Problems with 2000 Dodge Intrepid ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Engine failure of 2000 dodge intrepid. 8jb

I have a 2000 dodge intrepid with a 2.7 engine. at 96000 miles i have experienced engine problems. the dealership where i took it to be repaired said that there was a problem with the 2.7 engine and said that i should have the engine replaced at a cost of $5000.00. they did not advise me to try to fix the existing motor because of a problem with oil sludge build up. *nm

Car exhibiting all symptoms that engine will fail--oil light comes on at stop lights, ac broken, radiator filled with sludge. i have a six year old daughter and will not our lives at stake driving a car that could potentially leave us stranded in the middle of rush hour traffic. dodge refuses to even acknowledge these cars have oil sludge problems. *tr

Catastrophic engine failure occurring unexpectedly 1/07. purchased a rebuilt engine. six months later the car started to stop at any speed, while idling, and 50% of the time would not start at all. had several dealers do diagnostics but could not pinpoint the problem as the car would run when taken to the shop. was informed that it may be fuel sensor, fuel pump, or fried motherboard in the car's computer. neither repair shops diagnostic equipment could pinpoint the problem. from 11/07-4/08 the car did not have the problem. now it has started to cutoff while in motion again. it cuts off atleast three times per trip now, and hasn't nor stared in almost a week. new battery, and a rebuilt engine with under 10k miles on it. needless to say the continued stoppage without warning has put me in some dangerous situations during my commute. *tr

Another intrepid 2.7 l engine failure. i was driving the car and it did stop runing without any warninig. i just came out of a twelve hundred dollas transmission repair. i know big chances are i will be ignored by chrysler people, but i will do everything i have to do to stop my relatives and 20 generations ahead, from buying any chrysler product. *nm

Oil sludge caused motor to fail at 80,000 miles. *tr

Engine malfunctioned. no warning ,and was driving down the highwy at about 60 mph and the engine just quit running.*ak

2000 dodge intrepid, 2.7 engine. oil sludge defect at 92000 miles. no warning. vehicle was traveling 70 mph and timing chain failed, causing spin out with near crash. vehicle was perfectly maintained using synthetic oil at 5000 intervals. had to get hotel room with 2 kids at christmas time, and wait for repair to car, which included new top end and timing chain set. $2600 spent. *ak

On christmas day, i was driving on interstate 5 in california on my way to disneyland with my family and very quickly my engine overheated and stalled in the fast lane, thank goodness it was christmas day and there were'nt very many vehicles on the highway. we made it to the shoulder and had a tow truck pick up the vehicle for $120. my vehicle arrived at my mechanic and after a day of reviewing my vehicle he called me and told me that the timing belt failed and i broke 2 piston valves. i needed a new engine. the cost of the engine in $3,000 this is not a cost that is reasonable for a well maintained vehicle repair. *nm

Tl* - the contact stated that engine ran as if it had no oil. he performed routine maintenance on the vehicle. the oil heated up and the engine failed. he called the dealer, and they had known about the problem. they said they wanted to give him $200.00 for the vehicle ,but,he had spent over $6000.00 to fix the engine before and it seized for the second time. he recently purchase d the car. the mileage at the time of the incident was 65000 of which 52,000 miles were on the odometer when the vehicle was purchased. the dealer ddid not want to repair the vehicle. he took it to a repair shop ,and they told him they would not fix these types of cars because of the inherent problems. before it seized the second time the dealer had him bring in the vehicle. they ran diagnostic tests for a few days at which point he was asked to pick up the car and the engine failed again. *ak

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was at an idle, the oil light illuminated. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was not alerted.

