NHTSA Complaint #10202467 — 2004 DODGE INTREPID

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER I GOT MY CAR I HAD OCCASIONAL ISSUE WITH IT DYING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. IT GOT TO BE MORE OFTEN SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AS IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER 3 TRIPS I WAS ALWAYS TOLD, NOTHING WAS WRONG. THEN MY WARRANTY RAN OUT AND MY CAR DIED ALMOST DAILY. THEN MY CAR WOULD DIE WHILE I WAS DRIVING, USUALLY WOULD START RIGHT BACK UP BUT NOT ALWAYS AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD BE ON. THEN I HAD ISSUES STARTING MY CAR. I DECIDED TO TAKE THE LESS EXPENSIVE ROUTE AND GO TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE DROVE THE CAR AND SAW/FELT NO ISSUES AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOW OFF. HE TOLD ME HE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR HOOKED UP TO THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AT THE TIME IT DIES SO HE COULD SEE WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AS 2 DIFFERENT CODES WERE COMING UP. THESE CODES WERE P0340 (INTERMITTENT CMP SIGNAL) AND P0344 (NO CMP SIGNAL). I WAS TOLD ONE OF THE CONNECTORS WAS INSTALLED IMPROPERLY ON MY CAMSHAFT SENSOR. AFTER ANOTHER TRY, THE CAR DIES AGAIN. MECHANIC STATED THE CAR STARTED RIGHT BACK UP AND ISSUE WAS GONE. I DROVE OFF ONLY TO HAVE MY CAR DIE AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I CALLED THE DODGE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT THE CODES MEANT. WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT MY CAR, I WAS TOLD, HAVE THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR REPLACED. I WAS QUOTED $285.00. I HAD JUST PAID ALMOST $200.00 TO THE LAST GUY AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY MORE MONEY TO SPEND. A FRIEND HEARD ME HAVING ISSUES STARTING MY CAR ONE DAY, I TOLD HIM WHAT I WAS TOLD WAS WRONG AND THE QUOTE OF $285.00 FROM DODGE. WE WENT TO A LOCAL AUTOPART STORE AND PURCHASED A CAMSHAFT SENSOR FOR $48.00. LITERALLY IT TOOK 5 MINUTES TO LOOSEN A NUT, POP THE FAULTY CAMSHAFT SENSOR OFF, PUT THE NEW ONE ON AND TIGHTEN THE NUT. THAT SIMPLE! NO MORE ISSUES WITH MY CAR DYING WHILE DRIVING OR STARTING. I THINK ITS DISGUSTING THERE ARE COMPLAINTS LOGGED AT LEAST 7 YEARS BACK ON THIS ENGINE AND THEY ARE STILL MANUFACTURING AUTOMOBILES WITH THIS ENGINE AND IGNORING THE COMPLAINTS. THIS SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE. *JB