Problems with 2000 Dodge Intrepid STEERING

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. while driving at 55 mph, there was a burning odor. in addition, the steering wheel made an abnormal noise when turning in both directions and all lights, meters, and gauges on the instrument panel failed to function. the contact also stated that the rear lights failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 135,000.

As i was driving along and approached my exit, the steering wheel locked up and would not allow me to control the car. i was able to stop the car safely hitting some brush on the side of the road. no damage or injuries were incurred, but this was very frightening! now, the steering is still getting stuck on turns and i have no horn! the airbag light is now showing and i don't know whats going on with this car! something needs to be done. no warnings, or recalls have been made, and there a many concerns of others going through the same issue with this car. please advise on what is going to be done about this problem before someone gets killed! *js

My 2000 intrepid s engine blew up 2 years ago and again 2days ago there was no warning. master cylinder is failing and the steering pin broke in the car and left me helpless i ended up in a ditch. i called dodge and they said they couldn't help because it was out of warranty past 7 years and its only been 2. *js

Vehicle has excessive play in steering which causes car to wander while driving, especially at higher speeds. requires constant adjusting while driving this car is unsafe and makes me a little leary about driving it at all. this seems to be a big promblem with this vehicle and i wonder why the dept. of transportation and highway safety hasn't done anything about it! *tr

2000 dodge intrepid, the consumer was traveling westbound, when his right front tie rod broke causing him to go off to the left side of the roadway striking the concrete median. *bf (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0344-91)*jb updated 08/06/10 *bf

2000 dodge intrepid the power steering started acting up, problem's like wining and hard to steer at times. than finally it went out all together we took the car to the local shop after two power pumps and a new steering rack-n-pinion the mechanic still couldn't figure what the problem was.when he called and said that there was nothing else he could do about the steering problem and he didn't know what was causing it to steer so hard,so he told us to come and get the !@#$%'thing out of his sight ! so that's when i went on line and read about all the problem's everyone else was having and also confirmed my suspicions on what might be the problem. (the wrong fluid in res.)so now that i drained the fluid and flushed all the lines a couple times the thing works fine . *tr

Almost lost control of the steering while driving on the interstate highway. car started shaking so we pulled of to the side of the road as soon as possible. the inner tie rod bushings were completely gone with just the bolt and washer holding the tie rod on the steering rack. had to replace the inner tie rods, but still need to replace the steering rack.

Backing out of a parking space in 2000 dodge intrepid es with 140k miles, there was a loud pop and had complete loss of steering in the front left wheel. the bolt that secures the tie rod to the rack and pinion had completely pulled out of the rack and pinion. if this had occurred while driving, it would have resulted in a major accident. rack and pinion needs to be replaced to fix the problem. i did not have the part replaced, so i still have the old part. i have parked the car and refuse to drive it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. when turning the vehicle, the steering would not return to its normal position. the contact had to pull the steering wheel back manually. the vehicle then began making a clunking noise in the front end. the diagnosis was that the rack and pinion steering had internal play and the steering gear needed to be replaced. the contact referenced technical service bulletin number 1900101 (steering). the current and failure mileages were 67,445. updated 10/03/08 *bf updated 10/06/08. *jb

Noticed play in steering getting worse as time went on so i went to a local firestone to have tires replaced and complete alignment done on vehicle. they replaced the tires but refused to do an alignment because they said there was too much play in the inner tierods and that the steering gear may need to be replaced. they quoted me a price of 300.00 for each inner tierod and said i would have to find a different shop to replace the rack and pinion because they can not. car still drifts all over the road and the steering still has play. i refuse to have my two small children in this death trap. *tr

Vehicle information: 98,975 miles on the car bushings broke september 18, 2007 took the car in for steering noise and accessive shaking they were replaced and within that same day the bolts broke off in my drive-way than my mechanic did his homework and found this defect online....car is no longer driveable. what do we do??? do we fix the car and park it until dodge does something or leave as is.... please help.... *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. while driving 50 mph, the vehicle would veer to the right. the repair shop performed an alignment and the power steering pump was replaced. however, the failure still occurred. the vehicle was taken to another repair shop and they stated that the steering gear rack and pinion needed to be replaced. a complaint was filed with the manufacturer and the contact was issued reference number 16542975. the current mileage was 114,000 and failure mileage was 100,000.