Dt*: the contact stated the engine would not start after multiple attempts. there were no warning lights illuminated to indicate a failure. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop, who determined the engine had seized, and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was alerted.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph on normal road conditions, a noise was heard from the engine. there were no warning lights to alert the contact. upon arrival at the contact's residence, the engine stalled and could not be restarted. the vehicle was towed to the dealership, who determined the time belt had fractured, and the engine needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted, who informed the engine warranty expired at 36000 miles. the contact was very concerned because the engine had only 97000 miles.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the engine ran sporadically and hesitated. a bluish smoke was noticed coming from the exhaust. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined the engine needed to be replaced. updated 1/19/2007 - *nm

My 2000 intrepid started knocking and then blew with no advance notice. after researching this problem i see why. sludge build up even though i followed all maintenance schedules. i have replaced all the front end parts at substantial costs ,oil pressure sending unit, also the brake a number of times . *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph on a city street, the oil and check engine light illuminated and the engine stalled without warning. the engine would not restart. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop, who determined there was excessive oil sludge, and the engine needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not alerted.

Check engine and oil light came on car began to slow down in rush hour traffic, got off to side of road. car would not re-start. towed back to dealer said nothing wrong. *jb

1) engine light came on 2) engine shut down while driving 3) mechanic replace fuel pump then computer car would still not start. chrysler confirmed that the engine had sludge problem and said the engine needed to be replaced. i could not afford the $5000 to replace the engine. *nm

Temperature gauge topped out, came down, then blew fluid on engine. dealer said engine was gone. i still owe a significant amount of money and do not have the means to get a new motor. and the dealer is afraid i will not get a loan for a new vehicle because of the amount still owed. i still have no solution for this problem. car is. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while stopped to get gas, the vehicle would not restart. it was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the engine needed to be replaced. updated 12/28/06. *jb

I picked up the car after purchasing it and never made it home. the car stopped on the highway. i had just pulled off because i heard a sound and the car became sluggish. i tried to start the car up to no avail. i had it towed to a local repair shop, which stated that the water pump failed and flooded the engine. as a result, i was without a car for awhile. the car has been sitting because i could not afford to make the repairs at this time. i was unsure what to do until a new coworker mentioned that she had the same problem and was able to give the appropriate steps to take. the car will be sitting until i can save the money to fix it.*ak

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle's engine died due to engine sludge. the service dealer stated the vehicle did not receive regular maintenance, however the contact disputed this assessment and had receipts for the maintenance. the service dealer determined the vehicle needed a new engine.

Without any warning, oil light etc, my 2000 dodge intrepid would not start. all was fine before this incident. service station informed me of timing chain problem and oil sludge build-up due to imperfect 2.7 motor. i was also advised to not fix the problem because this motor is a piece of junk. car only has 57,000 miles. *nm

2.7 l motor on 2004 dodge intrepid has excessive sludge build up resulting in blown motor. car is in excellent shape and has been carefully maintained. bad engine design that is well known to mechanics. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph, there was a knocking noise in the front of the vehicle. this was followed by the oil light illuminating intermittently, and the check engine light illuminating constantly. the vehicle then sputtered and nearly stalled. when the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the timing chain had punched a hole through the top of the valve cover, which leaked oil over the engine and onto the exhaust, starting a small fire. the vehicle was not taken in for service. the manufacturer was notified.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph, the engine operated at a reduced speed and stalled without warning. the contact managed to coast the vehicle to the side of the road without incident. after being towed to an independent repair shop, a diagnostic test was performed, which indicated the engine needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not alerted.

Dt*: the contact stated when the vehicle was started; the engine was chugging and would not accelerate properly while traveling 30 mph. the vehicle was taken to the nearest repair shop. after six weeks, diagnostics and physical inspection showed a valve part may have fallen into the motor causing damage and there was a severe sludge problem requiring the engine to be replaced. the service dealer bought the vehicle from the contact. the manufacturer was not alerted.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. while in motion the vehicle produced a knocking noise in the engine compartment. the vehicle shut off and was towed. the mechanic diagnosed the noise as the tensioner failing. the vehicle was also found to have sludge in the engine, and a new one was needed. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileage were 98,099.*ak

I bought my 2000 dodge intrepid with 75k miles on it and 1 1/2 years later the engine blew. the dodge dealership says it was due to sludge build up due to me not doing routine oil changes but, my mechanic begs to differ. he performed the proper oil changes on the car every three months. i still have this car sitting in my driveway from a year ago. it will cost me $4,000 for a new engine and someone to due the work. *tr

