When Inner Tie Rods were worn, still never heard any 

   loud clunking noises or rubbing noises, vehicle always 

   felt safe, still very safe and superior to Chrysler junk

  Better fuel economy at 250,000 miles than low mileage and new

   Dodge Intrepid when this vehicle has much lower EPA rating!

Sure, things have understandably needed to be serviced and I understand that. I also understand that maintaining a vehicle is important. However, now only a couple of small things have actually "required" replacing. If you service and maintain a vehicle regularly and the vehicle is reasonable in quality it last should reasonably! For those that think I just somehow got lucky with this other vehicle I have another high mileage older NON DaimlerChrysler vehicle and it is holding up just as well. This one now has almost 270,000 miles on it and climbing, not having any ridiculous problems either. I now have yet another NON Chrysler vehicle which is 12 years old with 160,000 miles on it and I have not had any ridiculous Engine, Transmission problems or unsafe Steering with that vehicle either. It was amazing that not one of the two Chrysler vehicles I owned could last anywhere near a quarter of this mileage without falling apart. If you believe all newer domestic vehicles have these types of problems I would like you to know that there are Ford and GM vehicles in my family that HAVE NOT had ANY ridiculous problems of this nature with much higher mileage than the two ridiculously defective Dodge I owned. Additionally, there are more websites against Chrysler than even GM and Ford COMBINED, which obviously says a lot about Chrysler.

1999 Dodge Intrepid ES (Extremely unSafe)

I owned a 1995 Intrepid for several thousand miles, it seemed like a good vehicle, had a lot of interior room and was a nice looking vehicle. Unfortunately, at around 75,000 miles the power steering began making a squealing noise around turns. The front pump seals for the transmission and transmission cooling lines began leaking. Transmission also began to shift rough and there was a bump that could be felt at times. I could not see paying nearly $2,500 to service it while still paying monthly payments on it. After hearing that Chrysler supposedly improved its transmissions and quality I went for a 1999 Dodge Intrepid ES with only 28,480 miles on it from the Chrysler Dealership's lot. I now believe many of these dealers often have so many of these slightly used Dodge, Chrysler vehicles because they buy these defective vehicles dirt cheap that were sent to auctions or lemoned back from consumers. They clean them up real nice and resell them to unsuspecting consumers like myself. Unaware at the time, at first I was thrilled. The leather and all the stuff it had was quite an upgrade from the 1995 Intrepid I owned but little did I know it would actually seem more like a downgrade from the "decent" reliability the 1995 Dodge Intrepid provided me. At the time I figured since it was still under factory warranty and I also purchased an extended warranty, what could go wrong? I now learned that these things can often mean nothing in regard to certain issues a manufacturer and/or dealer is reluctant to admit to, along with the attitude "let's wait until it is completely and obviously broke and push this customer beyond warranty since we have too many vehicles coming in under warranty with similar problems". 

After buying this vehicle and driving it for about 200 miles I became a little concerned. I noticed the steering wheel jerked and pulled excessively at times over bumps and road imperfections and that the vehicle would drift excessively even with my hands on the steering wheel. This was the first vehicle I have driven that would also sometimes feel "awkward" to steer. I also noticed the steering wheel felt what I called "flimsy", it would just hang or stick in one direction. It sometimes felt kind of like driving a go-kart. The steering wheel would not return center sometimes and would just sort of stick in one direction or sort of flop around. The steering would be responsive then would all of a sudden feel "wish-washy". I immediately brought the vehicle into the Five Star Chrysler Dealership, where I purchased it, which I now think of as "obviously hyped up and misleading". I reported these concerns to the dealer, had a defective speaker replaced and some molding that was coming off repaired. I paid for a Transmission fluid and filter replacement since I regularly maintain my vehicles. To my disbelief and disappointment I was told that the Steering related problems I complained about "Could Not Be Duplicated". I get home Friday night and a good amount of transmission fluid is dripping out of the pan after the fluid and filter service. I had to go back to the dealer to drop the car off and have this corrected Monday morning. About 2500 miles later Steering issues were persisting and I was beginning to notice more abnormalities with the Steering. I began to notice excessive play at times in the steering wheel and vibration in the steering around the same time. Sometimes the front wheels felt as if they were skipping and sliding around turns in normal driving conditions (not high speed driving). The Transmission would intermittently shift rough or jerk. I noticed that the Engine seemed to intermittently idle rough. It seemed to me like the engine was loosing oil from regularly checking it and although there were no visual signs of leakage. After stating this to the Service Advisor, he modified my statement to say on the invoice "check for leaks", although I clearly stated that it does not seem to be leaking, that I never found any evidence of oil leakage in the driveway or underneath the vehicle and that it seems to be consuming oil or something. I now have a feeling they did this not wanting to have to deal with a potential oil consumption issue or engine defect. Again, steering related problems "Could Not Be Duplicated", the rough idle "Could Not Be Duplicated", for the engine oil consumption "no leaks found".

