1996 Dodge Intrepid from North America - Comments

Water pump blew after 1 1/2 years.

Rack & pinion steering.

Oil leak in the spark plug tubes.

A/C stopped working.

Rear sway bar linkage replaced.

Dashboard speakers blown.

C-pillar plastic moulding cracked (both sides).

Power steering box is leaking.

I own a 1996 Dodge Intrepid that I purchased new in 1996. I am the original owner and only have 35,000 miles on the vehicle. I have a family of 5 and do not "beat" on the car, I treat it as if I will own it forever.

After 1 1/2 years (1998) the water pump went bad and had to be replaced.

Last year, the rack & pinion steering had to be replaced, which my Dodge dealership miss diagnosed. They said I needed front end repairs, where as my own mechanic found it to be the rack & pinion steering, which is fairly common to this vehicle (and the Eagle Vision & Chrysler Concorde).

Two months ago, my air conditioning went and I discovered an oil leak in the 3 spark plug tubes. When I called Chrysler, they were aware of the problem, but could do nothing for me, not warranted.

I would never waste my money on another Chrysler product, would not even take it if you gave it to me. STAY AWAY FROM CHRYSLER.

All cars have their problems, I own a new GM product and in 35,000 miles its had a U-joint, trunk lock mech.,AC compressor and one ABS wheel rotor replaced, the more complex we build them the more prone to breakage.

There is a tech service bulletin that indicates that the evaporator goes bad in the 1996 Intrepid. Dodge would have fixed it free if the car was less than 7 years or had less than 70,000 miles, but only if one took it into a dealer. Since this was not public knowledge, my 1996 Intrepid got a freon charge in 2002 and again in 2003 at local shops. It has lost freon again and will require another charge. Since the car is now past 7 years, Dodge won't do anything for me. They will however replace the evaporator at a cost of $1800. Dodge knew they had a problem, but effectively kept in from the public and reneged on professional and ethical obligations to their customers. How can I ever consider buying a Dodge/Chrysler car again?