While driving my car home from work it started making a loud noise, once I got it home into the drive it stopped running. Had I been on the highway this could have caused an accident but lucky for me I don't live more than 5 miles from where I work. I had it towed to a mechanic where they said that the is sludge build up and that the timing chain had broken which had blown up the engine. They mechanic said this is a common occurrence with these cars and I paid him $2,000 down to start working on the car. My fiend suggested that I contact the Chrysler company and I opened a complaint with them. They said I needed to have the work done by one of their certified mechanics, I told him that I had already started the work at another company. They refuse to help with any of the costs unless I have the car towed to one of their companies where I would have to pay the original mechanic over a $1,000 to replace the old engine and cancel the order of the new one. I had called the dealership prior to all of this and because the car's warranty had expired they offered no help.

- Columbus, OH, USA

The contact states vehicle died while pulling into driveway. The vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop. The repairman informed her that the engine failed due to sludge build up. She contacted manufacturer, that and they requested she bring vehicle to an authorized dealership for repairs.

- Columbus, OH, USA

The contact stated after turning the engine off, the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership, who discovered that the engine had sludge build up, and would have to be replaced. He chose not to repair the vehicle. The air condition and heat did not work and the timing belt was loose. Updated 12/27/05.

- Bumpass, VA, USA

Contact stated the engine failed while driving the vehicle. He contacted the dealer, and they claimed it happened due to the contact's error on oil changes. The transmission failed as well. There were no prior warnings concerning the failures. The vehicle was serviced on a regular basis. The contact provided documentation for oil changes. The transmission was replaced under warrant. However, the engine will not be repaired due to the excessive expense.

- Montaque , NJ, USA

The contact stated the engine failed while driving at 65 mph. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop. The serviceman said that the engine would have to be replaced. The antifreeze leaked into the oil. The engine locked. The manufacturer has not been contacted. The contact does not plan to repair the vehicle.

- Deptford, NJ, USA

Car seized up afternoon of Oct. 14, 2005. This vehicle has been maintained with oil changes every 3-5,000 miles.

- Louisburg, KS, USA

Engine failed while driving on the expressway. Had to coast across 3 lanes of traffic to get to the exit. Diagnosis is that the engine needs to be replaced due to sludge build up. Second time major work has had to be done to this engine due to sludge build up.

- Clawson, MI, USA

The consumer stated that 2001 Dodge Intrepid had an engine problem. The block on the engine failed. The consumer ha put a new engine in the vehicle. The consumer recorded every time that the oil was changed. The consumer stated that it was not a maintenance problem on the car. The car had no prior problems with the engine. The consumer contacted Chrysler and filed a complaint with them. The consumer was informed that vehicle did not have warranty left. The total engine cost will be around $5,000. The consumer said that the car was parked outside of his house because of the engine failure. The dealer has seen the car, and they did diagnostic testing, and they found that the engine needed to be replaced. The consumer was going to have the vehicle fixed. The reference number to the complaint that consumer filed with Chrysler was #13947422. Chrysler was contacted on August 19, 2005.

- Sterling Heights, MI, USA

Shortly after my 2001 Dodge Intrepid reached 70,000, I began to notice that it seemed to be burning oil. I had not noticed any problem with the vehicle previously. I later found out that this was just the beginning of the engine failure process that I would experience. I have cared for the car regularly including oil changes, but also found that this would have made no difference in the outcome. After having the oil changed on 9/18/05, the car began to make extensive engine failure noise. I took the car to the john elway Chrysler Plymouth dealership in golden, co, and was told that this was a known issue by Chrysler corporation, but that I had no recourse in having the failed engine replaced. The service advisor admitted that there was nothing that I could have done differently, because Chrysler admitted to the 2.7L V6 engine in the Intrepid having a serious lubrication problem, but they would not assist in the repaid of the engine in any way.

- Arvada, CO, USA

Dt a defective 2.7 liter engine. It had sludge build up and it caused the motor to blow out. The first time it happened was in June 2005, and the second time on September 9, 2005. The motor was making a tapping sound, but the cylinder had broken inside the block, and it was flapping up and down. The dealer said the water pump was bad, and the consumer would have to pay for the motor.

