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.
Pretty much every problem listed here is happening with my awful Dodge Intrepid. Coolant vanishing into the engine? Yes. Engine stalls when stopped? Yep. Year-old battery suddenly dead? Of course. Dashboard gauges move seemingly at random? Why not? Interior light? Doesn't work. Rear windows? Permanently up. Weather stripping? Nope, that's gone. And I fixed none of it because I'm just waiting for the inevitable engine meltdown.
Anyway, here's a new complaint: The AC. The AC itself works, blows cold air, just like it's supposed to. The problem is, turning on the AC causes the engine to lose it's mind and spike up to 3000 RPM while parked. People think I'm trying to race them, it's ridiculous.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Pretty much every problem listed here is happening with my awful Dodge Intrepid. Coolant vanishing into the engine? Yes. Engine stalls when stopped? Yep. Year-old battery suddenly dead? Of course. Dashboard gauges move seemingly at random? Why not? Interior light? Doesn't work. Rear windows? Permanently up. Weather stripping? Nope, that's gone. And I fixed none of it because I'm just waiting for the inevitable engine meltdown.
Anyway, here's a new complaint: The AC. The AC itself works, blows cold air, just like it's supposed to. The problem is, turning on the AC causes the engine to lose it's mind and spike up to 3000 RPM while parked. People think I'm trying to race them, it's ridiculous.
- J.R G., Greenville, US