1999 Dodge Intrepid SE from North America - Comments

I own myself 1996 Intrepid and it seems to be till now pretty good car - I bought it pre owned with 202K miles on it. Well it still runs good and there were only few problems with it - first the rare electrical window refused to close - the problem was that you can pull it down, but you cannot close it. I went to my local dealer and they supposed that this may be a dead motor. The offer was clear - about 70$/h. I am not so bad in car repairing so I took the screwdriver and disassembled the whole door cover and checked the motor and circuits - then I found the problem - bad contact in the door's knob - and because both knobs - the drivers panel one and the back door passenger are connected and dependent each other - they both refused to work - after cleaning and reassembling the things went OK and I saved at least 35$.

I had also a problem with the trunk opener - the trunk refused to close - the problem was in the motor this time - it was stucking in the "open" position and the spring inside refused to move it back to "close" - some power steering fluid (the onliest one I had solved the problem quickly) - another 20-30 bucks saved.

Anyway it is a good car and I like it... maybe if it was a clutch one I would love it. My advice to everyone is - if you want to drive reliable car - don't trust to automatics to choose your style of driving.

I have a 1993 Eagle Vision TSI 3.5L 24-valve with 125,000 miles. It has had the standard three evaporator coils replaced, torque converter at 20K, and the trunk lid replaced because of rust. All under warranty. Great handling car with the 16" wheels.

Here is my problem. While driving at any speed, the gages go to zero, the transmission down shifts one or two gears. This causes the occupants of the car to lurch in their seats up against the seat belts. Quickly shifting into neutral will bring the car back to a rolling mode, not held back by the transmission. After a couples seconds, I shift back into overdrive. Everything appears normal. If the car is stopped, and the ignition is sequenced three time to reveal the engine codes, the only code is 55 - end of report.

Another ghostly thing happened. While driving slowly through a shopping mall, the air conditioning fan sped up, the air bag and fuel lamps light, the dash gages go to zero. Two seconds later, everything returns back to normal. Meanwhile the engine purrs perfectly. Twibbles?

Does anyone know what is the problem? Is it the computer power? I realize that there are two main computers, but which one is the problem?

For those who have had heating/cooling fan speed problems. I have fixed mine. The fan module, which located under the middle of the dash up against the firewall, power transistors short circuited. The circuit works in negative logic. Lower the voltage to the module, faster the fan speed. There are two power transistors on the module. I could not purchase locally two 8AMP PNP darlington transistors, so I used a single 25 AMP. The module is fused for 15 AMPs. Cost $4.00. New Module $120.00.

I also have a 1999 Dodge Intrepid with the 2.7 liter engine. We purchased this vehicle used with 80,000 miles on it. They assured us it was a reliable vehicle. Well 2 months after purchasing this vehicle, the rear windows quit working we were told that both the motors had to be replaced. The air conditioning fan went out and now doesn't work. We had this problem checked and they told us that the compressor needs to be replaced. The check engine light stays on all the time. We are now having fuel problems with the car. We were told by one mechanic that it was the catalytic converters (there are 2 on this car). A cost of $700.00 to replace both only to find out that this was not the problem. Next they thought it was the fuel pump $350.00 to replace it. We decided to replace it ourselves since we don't have the money to keep going to a mechanic. We removed the fuel pump only to find out the fuel filter was clogged which is inside of the gas tank. The fuel pump was fine just needed to clean the filter which you cannot do unless you drop your gas tank. This car is nothing but a money eating machine. We have had nothing but trouble with this vehicle. If anyone has a class action lawsuit going please contact us at Lilbitte01@aol.com.

I own a 1999 Dodge Intrepid ES with 33,000 miles. I also have had A/C problems 3-times, drivers side window 2-times and the transmission problem--sticks in 2nd gear-2 times. Seems we all have had the same problems. It might be time for some lawyer to bring a class action lawsuit.

Finding this site explained a lot. I guess I sound like a broke record here. My car is a 300M; my driver's side window has jumped out of it's socket, I've had a cooling fan replaced, the sensor went out in my transmission, I've had electrical problems and just yesterday I've been cursed with the interior blinking lights. My husband drives a 2000 Intrepid - I've been complaining about him hitting pot holes because he always have problems with alignment - reading here I know it's probably not his fault. When his doors automatically lock they produce a loud annoying sound. And of course all the lining around his back windows are falling down. 2 months after he got this car the motor failed. Dodge didn't want to honor the warranty, but I called the finance company and told them that Dodge didn't have their best interest at heart because there was no way we were going to continue paying for that car - we couldn't afford too and get a new motor. Thank God Dodge had a change of heart after a call from a supervisor at the finance company - but I think I'll be looking for a new vehicle before it's to late. Brenda03@swbell.net.