My 200o dodge intrepid has 61,000 miles on it. i started having problems with the steering at about 58,000. whenever i made a turn left or right my steering wheel would lock and i would not be able to straighten out. i would sometimes have to turn it forcefully and it would make a terrible clunking and grinding noise. i have almost been in a terrible accident on more than one occasion. the wheel locked up as i made a right turn and i was forced down an embankment, fortunately i was alone in the car and no one was on the embankment as they usually are. i have brought the car to a dodge dealer and they are repairing it for $1067.00. they said it is the steering gear and rack. after reading all the complaints on this vehicle with the exact same problems. i fee this is a safety issue an should be on a recall status. i was hoping to purchase a 300 chrysler now i'm not sure if i want to stay with this company. *nm

After driving approximately 12 miles to work the car was pulled into a parking space and while straightening the wheels a loud pop was heard and the car had no steering. the inspection revealed that (2) two 1/2 inch threaded bolts (that bolt the tie rods to the steering rack had sheared off. one of the tie rod bushings was gone and the area the bushing was in was extremely worn, requiring replacement. the rack and pinion was replaced on this vehicle at 20,000 miles under warranty. the car was repaired by removing the rack, backing out the old bolt ends and installing new bolts. the one tie rod was replaced. i contacted chrysler corporation customer service and they offered no help on the repair. the district rep was ask to help and he denied any help. (he did not even look at the damage. i was told that he would not over rule detriot). *jb

Steering on car makes loud clunking noises and freezes/locks at low to medium speeds( preventing any operator control for 1 to 5 seconds). usually seems to be when turning left however that is not steadfast either. even turning wheel to back car out of driveway will make large clunking sound in front end. seems to be usually within first five to 10 minutes of car running however that is not steadfast. this car has not crashed yet but the potential has presented itself more than once. at this point i refuse to let my small children ride in car. *jb

I picked up my car from the dealership after the rack and pinion was replaced and noticed a problem on the way home it was very difficult to turn left and extremely easy to turn right i returned the car to the dealership and they checked it again the rack and pinion is bad and needs to be replaced.

While driving my 2000 dodge intrepid i lost all steering the dealership told me it was the rack and pinion this is the second time this part has failed the first time was in july of 2002. *nm

Dt: 2000 dodge intrepid with 60,000 miles. the steering failed. it started with a lot of loose play in the steering. wheel. currently when driving straight the wheel was upside down. this problem started approximately 10,000 miles ago, complete failure occurred on july 27, 2005. the vehicle became impossible to drive in a short period of time. the vehicle is currently at the dealership, and they have not looked at it. it showed rack and pinion steering failure symptoms. chrysler was not willing to help with the problem. the vehicle did not go in a straight line, the tires were recently replaced and the vehicle was balanced and aligned.*ak the tie rod was replaced. *jb

Dt: while driving i noticed the steering wheel was off set. the steering locked up. after driving home the wheel locked up again. took vehicle to mechanic, and they said the rack and pinion was completely broken. also, they said that it would be dangerous to drive the car. called the manufacturer, and they said that they could do nothing. this was going to cost consumer about $900.00 to repair.*ak

Dt: 2000 dodge intrepid bought in april used with 11,000 miles. since then it has been in shop 9-10 times, mostly consisting of steering problems, such as rack and pinion and the steering coupler. there were other issues, but this was the main concern. one week ago the consumer was involved in an accident, front end impact for which the air bags did not deploy. consumer sustained injuries. no repairs after the accident because there was over $6,000 worth of damage. *ak emergency brake handle was loose. the dealer determined the it was not connected. the dealer repositioned/reassembled the emergency brake. the key wouldn't come out of the ignition because the shift interlock cable broke. the check engine light illuminated. the dealer replaced the wiring to the brake light switch. *nm

Steering clunks and sticks at random with no warning, told rack and pinion is in need of replacement. vehicle has only a little over 48,000 miles on it. *nm

