NHTSA Complaint #10118727 — 1998 DODGE INTREPID

I PURCHASED A 1998 DODGE INTREPID IN ORDER TO GO TO MEDIC SCHOOL IN 2004 FROM JD BYRIDER IN CLEVELAND,OHIO ON DECEMBER 3,2003. IN JANUARY THE CAR STARTED TO HAVE A ROUGH IDLE AFTER I WOULD DRIVE IT AROUND THE CITY TO DO THINGS. (E.G. BANKING PICK UP CHILDREN AND OTHER STUFF.) I TOOK THE CAR BACK THEN AND KEPT TO RUN SOME TEST BUT THEY SAID IT WOULD NOT DO WHAT I SAID IT WOULD. SO AFTER THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT 3 MORE TIMES THE SERVICE MANAGER SENT THE CAR TO DEACON'S CHRYSLER TO HAVE THEM WORK ON IT. DEACONS DID ABOUT $1000 WORTH OF WORK ON IT AND I GOT THE CAR BACK. ONCE SPRING ARRIVED IN CLEVELAND I BEGAN TO NOTICE WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY TAIL PIPE WHENEVER I WOULD DRIVE OFF FROM A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN OR ANYTHING ELSE AFTER SITTING THERE IDLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. AROUND MY TAIL PIPE WAS BLACK OIL SLUDGE BUILDING UP, AND THE CAR WAS BURNING UP 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 5000 MILES. BY NOW THERE IS A NEW SERVICE MANAGER AT JD BYRIDER AND HE PUT ME ON A OIL CONSUMPTION TEST TO SEE HOW MUCH OIL IT WOULD BURN OVER 3000 MILES. MEANWHILE I WAS HEAVY INTO SCHOOL I WORKED FULL TIME FOR CLEVELAND EMS ON A 12 HOUR SHIFT, HAD SCHOOL 2 DAYS OUT OF THE WEEK AND MAKE ALL MY CLINICAL TIME. FROM JANUARY TO NOVEMBER I PUT IN OVER 18,000 MILES, SO IN OCTOBER WHEN I HAD MY THIRD OIL CONSUMPTION TEST AND THE MILEAGE WAS TO HIGH I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT JD BYRIDER OR BEST EXTENDED COULD DO FOR THE CAR. (I RECORDED THE CONVERSATION ALSO) I ASKED FOR THE RECORDS OF MY VEHICLE FOR WHEN IT WAS SERVICED BY JD BYRIDER AND THEY "LOST, MISPLACED THE FILE. SO I WENT TO CHRYSLER AND HAD THEM PRINT ME A COPY OF THE WORK AND THEY STILL WOULD NOT DO THE WORK ON THE CAR. IN FEBRUARY OF 2005 AFTER LEAVING A MEDICAL SEMINAR ON STROKES MY 1998 DODGE HAD A MAJOR BREAKDOWN. I WAS TRAVELING AT 65 MPH WHEN I LOST POWER AND A LARGE RATTLING NOISE STARTED BANGING UNDER THE HOOD. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO DEACONS THE NEXT DAY I WAS TOLD THE ENGINE WAS NO GOOD AND IT WOULD COST ME $6500 . *AK