1999 Dodge Intrepid

1999 DODGE INTREPID ES: TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN OVERHAULED THREE WEEKS AGO BECAUSE OF INTERMITTENT BUMP, SURGING IN AUTOMATIC, ROUGH SHIFTING IN LOWER GEARS. THERE WAS ALSO A ONE TIME SLIPPAGE, A JAM IN FOURTH GEAR AND TRANSMISSION ONCE SHIFTED BACK IN FOURTH RAPIDLY IN LOWER GEARS. TRANSMISSION WAS OVERHAULED, INPUT/OUTPUT SPEED SENSORS, TORQUE CONVERTER, DISC CLUTCH REPLACED. TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO WORK BETTER SINCE OVERHAUL AND REPLACEMENTS THREE WEEKS AGO. PROBLEMS ARE NOW SLOWLY STARTING TO COME BACK. TRANSMISSION DOES NOT FUNCTION CONSISTANTLY AS IT SHOULD. RECENT EXAMPLES: 11/19 MADE U-TURN, LET OF ACCELERATOR PEDAL THEN PRESSED PEDAL FOR MEDIUM ACCELERATION, TRANNY HESITATED THEN BUMPED THEN FINALLY WORKED. 11/20 WHILE DRIVING TO WORK I STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT THEN LIGHTLY PRESSED ACCELERATOR PEDAL, TRANNY SEEMED TO LOCK DOWN HARD AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED VERY QUICKLY, FASTER THAN USUAL. VEHICLE ALMOST SMASHED INTO CAR IN FRONT OF ME. ENGINE DID NOT REV AS LIKE IT WAS A THROTTLE REQUEST. THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP SAYS TRANSMISSION IS FINE AND SHIFTS FINE. I ASKED DEALERSHIP TO CHECK FOR FAULT CODES, THEY STATE THAT NO CODES WERE FOUND. I WILL BE TAKING IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. *AK

AT TIME OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE PROBLEM BECAME SERIOUS AND BECAME OBVIOUS ON 10/18/01. AFTER TRANSMISSION STARTED FAILING I STOPPED AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL AHEAD. AFTER STOPPING AND LETTING GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LIMPED TO THE LEFT WITH VERY LIMITED CONTROL WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO TURN IT. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH FLIMSLY/LOOSE STEERING THAT MOVES TO FREELY BUT THE VEHICLE WAS EVEN MOVE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND THE STEERING FELT REALLY STRANGE. I LIMPED IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE STEERING PROBLEM AND A TECH SAID THAT IT DROVE NORMAL BUT THEY FOUND A BOLT OR WASHER MISSING FROM THE LEFT LOWER SUSPENSION CONTROL ARM AND WILL REPLACE. THEY ARE CURRENTLY ORDERING THE PART AND I AM WITHOUT MY VEHICLE AT THIS TIME.*AK

SEVERAL DAYS AFTER HAVING THE 3.2L ENGINE REPLACED BECAUSE IT BLEW UP DUE TO UNEXPLAINED OIL DISSAPPEARANCE I EXPERIENCED CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. MY INPUT AND OUTPUT SPEED SENSOR WAS REPLACED WHEN MY VEHICLE WAS IN FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT DUE TO ROUGH SHIFTING AND SURGING IN LOW GEARS AND INTERMITTENT TRANSMISSION BUMP. VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO WORK SOMEWHAT SMOOTHER. TRANSMISSION KICKDOWN ISSUE WORSENED HOWEVER. VEHICLE WOULD NEED TO BE DRIVING AT 30-35MPH OR SLOWER FOR TRANSMISSION TO KICK DOWN HARD FOR MERGING, PASSING OR TO ENTER THE FREEWAY OR ACCELERATION WAS POOR. TRANSMISSION BUMP STILL SOMETIMES OCCURED. DURING ACCELERATION ACROSS INTERSECTION VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SURGE BACK AND FOURTH AS VEHICLE WAS SWITCHING BACK AND FOURTH BETWEEN GEARS. THIS HAPPENED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS, I WAS READY TO KILL THE IGNITION BUT IT STOPPED. I STEPPED DOWN HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR TRYING TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM AND ENGINE REVED BUT VEHICLE ACELERATED VERY SLOWLY INDICATING TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE. THE SLIPPAGE ONLY OCCURED ONCE SHORTLY AFTER AND COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. DEALER WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR PULL FAULT CODE. DEALER IS GOING TO PERFORM MAJOR TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL/REBUILD AT ONLY 33350 MILES. ADDITIONAL LOSSED TIME FROM WORK BECAUSE OF THESE CONTINUAL PROBLEMS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY NEAR TRACY, CA VEHICLE DROVE OVER SMOOTHLY PART IN FREEWAY THAT SLIGHTLY WENT UPWARD THEN SLIGHTLY DOWNWARD CAUSING VEHICLE SPRINGS OR STRUTS TO LIFT UP OR HOP FAR TOO MUCH CREATING VERY POOR VEHICLE TRACTION, TRAFFIC THEN ABRUPTLY HALTED, HAD TO BRAKE HARD TO STOP VEHICLE, VEHICLE HAD POOR TRACTION AND JUST SLID MAKING A LOUD TIRE SCREECHING NOISE, HAD TO VERY QUICKLY RELEASE THE BRAKE SINCE VEHICLE WAS SKIDDING, SHIFTED INTO AUTOSTICK AND DOWNSHIFTED QUICKLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH QUICKLY USING BRAKE GET VEHICLE TO STOP PROPERLY. I AM USING STOCK GOODYEAR TIRES WITH GOOD TREAD, SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME TIRES ARE OK, I AM SUPPOSED TO HAVE ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKES) SO THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. I BELEIVE THAT THE ABS FAILED DUE TO THE SPRINGS OR STRUTS BOUNCING ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO LIFT UP TOO MUCH THUS LOOSING TRACTION CAUSING ABS TO FAIL. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH ABS HOWEVER BRAKES ARE STARTING TO SOMETIMES FEEL FUNNY, ALMOST A LITTLE ROUGH WHEN APPLIED LATELY. I TALKED TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE SKIDDED AS IT DID AND MY SPRINGS COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXCESSIVE UPLIFT THAT OCCURED. VEHICLE DOES SEEM TO HOP OR BOUNCE A LITTLE MUCH ALSO AT TIMES CAUSING THE FRONT WHEELS TO LOOSE TRACTION OR SLIDE ON SLIGHT TURNS. NEW SPRINGS OR WHATEVER WITH ONLY 32,000? I HAVE NEVER HAD THAT HAPPEN IN MY OLD 1995 DODGE INTREPID ALTHOUGH IT HAD IT'S PROBLEMS. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AND IS DANGEROUS, I ALMOST SMASHED INTO THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU.*AK

