Problems with 1999 Dodge Intrepid ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Complete engine failure at 75000 miles, oil light began to flash on and off engine started to knock loudly vehicle lost all speed and stalled on expressway enterance ramp.this vehicle's oil and filter was changed every 3000 miles yet when the engine was disassembled there was large amounts of sludge through out the it's inside ,engine was cleaned and rebuilt with new rods, camshaft,bearings pistons ect, this was the cheapest fix. from all the information that i have read there seems to be a problem with a great many of the 2.7 liter v6 engines installed in this vehicle. the repairs are very costly and time consuming.

The engine was replaced at a very low mileage. ts *jb

While driving 45 mph vehicle stalled. *ak

Consumer stated the engine failed due to sludge build up.ts *jb

I am in sales and drive extensively. because of this i am very carefull to change my oil every 3000 miles. i currently have 91000 miles on my car, it is due for an oil change in roughly 700 miles. while driving i noticed a faint ticking sound and about two minutes later t got very loud. i pulled the car over and it shut off. the car did not overheat, the oil light never came on. i had a recomendation to a good mechanic who towed it and found that the engine had less than a quart of oil in it. there were no leaks, and it has never smoked. it has also never heated up. my engine is out of warranty, but i have been told by my oil change guy, who has also inspected the vehicle, that dodge is having a lot of problems with the 2.7l motor. a local dealer told him this. at any rate, i have a blown motor on a car that is 3 years old, and apparently no recourse. please help me if you can. dt

Premature engine failure due to sludge build up on a 1999 dodge intrepid with 72000 mi. engine oil was changed every 3000 mi or less. car is not currently under warranty and dodge says it will cost approximately. $3500 to $6500 to fix depending on what is broken. *jb

While driving and no warning the vehicle will stall and it will be hard for the consumer to control the vehicle. dealer notified.*ak

1) the oil light showed up at low idle , checked oil and found okay, the level okay. took the car to the dealer and was told that the car needed a new engine (9400) e to sludge after paying (194.00) for a diagnostic check. *ak

At about 60,000 miles i notice a ticking sound in the engine i took it in to the local dodge dealership and it was determined to be a lower bearing noise that would ultimately ruin the engines. as the noise got worse i feared driving it anymore . my maintenance contract did not cover engine cost but only affected bearings and this would not be covered by any dealer or manufacture warranty. i subsequently replaced the engine with a used engine which lasted one year and left me stranded beside the road requiring a tow and my vehicle has sat for 2 years with the cost of engine replacement almost doubling. i think an engine recall is in order as i have experienced several; people stopping to ask if the intrepid is for sale because they have one with a bad engine. *nm

While driving at 70 mph the vehicles oil indicator light flashed on and off then the vehicles engine would cut off. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer who indicated that they had replaced alot of 2.7 engines. *ts *nlm

Consumer states that while driving bearings seized up resulting in broken rods and bent valves in engine. mr

Consumer states that the engine seized up while driving. vehicle was checked by dlr who advised that the oil pump failed to provide proper oil lubricant to the engine, causing it to seize. nlm

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the vehicle will shut off causing consumer to pull over and it will be hard to get the vehicle back started. dealer notified. mr

At around 55,000 miles, a knocking sound developed. engine performance was not effected until around 65,000 miles, when the check engine light started coming on intermittently and the engine would die. i took it to a knowledgeable and honest mechanic who through the course of trouble shooting the noise discovered the timing belt was loose and had damaged many internal engine parts. he says the chain is pulling double duty, with a gear on the inside as well as the outside of the chain. the increased wear caused it to stretch and it began slapping/rubbing and damaging other parts. namely various spots on the case and the water pump, which was worn nearly all the way through and seeping water and coolant into the engine. he says this is a serious design flaw and that he has heard a lot of other intrepid's are requiring new engines for this same reason. i am hoping that something can be done to force chrysler to buy new engines for those of us who have taken care of our cars and still have to suffer this great cost. these may not be the only problems caused by this flaw, but so far i think it's more than enough to warrant a complaint.

