2003 Dodge Intrepid Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Dodge Intrepid, 58% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 78,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “position sensor” (10% of reports).
- 61engine and engine cooling complaints
- 78,500median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $7,600typical repair cost reported by owners
- 42%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Position sensor: mentioned in 6 of 61 complaints (10%)
- Sludge build: mentioned in 5 of 61 complaints (8%)
- Said engine: mentioned in 5 of 61 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 2003 Dodge Intrepid at $7,600, and half of them between $4,650 and $10,400.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2005–2009), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 46 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 61 complaints, 4 a fire.
Dodge Intrepid engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Intrepid | 79 | 61% | 72,150 |
| 2003 Intrepid | 61 | 58% | 78,500 |
| 2002 Intrepid | 207 | 63% | 78,000 |
| 2001 Intrepid | 520 | 79% | 78,000 |
| 2000 Intrepid | 785 | 74% | 77,486 |
| 1999 Intrepid | 698 | 70% | 84,000 |
| 1998 Intrepid | 198 | 53% | 85,000 |
| 1997 Intrepid | 53 | 15% | 60,750 |
| 1996 Intrepid | 83 | 16% | 80,000 |
| 1995 Intrepid | 67 | 11% | 98,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 2003 Dodge Intrepid. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
See attached document for complaint
While driving to work the car lost power and acceleration several times and finally made a loud clanking banging sound. It stalled and completely stopped about a minute after the sounds. I had the car towed to my mechanic's shop and he said the engine had seized due to oil sludge build-up and that…
Have a 2003 dodge intrepid. Husband driving car home and no lights came on. The car made loud banging type noises and he pulled over. Had car looked at - engine failure. This could've lead to an accident when it first started banging so loudly and we also had a coolant problem that suddenly the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Dodge Intrepids have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 61 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2003 Dodge Intrepid (58% of the 106 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Dodge Intrepid engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 78,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Dodge Intrepid?
Owners report a typical cost of $7,600 (half paid between $4,650 and $10,400), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Dodge Intrepid?
The most frequent phrase is “position sensor”, in 6 of 61 complaints, followed by “sludge build” (5).
See all 2003 Dodge Intrepid problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Intrepid years.