2003 Dodge Intrepid

CONSUMER HAS HAD 2 REPLACEMENT BRAKES AND 4 NEW RADIOS ON 2003 DODGE INTREPID AFTER BEING TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH EITHER. *TS THE WINDSHIELD AND BOTH SIDE MIRRORS WERE PITTED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE JERKED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THE SECOND TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED THEY REPLACED THE MAF SENSOR. THE SERPENTINE BELT CRACKED. TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED FROM COOLER HOSES. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED AND THE ROTORS WERE MACHINED. THE CONSUMER REQUEST THAT THE DEALER REIMBURSE HIS SOME OF HIS MONEY AND RETURN HIS TRADE-IN VEHICLE. *NM

PURCHASED 2003 DODGE INTREPID 6/3/05, AS USED. WHILE DRIVING A COUPLE WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE, ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP WHILE STILL UNDER DEALERSHIP 30 DAY WARRANTY. INFORMED CAR HAD FAULTY O2 SENSOR AND SENSOR WAS REPLACED. AUGUST 9TH, DRIVING WITH YOUNG DAUGHTER AT NIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, CAR MADE 'POP' SOUND, ENGINE AND OIL LIGHT BOTH ILLUMINATED, CAR ENGINE DIED, BUT WAS ABLE TO VEER ONTO SHOULDER OF ROAD WITHOUT BEING HIT BY OTHER CARS. CALLED DEALERSHIP WHERE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT BACK. CAR WAS FOUND TO HAVE FAULTY CAM SENSOR. CAM SENSOR WAS REPLACED-AT MY EXPENSE. ALMOST OUT OF THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, WAS DRIVING THIS CAR ON THE 26TH, ONCE AGAIN WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER WHEN ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, CAR FELT AS THOUGH DOWN SHIFTED HARD THROUGH ALL GEARS, THEN TRANSMISSION ACTING AS IF NOT PROPER SHIFTING. CLOSE TO LOCAL AUTO ZONE WHICH I HAD THEM RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON. FOUND "TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FAILURE." THE COMPUTER OF THE CAR WAS RESET AT AUTO ZONE. CALLED LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT IN THE NEXT MORNING. WAS INFORMED THAT BECAUSE THE COMPUTER HAD BEEN RESET THEY COULD NOT REPEAT, NOR FIND THE PROBLEM. WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS "MORE THAN LIKELY 2 SENSORS," AND TO CONTINUE DRIVING THIS CAR UNTIL THE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN, THEN NOTIFY THE DEALERSHIP. SO, NOW I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF DRIVING A CAR THAT I KNOW IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WILL HAVE SOME SORT OF "SENSOR" FAILURE, IF NOT OUTRIGHT MAJOR TRANSMISSION DAMAGE. DID I MENTION I HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS CAR SINCE JUNE? I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE PREVIOUS OWNER WAS NOTIFIED OF SERVICE BULLETINS. I WOULD THINK THAT AS MUCH AS I OWE ON THE CAR (OVER $10,000.00), THE YEAR (2003), THE MILEAGE (43,000 MILES) WOULD AT THE VERY LEAST GUARANTEE ME A ROAD WORTHY, SAFE VEHICLE. MY SON OWNS A '99 DODGE NEON CLUNKER THAT I JUST BOUGHT FOR $1000.00 THAT IS BECOMING APPARENTLY MORE RELIABLE THAN MY PRICEY LUXURY RIDE. *JB