Engine failure on 2000 dodge intrepid while driving on us interstate 77 south no previous warning. *jb

Engine stopped running while i was at 55mph on a rural road late at night. had car towed to dealership that i bought car. timing belt and guides eng due to sludge build up. i had the oil changed every 3,000 miles from when i bought it. dealership could not find sludge but was told this was the problem. had repairs done after continual complaints took 5 months to get car repaired. 5 months later and 10,000 miles the engine goes again. at 21 this car sits in my dad's driveway rusting. replacement parts could not be located. replacement of engine i can not pay for. chrysler will not help. i've had better help from my dog! *tr

2000 dodge intrepid v6 2.7 engine. stalled in after work high traffic. would not start. had to be towed. bottom line is engine is bad . unable to repair/replace. still owe 2 yrs on the car. *nm

My 2000 dodge intrepid had an engine problem at 69,000 miles. apparently this is a problem with these 2.7 liter engines and is not backed by chrysler. i would like to add my name to the list of complaints. *jb

I have a 2000 dodge intrepid and over the weekend the engine blew and i was almost involved in an accident due to the engine failing. i took it to a mechanic and there was sludge inside and now they are saying the engine is no good and that i need to new one. i went to google to get more information on the engine and i came across a link that there are other people in my situation. if someone can please reply back to me with any new information about the engine. i love my intrepid and wish the engine was made to last. *jb

My 2000 dodge intrepid just blew two rod bearings and the chain in the front crank case cut all the through the metal after 81,000 miles and 6 years of owning the vehicle. the problem all started when i had to have my seat replaced via the seat recall dodge issued (which the dealership did not notify me about, i had to find this out myself via the internet). so, i took my 2000 dodge intrepid into my local dealership, to have the seat replaced and while they were at it, i authorized some other repairs that needed to be done to my intrepid (all out of warranty). i get the car back a day or two later, drive it off the lot and start to hear a ''knocking'' sound when the rpm''s would hit around 4000 '' 5000 rpm''s. the ''knocking'' went on for another day or two without clearing up, so i took my 200 dodge intrepid back to dealership to find out what the deal was, since they just serviced my vehicle. the dealership told me that i would have to pay them another $380.00 to have my engine pulled apart to diagnose the problem. i was very upset about this, but gave them permission to do pull the engine apart to fix the problem, figuring this would all be covered by their 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty they provide on their work/repairs they do. i get a call 2 '' 3 hours later stating that the news is not good and that my 2000 dodge intrepid had two blown rod bearings, as well as the chain had cut all the way through the crank case. the dealership blamed this on being poorly maintained, then when i told them that was not accurate, as i was very religious on changing my oil every 3,000 miles, they tried to blame the problem on oil sludge caused by the oil i was using (pennzoil). i asked dodge how pennzoil would feel if i told them that dodge was telling their customers that pennzoil oil caused oil sludge and the dealership had no comment. they also didn't have any comment on why other engines run & last using pennzoil oil and their engines do not, still no good answer from them. *jb

While driving my vehicle i heard an unusual sound coming from under the hood when i raised the hood i couldn't see anything visibly wrong. i contacted my mechanic who told me the upper end of the engine is not receiving enough oil and he called it "oil starvation to the upper end of the motor" he also noticed that the car has a blue smoke coming from the exhaust. he told me that the engine is going to lock up if i continue to drive the vehicle. he also stated that the cost to replace the engine would be between $6000.00 and $6800.00. i currently owe $6000.00 on the vehicle and also the retail amount on the vehicle is below the amount to repair. my 2000 dodge intrepid only has 63233 miles. i have maintained proper maintenance on the vehicle. we have been changing the oil very 60 days or 3000 miles which ever comes first. i drive 70 miles per day to and from work and with the vehicle sitting in the garage and not being able to use it is making things very difficult not only for me and my husband but it causing problems with my employer. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle lost oil pressure causing the oil light on the dashboard to illuminate. when the transmission was put into a gear from idle, the vehicle accelerated roughly. the contact expressed concern that the engine would fail completely.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 mph on the interstate, the engine stalled and there was a loss of all vehicle power without warning. the contact managed to pull over without incident. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. although the dealer was alerted, the vehicle was not inspected. the manufacturer was also alerted.

