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Dodge Intrepid

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Comments

  • jsylvesterjsylvester Member Posts: 572
    What was the cause of that problem? It happened to me once last week. It did not jerk into gear, it just kind of gently engaged. I just got the car, so I have been giving the electronic control of the transmission to adjust to my driving style before I complain, if necessary.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    The dealer never did find the cause of the problem because it never did act up for them. Mine would normally act up only in reverse, like when I'm backing out of a parking space. I would put the lever in reverse, but it would just sit there like it was in neutral. I would have to shift through the gears once or twice, until it finally caught.

    I think I discovered the cause of my transmission's refusal to engage, though. I have a bad habit of trying to take off too fast (probably comes from delivering pizzas) Anyway, I tend to drop the shifter into reverse the instant the ignition unlocks it. I didn't realize I was doing this, but I've noticed that if I wait a few seconds and then put it into reverse, it engages just fine.

    Maybe I was just trying to shift too fast after starting and the transmission wasn't "ready" or something??

    -Andre
  • cats8cats8 Member Posts: 22
    do the Intrepid burn oil whet is the top sped of the Intrepid if you now email me at mkitty@inreach.com
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    ummm, the intrepid burns gas and goes plenty fast!!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I have about 32,000 miles on my Intrepid now, and it hasn't started burning or leaking oil yet. I change the oil about every 3000-3500 miles, and judging from the amount that comes out when I drain it, it's not burning any.

    I read somewhere (Car & Driver, I think) that the ES with the 3.2 will do 118 mph, but mine is just a base model with the 2.7. I know from experience it'll break 100 mph with little strain but have no idea of its top speed.
    -Andre
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    andre,

    as you probably already know, i've owned three new intrepids since late 95. none of these cars used any oil whatsoever.
  • copperhead1copperhead1 Member Posts: 157
    I own a 2.7 and the top spped is 120 mph,I tested it already a couple of times,when you reach that speed the electeonic governor goes on.
  • Jason5Jason5 Member Posts: 440
    I noticed on several occasions that when I would start my Intrepid, first thing, and immediately drop it into reverse; there was a delay before the transmission would engage. It would almost "ooze" into reverse...if you follow my meaning. No abrupt engagement, rather it would slowly engage and then work just fine.
    Told the service manager who was baffled but mentioned that they would make it part of the permanent record... No problems to report as I approach my one year anniversary. 14,500 miles, no problems beyond having the 4 disc CD changer replaced for "skipping".. In addition the service manager DID replace the seat rails when I noticed a very slight backward tilting on my seat. Apparently others have dealt with this as well. My average "city" mileage has been in the 17.6-18.5 range (I only drive 4 miles to work and stop once at daycare); average highway mileage on trips is 26.5. Good wishes all..
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    hey jason,

    if i remember right, there is a tsb dealing with delayed transaxle engagement...otherwise good to hear the trep is doing fine. i do miss mine. i sometimes wish i knew who had bought my traded in cars. on the other hand, i know how alot of people take care of their cars and therefore it is probably best that i not know!!
  • Jason5Jason5 Member Posts: 440
    Andre--Perhaps you could share your road rage incident with us--or just point me to the topic by name. I've spent the better part of my life in "college towns", so I'm familiar with some of the...umm..."joys" of pizza delivery. Worst story I ever heard was a student who was robbed at gunpoint while delivering pizza's--then forced to strip. His clothes were taken--guess they didn't want him to try and follow. Perhaps those new heated delivery bags would have come in handy for him??? Re: the transmission...you just gotta love the "ooze"!
    Emale--Any idea where that tsb is located? We're starting the process, in earnest, of buying a car for my wife. At least she's consistent--gift buying for her is always a challenge, car buying seems much the same. For instance.."boy I really like the PT Cruiser, but let's look at a new C Class too!" "I just HATE the 300M, but I kind of like the I30..." Let me know about the tsb buddy..
    Best wishes to all....
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Hi Jason,

    The road rage incident I posted is topic #1001 "Tales of the Outrageous - Your Best (or Worst) Road Rage Incidents". If you type in Road Rage in the topic search, this is one of the three Road Rage forums it will pull up. My post is #154.