I have a 1999 intrepid with the 2.7 engine. Within the first month that I owned the car the starter went out. My speed input sensor went out at approximately 60,000 miles, the rear passenger side glass do not work, the doom light do not work, and now I am my air condition is not working. The car only has 64,000 miles on it.

A class action suit sounds like a good ideal. The car is a defected product and the company should be liable. If interested please email me at tsmith145@hotmail.com.

I own a 1999 Intrepid ES model with about 77,000 miles on it. Previously I had owned a 1995 Intrepid ES, but stupidly traded it in on the '99 (I got paranoid about a possible transmission failure).

Anyway, so far the '99 model hasn't been too bad and is a great car to drive. The ES model has 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes which almost stop the car on a dime. It also has the electronic climate control which I pray never fails because it's a $600 item to repair. I have always thought that the Intrepid was the best car for the money until I stumbled across this web site where I could read about other owners' problems with the vehicle. Now, on to the problems.

After about a year a vacuum pump for the cruise control failed, and after a failed attempts by the dealership where I purchased the car at diagnosing and correcting the problem, they finally did via their mobile van which has a computer which they can plug into the supplied interface on the passenger side under the glove compartment. Once they did that the computer recorded what was going on, and a couple of more attempts at correcting the problem finally lead to a vacuum pressure problem. Fortunately that repair was covered under warranty.

I've also experienced the now famous starter problem and had the starter replaced after about a year and a half of use. The dealership also replaced the battery. Actually, they first replaced the battery, then once the problem occurred again they replaced the starter. What happens once in a while is that you go to turn the key and nothing happens. The battery still has juice and the solenoid doesn't make any sound. What I have to then do is to jump the battery with another car to get the engine running. A neighbor of mine, who happens to be a Dodge dealership mechanic, said that the start is mounted right below the exhaust, so it tends to heat up and cause internal problems.

I've also experienced the driver's side window problem which tends to rear its ugly head in the wintertime. I had the dealership get the window back on track this past winter, but a couple of days after that I experienced the same problem. I'm tending to think that moisture is getting inside the door (I'm from a snowy climate) and causing the window to get off track. I don't experience the problem during the warmer months.

Regarding the transmission, no problems yet, but my mechanic neighbor says that the car needs the transmission service done every 50,000 miles to help avoid the dreaded transmission failure which is kind of costly to have fixed.

My plan is to keep on driving the vehicle until it starts giving me major problems and then trade it in a Toyota Camry or Avalon. The Intrepid has a lot of interior room and is a pleasure to drive, but it appears from all of the consumer complaints on the vehicle that the engineers at Dodge need to revisit some of the design decisions.

I am the original owner of a 1999 Intrepid with only 44,000 miles. Immediately experienced problems with the brakes pads -- sounded like a school bus. Nothing was wrong with the pads, but was told the problem would go away if I used the manufacturer's pads. That seemed to do the trick, but was a very costly solution. Have always had problems with the windows not rolling down. Dealer showed me that the seals are extremely tight. A mixture of dirt and water can adhere the insulation to the window like glue. Only mechanical prying can get them apart at that point. Another problem since original purchase has been the air/heat controls. Sometimes it sticks on one temperature no matter where the control is set. The air conditioner started losing coolant a few years ago, but I did the expedient thing and topped it off from time to time. Then, a few months ago the interior lights started flickering while driving. Currently have the car in for repair on the air conditioner and interior lights. Called the dealership to follow up. The evaporator has a leak and needs to be replaced ($$$) ; a short in the door panel is causing the lights to flicker. Not sure how much this will cost. Hope my extended warranty covers most, but, just in case, I'm very interested in a class action suit. Contact Sherrie at "tmonaco13106@surfcity.net"

I am the not so proud owner of a 1999 Dodge Intrepid with the infamous 2.7 liter engine. I purchase the car used with less than 40,000 miles on it for my son as his first car. The car itself is a nice looking car and when it did run it ran nice. Two weeks after buying it the speed sensor when out and had to be replaced. A month and a half after that we had to replace a coil and the timing senor. After 3 months the engine produce a rattling noise. A week after that the noise turned into a knock and soon after that the engine seized. So after less than six months we have a nice car that doesn't work. For the last four months we have been paying close to $300 a month for a car that we can't pay to get fix. The cost at a junk yard for the engine was over $2700 dollars. I am looking to get a list of name and problems with any 1999 Intrepid car owners who have the same problems with this money pit. I will be contacting Dodge to see if we can get these engines repaired/ replaced and filing a class action lawsuit for all the Intrepid owners. The more names and problems I get the better it will be to force Dodge to do something about this car. If you would like to participate in this lawsuit please send all inquires and problems to treyes@cinci.rr.com.

I have a 1999 Chrysler LHS with 83,000 miles (former owner of an Eagle Vision, which I loved!). Can't beat the ride, but as with the rest of you, I too have many of the same problems. Replaced window controls on several windows, problems with struts, flickering lights and most recently air-conditioning not cooling. I had the extended warranty until 75,000 and Chrysler was great about taking care of everything up to this point. To repair the air, I was told it would cost $1000. Went to a second opinion at Meineke Muffler and was told to try the air conditioning self-seal repair kit from Meijers - seems to have done the trick.

I'm waiting out another year on my lease then handing this one back. I've been a Chrysler fan for years (this is my fifth Chrysler) but am seriously thinking about moving on to another vendor.

I'm sure glad I read all your comments... i also own a 1995 dodge intrepid... my speedometer sometimes drops to zero when I'm driving.. i had to replace the radiator and camshaft sensor so far... also the transmission feels a little ruggish..yeah! it's a junker... beautiful car, but lots of problems... MY FIRST AND LAST DODGE...I've only had it six months with only 65k miles on it!

I have a 2000 Dodge Intrepid that I bought used 2 years ago. First the dash lights would brighten, then go back to normal, for no reason. I took it to the dealer and they could find nothing wrong. It quit on its own. About a month ago, the interior lights started speaking in code! They flash on and off at will. It's driving me crazy. A local mechanic has ordered a new switch for the driver's side door, hoping that will fix it, but I seriously doubt it will. Has anyone else had this problem and if so, were you able to get it fixed?

I have a 1999 Dodge Intrepid with 108,000 mile so far I have replaced the drivers side window motor as the window jumped off track and burned out the motor. I have had to have the speed sensor replaced about 2 weeks after I bought it used with 56,000 miles on it. Now I am getting a tapping sound from the lower engine which is the rod bearings and crankshaft which are very costly to replace as the engine has to be removed from the car. I am very unsatisfied with this and almost every other American car I have purchased. I have tried to stay true, but I think I am going to have to buy a foreign car now...

OK, so I have had the window problems and the fan motor problems and the AC problems on top of a leaky transmission. But here is my newest problem that no one can figure out: the car simply stalls and won't start again for a good 20 minutes. This has happened:

1. while idling,

2. when you just press the gas pedal (like when at a stop light), and

3. the most fun yet, at 65 mph on the highway.

Changed tons of sensors. Checked fuel pump and filter. Anyone have any ideas?

How I wish I had found this web site before I bought my 1999 Intrepid. Bought the car in April 2002, dealer sold me a 24 month / 24000 mile extended warranty. Thirteen months and 25000 miles latter, engine blew due to "Sludge" build-up. Dealer and Dodge both said 24 / 24 MEANS 24 / 24. After I purchased the car I had the oil changed every 3000 - 5000 miles, without fail. Cost to repair the car with a rebuilt engine $7000.00. My mechanic (non-Dodge, non-Dealer) say the sludge build up was due to poor design of the oil return tube.

When I went back to the Chrysler dealer that sold me the used car, his first suggestion was to put me in a new 2003 Jeep Cherokee, then let the 1999 Intrepid go repo back to the lending company. When I brought up to him that wanting to do that was conspiracy to do bank fraud, he found a 2003 Intrepid with only 28000 miles on it. I took the 2003 Intrepid, the dealership "paid off" my 1999 Intrepid, rolling the balance into the new contract, and sold me my 1999 back for only $525.00. (I'm looking for a used engine to go back into the 1999, and a for sale sign will go on it as soon as it is running again.)

I picked up the 2003 on August 29th, on September 1st I was driving the car and the check engine light came on. I had it at the dealer on the morning of the 2nd and that is where it has been ever since. From the way the 2003 is looking, it is going to need a new engine.

I found this web site today, and the first place I went was; Join People who are seeking a class action against on to the class action lawsuit against the Dodge 2.7 L engine,

www.bigclassaction.com/submit_form.html

If you are having any engine problems with the Dodge 2.7L, please sign on as well.