CarComplaints.com Notes: The Dodge Intrepid, Stratus & other Chrysler sedans are infamous for oil sludge problems with the 2.7L V6 engine. If someone offers to sell you a 2.7L V6 model, it's only worth the price of the scrap metal it's going to shortly turn into.
NOTE: Only the 2.7L V6 has the oil sludge problem. Our "Avoid like the Plague" designation is ONLY for models with the 2.7L V6 engine. All other available engines are very reliable with no major problems.
Even with regular maintenance, the oil sludge defect eventually destroys the 2.7L engine typically around 80,000-100,000 miles. The only true fix we know about is to put in the larger 3.2L engine, which has a great reputation.
This issue was never deemed a safety defect by the Feds, so there was no recall. In the end, Chrysler got away with FOUR YEARS worth of defective 2.7L V6 engines in their sedans.
62,000 MILES ON MY INTREPID AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ENGINE IS SHOT. THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD SPEND $4500 TO REPLACE A MOTOR THAT WONT LAST AT LEAST 100,000 MILES. I OWE ABOUT $4500 ON THE CAR AND IT IS JUNK.
I bought my 1999 Dodge Intrepid from a local auto dealership at the end of 1999. It has 23,000 miles on it at that time. Within a week of owning it, the catalytic converter went out and I had to have it towed to the dealership. They fixed it under warranty and all was well for a while. Then my driver side window would not roll up or down. My husband made an adjustment which fixed the motor but then the window went off track and I have to manually pull it up to shut it. Then my oil light started to flicker off and on for no apparent reason. I have always had my oil changed and check it regularly. It has never been low when the light comes on. Well, finally yesterday I went to lunch and everything seemed fine with the exception of the oil light came on again. When I pulled into the parking garage at work, I heard a very loud grinding noise coming from the engine. My check engine light never came on once. I shut the car off and it never restarted again. Apparently, the engine had a sudden engine failure and needs to be replaced to the tune of $6,000. What kind of company makes a car that doesn't last for more than 70,000 miles. This is ridiculous!!! Do not buy a Dodge Intrepid.
I have had this car just about completely replaced. Everything from the covering on the headlights to the seat belts, to the engine control module replaced. Each of the window motors have been replaced 3 times. Both cooling fans have been replaced and even the transmission control module has gone out. Some has been covered under warranty but not most. At 54k miles I had the lower half of the engine replaced with a cost of $3200 and lack of use of the car for a month. It happened again at 62k miles but they covered it this time. I still couldn't use the car for a month. At 72k miles I had the oil flushed and a tune up done. I did that again at 76k miles. I have also had the oil changed regularly but that does not help to prevent sludge buildup. Now the engine has failed again at 93k miles and once again Chrysler won't pay a dime! I am not going to wait for Chrysler to do what is right and replace the engine with one that works like it should. I am going to get an attorney and sue them! I want my day in court.
I bought a dodge intrepid because i liked the look and feel of the car . When I test drove it I noticed the oil light come on and the dealer told me it was just a sensor and the light would go off. Well it is now 1 yr later and the engine sludge has caused my engine to completely die. I have given it the regular oil changes used the right oil and look what happens these cars are junk and made of aluminum I might add. do NOT buy this car it is nothing but a headache and if the dealer i bought it from doesn't find me something else by the end of today i am going to park it in his lot and let the financers come and get the damn thing . I have two kids that i need to drive around and there is no way I will do it in the piece of crap ( to put it lightly ) sitting in my driveway that I still have 2 yrs to pay for.
I bought the car 6 months ago and I have a baby on the way. I am in school to make sure my baby has a good life. All of a sudden the engine starts shaking. I know I burn a little oil. But my car started it even worse. What really sucks is I had paid for a warranty through a dealership called Affordable Auto sales in warren. They never sent my paper work in so I could not get it fixed. Now I am sueing them for every last penny that those bastards owe me. I will never by another dodge.
Well first I would like to say that I'm VERY disappointed in Dodge. I cant believe that they would make such a beautiful, and great driving car and then put a good for nothing engine in it and NOT do nothing about it. They need to RECALL the car and fix the problem. I got my car from my grandparents for a graduation gift (a 99 Dodge Intrepid) I fell in love with it the minute i saw it. when I got my car it only had 57,000 miles on it. but I just finally put 3,000 more miles on the car since I've had it and the engine started making a knocking sound and that was it my car was DEADER than a doornail. I had to call my family to come and get me cause I was stranded out on the highway. So after they came and got my we called and talked to some people about my car to see what had happened to it and then we began to realize that it wasnt just my car. It was all Intrepids with 2.7L engines. The other bad thing was that when we called the Chrysler dealer and asked them about it they wouldn't tell us anything. They acted as if they never heard of the car doing such things. Which was very rude and wrong they were lying. Then it came to finding out what it was going to COST me to fix my car. You know what they told me (that it wasnt worth fixing) unless i got a completely new motor. They said to get a new motor, it would cost me any where from $2,500 to $4,000 to get my car repaired not to mention the tow bill i had to pay ... all my car has been doing lately is spending my hard earned money. So I think that they had better do something about the cars a RECALL would be a good start. Cause if Chrysler is going to treat me like this then i'm never going to buy another Dodge/Chrysler vehicle again. Cause all they did was put me in debt for a car i had already paid for. I have put more money into that car than its worth ill never get my money back. I've also heard dealers wont even buy the cars no more, unless you sell them the car for nothing. So Chrysler is to blame I think! They definitely need to recall the car.....................
