2000 Dodge Intrepid from North America - Comments

I have diligently changed the oil in my Intrepid and had it serviced since the day I bought it, I was so excited when I purchased it and they sold it to me with the remaining 70000 mile warranty still attached because it had been a "dealer car." I even went as far as to have it changed at less than the recommended 3000 mile mark. Upon the first case of sludge buildup I noticed (when the oil light came on 12 days after it's oil change), I immediately took it to a local place and had the vehicle flushed not once, but twice to try to remove the sludge from the car and eliminate future problems I might have. Boy was I in for a shock. What the mechanic showed me was unbelievable. Less than 300 miles into this oil change the oil looked like tar! I immediately made the assumption the 15 minute oil change place I had used could not have possibly changed the oil! I contacted them and spoke to the manager who assured me this was not the case. I never used them again thinking it was their fault. After the flush the oil light went off, problem fixed, no. Although the oil light never came back on indicating a problem the vehicle started to get a knock and it continued to worsen, I took it in for 4 more flushes @ different times, neither of which anyone there could explain the constant sludge buildup in the car. I currently still owe 4000.00 on this car so you can imagine my dismay when upon the last oil change @200 miles the car simply quit. I had it towed to the local repair shop where I found someone very knowledgeable with this problem, mind you Dodge nor anyone else had ever contacted me that their might be a potential problem with this car. Upon his assessment of the vehicle (which took about 1 hour tops) he told me the pistons were shot, the valves were probably shot also and the timing belt shredded. It would be 200.00 labor just to survey and see how much more extensive the damage was, but even if I did that the engines were virtually nonexistent due to the problems with these cars. So now I have a car worth less than 1000.00 sitting in my driveway useless. I had planned on trading when it was paid off, (mistake) I have always like dodge vehicles, yes they are very pretty, but also because of their dependability. NEVER AGAIN! I have contacted my attorney who has told me he has dealt with this problem before and has some contacts for this problem. I contacted my finance company who said "too bad." Has anyone had an offer from Chrysler to fix the problem?

My oil light also comes on in my 2000 dodge intrepid, mostly, when I put on my brakes and goes off when I release them... Dana

sealed_with_a_kissxx@yahoo.com

GOOD GRIEF, DANA!!! You are about to lose your engine. I had the same thing happen on my 2000 Dodge Intrepid. This was on the THIRD engine. First engine failed because of oil seal failure. Second engine was defective. Third one is having problems and it has been in the car, installed at the dealership, for less than one year. Put foot on brake, oil light comes on. Not always, but even once is telling you there is a problem. IMMEDIATELY check your oil. Odds are there will be NONE on the dipstick. I hope you have luck in getting the dealer to take care of this.

Mopar 2.7L engines have this same issue, It is actually a flaw in the oil bores in the head and block, the bores are too narrow and can clog by the creation of sludge from inproper maintenance, excessive carbon buildup on the valves and piston walls can lead to this as well. This is a problem that can be avoided, but can sneak up on you, The other problems I have seen on this site as to window regulators and tie rod ends and what not are most likely not production defects, but wear and tear. I do not work for Dodge, but I am a mechanic, Lucas Oil treatment at each oil change and proper maintenance will help this issue, but it has been redesigned, mopar is actually on their 3rd or 4th gen 2.7l motor, as for the rest of there products they do hold there own. Thanks.

The 2000 Dodge Intrepid I bought brand new, turned out to the worst vehicle I ever bought. I did regular maintenance on the car, but at around 50k miles, the a/c stopped working which was a 10 dollar part, but cost me 800.00 because the only way to get to it was to remove the entire dash. Shortly afterwards

was when the oil pump started to go out. I paid off the car and was still able to receive 3500.00 trade-in. I will never buy another Chrysler product.

Joe.

I have a 2000 Intrepid 2.7l I bought used and it worked great, except the oil light came on twice, and twice I had it repaired. One day, while sitting in a gas station 2 blocks from my home, it just shut off. The next morning, I took it to my mechanic who told me the water pump went out. The 2.7l has the water pump inside the engine, so all the water dumped into the motor. He took 4 gallons of water from the motor. By then, the timing chain and motor had been destroyed. And I still owe on it! I only put 30,000 miles on it, and now it is a piece of junk. I contacted Chrysler, and they said they haven't received enough complaints to recall the motor.