Faults:

Paint started peeling inside the trunk at 3500km.

The Signals/Hazards shorted consistently starting at 3800km. This problem took a dealership nine weeks to resolve.

The audio system had 'chirping', 'popping', and distortions coming from the driver door speakers, starting at 6000km. This problem has not been resolved to this day even though the car has been to five different "five-star" dealerships through New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta in Canada.

The windshield washer pump fell off car at 6100km while driving down the highway.

The driver door power window motor failed at 8300km. After this was "repaired", both the driver and the front passenger power windows came off their 'tracks'. Physical assistance was required in order to raise the windows to the closed position. This problem, although taken in several times to get repaired, remained a problem until fixed in Ontario at 10900km.

The climate control thermostat stopped working and was replaced at 10900km.

A water leak through the front passenger door started at approximately 54000km, but due to the dealerships inability to reproduce the problem (in spite of water marks on the door), the didn't replace the seals until 60300km.

General Comments:

This has been a very comfortable vehicle to ride in, and its design allows for a lot of flexibility due to its large interior size.

This would be a nice car to own and drive if it were not such a hassle to repair.

Faults:

After having the car only 6 months, the timing chain went out. In the process, 8 of the 24 valves were damaged. This resulted in a repair bill of $1300.00.

Just 4 weeks after getting the car back from the shop, it started "cutting back" as if it were not getting fuel properly. Then the engine light came on. I immediately pulled over and had it towed, costing me another $100.00.

The problem this time turned out to be rod bearings and main bearings. Another $200.00 bill. I guess I'm getting a frequent shopper discount now.

And now, all of a sudden the driver side front and rear windows aren't working. The front window has come off the track or something and has impeded the door latch, so that the driver's door won't close! The mechanic's on the way as I write this. I have no idea what this will cost me.

General Comments:

I loved this car before it started falling apart. Now it's just a money pit.

Faults:

For a month, the rear passenger-side door lock was stuck. Then one day it unlocked. (?)

No fold-down rear-seat!

A heck-of-a blind spot from the C-pillar (the area behind the rear doors).

General Comments:

Gigantic trunk and back seat.

Excellent transmission.

Good acceleration from the 2.7 liter, considering it weighs almost 4000lbs.

Especially good acceleration right off the line.

Real rear heat and air.

Good sound from 4 speakers.

Handles like a go-kart.

It gets an average of 28MPG, but can top 32 on trips.

The most comfortable seats ever.

Easy to get in and out of.

I liked the old Shadow just as much. I'd definitely buy another Dodge, for their nice seats, nice handling, and good transmissions.

Faults:

Oil pan replaced a couple of days after purchased. Dealer took care of it at no cost.

That's it!

General Comments:

The base model features a 2.7-liter V6 that seems a bit challenged by the heavy bulk of this car. From a dead stop the car is a little slow and a little noisy, these minor annoyances had me thinking that I'd better trade up to the ES model. But, after looking at the posts here from ES owners, the vast majority of which are totally negative, I think I made the right choice.

Its mind boggling to hear other people label this car a "lemon." I just do not see it. This car has given me absolutely not one bit of trouble in the past two years since I bought it.

The only issue concerns the oil pan. This car is a former Hertz rental car. I believed it was a good idea to buy a former fleet car because "fleet-maintained" generally translates into "well-maintained." Take oil changes for example. You can bet that the oil was changed regularly at it's manufacturer-recommended intervals. This relates to the only time it's been in for repair: The oil pan drain plug, made of iron, stripped the threads of the oil pan, which could have resulted in a catastrophic loss of oil if the screw were to fall out. It's a safe bet that, if the oil pan threads were stripped at just 27,000 miles when I bought the car, the oil must have been changed quite often.

The dealership was, fortunately for me, very cooperative and replaced the oil pan for me at no charge.

Since that time... so far so good! I'd buy another big cruiser like this any day. The Intrepid is what American cars are all about: Big, spacious living rooms on wheels! Let the Europeans make due with there teeny little lawn mower cars, the Intrepid is what a car should be.