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Dodge Intrepid Problems
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Engine trouble spots in the 93-98 included pistons, rings, valves, blocks, heads, bearing, camshafts, gaskets, cam belts/chains, acc belts, oil pumps. CR states on the newer models, the components included in integrity and hardware should be carefully checked before you buy.
Integrity includes seals, weather stripping, air and water leaks, wind noise, rattles and squeaks.
Hardware includes window door and seat meahanisms, locks, safety belts, sunroof, glass.
Again good luck selling your Intrepid, I remember an old saying that goes something like, there's a sucker born every minute. I guess I have been one of those suckers twice, but never again.
Your host, Bruce
Right now I have a 2000 Intrepid base model with about 25,500 miles on it. I deliver pizzas with it, so this car isn't exactly babied. I haven't had any serious problems yet. Sometimes the tranny will refuse to engage reverse until I shift through the gears a couple times. Naturally, the dealer can't find any problems.
Actually, the dealer has been my biggest problem. They want to do a "30,000 mile checkup" on it. They want to change the spark plugs, do the transmission, change the coolant, and, get this...lube the chassis! All this for something like $300+! Now the coolant should be good for 100K miles, and so should the spark plugs. And according to "schedule B", the severe duty one, the tranny should be done around 50K miles.
This same dealer has now had my uncle's 1997 Chevy pickup for about 2 1/2 weeks for tranny problems. So much for the convenience of newer cars!
I'm taking it instead to a local garage whom I trust. They're going to look it over and do what it needs. They did say the tranny would most likely need to be serviced at 30K miles...that the 50K or 100K intervals are bs. The reason manufacturers say that they can go that long is because people have been neglecting the transmission for years, so they just gave up on trying to get people to have them serviced every 15K miles like in the old days.
I'm also going to need new brakes soon, although new brakes at 30K miles is actually pretty good for me. I go through police-spec brakes on an '89 Gran Fury about every 25K miles. And I have a '68 Dart with 10" manual drums all the way around that eats 'em about every 15K miles.
So I don't know...maybe I'm just lucky and happened to get a good Intrepid. But I'm happy with it so far (knock on wood) We'll see how long it lasts at the rate of 30K miles a year. I'm guessing it'll be trouble-free right up until the 100K extended warranty gives out ;-)
-Andre
As far as the older generation Intrepid goes, other motorists should FEAR that front bumper! I saw a first-generation Intrepid that hadrear-ended a late 80's Grand Marquis. The GM's frame bent right over the rear axle and the whole rear-end crumpled down, disabling the car. The Intrepid got a big dent in the hood between the headlights...that's it! In fact, about 5 mins later, I saw that 'trep in my rearview mirror, so it was evidently running fine. It's almost unheard of, in a rear-ender, for the car in back to come out almost unscathed like that. What's even more amazing here is that a GM is a lot bigger than an Intrepid, so I would think that the Intrepid would get the worst of it.
I agree with the back bumpers on the Intrepid though. The first time I had the car up on jacks looking under there, I was thinking that whoever designed the rear bumper oughtta be shot. Or forced to drive a 2000 Intrepid in a society where everybody else drives a Peterbilt ;-) For one thing, it doesn't look like there's anything back there designed to give and bounce back...no shock absorbers or anything. And the trunk lid is too close to the rear of the car. Sure it looks nice to have a bumper integrated into the car like that, but with no crush space, the trunk area is going to get compromised too easily in a rear-ender.
Oh, and here's the ultimate embarrassment...I backed into a snow embankment one day...you can still see the crease in my rear bumper.
Still, been a good car so far!
-Andre
Thanks guys, for the TSB bulletins on my tranny shifting problem. I'm going to have the dealer look at it while they're "greasing my suspension" LOL!
Our intrepid combatants have started feuding in public again. By mutual agreement, whenever they can't keep a civil tongue, their posts get deleted. Again, I'm sorry that it causes confusion for the other participants.
Your host, Bruce
http://www.allpar.com/cr.html
i found it very interesting and some good food for thought. i'm a big consumer reports supporter but some of this material is making me think twice...
Thanks to Fastdriver for the info.
This does not mean that every vehicle made under any given category has problems.
However, our members are free to discuss any maintenance or repair issues they have with vehicles they own in this conference.
With any given production line, there will be those who have no problems and love their vehicles and there will be those who have problems and wish they had bought something different. That is just how things work in the automotive world.
