NHTSA Complaint #10041771 — 2000 DODGE INTREPID

ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON DURING A ROAD TRIP WITH MY DAUGHTER TO WOODFIELD,OH FROM COLUMBUS. MECHANIC SAYS I'M LUCKY THE ENGINE DIDN'T BLEW UP BEFORE I GOT THERE. MECHANIC SAYS THERE WAS ONLY A PINT OF OIL IN MY CAR YET I SAW NO SIGNS OF OIL BURNING OR LEAKING AND AN OIL CHANGE HAD BEEN DONE EARLIER IN THE YEAR. MECHANIC PUTS NEW OIL IN, SCANS AND RESETS THE CAR SO THE ENGINE LIGHT DOESN'T STAY ON. AFTER THAT, I STARTED MY TRIP BACK HOME AND EVERYTHING SEEMS FINE, THEN 10-15 MINUTES IN THE TRIP THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES BACK ON SO I TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK TO THE MECHANIC. ON THE WAY BACK I COULD FEEL THE ENGINE KICKS BACK AND ALMOST STALL OUT. AGAIN, I WAS LUCKY TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC. WHILE CAR IS PARKED AND ENGINE IS RUNNING, YOU COULD HEAR THE ENGINE REVVING UP AND THEN IT WOULD IDLE BACK DOWN. IT WOULD DO THIS A FEW TIMES AND THEN STALL OUT. MECHANIC DOES ANOTHER EVALUATION AND DETERMINES THAT A NEW ENGINE IS NEEDED AND THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN. A WEEK LATER I GOT MY CAR TOWED BACK TO COLUMBUS (THE CAR BROKE DOWN IN WOODSFIELD, OH) AND HAD IT CHECKED AGAIN BY A MECHANIC IN COLUMBUS. THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING THAT THE ENGINE NEEDS REPLACED BECAUSE THE WATER PUMP HOUSING IS DAMAGED AND THERE IS NO COOLANT IN THE OVERFLOW AND FELT THAT I COULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED THIS. SO I CALLED AROUND TO GET ESTIMATES ON REPLACING THE ENGINE AND EVERY PLACE I CALLED, THEY SAID THAT THEY'VE HAD LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE DODGE INTREPID'S 2.7 LITER ENGINE. THEY SAY THAT THE OIL IS NOT GETTING TO THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. ONE PLACE TOLD ME THEY REPLACED THIS ENGINE ALMOST ONCE A WEEK. SO NOW I'M STUCK WITH HAVING TO COME UP WITH SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE A FAULTY ENGINE. THE FACT THAT THE SAFETY OF MY DAUGHTER AND I WAS JEOPARDIZED BECAUSE THIS IS BECOMING A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THAT THERE ISN'T EVEN AN INVESTIGATION GOING ON, LEAVES ME VERY UPSET. I HOPE SOMETHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT THIS SOON. *LA