Problems with 1999 Dodge Intrepid ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

1999 dodge intrepid driving to pick up my children for week end visitation, normal driving conditions,suddenly started to knock then before i could find a wide spot to pull over it stopped all together and locked up. oil new and all maint, was performed religiously. i understand this is a common problem and chrysler needs to do something about this. *nm

I had only owned the car for a week, and there was an awful ticking noise coming from the engine, as well as excessive burning of oil from my tail pipe. i have to put about a quart and a half into the engine every other day. i was driving my car on a busy interstate and my car started making this awful loud ticking noise, the oil light fluttered, and the engine stopped. i pulled over to check out the oil level, finding the engine bone dry. i had put two quarts in it that morning, only driving 30 miles before this happened. the car has not been repaired because, like many people, i cannot afford a repair costing between 2,500 and 4,000 dollars to fix. so many complaints have been shown on these 99 dodge intrepids, i just hope that nhtsa can help prevent this problem of risking peoples lives.*jb

Dt: 999 dodge intrepid 2.7 liter engine. while driving the engine started knocking and then failed. took the vehicle to a mechanic, and he determined it was the engine. the engine heads warped, timing chain came out, and oil pressure dropping badly. they said that they had seen lots of engines with the same problem. no indicator light came on while driving at 50 mph. there was no check engine light on. consumer felt that the dealership should inform the consumer of any complaint that they knew, especially when buying a used car. *ak

I attempted to start my vehicle and it would not start. i noticed a strange noise. i had the vehicle towed to a repair shop. the mechanic told me that the timing chain had broken and ruined the engine. *nm

Auto quit while driving unable to control, motor locked up solid. *jb

I drove the car to work and it worked fine. i finished my shift at work and when i tried to start the car to pick up my three kids i turned the key in the car made a clicking noise. it did this about five of six times. i had to tow the car to a dealer and get it checked out. they said the engine locked up and it would cost 4500 dollars to replace it. plus the 75 dollars to check the car. the car still sits outside the service center at the dealership. all oil changes were done on time as required. we have to use one car for shuttling the kids to daycare and for two different shifts of work between me and my wife. *jb

Dt: the caller's states son was driving a t30 mph and vehicle stalled. he heard a rattling noise and the vehicle stalled. driver could not get vehicle restarted. vehicle was towed to dealer. dealer has not given a reason but said it needed a new engine. manufacturer gave her a reference number to issue a complaint. vehicle is now sitting driveway with the engine pieces in the trunk.*ak

Dt: the contact owns a 1999 dodge intrepid. while driving the engine blew out. the check engine light came on for a couple of hours and went off one month prior to this failure. the dealership told the consumer that the engine needed to be replaced. the dealership told him that there was a crack in the engine, and the spark plugs were not working. this happened in mid july 2005.*ak updated 12/27/2005. *nm

1999 intrepid es, 114,000 miles. a/c stopped working. a/c fuse was intact, and a diagnosis of the compressor showed it was okay and full of freon. further examination showed that the radiator fan/high fuse was blown, which was keeping the a/c compressor from coming on. fuse was replaced, but blew again later. radiator fan assembly was replaced which fixed both problems. *jb

1999 dodge intrepid vin [xxx] engine failure. this is a 6 year old car with 80,000 miles. the engine failed out of no where! dodge couldn't care less! why? *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Dt: the consumer complained about engine failure on 1999 dodge intrepid. consumer were driving the vehicle when the engine locked and they did not have any power steering or power brakes. the speed was about 35 mph. this took place on july 13, 2005. consumer had not any had trouble with the car before this. took car to a dodge dealership, who informed consumer that engine replacement would cost $6000.00. consumer did not plan to replace the engine because the car was only worth about $7,000.00. the mechanic showed consumer that the valve spring broke, and the valve dropped down into the cylinder. consumer understood that these motors were having a lot of problems. consumer talked to the dealership and they had the car. the consumer called manufacturer. mechanic wanted to know what kind of oil and filters the consumer was using, this was the cleanest engine that the mechanic had seen. *ak

While my wife was driving her car to work the check engine light came on and then the engine just seized up on her leaving her in the middle of a two lane highway. after we got the car home i tried to turn the engine over by hand and it wouldn't rotate. i did all the maintenance on the vehicle since new and used synthetic oil the entire life of the engine. just purchased another engine and i am worried the same thing will happen after reading all the horror stories on the net. *nm

My 1999 dodge intrepid 2.7 motor seize up for no reason, oil is always changed on time, but have found out that this is a on going problem & that there are several company's taking up law suits for this situation. *jb