1999 DODGE INTREPID ES 3.2L: VEHICLE FREQUENTLY FAILS TO BE CONSISTANT WITH ACCELERATION. SOMETIMES DELAYED TRANSMISSION SHIFT RESPONSE EVEN WHEN USING AUTOSTICK. TRANSMISSION OFTEN SEEMS TO SHIFT VERY ROUGHLY. VEHICLE SOMETIMES SEEMS TO DOWNSHIFT PROPERLY WITH PROPER ENGINE RESPONSE AND HAS EXCELLENT ACCELERATION EVEN AT 50MPH WHEN IN AUTOMATIC THEN SOMETIMES HAS EXTREMELY POOR AND DELAYED ACCELERATION AND DOES NOT SEEM TO DOWNSHIFT EVEN AT SPEEDS SLOW AS 35MPH EVEN WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS FLOORED OR STOMPED, WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO GET ONTO FREEWAY, MERGING OR PASSING. IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO GET VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE SMOOTHLY WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL, LACK OF THROTTLE ACTION AND VERY SLOW ACCELERATION SOMETIMES WHEN PRESSING ACCELERATOR PEDAL SOMETIMES HALF WAY DOWN, THEN WHEN PRESSED FURTHER AND ALMOST FLOORED TRANSMISSION KICKS DOWN HARD, VEHICLE JERKS FORWARD AND OVER COMPENSATES INTENDED ACCELERATION. ONCE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PRESSED DOWN HARD, DOWN ABOUT HALF, NOT FLOORED VEHICLE RESPONDED, ACCELERATED AND SHIFTED MUCH FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE, VEHICLE HAD NEVER PERFORMED THIS WELL OR TAKEN OFF SO FAST, WAS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED, VEHICLE WENT FROM 5-40MPH IN ABOUT 2.5 SECONDS. THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD QUICKER THAN EVER EXPERIENCED AND THE ENGINE MADE MORE NOISE THAN USUAL. NO COMPLAINTS AND ACTUALLY LIKE THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE PERFORMANCE BUT IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN THE VEHICLE DOES NOT USUALLY PERFORM LIKE THIS THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN DOES COMPLETELY UNEXPECTEDLY. I HAD TO SHIFT INTO AUTOSTICK AND DOWNSHIFT IN CONJUCTION WITH THE BRAKE TO SLOW THE SCREAMING VEHICLE DOWN. DUE TO SOME CONCERN AND TRYING TO CONTINUALLY MAINTAIN THE VEHICLE PROPERLY HAD FIVE STAR DEALERSHIP AND SERVICE CENTER WHERE PURCHASED REPLACE AND REFILL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FILTER. HAD DEALERSHIP RESET THE VEHICLE'S FUEL MIXTURE SENSOR AND ADAPTIVE LEARN TO FACTORY DEFAULTS. THIS DID NOT HELP. THIS ISSUE IS VERY INTERMITTENT AND I BELIEVE DEALER WILL NOT HELP.