Five problems related to ignition switch have been reported for the 1996 Dodge Intrepid. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
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 position. I had a 1993 Dodge Intrepid with the same airbag light problem described above, I was able to get the light to go off at times by adjusting the steering wheel which allowed the electric windows and heater/ac to work until the light would come back. On. The difference is I cannot get the airbag light to turn off at all on the 1996 model, the difference being between the two models is that the 93 had the gear shifter on the floor console; while 96 is on the column. The fact that the 93 and 96 both have the same airbag light affecting the electric windows & the heater/ac is not a coincidence. I've been told by mechanics that one thing should affect the other, but my personal experience shows that to be untrue. In my opinion there is a safety issue with either the sensors or something in the ignition switch, or possibly the wiring within the steering column due to possibility of manufacturing issues. This does pose as a safety issue because the windows will not roll down and the heater/ac will not cool/heat the car and the defroster cannot clear the windows of condensation; which creates obstructured view. The nonworking heater/ac severely restricts the times you can drive the car, unless you would like to risk heat exhaustion during summer or frostbite during the winter.
The rack an pinion bushing failed had to replace the whole rack and pinion. Also the axle had to be replaced the ring for the abs and tracion control come off the axle. Theres a short in the igntion switch, the gauges dont work, and the car wont drive it gos in default.
Vehicle constanly fails to start per consumer. The dealerships indicated that the cause could be a bad ignition switch or lever. Cause unkown. Ts.
I have a 1996 Dodge Intrepid I bought in 1998 I have had numerous steering problems with this vehicle and have spent much money to fix this car. The bushings have been replaced,the bearings have been replaced, the power steering pump has been replaced, the steering hoses have been replaced,all this was done at under 55,000 miles and luckily gefore my fiance and my children were seriously hurt in an acident due to steering lose or control. These problems totaled around 2,500. To fix. Now we are having the same problems again with the car having 90,000 miles now the power steering pump is out again and the rack and pinion is out and it is impossible to steer. We are a low income family so trade the car in is out of the question and getting it fixed right away is sometimes not possible. Just by pure luck I was looking for prices of rack and pinions and I just stummbled across this web site and I am glad I did.
Recall 00 v 135 000/ignition switch/wiring: vehicle experienced a shortage in wiring harness. Dealer/manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that this vehicle was not cover under recall due to VIN. Feel free to provide any further details on this matter.