Was just driving and the car started acting sluggish and just could not go over 10 miles per hour. no indications were came on. the engine was blown. *ak

2.7l engine started to make loud noise. took engine apart and found that timing chain guides had disintegrated. replaced guides, rod bearings and oil pump. cleaned all sludge from engine. check engine started to flash. car lost power. had car towed to dealership. they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. car started up for them. didn't find any codes in computer. drove car for about 2 months before problems started again. check engine light stayed on. took to independent shop and got an asd relay problem and tcm relay problem. replaced relays. car ran fine for about 3 months. problems started again. when this happened the first time the car had been driven about 70 miles. after the last time it was driven 20 miles. towed to dealer. stated that there is a timing problem and alot of sludge in the motor. estimate of $1200 to try to find out what is wrong. also had to replace a/c prior to all of these problems. i have had the car for 3.5 years and have not driven it for almost 2 of them. sending in the payoff so i can get rid of the piece of junk. have heard that the 2.7 is nothing but problems. *jb

Consumer is reporting sludge build up in a 2.7l engine. causes engine to seize while driving at 45 mph. dealer notified. feel free to provide any further information.

Engine "blew up" with 90,000 miles and with regular oil changes.

I have had trouble with my car heater is not operating properly serious damage may have already occurred to my engine. the primary symptom is that the car heater, for no reason, does not blow hot air - then it starts working. looks like my car engine has been overheating and causing sludge to build up in the top half of the engine. some other symptoms are car starts to burn oil, very light traces of white smoke from exhaust and the engine may seem to run a little rough at idle. still running but i don't know for how long.... *nlm

In july 2002 the engine died on my wife while going to work. we were told to tow it to the dealer. they told us it was engine burned up due to lack of maintenance. i disagreed from the start. i did my own work to save money. the car sat for several months for us to come up with the money to fix it. we still owed 9000 on it as well. we finally got a loan added to our existing car loan to get it replaced. which was 6500$.the engine replacement was modified by the salvage yard to eliminate the "sludge " problem that apparently attributed to this 2.7 liter chrysler engine. we have since found out that we are only one of many to have this problem and chrysler is not admitting to the fact that their oil circulation is terrible and it fries engines big time. we wrote and called chrysler and the ohio attorney general with all the info and have had no satisfaction whatsoever. now we have a friend that has the same problem and they purchased an extended warranty and they will not honor it at all. what is going on with chrysler that they will not admit to the problem that all garages and engine replacement shops know about, that the average consumer does not and getting deeper into debt due to these cars. *la

On busy interstate, engine suffered total failure without prior warning. vehicle was towed and engine replaced. cause determined to be sludge deposits despite frequent oil changes within manufacturer's specification.*ak

My engine siezed at 57,963 miles with no prior warning. the car was maintained to the manufacturers specifications. i was unable to get assistance from the dealer, extended warranty company or diamler chrysler.

Vehicle was going 55mph and engine indicator light illuminated. suddenly, vehicle slowed down and jerked before cutting off. vehicle would not restart. independent mechanic determined that engine failed. dealer was notified. pleae provide more information.*ak

From what they say, my timing belt came off and took out the engine. i also had problems with the power locks going out at the same time, the steering was starting to go out and the cam sensor went out. *nlm

engine has gone out on consumer while driving, vehicle was inoperable . contacted dealer, and the dealer could not find cause of problem. *ak

Vehicle stalled at 30 mph. prior to this, there was a ticking noise coming from engine for a period of 4 weeks. dealer determined that engine needed to be replaced due to oil sludge. oil had turned to hard sludge that had to be hammered off the engine.*ak

The vehicle stalled without warning. *jb vehicle stuck in second gear. speed sensor replaced. timing belt failed and there was sludge in the engine. engine needed to be replaced. window, radio and speaker inoperative. *tt *mr

While driving approx. 30-35mph vehicle stopped in middle of traffic. had vehicle towed to dealership. mechanic informed owner camshaft and transmission sensors had failed. indicated that slug (oil) caused failure of vehicle. vehicle was repaired. problem had reoccurred after arriving home.*ak

