-in vehicle.
- San Diego, CA, USA
The contact stated while driving vehicle stalled and lost power. There were no warning signs or lights indicating a problem. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer, but they have not determined the cause of the problem. The dealer said it could be the engine or an electrical problem.
- Harrisburg, PA, USA
I purchased this car used, with 24,000 miles on it, 18 months ago. 6 times to shop: 1) about 3 months after purchase, had to have tie rod replaced 2) brakes needed after approx 14 months from purchase 3) engine needed to be replaced 14 months after purchase 4) water pump housing cracked and had to be replaced, at my expense, after dealership crimped water pump housing when putting in replacement power train 5) sway bar bushings needed replacement at 16 months 6) was just driving home from work and 4 miles from home engine began making weird noises and by the time I got home was making very loud engine noises, sounds like transmission? didn't want to accelerate. Turned car off when I got home and didn't want to start an hour later, just cranked and cranked. I believe this is a lemon, but since I bought it used, don't think I'm covered under lemon law. Will attempt to force dealership to replace car with a different model tomorrow. Oh, and also the inner driver's door handle doesn't open the car door. It broke about 3 months ago, and I haven't fixed it because they want to charge $50 for the part and who knows how much for the labor.
- Saint Marys, GA, USA
The contact stated while driving the check oil light came on and there was a loud tapping noise in the engine. Afterwards the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local dealership. They said the engine needed to be replaced due to sludge build up. The engine has not been replaced.
- Americus, GA, USA
The 2.7 liter engine on our 2003 Dodge Intrepid seized without warning while on the road. We were on a two-lane highway on a bridge with no shoulders, in-between two large motorhomes traveling at 60 mph with no power steering and limited braking ability. We were extremely fortunate that we were able to coast across the bridge and get to the shoulder of the road without further incident. The car only has 62,000 miles on it, and the engine seized because of excessive sludge build-up despite regular oil changes that occurred at less then the factory recommended interval of 7500 miles.
- Haltom City, TX, USA
My 2003 Dodge Intrepid engine failed while my daughter was driving it in October 2004. The engine had approximately 50,000 miles on it. There were no warning lights, no indication that anything was wrong with the vehicle until it started making a horrible knocking sound. It was taken to the Dodge dealership and the service technician told us the problem was caused by sludge. The oil had been changed every 3000 miles. The Dodge technician said the sludge could not have built up to the point it was even if the oil had never been changed. We consulted an independent technician who says the sludge is a result of manufacturer's defect in the design of the engine. The cost of a new engine would be around $6000 which we cannot afford, and is in fact about the same as the trade-in value of the vehicle if it were working, which it isn't. even if we could afford it, our research indicates that we would probably have to replace the engine yet again before the car is even paid for. We believe there is a major defect in the design of the engine, resulting in financial and emotional injury to our family.
- Geneva, AL, USA
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Intrepid. She states that engine will not work. She took vehicle to a repair shop, and they said the engine was filled with sludge. The engine was knocking really badly while was driving. She stopped the vehilce and then that is when she took it to the repair shop. Vehicle has 50000 miles on it.
- Suitland, MD, USA
While driving at approximately 5 mph and turning through an intersection, the vehicle shut down completely. After 3 tries, the vehicle began to start up. Owner drove to the dealer and it was the cam sensor circuit which was causing this problem. Mileage was 10,000 at time of failure.
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
When the consumer applied the accelerator pedal, the consumer heard a loud knocking noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the idle pulley needed to be replaced. It has since been replaced three times.
- Owings Mills, MD, USA
- Fountain Valley, CA, USA