Later in my ownership, the keys became jammed in the ignition several times where each time it took several minutes of wiggling and moving the steering wheel back and fourth to free them. Once this happened so severely that I didn't think I was going to ever be able to start the vehicle. I began to notice excessive wind noise that passengers also complained about from the door jams, which sounded as if there were an opened door (which none were opened). The rear passenger side power window failed after only being used twice during my ownership. I was also experiencing very rapid front tire wear on the outer edges. I promptly reported these things to the dealership. Also in attempt to correct rough shifting, hesitation, bump shift, intermittent rough idle and poor fuel economy requested TCM (Transmission Module) and PCM (Powertrain Module) updates. They corrected a Transmission Cooling Line leak, they blamed the wind noise issue on the professionally installed window tint although the problem was experienced prior. And as usual everything else was pretty much "Could Not Be Duplicated" or "No Problems Found". They blamed the Steering issues on incorrect Tire pressure, adjusted it and blamed the excessive Tire wear on "soft" Goodyear Eagle RSA Tires for the abnormal and excessive Tire wear. I had a feeling that the Tires were not a problem since another vehicle we owned had these Tires, never experiencing these problems. In fact a brand new set came on a used non Chrysler vehicle I later purchased, NEVER having this type of excessive, premature tire wear or issues. They said that there were no updates available for the TCM or PCM. I had a feeling I was being brushed off because they didn't want to deal with these problems or didn't know how to. Later while driving and using Autostick, it became stuck in 4th gear and would not shift out of 4th gear although I repeatedly downshifted. I had to kill the ignition then restart to get it to change out of 4th gear. This was definitely not a safe distraction while driving. Later in my short ownership during several occasions the Climate Control Unit would not activate heat when it was cold and was turned up as high as almost 80 degrees. Sometimes the unit would blow out warm air when hot and the A/C was turned on. This is something else that the dealer could not "duplicate". I decided not to waste my time further complaining about it. I then noticed that the black paint in the front grill area was wearing with a bunch of white spots showing, the paint was also cracking. Again, I didn't even bother wasting time complaining about it. 

About 500 miles later into my short ownership I was driving on the freeway on a trip with a witness at about 70MPH (the speed traffic was moving) when traffic abruptly came to a halt. I hit the brakes hard to stop and the vehicle locked up into a "heavy" skid. Quickly reacting I removed my foot off the brake while downshifting and reapplying the brakes. My statement to the passenger was "so much for antilock brakes". A day later, I pulled the Parking Brake Release, with normal force and the Release Handle fell right out. With the Parking Brake stuck on, I had to go grab some tools and in the middle of a parking lot, remove the Kick Panel and reinstall the Parking Brake Release which pulled right out. About 1000 miles later into my short ownership I was driving my girlfriend to an important doctors appointment when the vehicle went from its sometimes sort of rough idle to shaking violently at a red light. I then noticed a loud knocking noise from the engine at low speeds so immediately made a detour and eased the vehicle back to the Chrysler dealership. I thought it was strange, no warning before this happened other than the violent shaking right before, no check engine light or oil pressure light ever illuminated. I also used the opportunity to report some other issues I was experiencing. I reported that the vehicle pulls left or right at times, excessive play in steering at times, steering wheel jerking and vibrating excessively over bumps, the Transmission once would not shift out of 4th gear, Transmission bump on deceleration and harsh shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. I was contacted by the Service Advisor from the Chrysler Dealership and was told that the Engine had blown up and needs to be replaced at 34,000 miles! They tried to "blame me" and told me it would be $3500 for a remanufactured replacement Chrysler short block, which does not include labor. They "claimed" the engine was down to just 1 quart of motor oil when it was just changed 2215 miles prior! After providing the receipt to prove this they reluctantly reconsidered and performed the work as warranty. I asked the dealership what caused the engine to fail as it did in which they replied that they "were not authorized to find the cause of the failure". They also replaced the Input/Output Speed Sensor. Again, I was told that the Steering related issues could not be "duplicated". After just being without this vehicle for a week, about 50 miles later I was driving and in an intersection the Transmission began rapidly shifting back and fourth while the vehicle was lunging back and fourth. I was prepared to kill the ignition to regain control worried the vehicle was going to suddenly accelerate full throttle or something. I rode it out then stepped on the accelerator pedal to see what would happen, the engine revved but the car barely moved. I could tell that the Transmission had also slipped. After slowing down the steering wheel jerked to the side, then after making a turn to return to the dealer the steering wheel just sort of flopped to the side refusing to return to center position. Suddenly the steering felt completely different, something wasn't right here.

