2002 Dodge Intrepid SE from North America - Comments

Hmmmmm...I've owned my 2002 Dodge Intrepid SXT since July 2002 and the only problem I've ever had was a malfunctioning windshield wiper motor. I do get oil changes every three months, as the manual recommends, but I don't drive like a little old lady. I navigate Detroit rush hour at a dead run. It really is a great car...

I have been a mechanic for the last ten years, and I am very disappointed with what I've been hearing and seeing with this car. The car itself is a great car, but the 2.7 engine is hardly reliable. Any other engine I haven't seen a problem with. My girlfriend has this car and has many problems with it, all of which have been covered here. Oil is changed every 3000-4000 miles (anyone who says this will cause an engine to fail is lying to you) and as of yet none of those problems have come about. But, the acceleration is nowhere near what it should be. I'm not talking about winning 1/4 mile races, I'm talking coming out of a toll in Chicago and getting honked at. there is a bad vibration from 40-50 that is not the balance, I've balanced them myself. The mileage rating is not what it should be, about 22. I've tuned it up, started using high-milage (semi-synthetic oil) and keep the tires pressured correctly. Now, to the one who said review your car, it's your fault...

I own a 1990 ford Taurus SHO that I got for $500. It leaks oil into the spark plug gallery, it has a slipping 5 speed tranny, it has a single exhaust where a dual should be, as well as numerous other problems. It'll do 0-60 in 7 seconds, I have no cel's on, I get 29 mpg, all my locks, brakes, windows, cruise, and everything else works, except the a/c. Do not tell me a car 12 years newer is more likely to brake down because it has been over looked. This engine is poorly designed, and if there is any truth to a suit, please e-mail me at lippsgarage@yahoo.com. Thank you.

Just traded my 1998 Intrepd ES with the 3.2 engine. Car was great. I bought it used in 2000 with 17,000miles on it. Traded it in on a new Accord. The Intrepid had 215,000 miles on it. Changed oil every 5-7,000 miles. Replaced 1 battery, 3 sets of brakes, 3 sets of tires, etc; not much else. Bottom line: the car was the cheapest I have ever owned. When traded, it needed new brakes, struts, 1 ball joint, drivers side seat had leather cracking, A/C compressor had slow leak and some minor surface rust below gas filler door, minor dashboard light problem with heater controls. All in all, a great car. The engine ran strong and never leaked a drop of oil or antifreeze. The original stainless exhaust was still in good condition (amazing for NE Ohio). It makes me wonder if the 3.2 (now 3.5) is a far superior engine and done right. I was so impressed that I bought a 2006 magnum with the same engine last year. It is still perfect at 47,000miles.

Some of these comments regarding the 2.7 on this thread have got to be fake, like the one saying "The 2004 PT Cruisers 2.4 engine (from my understanding) is an update on the 2.7,.." especially considering the 2.4 is a I4 and the 2.7 is a V6. A quick peek under the bonnet will tell you that this is not the same engine. So, nobody in your family owned this car.

This is just an example of various claims made about the "poor" 2.7. I think few people know what they are talking about. They are just throwing themselves into the Mopar bashing posse. Especially the "I usually work as a mechanic" comments really makes me laugh, especially since it's easy to look right through many of these claims.

Some facts about the 2.7: Yes, I'd agree that it's not the most durable engine ever built, especially the first 3 production years. It also has a weak belt tensioner, and Chrysler has made some strange design choices that makes serviceability on these engines below average. Chrysler fixed all known weaknesses on the 2.7 within model year 2001 and 2002. If someone claims sludge failures on a post 2001 model 2.7 EER engine, I know for a fact that they are lying or this engine was not properly maintained (and people are obviously not admitting this, no it's everybody else's fault).

Besides the initial problems with the 2.7, it's a great engine. Very fuel efficient for a 203 hp engine, and it's lightweight, giving excellent weight distribution. 300M and other LH models were always drivers cars.

I'm not an "expert mechanic" or an "I've owned Mopar products for 20 years" guy. I'm just a person that has done my research both before I bought my second hand 2.7 300M and after. I've always done my own service and repairs and I've never ever had major problems with my car even if it's a 1999 model that's supposed to be among the worst around. Oh yes: I've changed the belt tensioner, but I did it before it broke, and not after like the rest of you. Oh yes: Never any sludge. But I always go for Mobil 1 and not the Wal-Mart "gallon specials".

Hi I recently bought a used 2002 intrepid with high miles found this sight and begin to worry oil light coming on when stopped and going after take off took it back and it was repaired well my cousin wasn't as lucky he bought in 2002 it broke down 3 months after he got sludge with metal shaving in the oil change the oil very often he would like to be added to the class action lawsuit contact me at vic2359@aol.com.

