Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90, 91-105, 106-120, 121-135, 136-150, 151-165, 166-180, 181-188
Here's another junk Intrepid... We bought the 98 intrepid in Nov. 2002 with about 68,000 miles on it. Ran good! (here comes the good stuff!) For a while... then went downhill quickly... like a rocket ship to earth. Had the thermostat housing replaced for over $200. had the driver's side window motor replaced for over $200. BOth speed sensors in transmission replaced for $275. Starter replaced at over $600. Battery replaced x2. Oil light flickers all the time when your apply the brake. Is always low on oil. Paint around windsheild is flaking off. Brake lights are out. Now the engine is running hot and the A/C works, but blows out hot air. I know there is more that I'm missing, but that's a good summary. If anyone has any tips or other info, email me caa1277@bellsouth.net Thanks!
Wow! What a depressing laundry list of problems described here. Our experience has been better.
We have a 1998 Intrepid ES (bought new) and have had only a few of the above mentioned problems (knock on wood with fingers firmly crossed).
* 3.2 Liter engine/Auto-stick trans
* 67,000 miles
* Oil/Filter change (100% synthetic oil) every 3000-5000 miles (mostly at Jiffy Lube)
* All other Factory recommended services done at Dodge dealer.
The only problems we've had are:
* The intermittent interior lights flickering on/off (hasn't happened in over a year)
* The display for the climate control panel no longer works (all other displays are still OK). Heat and AC still work, but we have to guess at the temperature!
* Drivers window stopped going down two months ago (new switch installed by dealer - $90). All other window are OK.
* Replaced front brake rotors at 60,000 miles due to having to have them previously "turned" two times to stop brake shudder. This is a result of us living on a VERY steep hill and the cheap Chrysler/Dodge "traction control" (e.g., computer applying front brakes to stop wheel spin) during winter. It can (and will) easily warp the rotors from heat.
The car is paid off now... We sure hope that it doesn't start acting up.
Wtryk@aol.com.
Yes this web page is a God sent. I thought I was the only one having problems. I have had my 99 Intrepid for 3mths and my driver window does not work, this morning I was driving to work and my car would not shift gears, and the speedometer was not working. I hope that it's just a sensor as well. tfrenchdesignsavvy@yahoo.com.
We are happy owners of a 1998 Dodge Intrepid 3.2 with autostick. This has been the best car we have ever owned. Absolutely no problems whatsoever in 90,000 with regular maintenance. One reading a forum like this has to remember that you will hear from people who claim to have problems, but there are few if any people who are happy and satisfied with a product who take the time to make positive comments. I found this site by searching for our car on Google. If you are reading this group, you probably have already made your mind up. I mean, some people on hear complain they had to replace an O2 sensor for goodness sakes. Those are parts that do wear out. That is my 2 cents worth. Good job Chrysler. I hope the new Dodge Charger has many if not all of the roominess, power and coolness of the Intrepid. That will be our next Dodge purchase. Chrysler got it right with the Intrepid. Too bad it was discontinued. They are great cars.
July 7th 2005 -. I have a 1999 intrepid with 80,000miles on it now. The problem is it stalls, last week driving down the highway doing 60mph the engine shut off, coasted onto the shoulder and called a tow truck because it wouldn't start. I waited for 20 minutes, the tow truck arrives, but before loading it on he tries to start it and it fired up. I had it towed to garage anyway, and mechanics found nothing wrong. No check engine light come on or any other. Would anyone know what could of happened? let me know at rodney_ttx@hotmail.com.
Glad I found this site... does anyone know of any recalls on this car yet??? Same problems for everyone here, no telling how many others...it's crazy!!!
My mother has a 1999 Dodge Intrepid, bought it used 3 yrs ago... great price/low miles... only thing that was wrong was the back passenger window didn't work, no big deal.
Well now, the back window has started working again, but the driver side front won't work and the passenger side front sticks once in a while...
Other problems are:
*Radiator Fan motor-passenger side-burned and making horrible noise-in the process of trying to find a cheap one somewhere.
*Oil light flashes off and on, mostly when stopped at red lights for some reason.
*Seal around back driver side door is falling off.
*Radio off/on knob just stopped working one day luckily it stopped working while the radio was off ;-)
*Windshield frame is peeling and cracking so bad.
*Electric seat switches only work then they want to.
*Oil cap is a pain to get off and back on and it's half stripped out.
*Interior lights have flashed off and on a few times, it's not too bad though and not very often.
*Electric mirror switch does not work.
That's about all I can think of right now...