The Service Advisor drove the vehicle around the block and said that it seemed fine as if I have nothing better to do but to be at the dealer when I could be at my job making money not having to worry about these things. I also reported that a bang in the Transmission can be felt at times when shifting with Autostick and that I was still experiencing play in the steering at times. I was told "nothing" steering related could be "duplicated" however they found a missing left Strut Rod Washer, overhauled the Transmission, replaced the Disc Clutch Pack, Torque Converter and again replaced the Input/Output Speed Sensor. The dealer could not provide any explanation as to why there was a Strut Rod Washer was missing. Strangely, it sounded very similar to a recall where this component would potentially crack and fall off on earlier models, which could result in potential loss of control. I was without my vehicle for another week. I was hoping that this would correct the issues I was experiencing. The steering seemed to feel ok for about 50 miles then I started noticing the original problems again. Sometimes the steering would be extremely responsive and sometimes not so responsive and didn't understand why it didn't have a consistent feel to it like it should. This never seemed consistent with driving at certain speeds or with the condition of certain roads. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership, they had me go on a road test with the Shop Foreman because I was convinced something was actually wrong. The Shop Foreman even admitted to me that he also felt a vibration in the steering and heard some excessive noise in the steering but stated that he had no idea what it could be. He assured me that he would look into it and call the Chrysler Star Hotline. I waited patiently hoping to receive a call telling me that they can fix this problem however I never heard anything from the dealer or Chrysler. Since then, during normal driving the Steering would suddenly become awkward to control and didn't feel right so I brought it back to the dealer. I made a comment that after the steering felt really loose the other day I parked it and while the engine was running moved the steering wheel while looking at the wheels and the wheels did not look as if they were responding properly. The Service Advisor came outside immediately wanting to see this himself, he started the car, while standing up he began cranking the steering wheel back and fourth. In response to how the wheels responded to his steering input he scratched his head and asked "did you hit something?" Why would someone with automotive experience and experience working at a Chrysler dealership for years make a statement like this unless he noticed something unusual? And my answer, "of course I did not hit anything, and if I did I would just pay to have it serviced elsewhere not continually wasting my time playing games with you guys." I requested an alignment prior but the dealer refused, telling me it doesn't need one. Since I felt as if it needed something and was figuring that maybe an alignment would be a good starting point in troubleshooting these problems I requested an alignment again. When the Service Advisor called he told me the car was ready for pickup. I asked how the alignment went and was told "it was fine". He could not provide me with any further details or any data in regard to the alignment they "supposedly" performed neither was there any mention of an alignment on my invoice. I then heard a technician yelling rudely in the background, "there is nothing wrong with the vehicle." He was also yelling that the tire pressure was out of whack when they recently adjusted it and probably adjusted it himself. I went down to the dealership and spoke with the Service Manager, whom also seemed to be the owner to my perception. I was extremely angry and frustrated to the point of starting to turn red and almost shaking, I kept as cool and as calm as possible. I began filling him in on everything ridiculous I have been through with the vehicle. He rudely interrupted me not wanting to hear any more, angrily blurts out that I should not have received a new Engine somehow blaming me. I calmly asked him how it was my fault and he replied "negligence". I replied "there is nothing I could have done to make an engine "consume" 4 quarts of motor oil in 2215 miles "and" even brought the vehicle in with related concerns to the dealership prior." He abruptly grabbed the keys and stated that he'll drive it on a road test with me. He drove it around the block rather quickly and stressfully telling me the steering was very responsive. I explained how the response would change, from responsive to wish-washy. He then explains the concept of Rack and Pinion Steering while killing the ignition showing me how the vehicle would handle without power assist for some reason stating the things I describe cannot happen with Rack and Pinion Steering. He told me that he would see if there were any Technician Service Bulletins for the Steering and contact me. I waited patiently and never heard back. 

To verify that there was really a problem I decided to have two witnesses road test the vehicle separately. My first witness whom I will call Mr. W eased his hand off the Steering Wheel on a normal fairly smooth everyday road when was approaching a stop while the vehicle made a complete left turn on its own, stating "whoa, I did not do that!" My other witness whom I will call Ms. S openly expressed an opinion and concern that the Steering had a completely different feel from when she last drove the vehicle and that the steering "did not feel right". After driving it for about 300 more miles I began to notice the Transmission issues return. I was also frustrated with the poor fuel economy (average 13 MPG) compared to a 4.6L V8 Mustang that performed with a 6 MPG (miles per gallon) increase in fuel economy over the 3.2L V6 Intrepid, under similar driving conditions. Finally, I took the vehicle to another dealer, they updated the TCM and PCM no questions asked after I described the related issues I was experiencing and did not even charge me. To my surprise after the updates, the Transmission performed much more consistently with much better shift behavior, the fuel economy improved to 14.2 MPG, which was a good enough improvement for me. I had them also look at the steering, they only had time to drive it around the block, then quickly stated that the steering seemed fine to them. Fine, this was good enough for me right now, I didn't have enough time or energy to keep worrying about it and at least I felt like I made some progress. Well, later in my short ownership the problems started to really concern me, especially after hearing strange squeaking noises in the Steering column when turning the Steering wheel when cold. I wanted the dealer to look at this and I was also going to simply pay out of my own pocket to have the Tie Rod Ends, Bushings, Serpentine Belt replaced and an Alignment performed in attempt to correct these problems rather than doing nothing like the dealer. Ironically, on my way to the dealer I was driving down a road I have driven down many times at 40MPH, which was the speed limit. The vehicle seemed fine around the first bend in the road then around the second bend the Steering suddenly became awkward and difficult to control. The Steering suddenly felt loose and I immediately attempted to counter the change in response. It happened very quickly, I fought to gain control as best as I possibly could. The Steering did not seem to be responding properly, more severe than ever, steering me over the median into oncoming traffic. The vehicle then went through a small tree and through someone's backyard with both airbags deploying. I had a perfect driving record up until this accident and have been sore in my back ever since. Merry Christmas!