    I have to admit, though, that I've been pretty lucky. I've delivered pizzas for about 5 years now, and have probably logged around 80,000 miles doing it. This is the worst incident that's ever happened to me. Well, I had a drunk stand in front of my Gran Fury (ex police car) once and block the street because he was mad at me. He thought I should put a sign on my car so people wouldn't mistake me for the police (evidently he did). But that's about it. I guess my number had to come up, eventually.

    As far as the oozing tranny goes, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to not shift into reverse as soon as I start the car. It's a hard habit to break though...I guess I got used to my older RWD cars that would lunge into gear immediately.
    -Andre
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    You're right, that sometimes it's best that you don't know what happens to your cars after they move on to the next owner. My mother and stepfather still cringe whenever we bring up the '86 Monte Carlo they gave me. It had 179,000 miles on it, and was running perfectly. I used it to deliver pizzas, because it got better mileage than the other battlecruisers I was driving at the time (and it had a tape player). One night I got T-boned in the parking lot at high speed by a teenager who ran a stop sign. Dead at 192,000 miles.

    True, it wasn't my fault, but they still give me a hard time about it on occasion. Such as... "why were you delivering pizzas in THAT car??" as opposed to "thank God you weren't hurt!" ;-)

    -Andre
  • dkrhardydkrhardy Member Posts: 134
    Try backing into your garage at night, then you won't have to worry about the reverse issue 1st thing in the morning. ;-) Maybe that is why I don't have any problems with the DC trans shifting into reverse. It only happens 1st start of the day, right?
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    gee, look who just couldn't stay away!

    jason,

    that tsb can be found right from the edmunds web page. i'll find it and post here. later.
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    jason,

    here is the tsb i mentioned. however, it says it relates only to the 98 model year. but, you can check with your local service tech to see whether or not it also applies to the y2k models. also, there are a couple tsbs about tranny range sensors. just a thought...

    Service Bulletin Number: 210798
    Bulletin Sequence Number: 772
    Date of Bulletin: 9804
    NHTSA Item Number: SB600751
    Make: DODGE
    Model: INTREPID
    Year: 1998
    Component: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
    Summary: SUBJECT ON DELAYED TRANSAXLE ENGAGEMENT. *AK
  • Jason5Jason5 Member Posts: 440
    Thanks for the information and referral! Nice cold November weather here in Pennsylvania today!
    Thanks to all.. Emale--SURE you can't make Detroit in January?
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I almost always back my car into its parking spot anyway (I don't put it in the garage, because I keep my '67 Catalina conv in there)

    Anyway, my tranny problem happens any time of the day, but I've noticed it's always when I shift into reverse too quickly after starting the car, as the tach momentarily spikes up to around 1500 rpm before settling back to around 6-700. First start of the day (when the car isn't backed in) is always fine. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
    -Andre
  • alvey1alvey1 Member Posts: 8
    Do you suppose that the tranny is supposed to not engage until the revs drop? The car might be programmed to do this to protect the tranny. (I know that some of the mid-90s small Chrysler products went into gear very hard.)
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Alvey1, that could be. I don't have any experience with the mid-90's Mopars, so I don't know how they are. I went right from a 1989 Gran Fury to a 2000 Intrepid, so I missed the 90's completely! And mechanically, the Gran Fury is little more than a bulked up 1968 Dart with transverse torsion bars, so it's not even a good representative of the typical 80's Mopar!

    I also used to drift sometimes in those older Mopars...put it in neutral on a downhill grade and just let gravity do its thing,then shift back into drive once it started losing too much momentum. Considering that they used to tell you it was bad on the tranny back then, though, I can only presume it's even worse on the newer ones, so I've never tried it with the Trep.

