NHTSA Complaint #10131468 — 1999 DODGEN BORN FREE

I HAVE A 1999 DODGE INTREPID, IT HAD 44,000 WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I DROVE MY INTREPID FOR APPROX. THREE AND A HALF YEARS WITH NO TROUBLE. BACK IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR (2005) MY BOSS AND I WENT ON A BUSINESS TRIP TO SC, THE CAR RAN GREAT. ON OUR RETURN TRIP WE WERE ABOUT 165 MILES OUTSIDE OF ATLANTA WHEN THE STARTED JUMPING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND CALLED FOR A WRECKER TO COME AND GET US SO THAT WE WOULD NOT CAUSE ANY TROUBLE WITH THE CAR (SO WE THOUGHT). WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY BOSSES MECHANIC. MONDAY MORNING THE MECHANIC CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT MY OIL PUMP AND WATER PUMP WENT OUT, THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT WAS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE. I WAS OVERWHELMED BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL THERE WAS NO WARNING AND SECOND I HARDLY EVER DROVE MORE THAT A FEW MILES A DAY. THE CAR AT THIS TIME ONLY HAS 67,000 MILES ON IT. THE NEXT DAY I GOT ON THE PHONE AND CALLED CHRYSLER AND EXPLAINED WHAT MY PROBLEM WAS AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE ONE OF THERE DEALERS LOOK AT MY CAR IN ORDER FOR THEM TO CONSIDER DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT IF I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THEM, THAT CHRYSLER WOULD DO SOMETHING FOR ME. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THEM, FOR THEM TO TELL ME THE SAME THING THAT MY BOSS''S MECHANIC HAD TOLD ME. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THAT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT I ALSO HAD SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE, AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HELP ME, BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF MY CAR. I STILL OWE ABOUT 7,000 ON THE CAR AND THEY WANT 7,000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. NO ONE WANTS TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME, AND IT MAKES ME SICK TO SEE ALL THE COMMERCIALS WITH THE PRESIDENT OF DODGE WHO CLAIMS WHAT GREAT CARS DODGE HAS. CHRYSLER TOLD ME LET THE BANK REPO MY CAR OR DEAL WITH IT AND DON'T CALL BACK AND BOTHER US WITH YOUR PROBLEMS. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE SUED AND MAKE GOOD ON ALL THE INTREPID 2.7 ENGINES AND KEEP THEIR CUSTOMERS HAPPY, BUT THEY WON'T. *NM