1996 Dodge Intrepid problems & reliability
505 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 Dodge Intrepid, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
17 complaints report injuries (23 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 152 | 30% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 83 | 16% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 80 | 16% |
| Power Train | 44 | 9% |
| Suspension | 44 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 34 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 32 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 32 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 23 | 5% |
| Structure | 23 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 95,225 miles (middle 50% between 75,110 and 130,953 miles), based on 74 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Takata recall: I was involved in a head on collision in which the airbag deployed and a piece of metal went through my eye causing immediate blindness and subsequent loss of the left eye. The piece of metal was pull out in the er. There were no other injuries. This happened on a city street in detroit mi traveling…”
Air Bags · filed Jan 22, 2016
“After purchasing car from auction, we took for emissions testing in order to purchase a tag. We were told the test could not be done because the computer had not finished the tests. We were advised how to complete the driving requirements and to come back after that. After several trips the tests still showed…”
Electrical System · filed Nov 14, 2013
“The air bag light stays on constantly which affects the electric windows & the heating/ac component. When the air bag light came on the windows & heater/ac stopped working. Additionally, the steering wheel locking mechanism is defective because it does not lock the steering wheel at all when the ignition is in the off…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 11, 2013
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL RAIL, BRAKE FLUID, CHASSIS
Defect Petition DP04007 · opened Oct 13, 2004 · closed Oct 27, 2004
- AUTO TRANS IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Engineering Analysis EA03011 · opened Jul 17, 2003 · closed Jan 30, 2004 · led to recall 04V021000
- STEERING SYSTEM RACK AND PINION
Engineering Analysis EA99031 · opened Oct 29, 1999 · closed Sep 13, 2001
- STEERING SYSTEM RACK AND PINION
Preliminary Evaluation PE99044 · opened Jun 28, 1999 · closed Oct 29, 1999
- FUEL INJECTION DELIVERY SYSTEM FUEL LEAK
Recall Query RQ98018 · opened Oct 7, 1998 · closed Jul 8, 2002 · led to recall 98V184000
Technical service bulletins
81 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Dodge Intrepid. The 10 most recent:
Charging System, Battery Diagnostic Tools and Warranty This information only bulletin discusses using the correct test equipment for testing batteries and charging systems, and also warranty reimbursement when battery…
08-049-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 22, 2020
Use of Aftermarket Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of aftermarket parts.
3100519 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2019
Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of recycled or salvage parts.
3100319 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2019
Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to structural repair parts usage.
3100619 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2019
Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of recycled or salvage parts.
31-003-19 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2019
Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to structural repair parts usage.
31-006-19 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2019
Valve Body. These may cause over drive cycling.
R2118796A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2016
Child Seat Tether Anchor Installation This bulletin describes procedures to install Child Seat Tether Anchors based on Customer Request. Retrofits are subject to part availability. Vehicles in the following list that…
23-014-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 23, 2015
Flash programming failure recovery. *slc
1802002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2002
Subject regarding low or no cabin head, engine cooling system system fill procedure. *tt
0700202 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 4, 2002
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1996 Dodge Intrepid has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1996 Dodge Intrepid?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 95,225 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.