The 2000 dodge intrepid es 3.2l model has a rack and pinion problem. mine started around may of 05 at about 63,000 miles. it started out just as a clunking noise. i had replaced all kinds of parts within the past few years like lower and upper ball joints, inner tie rods (twice), front end alignments, etc., thinking that the noise would be fixed. after all that was replaced on this car, i figured that the car was just made that way. as of this year, the steering started making a louder clunking noise when turning and straightening the wheels. at this point it just keeps getting louder and louder. i've had this looked at twice by different mechanics. the dealer in pittsburgh says that the replacement is $875.00 (which does not include labor) and that it is on back order and that the remanufactured ones are no longer available. i went online and found an unbelievable amount of consumers having the same type of problems with many chyrysler/dodge vehicles. it seems alot of them have been sent to you. the one site is: http://www.dontbuydodgechryslervehicles.com/dodge_chrysler_steering_problems.htm there was another site that i contacted earlier this year (www.dodgechryslersteeringproblems.com) (which as i looked today are no longer there) and they said to contact you which i am doing. please reply to this. this seems to be a very serious problem. when i asked the dealer about this, they said my year should not have this problem! guess what... it does! as i look at the questions that are listed below, luckily i can say i don't have to click on yes to any of them or to put in the number of deaths.....and hopefully i won't need to. but from what i'm seeing, my days are numbered. *tr

Steering sticking while turning car. nability to correct turn once inputed, has lead to the car leaving the road several times.*ak

While going 20 mph steering became impossible to control. consumer took the vehicle to a mechanic, who determined that rack and pinion steering was defective.*ak

I was making a right hand turn.the steering wheel locked up on me and i went over the sidewalk and off the road into some ones front yard. luckly this was late at night and no one was on the sidewalk. i had the car towed to a mechanic. he said it has a bad rack and pinion. i have a 2000 dodge intrepid that i had since new with only 49,000 miles on it.the mechanic said their is no way this should have went out. it cost me over $1200 to fix this . please check this out before some one gets seriously injured. thanks. *ak

I bought my 2000 dodge intrepid from ideal auto exchange. in a few days i heard some knocking on turns. i took the vehicle to my mechanic who states that rack and pinion has a problem , and must be replaced. i have a warranty with dealer under "lemon" law to replace rack and pinion. however, dealer states that after careful check on the vehicle they can't see any problems, and external knocking sound on turns is normal. afterwards they refused to replace the part. please advise what should i do.*ak

While driving the engine light illuminated, and blinked. then, engine completely shut down. it was later determined that there was sludge in the engine. *ak the vehicle's rack and pinion also failed. *nm

Rack and pinion steering system failed causing wheel position to lock up on a left hand turn. had to physically correct the wheel, almost caused a collision.*ak

The power steering hits against a fitting and it puts a hole in the power steering line. this caused power steering fluid to leak, and when turning the vehicle a whining noise was heard and that was when consumer discovered the defect. *ak the consumer stated that the vehicle had a premature engine, door lock , ac failure. the vehicle power steering pump makes noise. *tc

While driving 15 mph vehicle stalled. consumer was unable to restart the vehicle, and had it towed to a garage for inspection. mechanic determined that the steering power assist pump and timing belt needed to be replaced.*ak

Car steering wheel play left and right and hang up after sharp turn. took in for problem and was told not safe to drive. dealership replace steering rack. car only had 46000 miles.*ak

Dt: on 8-17-04 the consumer took the vehicle to for regular maintenance, and the dealership told him that the steering needed alignment and the tie rod ends needed to be replaced. the consumer had not been experiencing any problem at that time. the consumer had the outer tie rod ends replaced and the front end aligned. afterwards, on 9-15-04, the consumer experienced too much free play in the steering wheel. the consumer took vehicle back to the dealership, and they told him that the gear in the steering rack was worn out, and he needed to replace the rack and pinion. the consumer had not had it fixed as of yet. the steering rack got much worse and now has to be manually pulled back to center when turning. *ak

While driving at 60 mph steering wheel shook and pulled to the left or right. vehicle was taken to independent shop, and technician determined that rack and pinion needed to be replaced at consumer's expense. *ak

When driving at undetermined speed steering wheel failed, causing the driver to lose control the vehicle and hit another vehicle head on. consumer stated that steering wheel locked up, and both front air bags did not deploy. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership for inspection, and mechanic determined that the steering column bolt snapped. *ak

