2000 Dodge Intrepid review from North America
"The people who have purchased these cars with faith in Chrysler should be compensated"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I have diligently changed the oil in my Intrepid and had it serviced since the day I bought it, I was so excited when I purchased it and they sold it to me with the remaining 70000 mile warranty still attached because it had been a "dealer car." I even went as far as to have it changed at less than the recommended 3000 mile mark. Upon the first case of sludge buildup I noticed (when the oil light came on 12 days after it's oil change), I immediately took it to a local place and had the vehicle flushed not once, but twice to try to remove the sludge from the car and eliminate future problems I might have. Boy was I in for a shock. What the mechanic showed me was unbelievable. Less than 300 miles into this oil change the oil looked like tar! I immediately made the assumption the 15 minute oil change place I had used could not have possibly changed the oil! I contacted them and spoke to the manager who assured me this was not the case. I never used them again thinking it was their fault. After the flush the oil light went off, problem fixed, no. Although the oil light never came back on indicating a problem the vehicle started to get a knock and it continued to worsen, I took it in for 4 more flushes @ different times, neither of which anyone there could explain the constant sludge buildup in the car. I currently still owe 4000.00 on this car so you can imagine my dismay when upon the last oil change @200 miles the car simply quit. I had it towed to the local repair shop where I found someone very knowledgeable with this problem, mind you Dodge nor anyone else had ever contacted me that their might be a potential problem with this car. Upon his assessment of the vehicle (which took about 1 hour tops) he told me the pistons were shot, the valves were probably shot also and the timing belt shredded. It would be 200.00 labor just to survey and see how much more extensive the damage was, but even if I did that the engines were virtually nonexistent due to the problems with these cars. So now I have a car worth less than 1000.00 sitting in my driveway useless. I had planned on trading when it was paid off, (mistake) I have always like dodge vehicles, yes they are very pretty, but also because of their dependability. NEVER AGAIN! I have contacted my attorney who has told me he has dealt with this problem before and has some contacts for this problem. I contacted my finance company who said "too bad." Has anyone had an offer from Chrysler to fix the problem?
Recommended reviews
![]() ![]() | Fix as you go!! |
![]() ![]() | You can get as good a car at any $1 store because the cars there don't have engines either |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model Year | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.9 Automatic |
| Performance marks | |
| Reliability marks | |
| Comfort marks | |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Most recent distance | 97000 miles |
| Previous car | Jeep Jeep Cherokee 5.9 |
| Date of Entry | 29th September, 2005 |

