2002 Dodge Intrepid

WE HAVE A 2002 DODGE INTREPID WITH THE POLICE PACKAGE. THE VEHICLE HAS 21,000 MILES AND WE HAVE REPLACED THE BRAKE ROTORS 4 TIMES. WE ARE A SECURITY FIRM AND THUS WE HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A HIGH SPEED CHASE AND ONLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS. WE HAVE THREE OTHER DIFFERENT VEHICLES AND HAVE NOT HAD BRAKE PROBLEMS WITH THEM. IT WAS SUGGESTED BY THE DEALER THAT WE ARE MISUSING THE BRAKES. I HAVE TALKED WITH ANOTHER POLICE AGENCY IN THE AREA AND THEY HAVE ALSO HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AS WE. I BELIEVE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES THAT COME WITH THE POLICE PACKAGE OPTION.

I PURCHASED A 2002 DODGE INTREPID BRAND NEW, THIS IS MY SECOND DAIMLERCHRYSLER VEHICLE THAT HAS NOT HELD UP WELL THAT I CONSIDER A LEMON. AT 26 MILES, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN TURNED OFF, THERE WAS ALMOST NO BRAKING POWER. I HAD TO QUICKLY DOWNSHIFT INTO LOW GEAR TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPEND SEVERAL TIMES. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN THINGS BREAKING IN. DODGE DEALERS JUST DELETED THE "INTERNAL CAB FAILURE FAULT CODE" AND DID NOTHING TO TRY AND FIX THIS. LATER THE STEERING BEGAN SQUEAKING DURING LOW SPEED MANUVERS. THEN I EXPERIENCED PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL. AT 2000 MILES THE VEHICLE WOULD WANDER AND WOULD ALMOST NEVER DRIVE STRAIGHT. AFTER 2 DEALERSHIP ALIGNMENTS AND 1 INDEPENDENT, THE STEERING WHEEL IS STILL OFF CENTER. 3 DIFFERENT OEM TIRES ROTATED TO FRONT COMPLETELY WORN ON OUTER EDGES, ABNORMAL TIRE WEAR AND FEATHERING. SUSPENSION SQUEAKS LOUDLY AT TIMES. AT ABOUT 500 MILES THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SOMETIMES SLAM INTO 3RD GEAR, SHIFT ROUGH IN LOWER GEARS, BUMP, HESITATE, STUMBLE. DODGE DEALERSHIP ALWAYS "COULD NOT DUPLICATE" THE PROBLEM. I ALMOST CRASHED WHEN DRIVING AND FRONT WHEEL HIT MODERATE PUDDLE WHEN VEHICLE WAS THROWN INTO ANOTHER LANE. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER "THOSE THINGS HAPPEN". I HAVE WRITTEN AND SPOKE TO DAIMLERCHRYSLER REPS MANY TIMES, THEY DENY THERE IS ANY PROBLEM. AT ABOUT 13,000 MILES THE ENGINE WOULD CLANK WHEN STARTING SOMETIMES (SOUNDS LIKE NOT FIRING UP PROPERLY). I HAVE NEVER HAD THESE PROBLEMS WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE, EVEN FRONT WHEEL DRIVE AND DO NOT SEE HOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PREMATURE PROBLEMS THAT SHOULD NOT BE OCCURING AS SUCH. I HAVE STARTED A WEBSITE AGAINST DAIMLERCHRYSLER [XXX] - EMAIL ADDRESS IS [XXX] - ADDRESS: [XXX]SAN LEANDRO, CA [XXX]. *AK PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I HAVE HAD STEERING/SUSPENSION AND BRAKE RELATED ISSUES FROM NORMAL DRIVING IN THE BAY AREA SINCE 200 MILES AFTER PURCHASING VEHICLE NEW. I HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR A PROFESSIONAL COMPUTERIZED FULL PRECISION ALIGNMENT