CarComplaints.com Notes: The Dodge Intrepid, Stratus & other Chrysler sedans are infamous for oil sludge problems with the 2.7L V6 engine. If someone offers to sell you a 2.7L V6 model, it's only worth the price of the scrap metal it's going to shortly turn into.
NOTE: Only the 2.7L V6 has the oil sludge problem. Our "Avoid like the Plague" designation is ONLY for models with the 2.7L V6 engine. All other available engines are very reliable with no major problems.
Even with regular maintenance, the oil sludge defect eventually destroys the 2.7L engine typically around 80,000-100,000 miles. The only true fix we know about is to put in the larger 3.2L engine, which has a great reputation.
This issue was never deemed a safety defect by the Feds, so there was no recall. In the end, Chrysler got away with FOUR YEARS worth of defective 2.7L V6 engines in their sedans.
2.5
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
59,500 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
1999 Dodge Intrepid water pump and timing chain failed. The vehicle would not start while at the gas station. The vehicle never ran hot or made loud noises and there were no indications of a problem. The consumer was informed per service dealer that the engines had serious problems. The consumer felt that maybe in was not necessary to replace the entire engine at 59,500 miles. Chrysler was not willing to refund the consumer some or all of the monies spent on repairs. The A/C evaorator coil, fan resistor and trunk lock master cylinder which were all in perfect working order pror to being serviced at the dealership failed to work properly after vehicle was pick up from service. Dealership claimed problems were unrelated.
- Henrietta, NY, USA
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- Henrietta, NY, USA