2001 Chrysler Concorde - Reliability

With owning a Chrysler, many people say that the transmsion is crap and will fall out of the car if I so as touch the gas pedal. How accurate is this? This car was owned by my grandpa, and is my first car. It has around 150,000 miles and hasn’t had any major mechanical issues.

I don’t know who these people are but don’t listen to anything they have to say . No , the transmission will not just fall out because you gave the car too much gas. Break or fail to work properly at some point , sure just like all transmissions. If this vehicle is up to date on service requirements , has good tires and all fluids are the correct level then you should be fine.

Everything is up to date on it. My friends tell me that Chryslers are known for being unreliable. He thinks he has a better car because he owns a 03 Camry SE.

Just like all vehicles , some are extremely reliable and some are not no matter what the brand is . Yours is 18 years old and could fail tomorrow or last quite a few years .

My grandpa babied the car when he had it, and I consider myself a safe and cautious driver. I think it will last a few years.

There is a certain segment of society who will complain about every make and model of car manufactured since the first Benz in 1885. Take complaints with a grain of salt.

I think you will be fine.

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The car is 18 years old. Traditional reliability ratings are long expired. More important is the current condition and how it treated during those 18 years. If your grandfather maintained it well, then it should serve you well for a while.

If your friend is acting snooty because he owns a 17 year old Camry he must not have much else to brag about. Toyotas are generally reliable–I own one myself–but that doesn’t give him a reason to look down on you or what you drive. If your Chrysler is in good condition and it’s been maintained properly it should last a good long time.

My intrepid went 190k. But I did frequent trans fluid changes with atf-4. Does it have the 2.7 motor?

Chrysler’s Cab-Forward cars have become a rare sight where I live.

There are several reasons, some other cars the same reason for demise but most do not have each problem.

Air conditioning is important in the desert, cars of all makes have reached the end of there service life when the A/C fails. These Chryslers have problems with leaking “quick-connect” A/C line O-ring seals and leaking evaporator cores.

Torque converter clutches have a high failure rate with our high operating temperatures in the desert, owners won’t pay for a transmission rebuild on a $1500 car.

A neighbor had a 1995 Concord but I believe it is gone now.

A secretary at work had a 1998 Intrepid, she had the oil changed once a year, after 5 years the engine failed, the 2.7 liter engine can’t handle this type of neglect.

I think he does too. Just my opinion, having owned 5 of them.

No, it has a 3.2 V-6

Well, I was driving it this morning and it was making a weird sound. It just started this morning. My sister described it as a fat guy running on a treadmill. The sound is coming from the rear tires. What could this be?

+1
However, “maintained properly” means different things to different people.
If the OP’s grandfather did mostly short-trip local driving and didn’t change the oil based on the “severe service” maintenance schedule, then the engine could be filled with sludge.
If the trans fluid wasn’t changed 5 or 6 times so far, then the trans could well be close to failure.
If the brake fluid wasn’t flushed 5 or 6 times so far, the brake fluid could contain a LOT of water.

OP: Take a look at grampy’s maintenance records, and determine the following things:
How many times per year did he change the oil? It should have been at least twice each year.
When–if ever–was the trans fluid changed?
When–if ever–was the brake fluid flushed?

These are three maintenance areas that will have a MAJOR impact on the longevity of the car.

They are, but usually what fails on Chryslers is electrical in nature, not mechanical. That era had a fair number of problems with the automatic climate controls, body control module, etc.

He’s probably right. Toyotas tend to be much more reliable than Chryslers. Of course the flip side to that is that he thinks his nearly 2-decade-old Camry is gonna be trouble free, and you don’t think that about your car. So he’s going to be much more depressed than you the first time his car breaks. And it will. :wink:

Flat-spotted / cupped tires possibly.

My grandpa did not own the car brand new. He changed the oil every 3000 miles or so; the average. I couldn’t tell you if the car’s transmission fluid. I am positive that he flushed the brakes more than once.

Find a good independent shop and have it looked over.