    -Andre
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    jason,

    i already have plans in place to visit friends in oregon in january and phx/las vegas in february. the vacation leave book, is, uhhh...booked up if you will. however, thanks for the invite. it is also quite chilly here in south dakota. plus, we've already head about a foot of snow! now you know why i can't live without 4 wheel drive!
  • dkrhardydkrhardy Member Posts: 134
    You know, I never even gave that built in delay a thought, but it does seem to be a possibility. Does the trans also delay going into gear if you select drive at the initial start-up instead? I always start the car and out of habit wait for maybe 20-30 seconds before putting it into gear. I don't know if I want to try it any sooner, may be that I also would have the delay and then I'd be worried about it.
  • alvey1alvey1 Member Posts: 8
    My startup period is only about 10 seconds - while the garage door opens or about the same amount of time to buckle up after starting it anywhere. Never had the problem with reverse. However, one day in the parking garage I parked facing the exit. As soon as I started the engine I went to drive to get out of there in a hurry. A brief slippage, and then about 50 foot from the stall it slipped for maybe one second while still in the parking garage. I noticed it, but didn't worry because of the posts I've seen here.
  • Jason5Jason5 Member Posts: 440
    No problem buddy.... Just checking
  • jsylvesterjsylvester Member Posts: 572
    Dealer nailed the diagnosis right away, a bad throttle body valve, believe it is something that regulates the pressure in the tranny when shifting. It will show up when/if the transmission is cold. It never failed to shift out of park, reverse, of between gears. There is also a post in the 300M section about a similar problem.

    Dealer had to drop the tranny, which is kind of a worry, but obviously a defect from the factory, and probably the most common transmission problem in this line of transmissions.
  • assman97assman97 Member Posts: 9
    I have owned my Intrepid since it was brand new, and have taken very good care of it over the past 4 years. It has the base 3.3L V6 with the standard 4 speed auto O/D. However, due to Chrysler's lack of quality, I have experienced more problems than a well maintained 4 year old car should have. It has only 65000km (or 39000 miles) on it after almost 4 and a half years, and I've already replaced the a/c condenser and evaporator, the water pump, rocker cover gaskets, front bushings (three times), brake light switch, headlight control (twice), power window controls, some interior trim, cruise control (four times), and various other mechanical and computer related items. Even after all this work, the bushings in the front still knock and make noise, my car has developed structural integrity damage to the rear driver side frame area, there is a hissing noice coming from the air intake area, the front driver seat keeps coming apart underneath, the a/c compressor rumbles still, and oil keeps oozing out through the rocker cover seals.

    I do like the car since it is nice to drive and very spacious (not to mention good-looking), but I don't appreciate visiting the dealer every so often to get my warranty work done (extended). Has anyone else had any of these problems before (keep in mind that my car hasn't caused any NEW problems in more than 7-8 months now, just the old ones remain).
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    anyone else thinking what i'm thinking??
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    and just what ARE you thinking?
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    marsha7-

    He's probably thinking it's another unbelievable story that was made up by a disgruntled Chrysler owner or a former Chrysler owner who now has a new identity!

    fastdriver
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    or made up by someone who has never owned a chrysler, let alone an intrepid, but lurks around like a troll...
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    emale-

    WHY do you find these stories so incredible? If you owned my Christine, you would indeed find it very believable.

    You could be 100% correct. WHY would someone waste their time making this crap up unless they have no life OR just got fired by the headhunters coming from Germany! ;-))

    fastdriver
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    fastdriver,

    your christine experience pales in comparison to
    assmans post! seems to me that christine would
    have only been at the dealership a couple times if
    it weren't for the continual misdiagnosis of bad
    tires!

    anyway, a laundry list like the one assman posted
    is always interesting to read. but certain things
    always jump out. like me, don't you wonder what he
    meant by "developed structural damage"?

    as for wondering why someone would waste their
    time making up this crap; you are kidding, right?
    there is one particular person that has frequented
    this and every other intrepid topic under several
    aliases, a few of which have been banned from
    townhall. he continues to spout off info that isn't
    true. he even sends email to me using one of
    those fake email addresses that you can't reply to.
    talk about needing a life!! or at least more
    homework!
  • Jason5Jason5 Member Posts: 440
    Emale.. Yes...

    FastDriver.. Emale's story is correct. More's the pity, I suppose..
  • pobrepobre Member Posts: 3
    Hello all...I have been reading these posts now for a couple of months and have come to my own conclusions. I am a proud new owner of a 2000 Intrepid ES with all of the possible options. The deal was too good to pass up, especially with the 0% financing. Obviously, it was a leftover and the dealer had already put about 2k miles on it, but I didn't really mind. (for an extra $10 month, I extended the warranty to 5 years/60k miles). Originally, I was looking for a 2000 R/T but the ones that were left did not have half the options the ES has. Also, I was trying to be patient and wait on a 2001 R/T but I know I would have probably paid at least 5k more without the incentives and with the similar options on the ES.

