1997 Dodge Intrepid problems
Owners have filed 473 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Dodge Intrepid. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 19% of complaints. After that come steering (14%) and engine (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 473 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 35 and 29
- Injuries and deaths
- 34 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 97 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 21 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 24 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 15 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 97 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 90,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 94,000 miles (20 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 35 complaints mention a crash; 29 complaints mention a fire; 34 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Dodge Intrepid with enough data (264 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The insured was involved in a rear end collision, in which the airbags failed to deploy and also the seat belt released, there were 4 injuries. (claim#52-2499-839)
Engine light came on repeatedly and engine caught fire. The fire had come from the rear hood area. The dealer stated that the fire started from the #5 fuel injector/wiring harness/fuel rail. The vehicle also lost braking power and revved during the incident. There was an oil leak prior to the incident where the rocker arm cover was replaced, the power steering was noisy, leaked, and was replaced, and the bleeder screw was broken and the thermostat housing was replaced. *scc *nlm
The right front tire had a bulge which caused the vehicle to swerve, the other three tires had tread wear (p225/60r16). *nlm
Vehicle has experienced numerous electrical problems since its purchase requiring repairs at my expense. The latest being a short in the wiring harness leading to a failure in the wiring connection to the radiator cooling fans on 2 occasions. Replacement of the fan harness does not fix the problem in the wiring harness and it will short out and burn the connection again. This should be fixed by the manufacturer as a manufacturing defect.