Your vehicle report
2002 Dodge Intrepid
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 329
- Received Feb 2002 to Mar 2022
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Engine burns excessive oil between changes27 complaints · 8.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Transmission fails or loses power while driving18 complaints · 5.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips16 complaints · 4.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #03V035000On certain passenger vehicles, seat back recliner bolt breakage can occur resulting in the seat back reclining unexpectedly.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 11 crashes, 9 fires, 9 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly
- Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed
- Tires blow out or tread separates
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 16 |
| 2003 | 32 |
| 2004 | 44 |
| 2005 | 41 |
| 2006 | 47 |
| 2007 | 49 |
| 2008 | 30 |
| 2009 | 27 |
| 2010 | 17 |
| 2011 | 8 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 6 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 329 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 27 | 8.2% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 18 | 5.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 16 | 4.9% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 14 | 4.3% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 13 | 4.0% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 12 | 3.6% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 10 | 3.0% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 10 | 3.0% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 9 | 2.7% | – | |
| Timing chain fails and destroys engine | 8 | 2.4% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 7 | 2.1% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 7 | 2.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 1.8% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 6 | 1.8% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 6 | 1.8% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 1.5% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Steering wheel clunks or clicks when turning | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 3 | 0.9% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 3 | 0.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #03V035000February 5, 20031,066,000 vehicles affected
seats: front assembly: recliner
On certain passenger vehicles, seat back recliner bolt breakage Can occur resulting in the seat back reclining unexpectedly.
If the seat back unexpectedly reclines while the car is being driven, it could result in loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the recliner bolts. Owner notification began on april 23, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 Dodge Intrepid.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN