1995 Dodge Intrepid ES review from North America

I have had problems with most of the major systems on this vehicle. The transaxle was replaced once just before I bought it (84K), and again 1,000 miles ago at 113,000. The air conditioning has had constant problems, repaired twice to the tune of $500 per instance (evaporator once, compressor/receiver-drier once). All four power window and lock units have been replaced. The sunroof motor has been replaced. The ABS controller has been replaced ($1,200). The paint faded and peeled off, so the entire car had to be repainted. The valve covers leak. The engine cooling system has constant leaks--fix one and another shows up. Just add coolant every morning (yes, it's THAT bad) and save yourself some money. As a plus, the power (HEATED) mirrors are excellent, nice to keep ice off of them, and have never failed. The body controller, PCM, and TCM have all failed, costing about $1,000 apiece. The radio "locks up" during operation. The rack and pinion has been replaced, and the tie-rod bushings. My mechanic said this happens often with these models, and the tie-rod ends need replacing about every 45-50K. At $300 a pop, it adds up. Squeaks and rattles EVERYWHERE. The passenger-side air bag door is warped, the dealer said it's from the heat. This vehicle has ALWAYS been kept in a garage. And during the day, it sits in a parking garage, the previous owner was the same way. Heat? I don't think so. The EGR system had to be replaced, $200. The car has constant front-end problems. The power steering whines in turns. It wears tires like candy.

I bought this car after my 1996 Saturn SL2 was totalled after a drunk driver forced me off the road and into a tree at 45MPH. My Saturn protected me--I was able to open the door and walk away. I bought my Saturn with 40,000 miles on it, and when it was totalled it had 120,000 miles on it. I had to replace the struts on it once, and then the normal maintenance items (fluid changes, brake pads, etc). Never did this car refuse to start, and NEVER did it have any other problems. I put about $200 into non-maintenance items on this car the entire time I owned it. And plus it protected me in this horrible accident.

My Dodge has left me stranded 10 times. And I paid $4,000 for the Dodge, and have spent about $4,000 in repairs for it. I have been reimbursed for many repairs by Chrysler, but I still find the car's constant problems unacceptable. Always something wrong with it. I have learned my lesson, so last week I traded the Dodge in on a 2002 Saturn L300 with everything.

Dodge makes great trucks, but stay away from Dodge cars. The Neon, Stratus, Intrepid--they all have similar problems.