Driving down the highway engine started making a ticking noise, the engine died and the engine light came on. took car to dealer was told we need a new engine in the amount of $7000. oil was changed in the car every 3000 miles. dealer said oil was clean that they are not sure what happen. maybe a defective part but we had to pay to replace engine.*ak

While driving on highway, heard an unusal noise, vehicle shutoff, causing slug in oil pan and engine blowing out. warning light never came on.*ak engine was replaced. *tt

2.7 engine seized at 30 mph. motor stopped and vehicle would not start. there was no warning. vehicle was towed to a dealer, and they stated motor needed to be replaced. please provide any further information.*ak

Oil pan needed to be replaced at 41500 miles due to the fact that the threads wear out after approximately 15 oil changes according to my mechanic.dodge customer service was contacted but because car is over the warranty mileage cost of repair would not be covered.*ak

While driving vehicle, heard a noise coming from engine, then vehicle stalled out. took to dealership and engine was gone.*ak consumer adds the failure of the rod bearings sending metal throughout engine scaring camshaft, pistons and cylinder walls in engine block. dealer replaced camshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor to restart engine. however, engine is still noisy. dealer checked valve covers and intake removed for noise. found metal adhered to valve covers, but no visual problems with heads or valves. *tt

No summary listed for above vehicle. *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

I am extremely frustrated and and disatisfied with my dodge vehicle and the service i have been provided from hayward auto chrysler-plymouth-jeep. since purchasing the 1999 dodge intrepid es from hayward auto with only 28,000 miles there has been nothing but problems. the vehicle lost 5+ quarts of oil in 2215 miles and the engine blew up shortly after puchasing. i had the oil and filter changed just 2 months prior w/reciept. i just bought the vehicle from the dealer in april 2001. dealer almost did not replace engine trying to blame me for it's failure. i regularly maintain and inspect my vehicle. there is nothing i could have done to cause this failure and i feel insulted. the transmission began to fail and was overhauled, speed sensor and tourqe converter replaced due to failure. component fell off of left lower suspension control arm, replaced. speakers blown, replaced, rear power window fails, replaced. once, dealer did not seal tranny correctly when brought in for tranny service several months ago and released vehicle with tranny pouring out fluid when i got home. steering failed twice, steering behavior changed dramatically after each incident. when service advisor called me he told me tire pressure was out of whack. they adjusted the tire pressure the last time it was in! i overheard tech on phone yelling with bad attitude as if i have the problem further insulting me. i talked to the service manager/owner, tried to explain everything i have been through with this vehicle. mr. gregory martin didn't let me finish, told me i was lucky and that the engine was not supposed to be replaced, placed the blame on me. " well, you have a new engine?" i have been extremely patient with this car and these people. they should be apologizing to me and thanking me for my patients instead of treating me like i am retarded. i guess you have to buy a bmw to get a decent car and service. i am very dissapointed and let down with this vehicle and then additionally this service.*ak

While driving vehicle would continue to stall out. had taken to dealer. problem not duplicated. had sensors in vehicle replaced after several remedies were tried.*ak

Consumer took vehicle for a routine check up. mechanic stated that water pump needed to be changed because it was leaking antifreeze, part number 501718388aa. tube and gasket, part number 5277928, were replaced. dealership iwas aware of problem. *ak

A/cevaporator has gone out in my car. additionally, the sensor on transmission went out 4 months ago. my mechanic says the exhaust system has rust spots. all people who have looked at the car say these problems shound not be happening on a car with only 48,000 miles. *ak

While driving vehicle began to make loud noises and died. consumer had vehicle towed to dealership, and found that engine had no oil. there was no warning signs on dash. please provide further details.*ak

Please see the letter we have sent to the manufacturer: june 18, 2000. no safety defect listed. *ak