AND BALANCING OF TWO TIRES THAT WERE OUT OF BALANCE FROM THE FACTORY. TWO DODGE/CHRYSLER DEALERS AND WHEEL SPECIALSTS HAVE CHECKED AND ADJUSTED TIRE PRESSURE. VEHICLE SEEMS TO DRIVE STRAIGHT MORE OFTEN BUT STILL DRIFTS TO THE LEFT, SOMETIMES TO THE RIGHT. FRONT WHEELS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE SLIPPING BAD OVER BUMPS EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS. VERY INTERMITTENTLY STEERING WHEEL BECOMES HARDER TO TURN AND IS MUCH MORE SENSITIVE ALL OF A SUDDEN. VEHICLE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE HANDLING OR TAKING BUMPS VERY WELL AT TIMES. WHEEL DOES NOT USUALLY RETURN SMOOTHLY OR CONSISTANTLY, SOMETIMES JERKY AND SOMETIMES SLOW, USUALLY OFF CENTER, OVERSTEERING OR UNDERSTEERING. STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES NEEDS CONSTANT ATTENTION, HAVING TO REMIND WHEEL WHERE TO GO. WHEEL WILL MOVE BY ITSELF EXCESSIVELY AT TIMES ON BUMPY ROADS OR ON SLANTED ROADS SOMETIMES ALMOST MAKING COMPLETE TURNS ON IT'S OWN. SOMETIMES STEERING WHEEL HAS LOOSENESS. CLUNK IN STEERING STILL CONTINUES WHEEN WHEEL IS TURNED SHARP AND BRAKING. EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF GROANING NOISE WHEEN TURNING WHEEL AT TIMES. I HAD TO BRAKE HARD THE OTHER DAY AND WAS ABLE TO LOCK VEHICLE UP INTO A HEAVY SKID ALTHOUGH VEHICLE HAS ABS. VEHICLE FEELS UNSTABLE SOMETIMES AND OVER BUMPY ROADS SOMETIMES. EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE YOU CAN HEAR SQUEAKING FROM STRUTS. I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON EXPERIENCING THESE ISSUES. I HAVE WITNESS TESTIMONY ON VIDEO AND VIDEO PROOF. I HAVE VIDEO OF MASSIVE TIRE SQUEALING AT LOW SPEED 15MPH MANUVERING IN PARKING LOT. MY GIRLFRIEND DOES NOT WANT TO DRIVE THE CAR ALSO EXPERIENCING AND COMPLAINING OF THESE ISSUES. TRANSMISSION STILL HESITATES OR STUMBLES SOMETIMES. TWO DEALERSHIPS SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH CAR AND COULDN'T DUPLICATE ANYTHING ABNORMAL WITH STEERING. CHRYSLER DOES NOTHING. CAR IS UNSAFE AT TIMES.

BRAKES FAILED INITIALLY AT ABOUT 30 MILES, AT ABOUT 40MPH I HIT BRAKES LIGHTLY, BRAKES DIDN'T WORK, BRAKE PEDAL FELT ROUGH AND ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. SEVERAL SECONDS LATER ABS LIGHT TURNED OFF AND BRAKES FELT AS IF THEY WERE WORKING AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES LATER AND WAS SIMILAR. ABOUT 200 MILES AFTER THAT I ONCE HIT THE BRAKES HARD TO SLOW DOWN, THEY FELT ROUGH AND DIDN'T WORK. BRAKES HAVE WORKED SINCE. I ASSUMED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE BROKEN IN. I WAS RELUCTANT TO MENTION IT BECAUSE THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT CAN RARELY DUPLICATE OR TROUBLESHOOT A PROBLEM. TODAY I SPOKE TO THE SHOP FOREMAN AND HE WAS ABLE TO PULL CODES FROM THE BRAKE CONTROLLER AND FOUND A FAILURE CODE. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO WORK ON THE VEHICLE TODAY SO I WILL BE BRINGING IT BACK ASAP.*AK