Apart from the above problems, it's a nice car LOL ;-)
My mom has been wanting to trade it in and I kept telling her no, don't do it... now I'm not so sure, think it might be best if she does...she's on a social security and can't afford all these repairs (I mean, we can live with most of them, but she's still paying for the car and it's falling apart!)
I bought this car used because I needed a slightly cheap, but reliable second car to drive to work. Boy, did I choose poorly. Only one day after driving this car off the lot I noticed there was a leak in the transmission line at the radiator and the radiator fan was making clinking sounds. The dealer was nice enough to fix both problems when I threatened to return the car.
A day later my daughter attempted to roll up the rear passenger side window, but no go. She thought she broke it and started crying.
Next my car went into limp mode when leaving work. Stuck in second gear, I thought I blew my tranny. I drive 50 minutes at 60 mph to get home from work - try doing that in second gear. It took me about an hour and a half to get home. I bought a $90 error code reader and it displayed 3 codes. I was happy to find out one of the codes was just the output sensor which was only $20. I ignored the other 2 - thought they were caused by the sensor.
Then being a used car I changed the brakes because they were squealing. After doing this, my front brakes squealed more when I brake than before I changed the pads. So I took all the pads off again and re-lubricated them, but no change except my driver side front caliper locked up. I had to pull off my front brakes again. And now when I try to stop my car shutters violently at speeds over 35mph.
Two weeks later, I was stranded at work when my car wouldn't turn over. Luckily tomorrow is my day off - I will get to spend my day fixing it. I ran the error reader on my car again and it displays the same 2 left over codes from before. P0700 (trans control syst malfunction) and P0731 (gear 1 ratio incorrect). What do these mean? I cleared the codes and bam, my car starts. I got home and started my car to check the tran. fluid levels. It had enough fluid and it was still a nice cherry color. While checking the fluid my car stalled. It took a few tries to get it started again and it stalled a few more times. Now it won't turn on again. I want out of this car, but I just bought it about 4 months ago. If anyone can tell me what might be wrong with it now (the p0700 and p0731 codes) please email me at caz13@comcast.net. I just want to fix it so I can try to trade it in and get a new car. I'd rather take a few thousand dollar loss than to ever work on this car again.
I also have the feared 1999 Dodge Intrepid with the evil 2.7L engine. I bought the car in 2000 and after reading this sight, feel kinda lucky. The only problems I've had are multiple sensors going out, and repeated starter problems. Oh, yes, and front brake problems (probably from mostly city driving). Now, at 115,000 miles, the starter is going out...AGAIN!!, for the third time I began to get suspicious about the car when I offered to sell it to a friend so I could get another car about a year ago. The car had no known current problems. He is an auto mechanic. As soon as I told him it had the 2.7 motor, he said no thanks. He informed me about all of the design flaws. Now, every time I start the car, I have this eerie feeling like I'm sitting on a ticking time bomb, ready to wreck havoc on my savings account. The first time I hear any ticks or groans coming out from under the hood that are out of the ordinary, I'm driving this car straight to a car lot and trading it off!!! If any of you see a used red 1999 Dodge Intrepid at a car shop in the near future, with around 115000 miles on it, pick the car next to it!
It's interesting that every post I've read has been about a 1999 or older Intrepid with the 2.7L engine. Did the Chrysler engineers largely fix the mechanical problems?
We've had the same exact issues mentioned above. Window motors, A/C blower only works on high (sometimes not at all) and has rarely ever been cold, oil light flickering at idle and oil level always a quart low - top it off and check it a week later, back to a quart low. We just spent exactly $2,000 at a Chrysler dealership for a major tune-up and repair of the oil leak and fixes windows and A/C blower. The A/C quit AGAIN the SAME WEEK and oil leak has never stopped. Called the dealership and they never returned my calls until I called the owner repeatedly and he apologized and offered to make me a "killer deal" on a new Intrepid. Are you KIDDING ME?
I love the styling on the Intrepid and would consider another 2003 or 2004 with the 3.2L or 3.5L engine. The 1999 2.7L is a true lemon.
I bought a 2001 Dodge Intrepid from a used car dealership 18months ago. I love this car, however recently after having the oil changed, the oil light started flickering off an on as well as making a slight clanky noise which sounds like it is coming from the front of the car. I have no leaks and have kept current with maintenance. I called the dealership and for them to do a diagnostic test to find out why the oil light is flickering cost $70-$90 and that doesn't include if they find a big problem which I don't have the money for. I know I should get it checked out, but am scared of what they will tell me: (
Last Wed, while I was driving my 3 year old daughter home from pre-school, as I was on the downhill side of an overpass of a very busy road, I heard a large snap come from my 2.7L 1999 Dodge Intrepid (aka: the money pit). Well, the oil light comes on, the engine seizes and I am left to coast in traffic with barely any power for steering. Luckily I was close enough to a gas station that I could pull the car into.
