This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I bought a used '98 Intrepid in Jan. 2002. Engine spun a bearing at 58K miles in Aug. 2002. Local mechanic replaced engine with new one from Chrysler factory a cost of $3700 (dealership wanted over $5K). The dealership and Chrysler both turned their backs after many phone calls. The other night, at 85K miles, the engine blew again. Of course, this is beyond the warranty.
I have a 1998 Dodge Intrepid with a blown engine due to buildup of sludge. Even after providing maintenance records of oil changes every 3000 miles, consumer car care, from whom I purchased an extended warranty, refused my claim. The engine in these cars are known to be defective, yet all cases of sludge are blamed on the consumer. I find it hard to believe that all owners of 1998 through 2000 model year Intrepids an concorde did not change their oil, but that is what we are being told by Chrysler Corp. Any good mechanic will confirm the problems in these cars and many service stations will not work on them because of these problems. It is time to make Chrysler take responsibility for these defective vehicles.
Engine failure- my wife was driving and all of a sudden you heard a loud bang and the engine was out. She almost lost control of the car since the steering was out and she barely had brakes due to the engine failure. I know there was oil in the car when we started driving because I just had a oil change done. Plus when my wife finally got the car over to the side of the road there was oil leaking from the engine and all over the bottom of the car and all over the engine.
The engine failed on my 1998 Chrysler Intrepid which has only got 101,000 miles on it give or take a few miles. My pregnant wife was diving on a busy highway and the engine failed. She almost lost control of the car and had problems pulling the car over and getting it to stop. Along with my wife were me, my mother-in-law, and my 2 kids. I changed the oil every 3,000 miles and there was no kind of signs to lead up to the engine failure.
. hello. My wife and I own a 1998 Chrysler Intrepid. I say Chrysler instead of Dodge because it is Canadian built and they are called Chrysler. We had 73,000 miles on it when it suddenly failed on us. My wife was on the freeway heading to work. The oil light came on and she pulled over immediately. Well, the engine stopped before she could even come to a complete stop. We had it towed to a Chrysler dealership. They told us the engine had no oil and it seized up. Well, I know the engine had oil. We just had it changed 2 weeks prior. The car never burned oil. Nor was there ever any leaking evident underneath it. I have receipts to prove many of the oil changes. We had them done every 3 thousand miles. So I called the corporation. I was treated very rudely. The only thing they had to offer was "engine failure due to lack of maintenance." I was very angry, but I felt I had no other recourse but to just take it and buy a new motor. It cost us well over $2500. Now we can't sell the car because we can't break even on it. It is now worth more to us than to anyone else. My name is ronald w. ault. 4930 beech rd. Hope, mi 48628. My home number is 989 435-9941. I will help in any way I can because my thoughts on this are: Chrysler will do everything they can to fight a recall on this because it will cost them multi-millions of dollars to settle all the cases. Please contact me if you need any assistance. Ron.
- Hope, MI, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
While driving at any speed vehicle intermittently stalls. After sitting for a few minutes vehicle will start as if nothing has happened. As of October 2003, the consumer had to sit 25 minutes in a parking lot waiting for the vehicle to start. It continued to stall on her driving down the road twice. Consumer questioned why no one could give her an answer as to why this keeps happening and why there's not a recall. In addition, consumer decided to write every time she has a problem with her vehicle because she noticed it wasn't just her vehicle having problems.
While coming to a stop at a stoplight, my car engine suddenly shut off. I was unable to get the car started. The battery had to be jumped and I was able to drive approximately 1/4 of a mile when the engine shut off again and this time the power steering went as well. During this short distance, the car was making a horrible clanking sound. When checked out, it was found that 5 of the 6 sets of rod bearings were spun and one bearing had broken into pieces and had fallen into the oil pan. My 1998 Intrepid has 81,000 miles and I had no warning that this type of damage was occurring.
Engine failed while driving, lost all power steering. Engine blown due to sludge in engine because of a faulty design, no warning signs. Just had oil changed two weeks prior to incedent.
Me car was purchased used 1/16/03, since purchase, have had several serious problems; idler pulley warped, broke power steering belt while on road cooling fan motor went out on passenger side of car -the engine in my 1998 Dodge Intrepid blew -up when I was on the expressway in a construction zone (one lane of traffic). I was told by several local auto mechanics and Dodge dealerships that these engines are notorious for this problem. The power steering and braking quit when engine quit. Car diagnosed by local mechanic " needs engine replaced".
There was a knocking noise in the 2.7 liter engine that could have caused an engine failure. Oil compartment was full when the noise occurred. The cause of engine failure was undetermined.
I have a 1998 Dodge Intrepid and the engine is just about to go. I haven't driven it in 3 months to prevent complete failure. The car has only 68,000 miles on it and it sounds horrible! I had it looked at and the mechanic told me it was ready to blow anytime. There is no excuse for a car with this low mileage to completely fail.
I have experienced the same serious problem as many others and can't afford to cover the cost of repairs nor make payments for something I can't drive. The engine in my 1998 Dodge Intrepid started making weird ticking noises all of a sudden. The oil light was flashing on and off from time to time and the oil level was fine. The engine shut down while coming to a stop and the steering wheel locked. Paying for another engine is impossible. These engines already had soon to give out written on them before they left the assembly plant. The cost to replace the engine should not be left up to the owner. Totally unfair!!!!!
Car stalls at speeds in excess of 60 mph. Check engine light flashes about 5 times and vehicle experiences an immediate loss of acceleration ability. Car coasts to a near stop and stalls completely locking the steering wheel. While engine is hot vehicle will not start. Cruise control light and oil light remain on longer than any other dashboard lights. Vehicle starts again only after sitting for hours. Vehicle will only start when it is cold. At highway speeds this has happened twice in the last two weeks. Vehicle stores no codes for mechanic to diagnose problem.
Engine is blown and only has 62,000 miles. Oil changes were kept up and oil levels were normal. Engine just went with no warning. After talking to many machanincs this seem to be public knowledge. Except the dealer forgot to tell us of the history this engine has. The remanufactured engine are redone with proper oil pump, bearings and chain tensioners, this is a manufactures rebuilt engine. However they will not help us. We are paying for a car that we can not drive. Please help. D.P.
Engine on a 1998 Dodge Intrepid with only 64,000 miles on it requires a new one. The piston and valves are shot. The required oil and filter changes were performed timely. I cannot fix this by myself. The cost is $7,000. I have to drive it like it is and this is a potential danger because if the oil isn't kept at proper levels it could freeze and stall while driving. There is no incident yet but can be if let the way it is. I have no other means of transportation and can't afford to repair the whole bill. Chrysler is not helping or showing any responsibility. I think it should be recalled and grounds for class action.
1998 Dodge Intrepid engine blew up unexpectedly, stranding my entire family 2 hours from home. It's still in the shop and cannot make the repairs and I still owe $9600 on it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Du Bois, PA, USA