Check oil light kept coming on, took to dealer and they repaired problem, two times to get it done. dealer said oil pressure was fine /28/04 - timing chain failure, only 37,000 miles on car. bought new in 2000. engine valves were damaged. dealer took 2 1/2 weeks to repair lso had to replace tie rod ends.*ak

In jan 2004, our 2000 dodge intrepid experienced 3 separate occasions where we would turn the steering wheel to the right and after about 2/3 steering wheel turn, it would stop. we would turn the wheel back to the left and then to the right noting that it would then turn as if nothing was wrong. when we went to the dealer, they said that the rack and pinion would need replacing. i described the problem on a newsgroup and it was suggested to change the power steering fluid. we did (since it was cheaper) and the problem didn't reoccur. about 3 weeks ago, we would notice an occasional rattle from the front end. i initially attributed it to normal suspension wear since it was aperodic and no consistancy to it. as time went on, the rattles would occur more often. it would do it going over rough roads or railroad tracks. finally, i could get the rattle to occur regularly while driving by putting the car into neutral and then back into drive and letting the car perform a "jerk" as the transmission engaged. that prompted me to to a search on alldata for tsb information about the suspension. i came across tsb 19-01-00 that matched my experience to the letter. i took the car to the dealer and they replaced the steering gear (rack and pinion). replacing it also "cured" a "knuckling" sound that i again attributed to just an "age" noise. *mr

2000 dodge intrepid with 47,000 miles just got 2 months ago. steering wheel had 2" of play in it but still drove okay and i thought i could live with it untill i could save enough $$ to get new rack and pinion. *ak was turning left and steering locked up, had to slam on the breaks before i hit someone walking!!! guy thought i was trying to kill him and he gave it to me. i yanked on the steering wheel and got the heck out of there. now when i drive the car i expect the lock up and able to control it but is very scary because its getting worse and i cant afford to get it fixed and its my only car. oh well just have to die to get action. thanks for not helping us out here.

December of 2003 steering started grinding and making a clunking noise when beginging to drive and drifting when driving. took it to dealer, had to replace rack and pinion steering system. april of 2004 same problem only this time steering completely went out. not the power steering, there was no way to steer the vehicle. replaced rack and pinion steering system. november 2004 same problems again got it there before the steering complely went out again. once again replaced rack and pinion steering system.*ak

While driving at any speed consumer heard a noise coming through the engine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the technician determined the need for a new engine at consumer's expense of $8,800. the consumer checked the web site and found many similar complaints. *ak there was also a loss of power. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they suggested that there was a problem with the rod bearing. *sc

My 2000 intrepid has a steering problem that causes the steering wheel to lock-up intermittently, especially in cold weather. this is extremely dangerous as you might expect. dodge service told me the car needs a steering rack, along with stabilizer links and bushings costing $1,500. the car is out of warranty ( and i do not have an extended warrant) but it as less than 25,000 miles. i called customer service (case # 12074847)and spoke to damon who said that he could offer no assistance. he seemed to be fixated on the fact that several days after my purchase, i dropped my extended warranty coverage. in my mind, this does not change the fact that i have no extended warranty coverage, and it should not matter when i made the decision not to have this coverage. i dropped it because i was relying on dodge standing behind a quality product and that the car would last without a major repair for at least 50,000 miles. i did not plan on keeping the car much longer than 5000-0 miles. mon refused to consider providing me with any financial assistance with this repair. i would have been happy with 50% of the cost of the parts. still frustrated that a 3 year old car with under 25k miles should need this kind of safety-compromising repair, i called the nhtsa and learned that they are currently investigating steering rack problems on this car and that they would be very interested in inspecting steering rack that failed prematurely. so i've asked the service manager to keep it for me. they did not and said the core had to returned for remanufacturing. i can't believe that dodge is not willing to do that right thing and accept some of the responsibility for this repair. *ak

While driving 40 mph, the rack gears stripped off without warning. as a result the vehicle lost steering. no impact reported. *ak *tc *jb

