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.

3.0

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,617 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.

2002 Dodge Intrepid accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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2002 Dodge Intrepid Owner Comments

problem #3

Sep 042010

Intrepid 6-cyl

  • 139,852 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Bought a Dodge Intrepid the engine has been replaced twice it's an 2.7 V.6.... the car stalls, the light flickers on an off as well as my radio!! my sensor are faulty because it give my car faulty reading to the wrong errs not only, that I have had build up in both engines grime and broken down particles! my speed is off sometime my car picks up speed by it self or it don't gain speed at all! the car also loses power for no reason at all! drain my battery four times! over heat without warning! had my thermostat replace twice!!! to many problem keep occurring and I can keep up with any of this!! Texas dmv told me about this site told me about that these cars are not any good!! please help what do I do with this car?

- Artlington , UT, USA

problem #2

Feb 232010

Intrepid

  • miles
I own a 2002 Intrepid which has a very serious problem with the cruise control. If I set the cruise say at 65 miles per hour it will surge to 70 or more miles per hour before it slowly comes back to 65 miles per hour. I have complained about this to the dealer who eventually replaced the cruise with a new one. There is no difference with the new one. It still surges when it is set. The dealer said there is nothing more they can do. This is very dangerous because I almost hit the car in front of me when I engaged the cruise. I had this problem since I bought the car new.

- Manahawkin, NJ, USA

problem #1

Apr 292006

Intrepid 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I was driving with my daughter ( she was driving my car a 2002 Dodge Intrepid with 2.7 liter engine), and with no warning the thermostat began to rise. It was a certified used car and I did not have any problems with the car until this occurred. The car began to steam under the hood and cut off. My daughter steered the car over to the curb of a very narrow street hoping it would start. I called a nearby garage to take the car there if it started, after the engine cooled we crept the car to the garage. My daughter reminded about her Chrysler sebring with the 2.7 liter defective engine and how it stopped dead on she and her husband at night at a green light because of sludge. When we arrived at the garage, the owner looked at the car after it cooled. He said that the engine was about to go and that I need to take it back to the people who I made it to have them fix it or trade it. I asked if the problem was from engine tampering, as I had tried to trade it earlier at another dealer and the tech said that the engine had been tampered with before I bought the car at kernersville Chrysler Dodge. He did not know, but that in his opinion short of them putting in a new engine, this will happen again. Kernersville Chrysler Dodge refused to acknowledge any responsibility and would not trade the car nor offered to repair it. I am a 65 year old woman who has had open heart surgery this year and do not need the aggravation. I am paying for insurance and making car payments on a car that cannot be used and sitting in my driveway. Need the stress. No body wants this car as a trade. If I sell it myself the bank said they would still consider it a repo. Chrysler Dodge can have the car back, but I do not think it is fair or right for me to be penalized for their defective engine. They should take the car and call it even. The Chrysler Dodge company and tim mitchell at kernersville Chrysler Dodge should be ashamed.

- Winston-Salem, NC, USA

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