1996 Dodge Intrepid

Summary:

Lemon is not the word... lime is better

Faults:

This car, and everyone else I know, has had transmission problems. It starts with slippage, then eventually you need a new transmission.

The suspension on this car is cheaper than that of my 10 speed bike. The tie rods go quickly, followed by the loose steering rack, the lower ball joint control arms and links. The struts in the fronts are expensive and often grind when you turn.

The body is excellent if you had a horse to pull the car around.

The AC fails on almost all of them.. usually the evaporator leaks and mine also the electric fan siezed up. Went to get one from the scrap yard and guess what? Every one in the scrap yard is also siezed.

Overall this car is a nightmare waiting to happen. The trunk is good... you can sleep in it when you break down, it's so big.

General Comments:

Transmission nightmare.

Suspension that is way too cheap not to repair, but to last.

Nice body and interior style.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd November, 2003

16th Jul 2009, 16:38

My 1996 Intrepid had EVERYTHING you mentioned go wrong with it, and then some! I HATE this car, I finally secured a NEW car for myself and pick it up in 2 weeks - it can't come fast enough!!

The transmission is bad, it stays stuck in a low gear when 1.) I have to stop at a stop sign 2.) Have to slow down to under 30 MPH 3.) Get a red light. Then I have to pull over and restart the engine EVERY time. It burns through so much gas, I can't afford this anymore. The tie rod ends are bad, needs new struts, has a bad axle. 3 years ago the air conditioner system created chaos, that hasn't worked in years. Had to remove the cigarette lighter because it caused the horn to not work, thus it failed inspection. The power door locks stopped working last year.

It will overheat in hot weather if stuck in heavy traffic, so I have to roast to death when I turn the heat on to cool it off. The headlights are very dim in this model, and the loose front end suspension causes the headlights to shimmy and they become loose, one of my lights began to fall out, I had it repaired. It's a HORRIBLE car, every time I see one, it makes me sick. I would NEVER recommend the early-mid 90's Intrepids to anybody. The only thing I can say is the engine is strong, and the car itself has nice body styling.

1996 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.5L

Summary:

A sporty nightmare

Faults:

This car needed a complete tune-up at 100000 miles. I got that done.

The cradle mounts were bad so they were replaced at $350.00.

The car will overheat when the A/C unit is on and cook out the anti-freeze. This has been going on very week and the dealership cannot repair it until it is sitting and does it in front of them. And of course it won't happen then.

The car was a gas hog until the repairman changed the fuel sensors, but it still have a surge when traveling very slow.

The paint is fading on the roof, hood and truck areas.

General Comments:

The car is very roomy and is quick.

The seats are comfortable and if it were reliable, it would be a great car to travel long distances in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd November, 2003

1996 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.5

Summary:

A good car when its not needing repairs done

Faults:

The paint is beginning to fade on the roof, the trunk, and the hood.

The car is constantly overheating.

Air conditioning condenser has a crack in it (in other words, the air conditioner won't work).

The Infinity speakers seem like they are going out.

The power antenna won't go down anymore.

The cruise control won't activate anymore.

The cigarette lighter doesn't work either.

The passenger air bag was deployed once and now the edges are completely in.

The interior lighting is beginning to dim out.

The brakes make an annoying screech when ever you stop or slow down.

The car won't accelerate like it use to.

The list goes on and on and on...

General Comments:

This was a great car, FAST, comfortable, and big; that's what I thought...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th November, 2003