NHTSA Complaint #10073261 — 2000 DODGE INTREPID

IN JAN 2004, OUR 2000 DODGE INTREPID EXPERIENCED 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHERE WE WOULD TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND AFTER ABOUT 2/3 STEERING WHEEL TURN, IT WOULD STOP. WE WOULD TURN THE WHEEL BACK TO THE LEFT AND THEN TO THE RIGHT NOTING THAT IT WOULD THEN TURN AS IF NOTHING WAS WRONG. WHEN WE WENT TO THE DEALER, THEY SAID THAT THE RACK AND PINION WOULD NEED REPLACING. I DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM ON A NEWSGROUP AND IT WAS SUGGESTED TO CHANGE THE POWER STEERING FLUID. WE DID (SINCE IT WAS CHEAPER) AND THE PROBLEM DIDN'T REOCCUR. ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO, WE WOULD NOTICE AN OCCASIONAL RATTLE FROM THE FRONT END. I INITIALLY ATTRIBUTED IT TO NORMAL SUSPENSION WEAR SINCE IT WAS APERODIC AND NO CONSISTANCY TO IT. AS TIME WENT ON, THE RATTLES WOULD OCCUR MORE OFTEN. IT WOULD DO IT GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS OR RAILROAD TRACKS. FINALLY, I COULD GET THE RATTLE TO OCCUR REGULARLY WHILE DRIVING BY PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE AND LETTING THE CAR PERFORM A "JERK" AS THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED. THAT PROMPTED ME TO TO A SEARCH ON ALLDATA FOR TSB INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUSPENSION. I CAME ACROSS TSB 19-01-00 THAT MATCHED MY EXPERIENCE TO THE LETTER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE STEERING GEAR (RACK AND PINION). REPLACING IT ALSO "CURED" A "KNUCKLING" SOUND THAT I AGAIN ATTRIBUTED TO JUST AN "AGE" NOISE. *MR