NHTSA Complaint #10080937 — 1999 DODGE INTREPID

ON OUR WAY BACK FROM A SMALL VACATION ON JUNE 6, 2004 THE OIL LIGHT OF MY 1999 DODGE INTREPID CAME ON. WE (MY HUSBAND ,MYSELF AND OUR 2 SMALL CHILDREN) PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND OUR CAR QUIT. WE CHECKED THE OIL (WHICH WAS FULL) AND WE TRIED TO START THE ENGINE BUT IT WOULD NOT START. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO CALL OUR AAA NUMBER AND WAITED FOR A TOWTRUCK. WHEN WE CONTACTED THE GARAGE THE NEXT DAY TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, THEY TOLD US THAT OUR OIL PUMP MALFUNCTIONED WHICH IN TURN LED TO THE ENGINE FAILURE. WE WERE TOLD THAT OUR ENGINE WAS NOT SALVAGEABLE AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO REPLACE IT. UP UNTIL THIS POINT WE THOUGHT WE HAD JUST HAD SOME INCREDIBLY BAD LUCK, BUT THEN WE STARTED LOOKING AROUND FOR A USED ENGINE AND FOUND IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. WE TALKED TO SEVERAL MECHANICS THAT WERE VERY AWARE OF A COMMON PROBLEM OF THE DODGE 1999, 2.7 OIL PUMPS FAILURE. WE FOUND THIS VERY INTERESTING. WE FOUND IT EVEN MORE INTERESTING WHEN WE CALLED THE DODGE COMPANY AND WERE TOLD THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH OIL PUMP FAILURE IN THE SLIGHTLY OLDER MODELS BUT YET WE HAVE HAD NO LUCK FINDING A REPLACEMENT ENGINE . WE WERE TOLD THAT WE MAY HAVE A NEWER STRATUS ENGINE ON THE WAY BUT ARE STILL UNSURE OF THAT. SO BASICALLY WE NOW HAVE A CAR THAT HAS A $4000 PROBLEM THAT WE ARE HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME FINDING A CURE FOR. GRANTED MY CAR HAD 71,000 MILES ON IT BUT IN THIS DAY IN AGE I WOULD EXPECT A CAR TO LAST A LITTLE LONGER THAN THAT. AND EVEN IT IT DIDN'T ,I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FIND A REPLACEMENT FOR THE PROBLEM AND NOT BE TOLD "GOOD LUCK!" OR "MAN,NOT ANOTHER ONE!" BY MECHANICS THAT ARE CERTAINLY AWARE OF THIS COMMON PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH THE DODGE COMPANY IS NOT, OR SO THEY SAY. WE WERE TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THIS PROBLEM UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE AND WILL END UP COSTING US APPROXIMATELY $4000. AT THIS POINT WE OUR STILL WITHOUT OUR VEHICLE AND STILL HAVE NOT SECURED A REPLACEMENT ENGINE. *LA