There is no need for sarcasm or backbiting here.
So quit. :-)
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
The right transaxle replaced, brake rotors and pads, radio, fuel pump, fuel injectors.
The current problem is with the transmission, when shifting into drive from reverse, the engine will rev and the transmission goes into drive with a bang. This problem will not occur when the mechanic is watching, I think they believe its just my imagination. Too bad the car wasn't just an imagination.
With the revving my foot gets completley removed from the gas, I have actually tried putting it in park after reverse then to drive and it works fine. Again not being an auto expert I don't know what the problem is,actually don't care, all I want is to have it fixed.
I wasn't attempting to misinform, and I didn't realize this form was only for experts, I guess that leaves me out.
you sure are "unfortunate"? good thing you have a 3yr/36k warrantee!!
Although, I am very happy with my 30MPG car.
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/000926/daimlerchr_2.html
this would bring dc's north american products up
to the warranty standards of toyota, etc.
Could it be because the bailout might be easier to obtain in Canada. During the last big Chrysler bailout in Canada all gov't agencies were told to favour purchases from Chrysler. In fact it was suggested all citizens follow the governments lead and buy Chrysler ie: its government (public) backed, if they go under then millions of taxpayers dollars will be lost. Keep the auto industry healty in Ontario.
Reason two:
DC market share is lower in Canada than in the US.
Reason three:
It takes more to entice Canadians to a second rate product.
Reason four:
Those at DC don't need a reason.
a bailout, seems to me that the us government was the one that bailed out chrysler in the late 80s. anyway, the first quarterly loss since 92, pretty impressive for chrysler who has a somewhat jaded financial history anyway. the losses won't continue but profits will be eaten up for a time until all the minivan and ram truck factories are retooled by the end of next summer. they are also building a new cherokee factory.
-Andre
Another poster refers to a bailout in the late 80's I'm not familiar with that occurence, but its probably true, once to the trough the road back is familiar, and easily travelled.
I find this forum quite interesting and informative; problems experienced by other becomes a potential free lesson to myself; ideas and solutions to other's problems may save me from graduating from the school of hard knocks; and finally, it provides a barometer of my car performance (provided by drivers) against the "pack".
I appreciate and look forward to those postings that provide insight into extending the life of my car which stopped being an investment the day it was purchased.
James
I have also looked for a good Dodge web site to ask questions and technical advice, opinions, etc. The best site I have found is www.moparchat.com This site is clearly the best in quality, with over 60,000 posts! Good luck either way Trevor!
I have only 19k and I have changed the brakes and had the rotors cut because of choice. I change the oil regularly. Not saying that this my help, But i notice In every car that I had owned I always used Mobile Synthetic oil (full not blend) This help gives more life to the car. I might be me but the cars seem to respond better to it
I had a lexus es300, Maxima, and that braking noise that you hear when it after it rains is normal because I hear it form these other cars. It is the material that they use in the brake pads that sticks to the rotor.
I am sorry I did have one other problem with the intrepid but that was because of me. I drive hard in and out of NYC traffic and sometime when I am flying I need to stop at a much faster rate so I shift to neutral and then I down shift. I quote "NEVER DOWN SHIFT IN AN AUTOMATIC", After a months of down shifting I heard A similar noise that only occurred when I had accelerated. I messed up the transmission, the dealer fixed the problem and it was cover under warranty. Still problem free.
failure, I noticed a VERY FAINT
'tin-cans-rattling' SOUND, a 'brief' sound (from
somewhere under the car, front-end), that occurs
only when I touch the accelerator, to maintain a
steady 'parkway' speed of 25MPH. I can hear this
when the windows are down, while driving very
slowly -- it's a faint noise. RELATED ???-
I had this type of sound start around 20k miles. It bugged me for a while. I had looked under the car, between the doors and couldn't find anything. I figured that it was something to do with the door lock mechanism internal to the door. Since the noise always happened at highway speed I was stumped as to why it was occurring with no other vibration happening. I had the car at the dealer for an oil change and when it was up on the lift I looked under the car. There was a small piece of sheet metal (.1" thick) sticking out of a hole in the frame. I jiggled it and it sounded just like what I had been hearing. I pulled it out with pliers and the problem was solved. Why a thin piece of sheet metal was inside the greater frame box section boggles my mind? If you still have the problem you might want to probe the holes in the frame.