I have 68,000 miles on my 1999 dodge intrepid 2.7 liter engine and after one month since the last service and after being serviced religiously every 3,000 miles i am now being given an estimate to replace the engine in the amount of $5,000 to $7,000. i don't even think the blue book on the car is even that high now. basically, the mechanic said the coolant and oil in the car were completely gone and with it now having the knocking noise needs an engine replacement. went to the dodge dealership locally and they admitted it was not the best of their engines, but nevertheless they indicated since it is past the warranty period of 36,000 there wasn't much they could do. they tried to suggest that the servicing i received may have been faulty and i pointed out that would be hard pressed to think that, because the car was serviced one month prior and to have all coolant and 5 quarts of oil disappear without any of the obvious signs could not warrant that suggestion. i explained that regardless of the servicing that in one month there should have been some indication, such as oil service light indicator, engine service light, smells, oil leaks on driveway, blue smoke from tail pipe, etc. to at least indicate a problem that may need correction, but there was never an indication. i explained to the dealership, if i weren't servicing my car that i could sort of side with them, but the point is i did what was necessary to prolong the useful life of this car and at no fault of mine the engine has failed much sooner than it should and without any warning.

dt: contact owns a 1999 dodge intrepid. the contact stated the timing chain broke. the contact had two different repair shops inspect the vehicle, and they stated that the engine was not worth a dime. the mechanic determined that chrysler should have never put this type of motor into a vehicle. the consumer contacted the manufacturer, and they advised the contact to purchase a new vehicle. the vehicle only had 57,000 miles on it. *ak

Dt: while driving, the consumer heard a tapping noise and stopped at a red light. the consumer proceed to drive for about 5 minutes or a mile in distance. the consumer drove to an intersection and the engine died. the tapping noise stopped after a loud noise. the consumer was unable to restart vehicle. he had to push the vehicle to the side of the road out of way and called for tow truck. the vehicle was towed home. a mechanic came by to check the vehicle and he suggested the bearing in the bottom of the motor broke. no repairs have been made as of yet. suggested replacement for an engine costs $3,500.*ak

1999 dodge intrepid 2.7 liter engine stopped working around 86,000 miles. *jb

Engine was knocking, and i received recall notice for shifting column defect. while driving to dealership to fix recall, check engine light came on. when at dealership, asked them to investigate this as well. dealer fixed recall problem and stated that there was sludge in engine and that engine would need to be replaced at cost of $6500. i do have documentation stating that this is what they found at dealership. dealership said car would not last for the next few days and that i should get rid of it or let them fix it. i was driving car to my mechanic two days later and timing chain broke due to pressure on engine caused by sludge.*jb

I was driving my 1999 dodge intrepid with my 3y.o daughter. we were stopped at a stop light. when the light turned green, i accelerated, and my car began jerking roughly, but there were no interior warning lights on. i continued to try to accelerate, and eventually my "check engine" light came on. i pulled my car into a gas station where it died. i had to have the car towed to my dodge dealer where i was told the engine had locked up. the dealership wants nearly $8000 to replace my engine. i have been doing some on-line research and telephone researching to find cheaper engines. from all of the people i have spoken to, and from the on-line research i've done, it appears that this is a defective engine that is failing on these cars. we have even weighed the option of having the car sent to the junkyard for scrap, but our local junkyard won't even take it because they say they have too many of these cars already due to the same problem. so far, the cheapest estimat we've had to have the engine replaced is approx $4000 (for a rebuilt engine). this car is only 6 years old, and has been properly maintenanced. this problem needs to be thoroughly investigated. thank you for your time.

Dt:consumer was driving home on june 13, 2005 when vehicle began overheating. smoke came from underneath hood, temperature light and oil light came on. consumer pulled to side of freeway and shut off vehicle at about 5:30 pm. consumer returned at about 8:30 pm to find that vehicle would not start. consumer had vehicle towed to local garage, where mechanic checked to find no compression on cylinders. mechanic told consumer engine needed to be replaced. temperature at time of failure was over 90 degrees.*ak *nm

Dt: caller stated timing chain failed after 2 months. dealer said there were three timing chains on the vehicle, and that when one failed they all malfunctioned. caller did not fix vehicle f yet. caller said this happened without warning. manufacturer has not been contacted yet.*ak

Dt: the contact state engine shut down on june 5, 2005. she reported having no problems with the vehicle prior to this incident. the dealership told her that the engine was bad and had sludge in it. she believed this was the defect within the engine.*ak

Vehicle, a 1999 dodge intrepid with 83000 miles died twice while driving on a highway. first incident on 12/25/04. vehicle was towed to garage where my mechanic said 3 of the plugs were fouled due to catalytic converters being bad. cats were replaced in late may after vehicle was off the road for 5 months. second incident happened on 6/7/05. same problem, vehile just died on highway. i understand that there is a history of this problem due to engin oil sludge buildup. is this true? is it also true that chrystler is doing nothing about the problem?