Purchased 99 intrepid from a used car lot who said this car was supplied to him from a local Dodge dealership and had been used by a businessman and well taken care of. The car looked good, rode good, and seemed priced right. We were replacing a car that had been totaled. Paid $3450 and was on our way. Nice car we expected to use for several years. 4 months and less than 4000 miles engine starts clicking, oil light staying on and check engine light on. Have mechanic check for repair he tells me this is a problem with the 2.7L engine and the best thing to do is get the $200 junk price and have it crushed. If I get it fixed it will go out again. Called junk yard for engine they said none available that engine had problems. Called used car lot he said I didn't change oil quick enough. Called Dodge no help. I think I had the $3500 stolen using the defective product. Still working on a settlement
I have the same problem as everyone else. Started with a ticking sound. Now I have to buy another car because the value of the car is less than the repair cost. Sorry Chrysler, you have lost another customer. I have had problems with all of mine, from the Grand Caravan's A/C, my Neon with the peeling paint, warped head gasket and failing rear main oil seal and the Intrepid's A/C and engine failure. Three strikes and you're out.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE THAT I HAD. MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 35MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY SUDDEN ENGINE SHUTDOWN. WE ALMOST GOT INTO A WRECK TRYING TO GET THE CAR STOPPED AND TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE WERE STRANDED IN THE COLD WEATHER UNTIL MY MOM COULD GET THERE TO PICK US UP. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER TRYING TO RAISE A 4YR OLD GIRL, ATTEND COLLEGE FULL TIME, AND WORK PART TIME. WHEN I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE SHOP, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY ENGINE WAS BLOWN, AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED... I BURST INTO TEARS. THERE IS NO WAY IN THE WORLD THAT I HAVE THE 4-8K THAT IT WILL COST TO FIX IT. I AM NOW STUCK WITHOUT A CAR AT ALL, AS I CAN NOT AFFORD TO GO AND GET ANOTHER ONE EITHER. WHEN I CAME HOME FROM THE SHOP I BEGAN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, AND BEGAN TO FIND ALL THESE SITES JUST LIKE THIS ONE, AND WAS EVEN MORE DEVASTATED. HOW IN THE WORLD COULD DAIMLER-CHRYSLER BE TOLD ABOUT THIS DEFECT SO MANY TIMES, AND STILL REFUSE TO ISSUE A RECALL. THAT ALONE MAKES ME SICK, THEY ARE SO MONEY HUNGRY THAT THEY DO NOT CARE WHO GETS INJURED, KILLED, OR IS INFLICTED WITH SERIOUS FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL HARDSHIPS. THAT IS THE MOST IMMORAL AND UNETHICAL THING THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF. PLUS HOW WOULD REALLY PUT ANOTHER MOTOR IN IT, JUST TO HAVE IT DO THE SAME THING FEW THOUSAND MILES DOWN THE ROAD. I AM TRULY IN SHOCK THAT SUCH A REPUTABLE CAR MANUFACTURER COULD BE SO SELFISH AND HEARTLESS. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER DODGE/CHRYSLER PRODUCT NOR WILL I LET ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN TO ME. WE SHOULD BOYCOTT THEM, AND REFER EVERYONE WE KNOW TO THESE SITES SO THEY CAN KNOW THE FACTS BEFORE THEY PURCHASE THESE VEHICLES SINCE WE WERE NOT AS FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE ON HERE FIGURES OUT SOMETHING.... MAYBE WE WILL GET A LAWSUIT AND GET REIMBURSED FOR HARDSHIPS AS WELL AS FOR THESE WORTHLESS JUNK ENGINES.. I TRULY HATE DODGE/CHRYSLER NOW!!!!!!!!!! IF WE GET A LAWSUIT PLEASE BE SURE TO LET ME KNOW.... I DEFINITELY WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS. THANKS AND TAKE CARE ALL MY FELLOW VICTIMS OF THIS INJUSTICE.
I was driving home from work when my engine just shut off. No overheating, plenty of oil, the engine just seized up. Took to a mechanic and was told that it needed a new engine, that the 2.7L Dodge engines were crap. I am only glad that I did not have my kids in the car. Thinking about addressing this with the Better Business Bureau after reading all the complaints on the internet about this engine.
Recently got my dead Intrepid back from my Ex-wife. She killed it I thought by not doing regular oil changes. Hey it looks like this is a common problem. I took the car to my mech and had him rebuild what he can. He suggested I just sell it or trade it in to Dodge for a measure of revenge. At this time it runs great but I drive with one eye on the oil light area just in case
Driving home from work just happened that the car just stop for no reason, I check for a high temperature and everything was ok. I stepped out off the car, opened the hood and it was smelling like coolant & that it was running hot - When I stopped there was no puddle (I was expecting a water pump or hose had gone out). When I tried to re-start it the car sputtered and coughed and died.
