NHTSA Complaint #10080942 — 2000 DODGE INTREPID

I OWN A 2000 DODGE INTREPID WITH THE 2.7 L ENGINE. IN JANUARY OF 2003 A TAPPING IN THE ENGINE OCCURRED, BUT EVERY TIME I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IT WOULD STOP. IT HAD GONE ON FOR QUITE AWHILE AS THE DEALER COULDN'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL HE HEARD THE NOISE. WHEN THEY FINALLY COULD HEAR THE NOISE, FIRST THEY SAID THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN, THEN CALLED BACK TO SAY THE TIMING CHAIN TENSION HAD BROKEN APART. THEY REPAIRED THIS. IN JANUARY 2004 THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. WE WENT THROUGH THE SAME SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WITH THE NOISE AS THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS MARCH 2004 WHEN THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO DETECT THE NOISE AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT REPAIR IN FOUR DAYS. THEIR COMMENT TO ME WHEN I ASKED IF I SHOULD BE DRIVING THE CAR WAS, "WE WOULDN'T LET THE CAR GO IF WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS OK." I DROVE IT THE NEXT DAY AND THE TAPPING WAS PRESENT; THE FOLLOWING DAY IT WOULDN'T START. THEY TOWED THE CAR IN. THE PROGNOSIS WAS, THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN. THE RODS WENT THROUGH THE PISTONS. THIS WAS AT 80,000 MILES. THE CAR WAS OUT OF COMMISSION FOR OVER A MONTH. I HAVE THE 100,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY WOULDN'T COVER THE COST OF REPAIR. THE CAR WAS ONLY WORTH $5,500 AND REPAIRS EXTENDED BEYOND THAT. I HAD THE ENGINE REBUILT FROM A PRIVATE BUSINESS. A DODGE MECHANIC LATER INFORMED US THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED MANY OF THESE PARTICULAR ENGINES ALONG WITH THE MECHANIC WHO REBUILT MINE. I GUESS NOW I KNOW WHY THE DODGE INTREPID CAN'T HOLD IT'S VALUE. ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND WITH A DEPRECIATION OF $5,000 PER YEAR. I WAS TOLD TO KEEP ALL THE OLD PARTS IN CASE A RECALL OCCURRED. *LA