- North East , PA, USA

We have a Dodge 2001 Intrepid with the 2.7 liter motor. According to other mechanics and personnel within the dealership, there are defects with this motor that Chrysler refuses to address. It has to do with internal components and causes the motor to basically blow up. Our first motor blew up at 83,000 miles and the dealership installed a different motor with 58,000 miles which blew up again 3 weeks later. Today, September 19, 2005, we were to take possession of our repaired car with its third motor within 2 months and were asked to pay a portion of the bill because the dealership claims that this repair was due to a faulty water pump even though the water pump and the timing chain assembly are one and the same on this vehicle. It is my opinion that these 2.7 liter motors are defective as thousands can attest on the internet, Chrysler knows they are defective but dahmer refuses to act responsibly because they purchased the company after the defect originated. These 2.7 motors which are sitting on the shelf at junkyards across the country have become worse because the passage of time sitting on the shelf and are worse than the original motors put in them. Furthermore, our extended warranty company, triad advantage, foreseeing the problems to come, shut down, went out of business and took the money and ran when these claims were becoming apparent.

- North East, PA, USA

The consumer stated that 2001 Dodge Intrepid had an engine failure at 62,000 miles. The vehicle was regularly maintained. The consumer was driving the car and heard a knocking sound, the engine seized while in traffic. The consumer had the car looked at and was informed that he would have to have a new engine. The consumer has not talked to the manufacturer as of yet. The consumer has since bought another vehicle. Update 1/11/2006 -

- Titusville, FL, USA

I was driving my 2001 Intrepid during busy traffic and the engine started making a fairly loud tapping noise. As I tried to get over to the side of the road, the car stalled. The car blocked traffic as I had to get out and push it off the road. It never restarted and I had it towed to a local Dodge dealership. They informed me that the engine needed replaced... huh?

- Bridgeport, OH, USA

My Dodge Intrepid 2001 engine locked up while I was driving on the freeway. The repair bill is between $4,500-$6,000. The engine is now dead. The mechanic said there was no oil in it although I've put in 3 quarts in the last 2 weeks and had the oil changed on time.

- Maplewood, MN, USA

Oil light blinking erratically, going into reverse when in drive-not once, but twice.

- Beverly, MA, USA

No warning at all. My son was driving on the interstate going about 65 mph when the engine stopped running without any warning. Luckily he was able to maneuver the car out of traffic before it completely stop. The vehicle had 56,000 miles on it and was covered by a extended warranty. The warranty company refused to pay because they said it was a manufacturer defect. 2001 Intrepid.

- Prince George, VA, USA

The caller said that while driving 55 mph and slowing down the engine blew out. She was able to get the vehicle off the road, and had to have it towed to a repair shop and later to the dealer, who said it would cost the caller $4700 to $7000 to fix. It. manufacturer said they will not do anything for free because the warranty expired. The consumer explained that the engine has not been repair yet because she cannot afford to pay approximately $6000 for a new engine.

- Cheektowaga, NY, USA

2001 Dodge Intrepid. The consumer states the engine on the V blew out because there was sludge built up. This engine was maintained by mechanic. Therefore, there should not have been any sludge. The vehicle was working fine prior to this. It happened on June 15, 2005. The vehicle did not catch fire, the engine died after being driven. Then, it would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic, and he stated that engine needed to be replaced. The heater inside the vehicle was not working properly before this happened. When he added water the heater worked. The consumer found out this was part of the problem.

- Woodland Hills, CA, USA

My 2001 Dodge Intrepid 2.7, the one that has had over 9500 complaints in my area alone. I was driving down the highway when a loud rattling noise started coming from the engine. It sounded like a card in a bicycle spoke. I checked the oil and all the fluids under the hood although it was not time for a change was ok. Then I proceeded down the road when it lost power and quit leaving me stranded. After having the car towed and getting 5 mechanics to look at it, even at the dealership, I was told the motor was blown. It was history with just 84,000 miles on it. Dodge advertises you don't even need a tune up until 100,000 miles. Apparently that is why! I still owe 11,000 on the car, making payments for another year not including insurance that I must carry because it is mortgaged property. Every dealership that I have talked to has told me that the 2.7 motor from Dodge doesn't last past 70,000 miles. It will cost me between 6500 to $7000 for another motor and most mechanics don't want to fix it because of previous history's with the Dodge 2.7 motor. I can't trade it because it has no value now. I can't sell it without a running motor, so appears that I will have an expensive lawn ornament for the next year. One mechanic even told me that there was a class action law suit to Dodge concerning the 2.7 engines, but I have not been able to find it yet. I have seen more complaints posted on the web about this engine and others looking for the class action suit, that I am shocked. I hope no one else has to go through what we have with this car. I will certainly never buy another Dodge vehicle.

- Bethpage, TN, USA

2001 Dodge Intrepid engine blew as a result of the timing chain breaking.** answer required***. the consumer stated the warning sign that the engine was about to blow was rust colored oil sludge on the inside of the oil cap. The consumer had an oil change 2 weeks before the engine blew, however no one mention that there was a problem, even though the rust colored sludge was in plain sight.

- Erie, PA, USA