Ignition switch failure. After turning off car, switch slips into accessory position and drains battery. Car does not start when I return to the car to go somewhere. I need to pay for a jump or new battery, or tow to my mechanic. Then I have to keep replacing the ignition switch. The original ignition switch lasted until 2011. The after market ignition switches fail within about a year. Sometimes within a few months. Since jan. 2011, I have had to replace the ignition switch on 1/10/11 cost $147.50, 2/16/2012, cost $220.39, alternator assembly, cost $588.28 (mechanic thought it couldn't be the switch again), starter assembly again 2/21/14, cost $384.23; recommended I replace the radio since the electrical system shorted out 3/14/2014, cost $45:ignition switch again on 8/01/14, cost $110.56. Also this car keeps having the left rear taillights fail. They tell me this is all part of the electrical system short which they guess is causing all of the above problems. But all these problems didn't exist until I made the first replacement of the original ignition switch. I believe that the aftermarket was full of faulty gm ignition switches and there was no way for my mechanic to tell if we were getting bad gm designed switches. Luckily for me and my passengers my car didn't fail while I was driving. It always happened when the car was parked. But having 95 year old passengers, on hot florida days, get into a car that won't start, cannot be cooled down, cannot even roll down the windows since they are electric , these conditions could have killed my elderly fragile passengers. There should be some way of insuring that all those bad switches are removed from the aftermarket.
Dodge Intrepid won't start problems
144 of the 6,218 owner complaints about the Dodge Intrepid describe won't start, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 144
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $5,400
- typical mileage
- 80,100
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 47Stalling 23Knocking 22Check engine light 14Fire or smoke 7Fuel pump 5Loss of power 4Jerking 4
What owners say
Driving down road going aprox. 35 MPH. Car died, had to pull over on side of road. Car wouldn't start. Waited about 5 min. Then it finally started up.
I went to leave work and my car would not start. At first I thought maybe it was the battery or starter. After having both of these tested and several mechanics later was told that my engine was seized. I have always checked the oil and had it changed accordingly. This is not fair I trusted that this car would be reliable and dependable now I am stuck with no vehicle in a town with little to no public transportation. How could chrysler/dodge knowingly let people purchase this engine when there are several thousand complaints on it? How about a recall and some integrity and honesty in your product instead of screwing single mothers like me...
While driving my 2004 dodge intrepid, the car started to jerk, so I pulled into the gas station and called my husband. We got the car back home, noticed the spark plugs were covered in oil, so we changed the spark plugs and cleaned up the oil. Then the car would not start. Took the car to the mechanic and was told the timing chain had broken and bent valves. I was told I would need to get a new engine in the car. I have seen a lot of complaints about the 04 dodge intrepid 2.7l engines. Dodge should really do something about this problem as it seems to happen to a lot of people.
I was on my way to aldi's and before I pulled up into the parking lot the car shut off and did not start again fluids were running from underneath I had it towed and they told me it was the water pump and the result of that made anti freeze mix with the oil in the engine and I took it to a second mechanic and they said pretty much the same thing except they added that they did a compression test and it failed so it needed to be rebuilt at some point of time .
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!
Car was running great, without any indication of problems. Car died and would not start. Resulting in engine failure.
I have a 1995 dodge intrepid. Until 4 months ago, it never had a problem, only did routine maintenance and that was constantly done. It has a new transmission and radiator (under extended warranty), and new starter, alternator, and battery. The fuel pump was replaced about 2-3 years ago. Four months ago, the car started to act up. First, I noticed a "burnt oil or anti-freeze" smell. I took it to my mechanic, who I have had for more than 15 years. He couldn't find any leaks or problems and reminded me that all the hoses and accessories were replace a year before. He said that he saw nothing dripping or building up anywhere. A week later, I would drive it somewhere, get out and do whatever it was I needed to do, go back and it wouldn't start. Everything sounds normal, like it wants to start, but doesn't. If I wait 30-90 minutes and try again, it will start right up and a check engine light would come on, but go back off within a few minutes. A month later things got worse. It started to die while driving. I would be in the car for less than 10 miles and all the lights on the dash would "flash" and the car would die. It takes between 2-3 hours before getting it to restart when this happens. This puts me in serious danger as the car no longer has power steering or power brakes and I live on a mountain with no where I can get off the road. I have nearly been hit/killed when this has happened. Since then, I can't go 1 mile without it dying or not start again. As a matter-of-fact, if I leave it idling in my driveway, it will die with 2-4 minutes. I have taken it to my shop 4 times and 2 other ones trying to find out what is wrong. They all say that since the "check engine" light only flashes and then goes off, the computer can't catch the problem. Sometimes they think it is the fuel pump or fuel lines; sometimes they think it is electrical; most of the time they just have no idea what is wrong!
My 2002 dodge intrepid stopped running while I was headed uphill in traffic I managed to make it to the side of the road my mechanic towed it and ran a diagnostic check on it which cam back cam sensor and crankshaft sensor ... Replaced both.. Car still wont start.. Was told that I possibly flooded the spark plugs while trying to restart it... Replaced spark plugs... Car still wont start after further investigation was told that the 2.7 engine is defective and needs to be replaced which if I can find a decent used engine will be atleast $3500 but I cannot find a used dodge intrepid engine because they are all bad! I still owe more than $2000 on the car and cannot afford a new engine.. I am behind on payments because I have no transportation to work... Or to the grocery store.. Or the doctor or to my 3 kids school for that matter.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge intrepid. When the contact merged into traffic at 40 MPH, she heard a clicking sound and the vehicle suddenly stopped. She was able to restart the vehicle and drive home. The following day, the vehicle would not start and was towed to a repair shop. The diagnostic indicated that oil sludge damaged the engine. The repair cost was estimated at $5,000. The manufacturer will be notified. The current and failure mileages were 135,646.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Dodge Intrepid won't start
Which Dodge Intrepid years have won't start problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (42 complaints), 1999 (34 complaints) and 2001 (29 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix won't start on the Dodge Intrepid?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $5,400 (median of 28 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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