NHTSA Complaint #10149160 — 2000 DODGE INTREPID

I AM A 35 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO WAS TRAVELING WITH MY MENTALLY CHALLENGED AND AUTISTIC DAUGHTER FROM OHIO TO MISSOURI. WHILE NEARING INDIANAPOLIS, IN. MY 2000 DODGE INTREPID IT STARTED "TICKING" VERY LOUDLY AND THEN WOULD NOT GO OVER 40 MPH. I PULLED OFF ON THE MEDIAN WHERE MY CAR JUST DIED AS I WAS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN TO STOP. THIS WAS THE MOST TERRIFYING, INCONVENIENT AND COSTLY EXPERIENCE. MY AUTISTIC DAUGHTER WAS SCREAMING WHILE WE WAITED FOR HELP. I SPENT MY ENTIRE VACATION CALLING THE DODGE DEALER WHERE MY CAR WAS TOWED, MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY AND RENTAL CAR PLACES. I FIRST SPOKE WITH THE DODGE DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE WAS "BLOWN" AND IT WOULD COST ME $8800.00. THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE WAS FULL OF "SLUDGE". I THEN CALLED MY EXTENDED WARRANTY PLACE TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE GOING TO COVER THE DAMAGES. I WAS THEN INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO PROVE TO THEM THAT I HAD MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. I THEN SPENT THE REMAINDER OF THAT DAY CALLING THE THREE DIFFERENT PLACES BACK IN MY HOMETOWN THAT I TOOK MY CAR TRYING TO GET PROOF FAXED THAT I DID GET MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. ONCE THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED I WAS INFORMED THAT MY WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER THE $8800.00 BUT WOULD ONLY PAY THE NADA VALUE OF THE CAR WHICH WAS $2650.00. I THEN SPENT THE NEXT FEW DAYS CALLING AROUND TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO WOULD REBUILD MY ENGINE FOR $2650.00. THAT I FOUND WAS IMPOSSIBLE. I CALLED AROUND TO JUNK YARDS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BUY THE CAR. AFTER SEVERAL CALLS, THE MOST I WAS OFFERED WAS $150.00. I WAS INFORMED BY ONE JUNK YARD EMPLOYEE THAT MY CAR WAS NOT WORTH ANYTHING BECAUSE "THE ENGINE IS THE ONLY THING WORTH GETTING FROM THOSE CARS" AND THAT HE HAD 12 OTHER INTREPID'S SITTING IN HIS YARD WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS I HAD. I WAS SO STRESSED OUT OVER MY CAR SITUATION THAT I CUT MY VACATION SHORT. THIS ENTIRE SITUATION WAS THE BIGGEST NIGHTMARE WITH MY AUTISTIC DAUGHTER AND HAS NOT ONLY STRESSED ME OUT BUT LEFT ME WITH NO CAR. *JB