Driving on the freeway in az the car started to loose power and than trail smoke.... As we pulled off smoke rolled out the front of the vehicle... Checking the passenger side, there was melting plastic running to the ground and the top of the hood was hot.. Car later burnt before fire department was able to put out the fire.. Time from it lost power to when it was consumed by fire was less than 10 min.. I can only assume a transmission line, power steering line, or fuel line started to leak and started a fire by spraying the fluid on the catalytic/exhaust system on the passenger side of the vehicle... Car was a total loss.. I've owned this car for 11 or 12 years... It was in good shape... We later looked at the car and in the same storage lot was a second 03 dodge intepid with the exact same failure and brunt front end... I believe the two failures are related..
Dodge Intrepid loss of power problems
142 of the 6,218 owner complaints about the Dodge Intrepid describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 1999 model year.
- owner complaints
- 142
- worst model year
- 1999
- typical repair cost reported
- $5,500
- typical mileage
- 83,000
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 54Stalling 19Power steering loss 18Knocking 18Check engine light 9Fire or smoke 6Jerking 5Won't start 4
What owners say
While driving to work the car lost power and acceleration several times and finally made a loud clanking banging sound. It stalled and completely stopped about a minute after the sounds. I had the car towed to my mechanic's shop and he said the engine had seized due to oil sludge build-up and that the engine would have to be replaced. He also stated that this was a familiar occurrence with this specific engine, the 2.7l v6. Dodge is aware of the problem with their product and will do anything they can to avoid taking responsibility for their defective product.
While backing out of a parking stall, front drivers side wheel lower control arm broke free from engine cradle resulting in total immobilization of vehicle. Upon inspection it was obvious that the mounting bracket which is welded to the engine cradle frame had rusted out causing failure. Similar failures on older models have had the federal safety agency recalls, see the federal safety agency campaign id # 99v215000, issued due to loss of power or control resulting in a potentially life threatening condition. It is understandable for wear parts such as brakes, shocks and suspension joints to fail due to use and mileage but frame members should be made solid and the responsibility of the auto manufacturer to ensure long term reliability.
My vehicle started having problems in september of 09, it was stalling on highways. I would lose power out of nowhere. It also would randomly accelerate forward, for lack of a better word the car would just buck back and forth. I received a recall notice (j18) that word for word explained what was going on. Took it to be fixed, problem still persisted. I then brought it to my personal mechanic, they informed me that the recall did not remedy the problem which is the cam shaft position sensor. One year later and I am still dealing with the same problem. The recall notice says that eventually your catalytic converter will fail. I am almost at that point now, I brought my car back to my mechanic they informed me of all codes that came up on the scanner. I have since called the chrysler company filed my complaint and got no where. My case manager said I had to have dodge determine if my cars problems were truly the same as the recall stated. I got charged $95 for the exact same thing my mechanic told me for free, which were the codes that came up for my intrepid. I am officially are my wits end with the dodge/chrysler company. No one can give me a clear answer, how each problem described in the recall fits the description of what's wrong with me car but yet they claim they are not responsible. How can this be? If there is a recall and their answer to the problem does not fix it and the problem continues is dodge not held responsible for their faulty parts? So now I am stuck with a car that randomly bucks back and forth, stalls on the highway so that my life is in danger and or just doesn't start. Please help!
My dodge intrepid was serviced at keystone dodge or bud brown dodge in overland park, ks for every oil change. At just under 70,000 miles the engine blew because of sludge. I was driving and I lost all power. I had the car towed to a dodge dealer and they told me that this is a common issue. Dodge was not responsive to questions about the engine issue.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge intrepid. While driving 20 MPH, the engine hesitated and lost power completely. The contact pushed the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle would not restart. He waited two hours before the vehicle managed to restart and then drove it to a mechanic. The contact was informed that the oil reservoir was full of coolant and antifreeze, which was common for his type of vehicle. He took the vehicle to another shop and was informed of the same thing, including that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that they were not responsible for the defect. The contact feels that a recall should be issued. The current and failure mileages were 84,000. Updated 6/01/09 *cn updated 06/02/09.
While driving heard bang and car lost power and began to tap. Immediately pulled over and shut car down. Upon inspection found motor was full of anti-freeze. Water pump shaft bearings broke into "pieces" flooding engine with anti-freeze. Installed new water pump and timing chain, but too much damage was already done. Car repair costs too much to fix, have been advised by mechanics that problems will persist with this 2.7 motor. Additionally, air conditioning fails repeatedly. Power window unit fails repeatedly. Front end problems. We tried to have the problem fixed, but apparently there is no "fix" for this engine.
2001 dodge intrepid se - 2.7l, lost power on the way to work. Oil light began flickering (had scheduled oil change couple of days before) and coasted off the roadway. Had car towed in to the local repair shop. Diagnosed "catastrophic internal engine failure." motor needed to be replaced. All past repair work had been completed by the local dodge dealer. They have replaced two of the main brains in the car (@ 40k & 55k - both cost $850 ea.), oil pan gaskets (@ 35k, 45k, & 60k), generator (@ 60k), radiator (@ 65k), transmission radiator (@ 65k), rebuilt transmission (@ 98k), and now the motor has been replaced with a jasper rebuild.
2000 dodge intrepid engine failure while driving. Loss of power steering and brakes. The engine started knocking and quit running. Cost to replace the engine is $2200.00 for used engine which does not include labor. Automobile is parked at home. This vehicle was also taken to dealer who also stated cost for new engine and labor would be $5000.00.
Driving home from work, speed approx. 65 m.p.h. On interstate. Engine made a sharp "bang", no warning lights, bells, nothing to indicate a problem. Appeared to lose power, but never stalled out. Managed to "limp" home (less than 2 miles). Parked vehicle and the engine shut down, on its own. Raised the hood, found nothing to be unusual. Tried to restart the vehicle, it would not restart, only a loud clunking as the engine turned over. Had the car towed to the dealer I had purchased the vehicle from. Was informed that the timing chain had "jumped" and that all of the valves were bent. Was given a "verbal" estimate of $7000.00-$7500.00 to repair/replace engine and associated components. I declined. This vehicle had been maintained as required by the manufacturer. All required fluid change intervals had been performed and documented. At no time was I ever informed that this particular engine had issues associated with it. I still have this vehicle, sitting in storage. It has not been touched since being brought back home from the repair facility. I have, and still maintain that this engine failure was not something I could have foreseen and or been responsible for. Now I have been made aware that this is an issue that chrysler, has been aware of and has denied any liabilities. I was informed by the dealership that offered the costly repair, that chrysler would not assume any responsibility to repair my car. Now I have been informed by a local repair shop, that chrysler has been making "selective reparations".
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Dodge Intrepid loss of power
Which Dodge Intrepid years have sudden loss of power problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1999 (36 complaints), 2001 (31 complaints) and 2000 (28 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix sudden loss of power on the Dodge Intrepid?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $5,500 (median of 27 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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