NHTSA Complaint #753628 — 1999 DODGE INTREPID

PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH 28,000 MILES. OIL AND FILTER CHANGE PERFORMED AT DEALERSHIP PRIOR TO VEHICLE PURCHASE ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP. CHECKED OIL ABOUT 2 MONTHS LATER, DIPSTICK WAS ALMOST DRY. HAD OIL AND OIL FILTER CHANGED. OIL WAS THOUGHT TO BE LEAKING FROM CHEAP OR INCORRECTLY INSTALLED OIL FILTER SINCE NEWER VEHICLE WITH LOW MILAGE SHOULDN'T BE BURNING THAT MUCH OIL. CHECKED OIL EVER TWO WEEKS SEVERAL TIMES OUT OF CONCERN. OIL LEVEL WAS FINE. ASSUMED PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. AT 33,000 MILES ABOUT 1.5 MONTHS LATER ENGINE BEGAN MAKING KNOCKING NOSE AND RUNNING VERY ROUGH. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ENGINE WAS BLOWN. HAD TO PROVIDE PROOF OF RECENT OIL AND FILTER CHANGE FOR DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ENGINE HAD ONLY 1 QUART OF OIL AND THAT OIL LOOKED REALLY MUCKY. ENGINE LOST ABOUT 5 QUARTS OF OIL IN 2215 MILES. NO VISUAL SIGNS OF LEAKAGE ANYWHERE, NO SMOKE OR EXCESSIVE EXAUST. VEHICLE HAD BEEN CHECKED AND MAINTAINED WELL. DEALERSHIP CANNOT EXPLAIN AND STATES THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TEAR DOWN AND INSPECT THE ENGINE. DEALERSHIP REPLACED ENGINE AT 33000.