Chrysler

Automaker Claims Problems Not WidespreadPOSTED: 7:43 pm EST March 1, 2006

BALTIMORE — The WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team has discovered car owners in Maryland and across the country have claimed their car engines are not only defective, but unsafe.

But as the owners demand the automaker take responsibility, the I-Team found they may be out of luck.

WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reporter Barry Simms said style and an affordable price have powered sales of the Dodge Intrepid.

But Lisa Wharton’s 2001 model isn’t going anywhere.

 Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Christopher JensenPlain Dealer Auto Editor

Alton, Va.- Chrysler’s 2.7-liter V-6 is more vulnerable to sludge damage if oil changes are not done at the proper time because the automaker decided to use less oil in the engine, said a top Chrysler engineer who helped develop it.

The engine has angered some consumers who have suffered engine failures because sludge, a gelling or thickening of oil as it ages, can reduce the lubrication of an engine, causing it to fail.

Chrysler has denied any defect and blamed problems on poor maintenance.

Source of a warranty woe is tagged, told to solve it quickly

By Mary Connelly
Automotive News / May 09, 2005

Sunday, March 06, 2005 Christopher JensenPlain Dealer Columnist

Judy Elardo is from Brook Park and Karen Suchy is from Pittsburgh. They’ve been sludged, each has lost thousands of dollars and each is way beyond angry.

Their stories, which center on Chrysler’s 2.7-liter V-6, provide some lessons for consumers, lessons Elardo and Suchy learned at great expense.

Elardo bought her 1999 Dodge Intrepid in May 2002 with about 43,000 miles on it. Suchy bought her 2001 Dodge Stratus new.

By Harry Stoffer
Automotive News / January 10, 2005

WASHINGTON — A consumer advocate wants the Chrysler group to extend warranties on hundreds of thousands of engines that he contends are prone to fail because of sludge buildup.

The engines are 2.7-liter V-6s, most of them in 1998-2002 Dodge and Chrysler cars.

Drivers complain that the 2.7-liter engine is prone to seizing up, but the auto maker blames poor maintenance
By Ralph Vartabedian
L.A. Times Staff Writer

December 15, 2004

Lisa Spilker has a shiny white 2001 Chrysler Concorde parked in her driveway, but it isn’t going anywhere. The car’s 2.7-liter engine was destroyed by oil sludge several months ago and now Spilker can’t afford the $6,500 cost of a new engine.