I came to this site because I Googled 2002 Dodge Intrepid Check Engine Light Codes.

We bought our car used. We have had it for 2 and a half years. We have had the check engine light come on and I took it to Auto Zone to have them hook up the reader and it told us that there was leakage in the gas cap, or else we could have filled up with gas while the engine was running. We had done that. The light went back off after a few days. A month or so later, I noticed that the oil light would come on as I would come to a stop. When the RPM was just under 1. It did this for about two weeks and then I noticed that the oil light would come on, still as I was slowing down, but my RPM was higher than 1???

This past Friday, the check engine light came on. We have been very careful not to fuel with the engine running so that is not the problem. I man I work with has a reader and he hooked it up for me this afternoon. It said, Transmission System. I asked the guy if this meant that my transmission was about to go out, he said not necessarily. He said it could be a bad sensor or something.

Our car is well maintained. Regular oil changes and stuff like that. The a/c quit working about a year ago and the mechanic said it would cost around $1,000 to fix. We can live with out a/c.

I too would be interested if there is any info on a recall or a lawsuit. Please email me at secretpalsecretsister@yahoo.com.

29 August, 5:52, I agree with you. The "I work as a mechanic, so I know all about it" people don't impress me, mostly because I've seen too many brain-dead idiots with no analytical ability at garages screw things up. They may be able to turn a wrench and follow a procedural manual to swap parts, but they can't figure anything out when the computer won't give them a fault code.

I've gotten over 200,000 miles out of every vehicle I ever owned (all American cars, by the way) by taking care of my own maintenance and doing my own repairs. I've never had blown gaskets, warped heads, slipping transmissions, burnt-out rear ends, or these other major problems that people complain about because I check under the hood and under the car every 3,000 miles when I change the oil, in addition to following a routine maintenance schedule based on the Hayne's Manuals, which have you do things about twice as frequently as the manufacturer suggests.

For these people talking about how "modern" oil doesn't have to be changed for 7,000 miles, and changing it 2,000 to 3,000 is a throwback to the '60's --- well, you do it your way, and I'll do it my way, and we'll just see who ends up in the breakdown lane first. I use Mobil 1 synthetic in my cars, and still change it every 3,000 miles. Changing oil is the cheapest, easiest piece of preventive maintenance you can do, so why quibble over a lousy $30 every few months?

Shake off this victim mentality, people! Cars are incredibly complicated, expensive machines, and you need to take some responsibility for taking care of them. You can either acquire that knowledge yourself, or pay to have somebody reputable service it when it's supposed to be serviced, but you can't treat it like an old TV that you just turn on and off and expect it to work every time without paying attention to it.

I purchased a "used" 2002 Dodge Intrepid in mid 2005. It had 33,000 miles on it. It now has about 54,000 miles. In the last year I have had issues with brakes and the electrical system. Now the transmission is becoming a bit herky jerky and I have been calling around the last two days about getting the water pump replaced. I took it to a friend who owns a car repair shop and he won't even touch it. I have since taken it to several other shops that won't either. They all say it is quite involved and won't bother looking at it. I've call several dealers who have told me that it will be between 1000 and 2000 dollars to repair it due to all the possible complications. THAT MUCH FOR A WATER PUMP?? You have GOT to be joking. I owned a 2000 Sebring before I got this car. Unfortunately it was totaled when someone decided to run a red light and hit me broadside. I thought I would take a chance on the Dodge, but never again. I didn't do my homework properly. I've read so much bad stuff about the 2.7 litre that I can't believe that Chrysler hasn't helped out with the situation. I even called Chrysler and they told me it was too far out of warranty to get help. Maybe because they were used to getting all the calls while they were still covered? Was I the lucky one to get 50,000 miles out of it? Could be. I would also like to know if anyone has any info about class action. Find me at gerd55@aol. Good luck fellow Intrepid owners... maybe we will be hitch hiking together sometime soon!!!

Hello I also own a 2002 Dodge Intrepid Which I have not had very long... It Was a nice looking car the caught my eye.. I test drove the car and, It did great.. Only after I signed all the paper work gave em there money did the problems start... As soon as I got home the car overheated and, The A/C quit working! That following Tuesday the car went back to the car lot and they fixed both the A/c and the overheating problem (Both of the fan fuses burnt out at the same time??) So after that I took the car and started using it for work, school and, normal everyday driving.. A few weeks later on my way home from school the oil light started flickering too.. I pulled off and checked all the fluids everything is fine oil has been recently changed. Got back in my car and started home again, Then the engine light came on... Got it Home and took it back to the car lot again (After 30 Days) They changed oil again and told me the light came on because it has major electrical problems could not narrow it anymore then that... So Now more recently my car is over heating and the heater does not work called the dealer and I was told then that there was no water in Um mm, but, there is over all this car has been a head ache since day one...On the other hand my Step father has a 2003 model se same motor And that car runs great No lights No problems (knock on wood)

Well my 2001 (I bought it in 2002 with 42,000 miles) was laid to rest the other day. All I did was oil changes, and did make it to 219,992 miles; almost made that 220,000. If I had found this site earlier, no way would I have bought it. The prolems I had were a broken ignition, 2 wheel bearings, and the differential; I didnt know it had its own housing.