My 99 intreped the cooling fan and air conditioner is not working, this is after the 2.7 moter died and was replaced

Dt: the motor blew up while driving. engine started skipping then the check engine light came on, then, it quit. contacted the dealer, who said the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle had to be towed 163 miles home. this happened on june 4, 2005. *ak

Dt: the contact stated while driving vehicle it lost power and stalled. she heard a clinging" sound prior to the vehicle stalling, but no other signs indicated a problem. the vehicle would not start back after she heard the sound. a local repair shop determined the timing chain broke causing an engine failure. the repair shop said the engine needed to be replaced. the contact's uncle inspected the vehicle and said sludge was built up in the engine. routine maintenance was performed on the vehicle and she had recently had the oil changed. *ak

am writing about a complaint about daimler-chrysler's 2.7l engine in my 1999 dodge intrepid. the timing change broke at 89,000 miles and ruined the engine. this is an all to common problem with this engine - there are over 17,000 websites about this problem. daimler-chrysler is copping out by blaming the consumer for not changing the oil regularly and refusing to do anything about the engine. the customer service rep at daimler-chrysler told me they were unaware of any problem with this engine. i have spoken to several mechanics, even 2 former daimler-chrysler mechanics who all say it is due to faulty engine design. thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I own a 1999 dodge intrepid with a 2.7 litre engine. as i was on my way to work the car began making serious noise. i pulled over and had it towed home. it has not run since. my mechanic says there is no compression in the #5 piston. i do not have the money to replace it. *jb

Driving along looked out rear view mirror blue colored smoke. check engine light came on. then car just stalled. *nm

(1) driving normally with regular oil changes 3000 miles or less. (2) driving on interstate with infant and self and car seized up and control and brakes went out!!!!! (3) told will need new 2.7 engine. seems that it's common knowledge that the 2.7l engine in the dodge intrepid is no good because of oil flow problems. dodge has so far avoided having to pay for the neglect. please do something!! thise is seriously dangerous!!!!! i'm a fairly large lady thank goodness. if i had been just a little weaker there would have been no way that i could have stopped that big beast of an intrepid. the engine just quite on me and the power to the steering and the brakes all were usless. i was on the interstate with my new born son!! even the scdot gentleman on duty knew exactly what happened, he actually told me!!! now if every mechanic and everyone familiar even a little with the intrepid knows of this problem with the 2.7l engine in the dodge intrepid then why oh why is dodge not recalling them??? is it all about money again it seems to me they stand to loose far far more in the lost sales of the future for not owning up to their error. it really bothers me that my life and especially my new born sons life is less important to them then this!!! thank you for taking care of this matter.

dt: contact states the engine completely shut down while driving the vehicle. the service dealer said the engine needed to be replaced. *ak

I just had the check engine light on my car fixed, oil leak and transmission leak fixed, and the windows fixed because they were off track. my air conditioning unit is broke and i hate that because i have a newborn baby and its hot! i had to get a new transmission at 95,000 miles. i was unhappy about that. i hate my 1999 dodge intrepid.

Dt: oil engine light was blinking, while car was traveling the engine started rattling noise. when the hood was opened the engine was smoking. the mechanic notified the consumer that the engine was blown. the consumer was traveling at 70 mph when this happened. this has not been corrected by the consumer as of yet. before this happened the oil light blinked and the exhaust pipe smoked. *tt *eh

Oil light flickered a couple of time at an idle. called service at dealership and took it in for possible oil sensor replacement. found out engine was damaged and needs replacing. was offered 2 engines one at 60,000 mi the other at 100,00 mi. refuesed both for fear of those going to. warranty out of date at 100,00 miles. vehicle now 114,00 mi and is a 1999. oil was always changed every 4500 miles and mobile 1 synthetic was used. no warning of service engine soon light ever coming on. oil was always up to full line on dipstick. i feel chrysler should help me with the problem by helping me purchase a new engine or applying a deal for another car. my car is not that old and i feel it was not our fault that the engine went this soon. my dealer ship has always been great and up front with me on everything else and i know they are doing their best to help. i have a 1999 dodge intrepid with a 2.7l engine. i see others have had similar problems. i think there should be a massive recall on these engines and assistance for getting them fixed.