Original Owner Reported Steering Related Problems Too?

Through research I have just now obtained invoices from the original and first owner of the above mentioned vehicle (1999 Dodge Intrepid ES). At 7472 miles the original owner reported that the vehicle was pulling to the right and that there was a roaring noise in the front of the vehicle. The Dodge Dealership replaced the right Front Wheel Hub and blamed the vehicle pulling to the right on low Tire pressure, which is a common service tactic. Then at 10437 miles the owner also reported that the vehicle was drifting in both directions in which the dealership then performed front Suspension work. When looking through the original invoices there was also warranty body work that needed to be performed and a Brake Light that had to be replaced shortly after the vehicle was purchased. This vehicle was not cheap either, I'm sure the original owner paid quite a bit. I have seen these ES models brand new at dealerships going for nearly $30,000 and this is the quality you can expect?    

2002 Dodge Intrepid SE (unSafe, Extremely)

Obviously the 1999 Dodge Intrepid ES was a lemon. I couldn't believe all or most of these Chrysler vehicles were like this. I figured they couldn't be, and as strange as it sounds, this question plagued me to the point of buying another. I gave Chrysler the benefit of the doubt, assuming that the previous Intrepid was just a rare lemon since I am open minded and aware that all automobile manufactures have some lemons. I mean, what would be the likelihood of purchasing a brand new 2002 Dodge Intrepid that would also turn out to be a lemon like the lemon I previously owned, manufactured by Chrysler 3 years prior. I figured that if for some strange reason I did have any problems I'd go to another dealer and assumed I would receive better service. I really liked the looks, interior layout and roominess. Every other vehicle I looked at just seemed to be too much or not enough of what I wanted. I decided to purchase a brand new 2002 Dodge Intrepid SE from another dealer giving Chrysler one last chance, trusting that Chrysler manufactures mostly good quality vehicles and that the previous experience was not at all common. Although sometimes sore in my lower back and not to pleased with the increase of my insurance rates I decided to get back to work, relax and put all of this stress behind me. I am getting a brand new vehicle with only 3 miles on it, the vehicle is three years newer than the previous, I am the original owner, it is under factory warranty, it comes with an extended 70,000 mile factory warranty and last I would deal only with another dealer should I run into any problems. I was very happy and could back to work and make a living again! I honestly expected to be satisfied and put it all behind me.

The first drive in it was to a family dinner with my fiancée. It was wet out, the vehicle felt safe and pretty solid, I liked it. On the way back from our family dinner I was driving 40MPH due to the wet condition out although the speed limit was 50MPH. With 26 miles on the odometer, I gently pressed the brake pedal to slow down. I heard a noise and it felt like something was grinding in the brakes while the brakes had hardly any stopping power. Then the ABS light illuminates for about 5 seconds then disappears. I downshifted into "L" to continue slowing down and tried the brakes again,  they felt normal so I assumed something was just wearing in due to the fact the vehicle was new. My passenger then asked "what just happened", I replied "I don't know, the ABS light just came on and the brakes felt funny", she then replied "What? You got to be kidding?", I then replied "No, I'm sure it was nothing". I drove the vehicle home, it seemed fine so I wasn't worried. In the morning heading to work at about 6-7 MPH I think (it was pretty slow) during the u-turn I hear a strange fairly noticeable "squeak, squeak, squeak" noise, that sounded like a wheel hub or something in the steering as I was turning and I didn't even have the wheel in full lock to lock position. I figured I wouldn't worry about it either, probably will go away on its own or something. I was pretty happy until at about 2000 miles while driving home from work all of a sudden the steering felt more loose than normal and had excessive play all of a sudden while driving straight on the freeway. This was to the point of where it was difficult to keep the vehicle centered in the lane on the freeway because it was wandering so bad in either direction. I had to keep correcting the steering wheel and constantly reminding the vehicle "where the road is". I was in complete disbelief. After driving about 40 miles it didn't feel nearly as bad and felt almost ok again so I figured maybe I was just tired or something or I was just being paranoid. A few days later driving on a smooth even road the vehicle began drifting hard to the left, then strangely enough later, it seemed to drive straight again even on the same road. I then noticed that the driver side door was noticeably out of alignment and began to notice the Transmission bump, stumble, and hesitate at times. I then notice a very noticeable clunking in the dash area when the Steering wheel is moved back and fourth. You can also hear this clunking when turning the wheel sharp then braking, it was an often very noticeable "clu-clunk!" in the front end. I was concerned when starting to hear this noise thinking about the squeaking noise in the front end I heard, the sudden excessive drifting at about 2000 miles and the vehicle suddenly drifting hard to the left suddenly prior. Starting to get worried I called Chrysler, told the representative all I have been through and requested that they do something or allow me to get out of this vehicle. They told me to see a dealer. 

