1996 Dodge Intrepid ES review from North America

At 40,000 miles the transmission stuck in second gear. Repair cost for transmission was $650.

At 44,600 miles the thermostat failed. Repair for new thermostat was $179.00.

At 48,000 miles the thermostat failed again. Repair was free as the Mopar part was still under warranty.

At 56,300 miles the check engine light came on. PCV valve and EGR sensors had to be replaced. Repair cost was $580.00.

At 64,000 miles check engine light came on again. Error code was the brand new EGR sensor that was replaced less than 8,000 miles previous. My mechanic checked it out and no problems were found. Cost was $45.00 to connect and check out the computer.

At 64,200 miles failed my emissions inspection. Sensors during emissions test were reading "not ready." My mechanic could not determine why so I took the car to a Dodge dealership. This is a known problem with these cars and the computer has to be re-flashed. This is not a recall, bill was $310.00.

At 66,800 miles the water pump has a leak. New water pump and replacing the timing belt cost $510.00. My mechanic gave me a frequent customer discount. This is no joke.

The ironic thing is this is my second 1996 Dodge Intrepid I have owned in the last 4 years. My first was totaled in a front end accident. My first clue should have been realized when the air bag did not deploy in a 20 mile per hour accident.

I consider the 1996 Dodge Intrepid a lemon. My mechanic was kind enough to put me into contact with 2 other 1996 Intrepid owners he knew and they have both had pretty much the same problems as me.

The rate at which parts fail on this vehicle is alarming and makes this vehicle extremely unreliable. I would not consider purchasing another Dodge product after my experience with the Intrepid.

Bottom line, my mechanic, who makes a living off of repairing cars, just informed me that is was time I got rid of my Intrepid and purchased a new vehicle. How sobering is that?