1999 intrepid engine blew up due to sludge problems.*mr the engine blew up due to engine oil starvation from oil sludge ( the timing chain broke). it only has 78,399 km and in the maintenance schedule the timeing should be replaced every 160,000km. *bf *nm

Dt: own 1999 dodge intrepid with 60,000 miles. the oil light continued to illuminate. however, kept oil changed regularly. wife was driving home, and the vehicle locked up in the middle of the road. was able to restart and make it to the side of the road and was towed. took vehicle to service dealer, and they diagnosed as the crank shaft bearings were worn out, and were not receiving oil. this happened all the time with these motors. builds up sludge within the motor. after inspection, recommended a new motor. the value of car is $4,000 and the motor costs $5,000. after the new motor was ordered changed mind, was charged $800 for restocking fee and car is still not repaired. *ak

Dt*: the contact stated the check oil light illuminated while driving. although the vehicle was regularly maintained the contact took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer added more oil. afterwards, the contact was driving home and the check oil light illuminated again followed by a loud noise from the engine compartment. the engine stalled and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to a different dealer. the service department discovered sludge in the engine. the engine was replaced in march 2003. after a recent oil change the service department of a local dealership noted there was some sludge present. *ak

The engine started making a rattling noise as i was driving home from work. i pulled the car into a parking lot and the engine died and would not restart. i had it towed to a garage where they told me the timing chain had gone out because of engine sludge. they also told me that these 2.7 engines were nothing but junk. the motor beeds to be replaced but since i couldn't afford the $6,000 that will cost, i had to have it towed back to my home.

Engine failure with the 2.7 liter engine. engine was properly maintained and it failed without warning. dodge service manager said that it was a flawed engine but dodge would not warranty engine. engine manufacturers and consumer reports(august 2005) advise this is a defective engine and dodge refuses to fix or replace the engine.

Engine started making rattling noise while driving, pulled off road and shut off engine. i tried to restart and it wouldn't start again. i had it towed to my mechanic and was told the engine failure was due to sludge in the timing chain tensioner, and that the engine would have to be replaced. this engine was well maintained and had 68000 miles. no repairs have been done on it due the expense of a new engine.

My wife had just entered the highway when the engine suddenly stalled and our car had to be towed. the next day a mechanic told us that the engine was seized. the car only has 82,000 miles on it.the total cost of the repairs was $6442.91, the engine alone cost $4300.00 from jasper engines, which said that they have corrected the design flaws within the engine. if a popular and reputable engine rebuilder can find and fix the problem than why can't chrysler.

I own a 1999 dodge intrepid (2.7l) that is a well-maintained vehicle. the engine of the car has suddenly broke down prematurely right after the warranty period. chrysler has refused to help.*ak please make chrysler take responsibility for this failure and help me with the repair. the vehicle was maintained according to the specification. chrysler is scamming the public. please protect the public.

I was traveling at 65 mph on the interstate. without warning lights or any other warning, engine began "tapping," then locked up by the time i could safely park the car. mechanic advises that total engine replacement is necessary.*ak

Rod was thrown in engine, due to sludge build-up, it has had regular oil changes. *ak

1999 dodge intrepid w/a 2.7l engine. engine failure at approx. 78,000 miles. spun 2 rod bearings. i heard the rattle from the bottom end as i pulled into work one morning. pulled the oil pan before it could get worse. i have used mobil1 synthetic 10w30, changed every 5000 miles. car is driven alot of the time on the highway. having been a mechanic for 18 yrs i rebuilt the engine myself. i replaced the main and rod bearings, rings, oil pump, water pump, timing chain tensioner and gasket set. also the crank was ground and the rods resized, along with having all the engine parts cleaned. i took numerous pictures and kept the offending components. i was without my car for 3 weeks and had to pay for a rental.

I had a 99 dodge intrepid. my car was having problems with the oil and we believed there to be a leak because it would never hold oil very long before the tank would be bone dry. but even after taking it to a mechanic we could not find a leak. in march was driving back into town when my car broke down. it started making a really loud clunking noise like the engine was about to fall out. after having it towed home a mechanic looked at it and said that the engine had gone out and i needed a new one. i ended up having to file bankruptcy due to the fact that the car was only worth $3000 or so and it would have cost more than that to fix it and that i was already $4000 upside down. however, i am about to be sued by the credit union that i had the loan for my car on due to them losing so much money on it. *jb

Engin failure no warning. *jb

After driving the vehicle to the store consumer parked the vehicle , and went inside. upon returning vehicle would not start. vehicle had to be towed to dealer, who discovered that engine was defective. *ak

While driving vehicle stalled, and driver was unable to restart the vehicle. driver had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to sludge build up. *ak

engine was replaced two times once for bearings, and once for the timing chain. this is the third engine being put into the vehicle at this time.*ak