Faults:

The right rear door lock makes a weird noise, and will not unlock after it has been locked.

My engine blew at 79, 000 miles. I had to replace it for close to $6000.

General Comments:

When I first bought this car in late July of 2004, I had no idea that the 2.7 liter engine has a bad reputation.

One afternoon in October of 2004, the car started to make a weird and loud tapping noise from the engine I checked the oil, but it was full. I went out the very next morning to see if it still made the noise. It sure did, and even louder than the day before. I decided to go ahead and change the oil myself (even thou I still had 1,500 miles left to go). I noticed that the oil was very dark and even had a milky look to it, which is a good indication that something is wrong with the engine. I did an engine flush, but that seemed to do no good. Later that week I was going down the road when all of a sudden, the oil light started to flash off and on very rapidly. The engine failed. I managed to restart it and get it home without any problems, but right when I got home it stalled again and could not get it restarted. I had it towed to the dealership. They said just about the same thing to me as they said to all the people who have had this problem, the engine had a lot of oil sludge in it, and that the previous owners did not take care of it. But even worse, the oil pump was malfunctioning, the oil filter was clogged (just changed it), and the rod bearings and pistons broke. The price to fix the car was more than what it is worth. I had the engine replaced by another automotive shop using a re-manufactured engine.

Dodge needs to take responsibility for this, and admit to what they have done.

Faults:

Where do I begin??!

This car is the most unreliable vehicle ever created. After two engines, two transmissions, two batteries, an alternator, a starter, three AC evaporators, Power Steering unit, radiator fan motors, all 4 power door lock motors, 2 power window motors and various other parts replaced, it became apparent to me that this car is a lost cause.

(by the way I LOVE my extended warranty, but I bet they don't love my car!)

The car also eats through regular maintenance parts such as brakes and tires at a very rapid rate.

And now as an added bonus, the clear coat on the car is bubbling off.

Was this car built by circus apes on a Friday after lunch?

General Comments:

I bought the car new in 2000. It was roomier than the Stratus I was driving. Since my Stratus was a great car, and since my parents have owned other Chrysler products that were all great cars, I had no hesitation buying the Intrepid.

It's roomy, it looks great (even after all I've been through with it I still love the way it looks), the 2.7 is grossly underpowered. Its rated at 200hp, but I am always left wondering where the horses are. It performs as though there are only 12.

It also could use a bit more legroom in the front. The wheel well is positioned in such a way that I cannot fully stretch my left leg (I'm 6'3" and need all the room I can get!).

HOWEVER, I cannot stress how unreliable these cars are. I am lucky enough to have an extended warranty, but I would be out about $10,000 in repairs at this point. Not to mention all of the car rentals and rides from the dealer shuttle that I have to endure on a frequent basis. Chrysler should be ashamed of themselves. It's no wonder that they dropped the nameplate "Intrepid" for their new replacement model.