2000 Dodge Intrepid

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2000 DODGE INTREPID IN FEBRUARY 2003 WITH 37,000 MILES ON IT. I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT THE STEERING HAD A LOT OF PLAY IN IT AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. I TOOK IT IN TO A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP TO CHECK WHY IT IS DOING THIS. THEY CHECKED IT AND TOLD ME THAT IT JUST NEEDED TO HAVE AN ALIGNMENT DONE. SO I WENT AHEAD AND HAD AN ALIGNMENT DONE. THE MORE I DROVE THE CAR THE WORSE THE STEERING BECAME. IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I COULDN'T CONTROL THE CAR. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THIS. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING THE CAR IN ASAP AND NOT TO DRIVE IT ANYWHERE ELSE. I HAD A FRIEND FOLLOW ME TO THE DEALERSHIP (THANK GOODNESS IT IS NOT FAR FROM MY HOUSE) WHERE THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD CHECK IT OUT AND GIVE ME A CALL BACK. THEY CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND IT WOULD COST AN ESTIMATE OF $1300. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND I WOULD ALREADY HAVE TO PAY OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HAVE IT FIXED. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, I COMPLAINED TO THE DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. AND THEY PAID FOR HALF OF THE COST BECAUSE I TOLD THEM THAT I KNEW THAT THIS CAR HAS HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE RACK AND PINION. WELL, IT'S NOW MARCH 2004 AND MY ENGINE AS WELL AS MY TIMING CHAIN HAS WENT OUT. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT THERE IS A BUILD-UP OF SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE AND IT IS GOING TO COST ME OVER $7700 DOLARS TO FIX. I AM NOW FINDING OUT THAT THIS IS ALSO A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES (2.7 LITER). I AM FINDING THAT THIS ENGINE IS IN SUCH DEMAND THAT IT IS EVEN ON BACK-ORDER AT MOST SHOPS. I WOULD LIKE THESES CARS TO BE RECALLED BECAUSE THESE ARE SOME SERIOUS ISSUES THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH. IF THE WHOLE CAR CAN'T BE RECALLED, I WOULD LIKE SOMETHING TO BE DONE THAT CAN HELP US CONSUMERS GET THROUGH THESE PROBLEMS. MY CAR IS STILL SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY I CAN COME UP WITH $7700 DOLLARS TO FIX IT. I HAVE ALSO MISSED WORK BECAUSE I HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING THERE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO DAIMLERCHRYSLER!*AK

2 YRS. AGO I HAD BOUGHT A 2000 DODGE INTREPID, NOW THE ENGINE IS ABOUT TO BLOW, THERE IS A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE, SOMETIMES THE CAR GETS HOT AND SHUTS DOWN, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON ALL OF THE TIME, OIL CHANGES ARE DONE REGULARLY WITH SYNTHETIC OIL. ENGINE SOUNDS VERY ROUGH AND IDLES VERY HIGH. STARTED DOING THIS AT ABOUT 75,000 MILES - JUST IN TIME FOR MY WARRANTY TO BE UP. I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON LINE ABOUT THE SAME THING. I TRIED TO TRADE IT IN, NO ONE WANTS IT BECAUSE THEY SAY THE ENGINE IS ABOUT TO BLOW AND I STILL OWE TOO MUCH, WAY MORE THAN THEY SAY IT IS WORTH. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A WHOLE NEW ENGINE. THIS IS MY ONLY FORM OF TRANSPORTATION. PLEASE HELP. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 DODGE INTREPID THAT HAS ABOUT 91,500 MILES. I PURCHASED IT FROM A DODGE DEALERSHIP AS A PROGRAM CAR. MY WIFE AND I HAVE MAINTAINED THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE FOR AS LONG AS WE'VE HAD IT. ON 3/2/04 MY WIFE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED AND THE FLUIDS CHECKED. ON 3/3/04 MY WIFE NOTICED THE ENGINE MAKING A STRANGE "KNOCKING" NOISE. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO WHERE WE GOT THE OIL CHANGE DONE ON 3/5/04 AND THEY STATED THAT THE NOISE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OIL CHANGE. WE PARKED THE VEHICLE UNTIL 3/6/04, AND WHEN MY WIFE WENT OUT TO START THE VEHICLE AND TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, IT WOULDN'T START. I THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 3/8/04. THE VEHICLE SAT AT THE DEALERSHIP FROM 3/8/04 TO 3/12/04. ON 3/12/04 I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THEY SAID IT "SOUNDED" LIKE THE TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKEN. I TOLD THEM I WOULD TAKE MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER MECHANIC TO GET A SECOND OPINION, AND THEY GAVE ME A DIAGNOSTIC SHEET WITH "ENGINE FAILURE" AND A QUOTED REPAIR COST OF $3,100. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED BACK HOME ON 3/12/04 WHERE IT SAT UNTIL 3/15/04. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHERE HE TOOK THE TIME TO OPEN THE ENGINE AND TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. HE ADVISED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER WAS BROKEN, WHICH IN TURN THREW OFF THE TIMING AND CAUSED THE VALVES TO BEND. HE STATED IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO GET ANOTHER ENGINE THAN TRY TO FIX THIS ONE. THE CHEAPEST USED ENGINE HE COULD FIND FOR ME WAS $3,650. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BACK AND TOLD THEM MY FINDINGS AND THEY CLAIMED IT COULD HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF POOR MAINTENANCE. I ASKED HOW MUCH A NEW ENGINE WOULD COST AND HE STATED BETWEEN $6,000 AND $7,000. I THEN CALLED THE 800 NUMBER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEN STATED THAT THEN COULDN'T HELP. WHILE LOOKING THROUGH MY OWNERS MANUAL, THE TIMING IS NOT SCHEDULED TO BE CHECKED UNTIL 100,000 MILES. *NM