11th Sep 2009, 19:57

I have so many comments right now I don't where to start. Almost every entry I have seen on the 2002 Dodge Intrepid has been my experience, and then some...

Stopping or slowing down can cause the car to buck or even shut off... happened to me while turning a corner, which means no power steering.

Took short trip... on the highway the car would not go over 60 mph without bucking.

Dec 24, 2008... Bypass gasket blew off. Approx 250.00 to have fixed. Feb. 2009... same problem, mechanic was nice enough not to charge.

July 2009... water pump problem. Took three weeks to fix, almost a $2000 repair, lasted two days.

August 2009... same water pump problem, it is now Sept, the car is still at the shop. (crossing my fingers, I will have it back in two days).

The real kicker is I have only had this car for 4 years, have another year to go, guess I should have found out if it qualified for "CASH FOR CLUNKERS".

11th Sep 2009, 20:27

Just posted a comment on the 2002 Dodge Intrepid, but I forgot to add another problem, the windows, A/C and turn signals will not work if the ignition switch is not in the exact spot. If you jiggle the key with the A/C switch on, you can hear the compressor kick on, then you know the windows and turn signals will work.

3rd Oct 2009, 01:02

DO NOT invest in a 2002, 03, 04 or whatever INTREPID! I bought it 6 month ago at 57,000 miles, because it was my favorite car. In that time span, I've driven about 10,000 miles, and have spent $800 in repairs.

It gets worse. The repairs so far have included the radiator bursting, which cause the coolant to explode and the engine to overheat. Getting the radiator fixed 3 months ago was $250.

Prior to that, my engine light came on at 61,000, and I took it to the dealership. Let's just say $550 in repairs.

A month ago (6th month of having the vehicle), I saw a trail or coolant in my driveway, so I figured it's not good. Took it in, and the water pump needed to be fixed. NOW, most cars cost maybe $400-600 to fix it, but since the Intrepid is so big and sporty, it costs $1200. I would take it to the local mechanic, but why waste money on this car every 2-3 months for repairs? I mean, it has a base 2.7 engine, so I'm sure that'll crap at 90,000, with the frequency of issues with the car, I'm sure this won't be the last repair before Summer 2010.

Funny thing is, I upgraded to this from a 87 Taurus, which I thought was bad... WRONG! Anyone who thinks about an Intrepid, please don't! There's a reason why they stopped making them, and this has got to be it.

The only positives, are the space, it does accelerate pretty nice, and it looks nice. BUT, to counter all of that, the brakes aren't that great, the A/C encounters problems, and the sound system sucks completely. Perhaps the worst factory system I've had in a car.

16th Oct 2009, 22:12

I too own a 2002 Dodge Intrepid with the 2.7 liter engine. I am so completely over trying to work on this engine. Water leaks start out as a broken hose and end up to be somewhere else, water pump, water tube under the intake manifold, thermostat housing seal. Can't work on any of these places. I haven't been able to bend my arm backwards yet. Had the intake manifold actually melt (it's plastic). The mechanic charges an arm and both legs but if you want it fixed, its gonna cost big $$$. The car is great when it runs, flickering oil lights, engine lights on and transmission failure. I have had the codes chased and once you fix one item and the code goes away another one pops up. What's up with that? Can't afford to get another car and can't afford to keep dumping money into this one. Decisions, decisions.

27th Oct 2009, 22:53

The owner of a 2002 Dodge Intrepid, 2.7 engine... Well all I can say is add me to the list of very frustrated individuals, this car I have owned about a year, been OK till recently, now after being welcomed with open arms with the problems these engines are obviously having... what more is to be said?

I too maintained my car; changed the oil, water, everything, and out of nowhere in my drive way of all places, water is leaking hot from under the car. Hot too, and water in my oil, at first I was thinking head or head gasket, but it appears to be water pump failure, resulting in mixing with the oil, which leads to sludge, which leads to clogged oil pressure, poor circulation, and ultimately a motor with 1000's in repair.

Oil light coming on and the car only has 87,000. If there is a class action suit, I would love to be included... email me at joes70charger@hotmail.com...

Many people who purchased these cars, have them in yard broken down. That's sad..

13th Nov 2009, 16:58

I have a 2002 Intrepid with the 2.7, which I bought in 2004 with 30,000 miles on it. It just turned over 130,000 miles today. I too have had all the problems being mentioned in this forum i.e. check engine light coming on, interior lights flickering on and off, oil light comes on at stop lights, transmission cooler hose leaking on top of radiator, and maybe a few more I can't remember.

Outside of oil changes and brake pads, I haven't spent a dime on any of those things or anything else, and the car has always gotten me to and from where I needed to be (knock on wood) with no problems.

17th Nov 2009, 17:35

I bought my 2001 Dodge Intrepid in 2004.

In 2007, I assume the head gasket had failed because the middle cylinder on the driver side had blew out the spark plug and coil over plug. I asked the dealer where I bought the car to look at it, and since I had the car through them, just refinance the car for the repair bill. I was told at the time that the motor needed to be replaced and they were going to put in a remanufactured motor. With a total bill at $3500, I assumed that the motor was a reman. All they had to do was just replace the heads.

Last week, there was a serious knocking going on. After searching, I came to a conclusion that the rod bearings were shot. Before this, I noticed that we had to put oil in the car more frequently than usual and I thought the source of the problem was the oil drain plug nut. I went ahead and and replaced the rod bearings and button everything up. I started the car and after a few minutes, I noticed oil dripping out. Still thinking it was the drain plug, I looked harder and noticed a crack from the hole just behind the filter to a protruding part of the pan. I have just got done looking at 6 other pans in different junk yards and they all have the same crack or is broken in the same spot. Still looking and I am not wanting to pay $400 for a new oil pan.

The brakes I have problems with the most, but I have recently discovered what the problem is. The tires. When the tires wear to a certain point, the brakes wear down quicker and shimmy a lot, especially going down a mountain. For some reason, the Intrepids hate carbon metallic brakes as well.

The oil light flicker happens on occasions for me. Sometimes it won't come on until the car has come to a stop after driving around 55mph. There are times when I do not see it at all. I am thinking that the oil sending unit gets oil on it, then does not clear enough and is giving a false reading.

The transmission has been the best. I had the car since '04, last year was the first time I had ever had to change the transmission fluid.

If you do not keep proper tires and brakes on the Intrepid, you will eventually end up replacing the tie rods. What happens is that all that jarring and shaking rounds out the tie rod ends bushing and the bushings will eventually fall out.

Had a charging problem, but that was a fuse link became brittle from all the under the hood heat and shorted out by grounding against the frame.

I have a leak in the evap system somewhere, but until I get the car fixed, I am not going to find it. The hose attaching to the PCV valve becomes very brittle from the underhood heat.

I think that is about it.