ON MAY 24, 2005, I RECEIVED MY 2003 DODGE INTREPID (72,000 MILES) BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP AFTER THEY COMPLETED REPAIRS RELATED TO A LOW-SPEED COLLISION. UPON PICKING UP THE VEHICLE, OPERATION SEEMED 100%. LESS THAN 20 MILES LATER WHILE DRIVING ~60MPH ON INTERSTATE 70-WEST, THE CAR SHUTTERED BRIEFLY AND THEN QUICKLY LOST FORWARD ACCELERATION. WHEN I DEPRESSED THE GAS PETAL, THE RFPM WOULD ACCELERATE ACCORDINGLY, BUT THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO BE DISENGAGED. AT THIS POINT, THE 'CHECK ENGINE' WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. AS I ATTEMPTED TO MAKE MY WAY SAFELY TO THE SHOULDER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DE-ACCELERATE TO THE POINT WHERE THE VEHICLE CAME TO A DEAD STAND-STILL ON THE ROADWAY AND STARTED TO DRIFT BACKWARDS WHEN A TRACTOR TRAILER SWERVED ONTO THE SHOULDER TO PASS ME AND AVOID A MAJOR REAR-END COLLISION. AFTER TOWING THE VEHILE BAACK TO THE DEALERSHIPM, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRNASMISSION HAD EXPERIENCED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND WOULD NEED TO BE COMPLETELY RE-BUILT OR REPLACED. WHEN THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF PARTS, THEY DISCOVERED THAT CORRESPONDING COMPONENTS WERE ON NATIONAL BACK-ORDER BY DODGE AND WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR MONTHS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT A NATIONAL BACK-ORDER OF THIS MAGNITUDE WAS INDICATIVE OF WIDE-SCALE DEFECTS FROM THE MANUFACTURER. GIVEN THAT (1) THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE AUTOMOBILE'S TRANSMISSION OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING, (2) THE FAILURE OCCURRED CATASTROPHICALLY WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING OVER 60MPH, AND (3) THE EXTENT OF THE NATIONAL BACKORDER FOR THE TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS, I AM GRAVELY CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS DEFECT WITHIN THE DODGE INTREPID TRANSMISSION THAT REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY THREAT TO OTHER DRIVERS AND OWNERS. TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE COMPLETELY RE-BUILT.

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. OWNER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. OWNER STATED WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT TRANSMISSION WOULD GO INTO 2ND GEAR AND WOULD ONLY GO UP TO 40 MPH, BUT WILL NOT CHANGE GEARS. DRIVER WOULD HAVE TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND TURN BACK ON BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD CLIMB BACK UP TO 40 MPH OR GREATER. OWNER WAS BAFFLED AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED SINCE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND HAD 85,000 MILES. *AK

THE VEHICLE LEAKED TRANSMISSION FLUID. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD SHIFT VERY HARD. THE RPM REVVED VERY HIGH. UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO RESTART IT. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS AN INTERNAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS. HOWEVER, DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, YET WILL NOT IDENTIFY THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT HAD DIFFICULTY GOING FROM PARK TO REVERSE. THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY . *AK

TRANSMISSION LIGHT WENT ON 8/11/04, AND IMMEDIATELY, THE CAR DROPPED INTO 3RD GEAR AND WOULD NOT GO INTO OVERDRIVE. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. AFTER A $100 DEDUCTABLE, THE VALVE BODY WAS REPLACED. A FEW DAYS LATER, IT FAILED AGAIN. I RETURNED TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP (TOWN & COUNTRY DODGE IN CLARKSTON, MI). THEY RESET THE CODES, IN THEIR DESCRIPTION, AND TEST DROVE IT AGAIN. WHEN I DROVE IT HOME, IT FAILED FOR A THIRD TIME, SAME MODE. *AK

I PURCHASED MY 2003 INTREPID IN DECEMBER 2003 WITH 20,000 MILES.IN THE SPRING OF 2004 I HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT ROTORS AND DISCS IT IS NOW AUGUST 2004 AND THE SAME PROBLEM IS OCCURRING STARTING WITH SQUEAKING AND PULSATION FOLLOWED BY GRINDING. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT AND I AM ONCE AGAIN REPLACING ROTORS AND DISCS. I DO NOT HAVE THE 1ST PAIR OF ROTORS AND DISCS THAT WERE REPLACED HOWEVER I WILL KEEP THIS SET. ANOTHER PROBLEM I HAVE STARTED NOTICING IS WHEN SHIFTING THE CAR INTO DRIVE IT OCCASSIONALLY DOES NOT RESPOND AND I HAVE TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN PARK A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE DRIVE WILL ENGAGE.*AK