I to came to this site because my "check engine light" came on... I am worried, but have been part of the lucky few... we maintain our car and do everything the book tells us, I have a 2002 intrepid 2.7. I have own foreign and this car has ranked up there with it for performance and reliability. I am going to assume my problem is the gas tank as I just filled up prior to the light coming on. I am a strong believe in a lot of these comments above about care. I realize that most of us do the regular things to our cars, but if you bought it used... don't you think they are selling it for a reason. most of you bought someone else problem by the sounds of it. Well here is to the future and the complaining.

I hope I am right about the gas thing because there are a lot of people that have dropped a lot of money into there intrepid.

My mother purchased her 2002 Intrepid, 2.7 liter motor, new.

It currently as 53,000 miles. She has kept up with the scheduled maintenance. She has recently noticed some dash lights flashing and has now had her check engine light on all the time. The heater works intermittently. My husband went to check it out thinking that the thermostat may be sticking and needed to be replaced. Upon raising the hood, he immediately noticed corrosion around the thermostat housing. Everything else was clean. He checked the oil and added 16 oz. and also added 1 qt of 50/50 long-life antifreeze. He picked up a thermostat at a local parts store, but was unable to access all of the bolts to remove the housing. He found this website looking for tips on how to change the thermostat. Now he is concerned that there is more than just a routine maintenance issue with the thermostat. He is interested to follow this site to see what develops. It looks like my mother is not the only one having these problems. Is Chrysler responding positively to any of these issues? We read about possible class action measures being taken. Is there anyone we need to contact to get information on getting help for my Mothers' car problems. Please let us know at jgal@cableone.net.

I came to this site to try and find out where my antifreeze is going. Not on the ground! The oil looks good. The windows do not fog up and there is no antifreeze smell in the car. I had to replace the thing that looks like a thermostat housing, it isn't, but it was leaking. That was 6 months ago. Lately, I'm adding antifreeze every other day. It should show up somewhere!

I have a 2004 Intrepid SE. I can honestly say that it has been a good car for most of the time that I have owned it. I did have an issue with the oil light, but that was resolved by getting an oil change and making sure the recommending 5W grade oil was used and not 10W grade oil like the shop did the time before. Now though, I have an issue with coolant leaking from the engine. I went to Dodge because I say coolant around the coolant bleeder valve housing. I thought O-Ring, but was informed that I had to replace a $100 part to fix the car's leak. The person at the dealer seems to know what part I was talking about immediately and even snickered because he seemed to know it was a common issue with this part. I did replace this and still had a leak which was dripping from the bottom of the engine. From what I could see it was the thermostat housing gasket, so I replaced that and the thermostat. Still having a leak so I called Dodge. They advised it was probably the water pump/water pump seal. I inquired on cost to fix and was quoted $1000. Needless to say I will be working on this with my step-father to try to avoid this extreme expense for a water pump to be replaced. The only real complaint I have is the water pump. Why would anyone make a water pump so difficult to replace that repair shops refuse to service it and dealers pray they never see issue again. I would consider that a design flaw even if it is working properly. I also had an issue the the heater not heating the car, but found this to be linked with the coolant leak, I had to fill the coolant tank and bleed the coolant system of any air bubbles which fixed the heat. I would never buy this car again and would not advise anyone to buy this car. It is a good car for the most part, but it seems no matter what goes wrong it is expensive to fix unlike all the other cars I have had. Good luck to all Intrepid owners out there.

Hi all, I have an 03' Intrepid, also blue, but a long shot from being thunder. Just recently started having problems early this past year. I've had it for 3. Every thing that I've heard is not haunting me. I've have had an evap leak, screeching tires that sound far worse than the fingernails on the chalk-board. I got new brakes for that, a front-end alignment, and neither have worked. whatever that mystery problem is it's causing my tires to wear out faster. As a result of that. The tire companies will not honor my tire warranties. They always say that you need an alignment. I've had 2. Now the check engine light is showing that the barometric pressure is low/ map sensor issues. The list goes on and on. Something deffinitely isn't right, if all of our cars were made in different years, they continued to produce these cars for several years, with many of the same problems for everyone, very weird. Please continue to post so that I don't miss out on the recall. Oh, and the Stratus wasn't much better. I have an 05' sitting under the tree, nice and shiny, and won't make it out of the yard, I feel like I paid for it twice.

Tmoore!