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.
1.2
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
140,500 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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.
Air conditioning and heating system stopped working intermittently for the last four years. We have done regular maintenance on this religiously. This last time, it was making a knocking sound and barely made it into my driveway. Upon getting it to my mechanic, was told that the water pump and fuel pump were both going out and that the head gasket was toast, and that they would not work on it because the engines are notoriously bad and not worth it. Sludge build up was also present. Engine is now blown, and we still owe money on this thing!
2001 Dodge Intrepid. The consumer states the engine on the V blew out because there was sludge built up. This engine was maintained by mechanic. Therefore, there should not have been any sludge. The vehicle was working fine prior to this. It happened on June 15, 2005. The vehicle did not catch fire, the engine died after being driven. Then, it would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic, and he stated that engine needed to be replaced. The heater inside the vehicle was not working properly before this happened. When he added water the heater worked. The consumer found out this was part of the problem.
- Woodland Hills, CA, USA
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- Omaha, NE, USA