    A little background...my wife and I also own a '95 Jeep Wrangler & '96 VW Golf. With my "prego" wife getting bigger daily, we needed a larger vehicle. Since the 2 cars are sticks and she can barely engage the clutches, an automatic was a necessity. I originally wanted an SUV (Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder), but were out of my price range for now. (became 1st time homebuyer in Sept). Then did some research on a couple of 6 cylinder sedans costing < $30k fully-loaded...Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, VW Passat, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chrysler Concorde, Trep. (Did not go with any Fords/Chevys... I hate to take sides between my Ford/Chevy friends ;) Their available models didn't impress me anyways.

    Based on performance and looks, I narrowed it down to the Maxima, Passat, Grand Prix, Concorde, & the Trep. Couldn't see why I should spend $5k more on basically the same options...so left was the Grand Prix, Concorde, & Trep. Like the roominess and trunk space in the Concorde & Trep better for (child seat, stroller, econosize packages of diapers...) So went to all the local Chrysler & Dodge dealers and found the exact one with all the options I wanted. CHA CHING! Bought our silver ES last Saturday and the future looks bright.

    So far, my wife and I love it and have had no problems (knocking on wood). We don't mind the road noise at all. (I don't think there are any cars as loud as a soft-top jeep!) She likes having an automatic, and the autostick compensates for my performance needs.

    Looking forward to reading more of this thread...

    BTW...didn't trade anything in. I am a Jeeper and the Golf gets great MPH.
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    have fun with the trep, rod! is this the first child?
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    emale-

    I went back an re-read that message. I guess you're right. It does seem like an awful lot of things that have gone wrong for only 39,000 miles. As for that structural integrity damage- maybe it rusted out? I assume he's from Canada since he mentions kilometers. Maybe they use a lot of salt on the roads up there and he doesn't wash the underbody? It is worse then Christine! LOL....I have 32,000+ miles now. Looks like she'll be going BEFORE the lease ends in June. Don't want her when she reaches 36,000 miles with no warranty.

    fastdriver
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    i don't think i've ever seen a rusted out intrepid...and i live in the northern plains where salt and sand rule in the winter time!

    hey, how long was your lease? 3yr/36k. will you get dinged for turning the car in early?
  • copperhead1copperhead1 Member Posts: 157
    I think it´s about time for fastdriver to make an early return of his 300M,too much against the car already.
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    emale-

    Lease was for 3 years, 45,000 miles! Too bad they don't extend the warranty for the extra miles. No penalities for early return. I have the other lease option. Forget what it's called, but the car is in my name and I pay the property taxes myself. All I have to do is pay the remaining payments from now until May. No payment for June.

    Yes, copperhead1, unlike you, Christine has been the WORST car that I have ever owned.

    fastdriver
  • pobrepobre Member Posts: 3
    Yep. This will be our 1st child. Also, the 1st amongst our close niche of friends, 1st grandchild for our parents, & 1st great grandchild
    for our grandparents. Friends & relatives are going to spoil this kid rotten.
  • davidudavidu Member Posts: 40
    I've now got about 23,000 on my loaded 99 ES and I absolutely love it. It's been a great car with only a few very minor problems.

    I still like mine just as much today as when I got it over 18 months ago!!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Hey gang,

    I just made a decision that's going to have a big impact on my Intrepid's projected lifespan. I quit delivering pizzas on Saturday nite. So now my average miles per year should drop from around 30K+ to around 12-13K.

    It's a relief, too, because I was already tbinking about on what car I might get to replace the Intrepid. I planned on trading in at just under 100K miles, when the extended warranty runs out. I'm just over 32K miles now.

    Pobre, I'm sure you'll love your ES. Mine is a base model, and suits me fine. I could use a bit more power, and wish I had a power seat (I'm tall and need the legroom), but other than that I'm happy with it. Just curious, what did you think of the Grand Prix? I kind of like them too, but never looked at one seriously. For less than the sticker on the base Intrepid (I have trouble calling the '01's "SE", because that's traditionally a top-line luxury badge) it looks like the base Grand Prix (also the "SE") had ABS and alloy rims, and a larger (but lower hp) 3.4 engine. I bought my Y2K Intrepid one day when we went to the dealer's service center to pick up my uncle's truck. They started talking numbers on the Intrepid that sounded too good to be true, so I jumped on it.

