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.
10.0
really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
67,500 miles
Total Complaints:
2 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
disconnect the battery, works for awhile (1 reports)
Have called several dealerships and got different answers, but all agree it will be expensive to go thru the car and diagnose the problem correctly, hoping that someone else has had the same issue and could shed some light on it for me.
bad electrical problem, about a year ago i had to take my intrepid into the dealership, the engine wouldn't rev more than 3000 rpm. mechanic said it was the crank case censor, they didn't have the correct part at the time, but they had a part that would make run, needed the car so i told him to put it in. he told me he would call me in a week or two when he got the right part. didn't think anything of it because the car was running alright. about a month went by and the gauges started to mess up, first the gas, tach, speed, then temp gauge would shut off all within a minute, cant tell how fast im going, took it to the dealership and they told me that the problem was unknown and it would cost thousands to fix because they would have to look over the whole car. so i took it to MY mech. he told me that he has had Intrepids do that after they replace the crank case sensor because they are suppose to reprogram the cpu. took it back to dealer and they said they had no records of my being there so f*ck em.
people have to realize that problems like this are the dealers' fault, not Dodge's falt, just have to find a good dealer that wont pull your strings like puppet.
- Mark B.,
Cortland, NY, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Have called several dealerships and got different answers, but all agree it will be expensive to go thru the car and diagnose the problem correctly, hoping that someone else has had the same issue and could shed some light on it for me.
- Andrew D., Warren, MI, US