At 3000 miles into my fairly short ownership of this particular Chrysler vehicle I brought the vehicle into the Dodge Dealership where I had purchased it. At first I was told by their Shop Foreman that they "COULD NOT DUPLICATE" any squeaking or clunking in the Steering assembly. He stated that there were no Transmission fault codes so the Transmission was fine. I didn't even bother to mention the ABS problem that happened once figuring they would never find anything wrong with that either. I went to the dealer and drove the Intrepid, first demonstrating the "squeak, squeak, squeak" noises in a nearby parking lot, we had the windows rolled down so he could hear it, I could hear it but he said he couldn't hear anything. I kept making the noise and he said "oh you mean that noise?", I said yes, he replied "ah, that's just the tire tread going over the painted parking lot spaces". I then told him that it has happened on clear road surfaces that have no painted portions, he didn't seem to think anything was wrong so I just left it at that. We drove to a road behind the dealership and into the cul-de-sac where at fairly slow speeds I turned the wheel while braking (not even hard braking) and sure enough, a very noticeable "clu-clunk!", I did it again and again about 3 times to make sure he clearly heard it. He then replies "oh, well that's just bushings, I don't know what I can do. I can try and tighten some bolts in there". The Foreman then took the car and said he was able to torque down a couple of Steering related bolts a bit more and that it was the only thing he could do. At about 4000 miles I was driving after it had just rained. At 50MPH on the freeway due to conditions (speed limit is 65MPH), the front passenger side wheel hit a puddle (not even a deep puddle) and it literally threw the vehicle into the left lane. It was so severe that the Steering Wheel jerked out of my hand and I almost lost complete control. I even had a witness that was in the vehicle at the time whom can also verify the event. If there was actually a vehicle in the left lane there would have been an uncontrollable collision and I would have been held responsible. I have driven other vehicles in the rain through larger puddles and never experienced anything like this before. This is where this whole thing is getting completely ridiculous. I called Chrysler Customer Service again and was told by a Chrysler Representative that the Shop Foreman said he never witnessed any problems with the Steering, which was a complete lie because I repeatedly demonstrated the clunking for him. I told him that was not true and that he even put it on the lift and tightened some steering related bolts. The representative then seemed very curious after Steering related bolts were mentioned. He then asked "sir, do you know exactly what bolts he tightened?" I eventually brought the vehicle back and went on a road test with the Service Manager several days later, at the soonest I could. During the road test I explained to him what had happened prior only to be told "those things happen". Lucky for me, the steering "was" behaving and driving fairly straight where he was driving it so he went on and on about how straight it was tracking. He did not provide an opportunity to recreate the clunking in the front end when turning and braking at low speeds in a parking lot. I was able to get him to duplicate the Transmission slamming into gear and the car bucking hard with a loud "boom" noise you can actually hear after getting on then off the throttle at about 40-50MPH. He stated that this was normal and that it was just due to the Throttle Positioning Sensor. He also stated that this was not a normal condition and that "Chrysler does not test vehicles for those types of conditions". I'm thinking to myself "what is this guy talking about, I mean how do you expect people to merge onto the freeway"? You get on the throttle then off the throttle when merging in, often at those speeds depending on the onramp. Now I'm really thinking that Chrysler has these people all trained to say just about anything to avoid covering common problems and defects during warranty period. It is getting so bad, that to me it is becoming more than obvious. When back at the Dodge Dealership the Shop Foreman entered the Service Manager's office while he was preparing my invoice and said, "you know..., we could throw a new rack and pinion in there...", the Service Manager replied in a frustrated but calm voice "no..., were not going to do that", almost as if they had been through this before with others. I ask myself why would the Shop Foreman even propose this course of action if they did in fact know for sure there were no Steering problems with this vehicle?     