I check under the hood and I see the front belts shredded and a half dollar sized hole in the timing chain cover which is cast aluminum about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. I thought for sure it was the timing chain that snapped and screwed up the car. Nope. The best way to describe it is that an attachment to the timing belt cover (that guides a belt), just simply snapped off. The engine was fine, but the cost to repair that was over $600!
I asked the mechanic how the part simply snapped off like that since its all metal. He said its weak metal and most likely metal fatigue caused it to snap off. 92k miles on the care. Since Jan., I have had to replace my tranny ($2800), brakes and rotors (rusted???) ($400), belts ($300) and now this and my timing chain was replaced too ($350). Of course that is just for 2005! Also, my steering squeals and making right hand turns the front end sounds like something is grinding on the wheel and now my front end shakes when I come to a stop at an intersection or light. My last Dodge, they make garbage as far as I am concerned.
I've had my 99 Dodge Intrepid for 3 years now, and it has been a nightmare! I have replaced the rear right window motor, now the rear left window motor has stopped working. The front window on the driver's side stopped working, (due to the window clip that holds the glass in place) had broken. The cost for the window clip was 6.56, but the labor to take the door apart and replace the clip was over 100.00. Replaced 1 oxygen sensor, need to replace another now. Check engine light constantly stays on. I had to put a new A/C compressor on, at a cost of 1,007.00. It cooled for 2 weeks, then the A/C evaporator had to be replaced; another 900.00. Oil disappears mysteriously. There's no sign of an oil leakage on the ground, but car smokes constantly from the rear. I have to add a quart of oil every 100 miles, and the oil cap is very hard to remove. Now, my brake lights are not working. I've changed the bulbs, and they're still not working. If anyone has experienced problems with the brake lights, please email me at swoods@jcsd.net.
Let's see... where to start.
I have had a 1998 Intrepid 2.7 for about the past 2 yrs. When I got the car, it had 90K miles on it. I had just sold my 2002 F150 FX4 (which I dearly miss) because the gas prices were killing me. My father (who had this car) was nice enough to give to me when I sold my truck. I thought it was great, up until everything started...
When he gave me the car, he already told me that the door gasket for the left rear door always wanted to fall down. No big deal. The A/C only works on high (don't know why), and the starter needed to be replaced.
At 110K miles, come to find out I have 3 spun rod bearings because of oil problems. Fortunately I found a factory Dodge brand new 2.7 short block for $550. The guy said for an extra $150 he could throw in a brand new timing chain, water pump, gasket set and oil pan. Of course I jumped on that. Total damage so far - oh, $2500 because a good friend who is a full time mechanic only charged me $750 to install.
Just two weeks ago I replaced the radiator because it cracked and busted wide open... understandable, the car is getting up there.
Monday of this week (6 days ago) my driver side window decides it doesn't want to go back up. So I have been driving around for a week with my window down. Thank God I live in TX...
Anyways, so I seem to have the same problems that everyone has had. What fun! I hate this car... ARGH!
Bought a 95 Intrepid ES 3.5L 24 Valve 108K miles about a month ago and thought I was getting a great deal. Even after putting in $975 to get new struts in back and new tie rods up front, I was still below blue book. Well now the whole front end steering system feels like it's about to fall apart. After reading all the horror stories on-line, I'm seriously considering cutting my losses right now. The complaints about the Gen 3 seat-belts and steering system failures are most worrisome in what I was hoping could be a good family care for the next few years. I guess the only consolation is that I am not alone in my situation, but it is truly scary the magnitude of serious and life-threatening problems people have had with these vehicles.
I never thought I would be in a Q&A forum describing my experiences with a car I feel does have major problems. I bought my used '99 Dodge Intrepid (2.7L) in November, 2004, and had very little problems as described from many car owners, until lately the car hasn't started crisply/fresh. After starting, the engine runs fine and drives really well on roads and freeways, this just after replacing oil pan with oil psi sensor, attached hoses, serpentine belt, and full engine check.
I'm bringing the car back into mechanic to see if the problem with starting the engine is either with starter, solenoid, or as one writer has mentioned the problem is in the ignition switch. So far total miles driven is 112,000. Good luck with all the other owners with their Intrepid and count me in with the class action lawsuit. I can be reached at sauvepete@yahoo.com
Peter.