Rear passenger's side power window is dead and has failed. when electronic cooling fans for engine turn on automatically as they should during certain engine temperatures front headlights noticeably dim almost looking like they are being flashed for a second or what someone could interoperate as the driver flashing his lights. headlights also seem to dim slightly when rolling down two windows at the same time. i purchased a professional battery and alternator tester has shown that the vehicles battery and alternator are working as normal. this makes me wonder about the vehicle's electrical system.*ak

Purchased vehicle with 28,000 miles. oil and filter change performed at dealership prior to vehicle purchase according to dealership. checked oil about 2 months later, dipstick was almost dry. had oil and oil filter changed. oil was thought to be leaking from cheap or incorrectly installed oil filter since newer vehicle with low milage shouldn't be burning that much oil. checked oil ever two weeks several times out of concern. oil level was fine. assumed problem was corrected. at 33,000 miles about 1.5 months later engine began making knocking nose and running very rough. dealership stated that engine was blown. had to provide proof of recent oil and filter change for dealership to replace. dealership stated that engine had only 1 quart of oil and that oil looked really mucky. engine lost about 5 quarts of oil in 2215 miles. no visual signs of leakage anywhere, no smoke or excessive exaust. vehicle had been checked and maintained well. dealership cannot explain and states that they are not allowed to tear down and inspect the engine. dealership replaced engine at 33000.

While traveling at approximately 65 mph was a light "ticking" noise coming from front of vehicle. noise started increasing in volume, and consumer parked vehicle. dealership has examined vehicle, and determined that oil was leaking from head gasket and oil pan which caused head gasket to blow. consumer was informed that engine came out of factory with this problem. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

There was a light ticking noise coming from engine area, that got louder and louder. consumer took vehicle to dealer, and dealer stated that short block caused engine to leak oil. please provide any further information.*ak

The driver's side power window didn't go down, the passenger's side power window operates intermittently. the window motor must be replaced. *ak the anti-lock brakes were inoperative, and dodge neglected to repair an oil valve which caused the engine to fail. *sc *jb the vehicle was involved in a fender bender after the leaving the dealership, the consumer believed it was due to the anti-lock brakes. *jb

I was the owner of a 1999 dodge intrepid, that was completely wrecked at 36,000 miles after experiencing sudden loss of steering control prior to the wreck, my dealer assured me over and over that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle although i was very concerned and pretended to know nothing about steering problems with these vehicles. prior to the total vehicle loss, the engine blew up with a rod knock at about 33,000 miles and had to be replaced, the transmission had to be overhauled after it failed, the input and output speed sensors both failed and much more. this is just 1 of 2 defective daimler chrysler vehicles i have owned and daimler chrysler accepts no responsibility. many of these vehicles are defective and do not hold up reasonably. i have never had any of these problems with a 15 year old vehicle with over 220,000 miles on it. i would like to inform consumers that my website against chrysler for ongoing premature dodge, chrysler engine, steering, transmission failures and more is now www.daimlerchryslervehicleproblems.com. we have referred many to the nhtsa and we hope that the nhtsa will post this to refer others to our site who have not yet seen our site. at this website you will see accident pictures and complaints from consumers after sudden loss of steering control. we also have pictures of the common chrysler engine internal oil sludge buildup and damage from timing chains that have broke through these engines after tensioner failures. we also have many premature transmission failure complaints. if you have evidence of these problems, pictures or a complaint to be posted please also visit www.daimlerchryslervehicleproblems.com and find out what daimlerchrysler does not want you to know. *jb

1999 dodge intrepid 2.7 engine blew at 55k.*jb

Drove vehicle to closest dealership at time of engine noise. vehicle was running when taken to dealership. dealership looked at engine, said there was sludge in engine, said they could clean the sludge out of engine for $360.00 and that would probably solve noise problem in engine. dealership supposedly cleaned sludge out of engine, engine then seized. dealership asked for receipts of engine oil changes which were provided. dealership supposedly cleaned out sludge from engine. engine then seized upon being started. daimlerchrysler refuses to fix engine.*ak

Engine runs very rough, vehicle will slow down intermittently at any speed when accelerator is applied. taken to dealer 6-7 times, co pilot was installed, but did not show a problem.*ak