The funny thing was that I remember the 1999 Dodge Intrepid ES doing this (heavy bump shift) until the TCM was updated but here we are with a brand new 2002 so what's the deal? I don't get it... Later the vehicle began to ride really rough, I mean you could really feel bumps and road imperfections in the road as if the suspension was going bad already. Then one day I had to hit the brakes hard during an abrupt stop and the vehicle initiated into a heavy skid "screeeatch!", it just kept skidding for several feet although equipped with ABS. On the freeway the car felt very wish-washy and felt as if it were sort of swerving (not very stable) when changing lanes and once it felt almost as if were going to fishtail. I then heard an abnormal metal vibrating against rubber or metal noise in the Steering Assembly. The passenger side front Tire was excessively worn and almost swollen looking at just 6000 miles (I have video and photo evidence). Then while driving all of a sudden after hearing a noise the Steering response felt as if it had changed and responded very sensitively and jumpy to steering wheel input when it had play in it previously. Again, missing work I brought it back to the Dodge Dealership right then to have them drive it. The Shop Foreman drove it and it was driving pretty rough over bumps. There was even a clunking noise I could hear sometimes in the front end when he was going over bumps however he didn't want to acknowledge anything. I also mentioned being concerned about the Brakes so he scanned for Fault Codes with his MDS diagnostic system and sure enough he found an "Internal Cab Failure Code", that was stored at 26 miles. I also told him about the excessively worn front tire and he replied "wow!" after seeing it. He said he would try and get permission to have an alignment performed and that they would call me. Well, they never did call me. I was still concerned and decided to try another Dodge Dealership that I had not been to. I had the vehicle towed given my luck the last time due to the often unpredictable Steering because I wanted to show it was serious I was about it. The dealership basically treated me as if I was stupid and acted as if I was wasting their time or something. Perhaps I was in fact, wasting their time since they apparently didn't want to take the time to actually diagnose a real safety issue. Instead it seemed as if they wanted a straightforward repair. They said the tire pressure was wrong and that they adjusted it although it was just recently checked and adjusted by the other dealer, I even rechecked it after to be safe and it was set to what was stated in the owners manual. I asked about the fault code that they obviously didn't check for while they are so quick to claim "nothing is wrong". Their Shop Foreman also found the fault code, made a big deal about it at first yelling "we have an internal cab failure at 26 miles!", then calms down, quickly adjusting his attitude then saying "well, let's just delete it and see if it comes back". On the road test the Shop Foreman took his hands off the Steering Wheel while it was centered and the vehicle immediately began drifting hard to the right on a pretty flat road. He then stated "people are stupid that think it's not normal for cars to drift when you take your hands off the steering wheel and that they are supposed to." He also stated "I want to slap people that complain about that." The Shop Foreman then admitted to feeling a vibration in the Steering Wheel when driving about 70MPH on a smooth section of the freeway. He said that the Tires needed balancing although the vehicle was practically brand new. During the road test, I could tell that the vehicle wanted to veer off while he kept countering it continuing on with his act as if the Steering couldn't be better. I was told they would perform an alignment, balance and rotation, I patiently waited several hours while missing work. The service advisor enters the waiting room yelling and was extremely rude to me for no reason. Although I realized I was being seriously mistreated by this dealership and by Chrysler I held my anger in, ignoring it, choosing to act more professional than these guys who unfortunately represent Chrysler. I then asked the Service Advisor if they were going to perform the alignment at about 1:00 PM, he told me he couldn't because it could take all day just to align it. I was then told that lucky for me a Chrysler representative was there on business, whom also happened to road test my vehicle, supposedly also finding nothing wrong. I was told I would have to schedule an appointment for a week later at the earliest in which I would have to miss more work while this vehicle feels unsafe to drive.

After thinking about how I was treated I decided that I would never go back. I took the Dodge Intrepid to a trusted nearby Tire and Alignment shop (more professional than the dealers), I had good experiences with. They found that the 2002 Dodge Intrepid was considerably out of alignment in the front end but the strange thing is that you could not necessarily tell by driving it since it usually drifts in either direction and sometimes the severity of the condition changes. I mean, with a normal vehicle you can tell when it is out of alignment because the vehicle will usually want to drift in one direction on a fairly flat road, however that didn't apply to this vehicle and even the previous dealership themselves couldn't tell it was out of alignment in several road tests. The professional technician (unlike the Dodge Dealers) at the Tire and Alignment shop, even let me video tape the entire Alignment procedure in their service bay, explained all of the specifications and where they should be for this vehicle. I asked him about the alignment taking all day from what the other dealership told me and he replied "yeah, sure if your an idiot." Then after it was completed he said jokingly and sarcastically, "here is your all day alignment in 30 minutes". They performed the computerized alignment to correct the alignment and found that the front Tires were out of balance at this really low mileage. I then asked him about his experience with these vehicles and he said that he gets a lot in and that "they are usually a bitch to align" he stated, "you align them and they still don't want to drive straight." After this service the vehicle actually seemed as if it wanted to drive straight and seemed to better than ever before when driving. I was happy figuring the problem was finally solved and that these Dodge Dealers are just incompetent and/or trained to avoid warranty work when possible. Later that week, the Steering Wheel suddenly became difficult to turn as if something was binding and during braking and acceleration it seemed to make it worse! After carefully driving for several miles it seemed to slowly disappear, which absolutely didn't make any sense to me. I once again brought the vehicle back to the selling dealership to report the binding and of course they could not verify anything as usual. They even "claimed" the Shop Foreman drive it home, 50 miles and he said that he could not "duplicate" the issue or any problems. After getting the vehicle back and driving on the freeway while it was raining the Steering wheel kept unexpectedly jerking hard to the left off and on, which was not consistent with throttle application, where it would be torque induced for front wheel drive. Later that week while driving to pick up a friend from work the Steering Wheel suddenly failed to return to center all of a sudden after making two turns, then it just kind of seemed to stick to one side failing to return after the last turn. I mean if I didn't bring the wheel back to center, the vehicle would have been making a complete turn on its own driving me in circles (what I refer to as the wheel being limp). I was puzzled because after a few miles it seemed ok again. Again, about 1000 miles later I returned the vehicle to the dealer reporting excessive play and looseness in the assembly. This time they claimed that the vehicle needed an alignment. After the dealership performed the second alignment the vehicle was drifting hard to the left where I had to have the Steering Wheel turned in the opposite direction to counter this condition. The vehicle continued to wander excessively even with your hands on the Steering Wheel. Sometimes after making a turn and straightening out the steering wheel it would drift off in the opposite direction of the turn. Beginning at about 10,000 miles the rear suspension squeaked and creaked when I entered and exited the vehicle and I am not even a heavy person. At this time the Dodge dealership has performed the third alignment stating that the Steering Wheel was crooked to the left. Sometimes at low speeds when turning the Steering wheel back and fourth you can almost feel a wobble in the front end. The gas mileage of this vehicle's Chrysler 2.7L is very disappointing, only 14.9 MPG (mostly highway), which is no where near 20 MPG (city), 28 MPG (highway) it is rated by Chrysler. The fuel economy of even an 8cyl 4.6L Ford engine was far better.  