Checked oil dipstick and it was cloudy and mucky - after a tow home and a mechanic checked it over it was confirmed that the block was cracked. DODGE HAS TO RECALL THESE ENGINES
Due to Chrysler making the engine with two 90 degree angles for the oil return it causes sludge to build up and the engine to fail, they noticed the issue and changed the engine in 2003, but didn't feel that it was worth their time to have a recall to correct the problem at hand saving us all the trouble of our engines quitting when on the road.
I purchased the 1999 Dodge Intrepid brand new. When I had 32,000 miles under warranty they rebuilt the engine. This past January the engine went again. I have a car that will cost $4,000 to rebuild the engine. The car is in great shape with only 66,000 miles. The car should be running for another 100,000 miles. What will Dodge do for us. All I know is wanted to Purchase a Dodge Charger at one time. After this car, there will not be a Dodge or Chrysler product in my driverway and I will spread the word about Dodge.
It is bad that a company as large as dodge could crap on people with such a crappy engine, really like dodge but would never ever buy a dodge product as long as i live and i iwould not recommend that anyone else would, dodge reaaly diappointed me in this matter
I just started hearing about other people with my same sludge problem. I used to work for a dodge dealer in NY & I had an Intrepid as a demo. I bought it out when I left to move to FL. Needless to say while working at the dealer my car had kit glove attention from my mates in the shop and when I left I also purchased the best factory warranty $$ could buy as I was leaving my shop mates behind. I changed my oil every 3,000 miles at a reputable Goodyear store. I left for Europe for a month and left my car in a lot at the marina to save airport parking $$. When i returned my car was fine and she started right up soon after i took it to Goodyear for yet another oil change and when i left there i heard a slight ticking, i thought they may have forgot something so i made a u turn & went right back. They double checked everything & all was ok except for the ticking so i drove @ 7 miles to my local dodge dealer after a week or 2 i got the call that my engine was destroyed due to sludge and it was my fault for neglect & Chrysler was declining my warrranty claim.. Well i made several calls to my mates in NY to no avail... since Chrysler warranty is a different division from sales & parts.. Well i still owed @ $6000.00 on my Intrepid so i went out & bought 2 new cars, called Chrysler financial & told them " to come pick up their car" i will deal with a voluntary repo not a LEMON... end of story. maybe someday there will be a class action suit Daimler/ Chrysler.... Sincerely K. H.
My 99 intrepid had 70,000 miles on it and the 2.7 engine started ticking, I got it fixed and a year later the engine blew out. I am told I will have to pay 5000.00 dollars in order to replace the engine.
Purchased bona fide 'previously owned' 1999 Dodge Intrepid with a 2.7l engine, with approximately 30K miles, December 2000. The only prior owner was a reputable car rental company.
Vehicle has been maintained in a manner that exceeds manufacturers recommendations.
On a day in early June, left for work as usual - noticed a slight ticking noise coming from under the front hood.
A major highway is one mile from my residence and, in the course of commuting to work, this highway must be accessed.
Within 1 mile of traveling on said highway, the ticking suddenly became louder and quicker - simultaneously, the check engine light came on - which by the way has only come on once during the past five years and proved to be an error.
Within one minute of the light coming on, it started blinking rapidly - along with a loud, warning chime - rapidly repetitive.
I was in the left lane of rush hour traffic - and barely had time to react to the sudden 'lunge-seize-lunge-seize............... of the vehicle.
Just trying to pull into an upcoming left turn access in the median, was like trying drive an old farm vehicle without power steering.
The vehicle then completely seized while maneuvering the left, and then just 'died' - fortunately [depending on ones pov] my mechanic was only two miles up the highway and came right away.
Apparently, the oil sludge problem caused the timing chain problem - causing the engine to seize.
My mechanic has strongly recommended that I do not replace the 2.7 - even if rebuilt/reconditioned as he fears the same "inherent" design flaw will cause the same problem, not to mention that due to the demand of rebuilt 2.7s [wonder why there is a high demand?-hmmmmmm] the price is reflective of that demand.
My mechanic has recommended converting to a 3.2l, but I no longer can find the site of the company [companies] that sell them.
For Chrysler/Dodge to lay claim that this is due to owners failing to properly maintain their vehicles, or to lay claim that an insignificant number of complaints have been filed, just flies in the face of logic, the evidence and statistics are there.
Hmmm, only 600 complaints? What is their magical number before admitting that their is a problem that they should be held accountable for?
Not only should this manufacturer be held legally responsible and accountable [hiding behind skewed complaint statistics] - this engine should be recalled - replaced at their expense and restitution made to owners for ALL expenses incurred as a result of lost of use of their vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
62,000 MILES ON MY INTREPID AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ENGINE IS SHOT. THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD SPEND $4500 TO REPLACE A MOTOR THAT WONT LAST AT LEAST 100,000 MILES. I OWE ABOUT $4500 ON THE CAR AND IT IS JUNK.
- Greg O., Allegan, MI, US