2001 Dodge Intrepid LX from North America - Comments

I started to have problems with the heat not working properly around two months ago. Not a big deal. It just seemed to take a while to warm up. Apparently that was a sign of a larger problem.

While my husband was driving home the other day, the oil light came on. While he was pulling over, the engine seized. We had the vehicle towed to a mechanic who informed us that the engine was full of sludge and beyond repair. A new engine will cost us around $6,000 with labor.

I'm disappointed that this has happened because I love everything else about the car. It looks great, handles nicely, and is reasonably priced. However, under the hood is a silent nightmare. It seems this problem is a common one and usually happens to people before the car is even paid off--leaving them with an expensive piece of fully-insured driveway decor.

Usually, engine sludge happens to cars that have not been properly taken care of. If you have records of oil changes (especially if they're done at the dealer you purchased the car from) and other services dealing with the engine, you might be able to get the dealer to give you a new engine. If they refuse, you can claim they did not change the oil properly and caused the sludge. If they then refuse, you possibly have a law suit.

I failed to mention in my post that the car has had regular oil changes (at a local business) and I do have paperwork. I've spoken with Dodge and they don't care if I have paperwork or not. They're pretty much completely denying there's a problem.

The Mitsubishi 2.7L v6 found in late model dodge Intrepid is the butt of many jokes in automotive salvage yards across the country. The engine is, quite possibly, the least durable and most unreliable engine made in recent memory. It is not uncommon for the engine to fail within 20,000 miles. One with over 100,000 miles on it is unheard of. From a performance perspective, looking at figures on paper, the engine looks great. However, if has problems with the oil pickup, resulting in the engine oil being unable to cycle through the engine properly. The crank shaft is also weak and prone to failure. Simply put, these engines fail and there is nothing that you can do about it. This is why the later model base model Intrepid has an increasingly poor resale value. I wouldn't drive a late model Intrepid with a 2.7L engine, and depend upon it to get me where I needed to go, if you paid me to drive it.

There may some class action suits coming up against chrysler for the sludge problem on the 2.7L it may be worth checking into. We also have a 2001 intrepid with 50,000 miles and our mechanic strongly advised us to get rid of it before 70,000. We are now looking for a new car within a couple weeks of finding out about the oil pickup problem and my wife is scared to drive it long distances with our two kids alone.

While I am aware that there are people who have had problems with this engine my wife and I have owned 3 of these cars with the same engine they have been driven 223,000 kms (approx. 130,000 miles) 165,000 kms (100,000 miles) and 75,000 kms (45,000 miles) respectively. I change the oil myself and I do it religiously using high quality oils (not synthetics) and Fram DoubleGuard filters. The cars are always highway driven and have ample opportunity to reach operating temperature.

To the person that said that an engine with over 100k miles on it was unheard of, I bought mine with 132,000 miles. I had two mechanics check it and they say that it was like its new. It's an unbelievable car, and it only cost me $4,000. They only problem I've experienced was the weather stripping becoming unattached from the frame. Not a big deal.