Approximately 3000 miles after the front Tires were professionally rotated and balanced, the vibration has come back and the Steering wheel pulsates back and fourth on smooth road surfaces. I even have video of the steering wheel vibrating, somewhere. I contacted Goodyear about the problem, which created a file number and referred me to an authorized service center. On 6/1/02 I brought the vehicle into the authorized service center to have the Tires inspected and was told the tires had "cupping", which was very common for these Chrysler vehicles (Intrepids, 300Ms and Concordes). It is very disturbing to have a nearly brand new vehicle that almost already needs new tires under 15,000 miles and completely unacceptable. The last time I was in at the dealership, they seemed to give me a "special treatment" as if I were on some sort of blacklist. During another road test with the Shop Foreman he claimed did not notice anything unusual as usual and did not say much although I could clearly hear a rattling noise in the front end. He blamed the Brake Calipers, claiming that they were "floating" and said that they all do that. Funny, now that I think about it, I have a 12, 16 and 17 year old non Chrysler vehicle and they have never made any "rattling" noises in the front end or from the brakes. The old 1995 Dodge Intrepid I used to own never even made any rattling noises in the front end like this! So why is this new 2002 Dodge Intrepid doing this? The front end seemed to handle bumps rather poorly and sometimes you can hear a clunk noise in the front end and it feels as if something is moving in the front end of the vehicle. Passengers have also complained of this saying "it sounds like something is going to fall out of the front end of your car." When turning the steering wheel at low speeds you can hear a creaking from underneath the dash where the Steering Rack is located, it sounds like an "old hinge type creaking".

The Transmission also has a "terrible" kickdown behavior where you press the accelerator pedal for acceleration, a little more to go a bit faster, it is not really going any faster, so you press it a little more, still not much, so you press it a bit more and it then romps down aggressively, lunging, flinging your head back and you don't even have to put the pedal near the floor? The rear brakes sometimes make a horrible loud groaning when slowing down. Later, I started hearing heavy thud noises from the front of the vehicle. The 3rd Tire rotated to the front passenger side, which was in perfectly good condition was nearly bald on the outer edges 3000 miles later. At 13,000 miles an abnormal loud "clank" noise occurs when you start the vehicle, which sounds as if it may be from the starter (I have this on video somewhere). There is also a squeaking noise that sometimes comes from the engine when shutting the vehicle down, which seems to be coming from one of the electric Radiator Fans as it spins down. The Radiator Fans should not be making squeaking noises already. At about 14,000 miles when depressing the Brake Pedal for a last minute stop (traffic light just changed red) the Brakes felt as if they were rubbing or something, there was a clunk in the front end and the vehicle had little stopping power, luckily no one was around because the vehicle almost didn't have enough braking to stop. Strange enough, the brakes seemed to function fine later. The play in the Steering seemed to have increased causing the vehicle to wander severely in each direction, especially at freeway speeds. On top of all of these things the A/C sometimes had a fowl odor, the interior panels started to make creaking noises, passengers and myself would get shocked pretty bad when exiting the vehicle with a charge of static electricity. The steering wheel ignition lock did not work well, the A/C makes an annoying whistling noise sometimes, the headlights dim noticeably when the electronic fans kick in which looks as if you are flashing someone. The Digital Odometer sometimes flashes horizontal lines for about 2 seconds when starting as if there may be a glitch developing in the computer. Additionally the driver seat would rock back and fourth until it was fixed (one of the few things dealers actually fixed). This whole experience is very disappointing because I planned on having this vehicle for a long time. I had made nearly 10 phone calls to DaimlerChrysler Corporation and sent several letters to Chrysler. No one would do anything to get me out of this vehicle I often felt unsafe driving due to these problems. DaimlerChrysler would not do anything to take this vehicle off my hands so I allowed it to be repossessed. I'd rather ruin my credit than continue to risk my life and the lives around me with unsafe Chrysler vehicles while Chrysler declines to do anything about these problems this company has clearly known about.