The problem started with the steering wheel sticking and making loud clunking noises when attempting to make turns. i took my car to my mechanic who couldn't identify the problem. needless to say, the problem got progressively worse. the steering was so loose, i could turn the steering wheel from the 10 o'clock to the 2 o'clock position and the wheels would not even move. on november the 19th, i took my car to a dodge dealership who identified the problem as the rack and pinion.... a problem that would cost me over a $1000 to repair. i had no choice but to come up the money or risk killing myself or some one else due to steering failure. my car is less than 3 years old and has approximately 68000 miles. after much research, i have discovered that there are many people who are experiencing the same problem. this is a serious safety issue that needs to be properly addressed. undoubtedly a recall is in order and a reimbursement for those who have already had to pay for these repairs. *la

Steering developed 'play' in late 10/03. by 11/12/03 it was clunking, wheel was cocked to the right. steering wheel would stick/lock up. contacted dealer in santa rosa, ca. was quoted $175 estimate. later, same day learned that rack was broken and pump was leaking and cost would be a minimum $2000 to repair. i opted to go to another mechanic and had the car towed away from the dealer shop.

Steering failure - broken rack in 2000 dodge intrepid. mileage 68,254. *la

Since i bought this car on october of 1999, i have taken it to the dealer 31 times to fix things. i have been without a car 100 days. i have paid out of pocket $3,137.64. i am now on an extended warranty. i still owe $8,000.00 on my car. it has 60,000 miles. i have maintained it every 3,000 miles as suggested in the owners manual. i only use 97 octane gas. i am a very cautious driver. i take care of the car but the car has left me stranded in the middle of highways putting my life and the lives of my passengers in danger. i never know when the car is going to break down again and where so i am always under terrible stress. i pray as i drive that i make it to my destination. this car has been a lemon since i bought it. the biggest problem is the engine blowing. my brother in law was driving and i was the passenger on south dixie highway (us1) in south miami when we were at a red light and then started to go when the light turned green and without any warning lights, noises, or anything the car stopped running. it died in the middle lane. we had to push it to the side. it was rush hour and this highway is filled with very aggressive drivers. they were all cursing, beeping, signaling, and driving so close to us as to almost touch us. i was petrified. i thought a car was going to hit us. i paid for the engine repair out of my pocket, because the extended warranty company told the dealer they could not cover it because there was sludge build up. they send an adjustor who reported it to them. the dealer told us to fight it because the sludge was normal for that type of engine. we provided the extended warranty all the receipts for the maintenance that we religiously did about every 3000 miles. we also had another mechanic go in and look at the car. the other mechanic said that these types of engines always had the problem of sludge build up and that it was normal for the engine and ...

The vehicle's steering wheel had so much play. the vehicle crossed the center lime of the highway which forced the oncoming cars to the shoulder. *ph *nlm

Consumer stated while driving on the highway, the steering became more difficult while being driven. before total loss of steering, there was a loud squealing noise that came from the engine compartment. *ph

Engine in 2000 chrysler intrepid started tapping noise at 58017km brought to dealer with complaint, told they would not take engine apart to check noise. i told them i had been told that the 2.7 engine had problems with sludge that prevented the oil from circulating properly. they still refused to check engine. at just over 62000 km engine became noisy. brought it back to dealer who kept the car for two weeks, then told me engine needed to be replaced at a cost of $6500.00 and there would be no warranty coverage or goodwill. i gave them a complete history of maintenance records showing that proper maintenance was done with in the required mileage and time. they have told me that the invoices do not clearly identify my 2000 black intrepid and that it could of been another car. i only own one 2000 intrepid. the invoice shows the work the mileage and my name and date. next me they told me the invoice numbers were too close together. the work was done at four different garages. then they told me there was sludge that showed the vehicle was not properly maintained. then they asked me the brand of oil the garages used as it may have been faulty. end result is that they refuse to change their position in regards to warranty coverage or goodwill repairs and i will have to replace an engine that was bought brand new in may 2001. i am frustrated and do not know where to turn. any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

The rack and pinion was replaced at 24,000 miles and was covered by warranty. the rack and pinion failed again at 39000 miles and had to pay a $300.00 deductible. *ak also the valve cover gaskets leaked. *ts *jb

While traveling on the highway, the consumer heard a knocking noise coming from the front of the vehicle, causing rack and pinion to go out. *ak. the consumer noticed slack in the steering and rattling in the front at around 75000 miles. the steering became stuck during left and right turns. *ts. the tie rods were replaced and also the rack and pinion needed to be replaced, however the consumer declined the repairs. *jb