    It's been a great car so far...and hopefully it will continue to be.

    -Andre
  • jsylvesterjsylvester Member Posts: 572
    Since everyone likes to complain, I thought I would complement my dealer, Bob Caldwell here in Columbus. What they thought was a throttle body valve turned into a complete, new tranny, since I had the car for only 500 miles. They went to bat for me with the zone, and made it happen.

    Anyways, the symptoms were when the car was cold, the first time I shifted into drive, it would coast in drive, but when you gave it gas, it would act like it was in neutral. Only did it once. The service manager diagnosed the throttle body valve, but the tech who fixed the car said it diagnosed as a bad transmission pump. They replaced that, but it still did the same thing, so they decided to replace the entire unit.

    All I can say is it shifts better, and no problems. I really, really missed my R/T, it is a terrific car, especially with the discounts this fall.
  • 2000trep2000trep Member Posts: 30
    anyone have trouble with the interior plastic piece located just aft of the exterior side mirrors breaking off? my passenger side did last weekend.

    been a while since i've checked in. no other problems to report. just rolled over 7K miles.
  • j_j_kiddj_j_kidd Member Posts: 19
    A dealer that offers good after sale service is hard to find, your lucky.
    I was under the impression that Chrysler had cured the transmission problems on the new flock, might just be too good to be true.
    I was told by my dealer they also cured the paint problems, from what I can determine my Intrepid is not the only one (three years old) with the peeling / flaking / rusting problem.
    I don't intend to spend alot of time attempting to obtain any compensation from Chrysler, I will probably just unload it and let my memory record been there, done that, learned my lesson, and move on.
  • jsylvesterjsylvester Member Posts: 572
    Yea, this problem did not seem to fit the normal symptons that their more common problems in the past. It did not ever go into safe mode (lock in 2nd gear), nor have any drivability problems. It was just that issue that came up twice, and only when the car first started and it was cold.

    I ran into the tranny tech who fixed it when he was getting coffee. He said it diagnosed as a bad tranny pump, replaced it, and it still had the same problem. He thought it may be a bad case, so I got a new tranny. He also told me they have had much fewer problems with the redesign in 98, in fact, he has only rebuilt four of the 98 & newers, mine was the first 2000 he did.

    If it makes anyone think differently, my friend's mother had the tranny in her 98 Lexus 300 replaced when it was brand new as well. Happens occasionally, I guess.

    I really missed the car. It was disconcerting, but time will tell. It is a great car to drive.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    Quote: "I quit delivering pizzas on Saturday Night." Does that mean you no longer deliever pizzas as of Sat night, or that you do deliver on the other nights but no longer on Sat night?

    Just harassing you :)
  • ekentekent Member Posts: 4
    FYI, the plant that makes Intrepid's is but one that has been "temporarily shutdown" due to sluggish sales.
    This could not have come at a worse time since I am shopping around for a deal on a 2001 Intrepid R/T. Dealers are now stating that they cannot deal on a car that is not being made, at least temporarily. I have to order the car anyway, it just might take a little longer. The demand has not changed, just the supply and R/Ts were not in high demand in my area to begin with. My price has not and will not change. I may just have to go with another car brand if the Dodge dealers don't come around; so much for staying a Dodge buyer!


    EK
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    ekent-

    They might be doing you a favor in the long run.

    fastdriver
  • emaleemale Member Posts: 1,380
    one of the rules of leasing in my book is, "never lease a vehicle for longer than its warranty"! shame on you! i can't even imagine how pissed off i'd be if i had to pay for a replaced tranny, or something just as expensive, in a car i was renting...
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    emale-

    I only leased the 300 for 3 years. I took the 15,000 miles a year just in case I went over the 12,000 a year. WHO was EVER thinking about quality? I never had a car where something went wrong AFTER the basic warranty. I usually lease for 3 years, except for my 90 Riv which was for 4 years.

    fastdriver
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