Click Here For 40 Other 1998-2002 Intrepid Steering Failure Complaints Related To Dodge Intrepid Steering Failure Sampled From The NHTSA! (This is just SOME of the many other Steering related complaints out there)

What has DaimlerChrysler had to say about all of this . . . . . . . ?

Update - Recently Filed "Steering" Lawsuit

Lawsuit against DaimlerChrysler states steering is "DEFECTIVELY designed" 

Chrysler LH Series of Vehicles - Dodge, Chrysler Intrepid, 300M, LHS, New Yorker, Concorde and Eagle Vision

Please Note: Newly filed lawsuit NOT filed on my behalf. It was filed by an attorney on someone else's behalf, someone who 

experience severe, a mother and child whom experienced serious life altering injuries from the steering failure of an Intrepid.

Puts dangerously high load forces on inner tie rod ends when steering is turned. The design of the "Steering System" was not compatible with other systems in the vehicle, including drivetrain and the front suspension system, thereby causing or contributing to cause sudden, premature and unnecessary failure of its various assemblies and components. The "Steering System" was designed in such a way that it was difficult to undertake and properly perform inspections, repairs and maintenance on the various assemblies and components of the system, including inspections. 

A defective design Chrysler and TRW has known about while jointly and actively concealing the defect from consumers while deliberately misleading the NHTSA about defect. "Many consumers were lied to by Chrysler when Chrysler would deny responsibility for the defect, thereby forcing consumers to live with the dangerous condition, sell the vehicle at a loss or incur the expense of repairing the defects." Misconduct includes selling vehicles with defective unsafe steering then forcing consumers to pay for replacement parts, which many suffered the same defects as original parts. 

"The acts of DaimlerChrysler and TRW as set forth in this complaint manifested a flagrant disregard for the safety of persons who might or could have been harmed by the defects in the “steering system�Ein the Chrysler LH vehicle family." "The attitude of DaimlerChrysler and TRW regarding the defects in the Steering system of Chrysler LH vehicles, upon the discovery of those defects, was reprehensible and was motivated, in whole or in part, by a desire to conceal the defects from consumers and governmental regulators, to continue trying to maximize market share with the LH Platform of vehicles, to CONTINUE PROFITING from the sale of aftermarket parts, and avoid the immense costs associated with an admission that the LH vehicles contained a safety related defect in the Steering system and should be recalled" 

What am I doing about all of this now?

A. Well of course, first this website.  Secondly, lately I have been working with my own attorney on these issues and researching the best course of action to take against this manufacturer.  Q. Why even pursue this. . . ?  A. Well, first my own life and others were at risk for over a year while Chrysler and dealers continually played stupid, denied steering problems and continually assured me that there was nothing wrong with two different vehicles at my inconvenience while I was continually mistreated as if I were the problem. Just remembering the clunking, the crunching noises, the sudden looseness and play I experienced in the steering, the funny rattling noises underneath the dash where the steering is when driving over bumps, the creaking noises under the dash, the premature excessive tire wear, the wandering in either direction with both vehicles (much of which I have on video as evidence), which I have not experienced in two much older, high mileage non Chrysler vehicles, even when steering/suspension components were worn is pretty upsetting. I missed a lot of work, not having a vehicle I could depend on when I needed it most, having to continually bring each vehicle in to dealers repeatedly. It was a total nightmare and it's difficult to forget about the time and money wasted, all which was an investment into nothing. This whole thing really makes me angry and I expect Chrysler to step up to the plate on these issues, no excuses, no more playing stupid, no more lies. Every time I get into my old non Chrysler vehicle and drive, the original engine cranks over just fine, the original transmission shifts great and the steering feels completely safe, with no unreasonable problems, I only become more and more frustrated at Chrysler and I will continue to do what is right until I receive the answer that I feel I deserve. Chrysler put my life at risk along with others while it doesn't care and I take this very seriously.   

If you are thinking that my experience is unique, remember that I had similar experiences with not one, but two different ridiculously defective, Dodges manufactured by Chrysler Corporation / Daimler Chrysler. If you are still somehow thinking my experiences were unique, be sure to visit the main page to look at the links to 37 other websites created by other extremely frustrated consumers in result of Chrysler's poor quality and service where you will see that I am definitely far from alone. Chrysler has more websites against it than even GM and Ford COMBINED, which says a lot about Chrysler. On the main page you will also find a link to 20 videos put up by other frustrated consumers or witnesses to Chrysler's ongoing poor quality, defects, deception and poor service.    

Now that you know how it all started  .  .  .  .  .  .  .      

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