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 15 mph, the vehicle stalled and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined there was sludge in the oil and the timing belt snapped. the engine needed to be replaced.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph on a city street, there was a loud, banging noise coming from the engine compartment followed by the engine stalling. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road. the engine did restart, but the banging sound was present. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who determined the engine failed and a rod was fractured. the manufacturer was not notified.

My 2000 dodge intrepid motor blew without any warning. i changed the oil on or before it was due. no lights came on to warn me that the engine was getting hot. at 108,000 miles i have no car to drive but i still have 3500. to pay on it.*jb

It is very simple, it is the well known and well documented defective failure of the 2.7ll v6 engine made by chrysler, we took good care of it, and it died just like the others, engine sludge destroys engine, we were driving 65 mph on rte 90 (mass pike). lost power, made viscous knocking noises, stalled......had to have it towed. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. while driving 55 mph, the contact heard a pinging noise coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they found sludge build-up in the engine. the diagnostic cost $235. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and inspected by a technician, who determined that the engine failed. the engine was replaced with a rebuilt engine at the cost of $4,210. the contact called the manufacturer and was advised to send the routine maintenance receipts to the chrysler dealer to determine if she would receive reimbursement. the contact has not received any compensation or a follow up call. the failure mileage was 82,532 and current mileage was 110,000. updated 08/04/09 *bf updated 08/05/09.*jb

I was driving home from my daughter's house when i started to hear a slight tick coming from the motor. being only a 30 miles from home on a sunday i decided to drive it and have the car checked out on monday. i never made it. 5 miles from home i heard a pop and the car stalled and never started again. i had it towed to the garage that told me the motor was dead and it would cost me $4500 to $5500 to fix. the oil was like sludge even though i changed it every 3000 - 3500 miles like clockwork. *nm

2000 dodge intrepid;began making knocking noise in engine and took to mechanic and he advised that engine was about to fail. it wasn't but a week later that my wife enroute home and the engine quit. *jb

My 2000 dodge intrepid with a 2.7 liter engine has failed due to engine sludge. the sludge caused my timing chain tension device to fail as well as my oil pump rendering my vehicle inoperable. as a consequence, the vehicle will towed to a salvage yard with only 34,000 miles. *nm

I have experienced the well-documented problem with the failure of the 2.7l engine in dodge intrepid. timing chain tensioner failed on start, timing chain slipped and bent all intake valves. total engine replacement required. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. while driving 20 mph, the vehicle began making loud noises and would not accelerate over 20 mph. the vehicle then shut completely off and had to be towed. the engine was replaced. approximately two years later, the second engine failed. there is no recall for this failure. the current mileage was 167,000 and failure mileage was 78,000. updated 06/03/08. *lj updated 05/30/08

In june of 2006 my 200 dodge intrepid i took my car in for routine service and found that my car had oilsludge and have not had it running since, due to the fact that i don't want to have engine failure. i have been investigating the possibilities of recompense from the motor company but have not been able to find out much as of yet except that it is still in process. i feel that i am entitled to having my engine replaced, since i still paid off the car and have not been able to drive. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the driveway for 2 hours it caught on fire. the fire started in the engine compartment spreading thought out the entire vehicle. there was a fire report filed at the scene. there were no prior problems with the vehicle. the dealer was alerted and determined an inspector would need to inspect the vehicle. a letter received from the manufacturer stating there was no need for an inspection. *ak updated 7/11/2006 - the consumer contacted the manufacturer and was told not to contact their office again as the fire was not their problem. per the crd chief used the most current incident date (internet voq request). *nm