Faults:
The air conditioning has had a problem every year. Most recently I had to repair a transducer switch for $232.00 just this week.
This was after replacing a blown engine ($5000) just last month. No explanation from Chrysler why this happened.
The transmission continues to "slip".
The front end parts had to be replaced, including struts, tie rods, stabilizer bar.
There have been many other repairs that I can't even recall.
General Comments:
The car rides nicely. However, every year since we have owned this car it has gone in for repairs. Especially for the air conditioning.
I would love for Consumer Reports to take a look at the repair record on this vehicle. Calling it a lemon is an understatement.
There is no way I would EVER buy another Chrysler. I am not alone on this. I have 4 other people that I work with that have Chrysler products that have the same problems. Two of them have the high end mini-vans. One is having the transmission replaced for the second time and he only has 55,000 miles on it. The other just traded his in with only 44,000 miles because he was tired of the repairs. He bought an Oldsmobile. The other traded in his Concorde because of all the air conditioning problems. He bought a Buick.
We just bought my daughter a car, no Chryslers, we bought a Ford Escape.
My previous car was a wonderful Toyota Celica that was put to rest after 212,000 miles with only 1 major repair.
I replaced the clutch at 112,000 miles.
Every time I call Chrysler customer service I tell them that I hope that they are recording my comments. You don't get any satisfaction from them and once some 20 year old on the other end of the phone tells you that they won't do anything, then you have no further recourse. I will admit that they covered some of the costs associated with the air conditioning because it was a known problem. But the inconvience of dealing with it every single year is so annoying. But when the engine went.. forget it, they wouldn't even discuss it. I take this car in every 3,000 to 4,000 miles for oil changes so I knew it wasn't that. They never could tell me what was wrong so I can only assume that it was somehow a faulty part. Bad enough that it had to happen over 200 miles from home and we had to have it towed.
No, never a Chrysler, never again. I would have bought a new car when the engine blew, but we had just bought the car for my daughter. Besides, my husband said we shouldn't have any problems now with the new engine. Of course, that was before the transducer switch on the air conditioning went.
What will be next.. who knows?
Thanks for letting me vent.
As a woman with a 1995 Concorde next to me at the gas station replied when I asked her how she liked her car "It's a nice car when it's not in the shop". My feelings exactly.
25th Jul 2007, 21:33
Having owned a 1995 Concorde myself, and knowing several people that owned the first generation Dodge Intrepid with little/no issues with them, I would say that if you mechanic is charging you that amount of money then the parts are failing, I would be looking into the business dealings of that mechanic, or the place you are purchasing parts from. Where I live a legitimate mechanic would begin to question the frequency of those issues.