Chrysler: A Tale of Two Woes
Chrysler's problems aren't limited to
slowing sales - quality problems
with older models are plaguing the automaker as well.Autoblog reader Gardiner notified us that Douglas Flint of The Car Connection’s Mechanic’s Tale is seeking aid in dealing with the automaker over an old anti-lock braking system. The system, found in certain 1990-1993 Dodge, Chrysler, and (now-defunct) Plymouth vehicles, could cause total brake failure. The automaker issued a recall warranty for the system while covering the involved pump motor and piston assembly supposedly for life.
You can guess Flint’s situation: at the time he wrote his article, DaimlerChrysler still has not returned his repeated inquires about a customer's Plymouth Voyager (pictured).
Flint’s article can be found here.
[Continue after the jump]
WFTV.com Action 9 reported on the
other Chrysler issue. According to the news source, a 2002 Dodge Durango self-ignited during the evening hours. (Pictured are the remains of the seating.) Fortunately, the owners were not in the vehicle at the time.
"I'm very lucky that I'm alive. My son and I could have died," said owner Valerie Davis.
According to the repair shop who examined the vehicle, the problem could have been caused by an “unused” electrical plug within the vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who has received similar complaints from owners, has contacted the automaker.
A response by DaimlerChrysler to Action 9's report can be found in the article.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
WDP 9:25PM (2/12/2006)
Remember what Iacocca said, "If you can find a better car, buy it!"
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woodie 2:49AM (2/13/2006)
I am very disapointed in Chrysler Corps. Quality. I have a 2006 Jeep Wrangler . It has now been in the shop 5 times since December.
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the friendly grizzly 6:53AM (2/13/2006)
Our family bought and ran Chrysler products from 1938 until about 1999. Declining quality was the biggest issue, the German takeover more or less sealed our discontinuing business with TCFKACC*
We now run GMs. My 2001 Silverado turned 100,000 yesterday. So far, it has had a $41 air conditioner repair and some minor attention to the parking brake, a design they no longer use.
Weigh this against:
Brake rotors that kept warping until replaced with after-market units (81 Aries, 91 and 93 Acclaims, 95 Intrepid)
Two transmission failures (93 Acclaim 3 speed, 95 Intrepid, symptoms in my mom's 99 LHS before she bailed out of it)
Door handle came off in hand (81 Aries)
"Park" release button falling apart (2 instances in same Plymouth Sundane)
Intermittent courtesy light switches (95 Intrepid, my mom's 1999 LHS)
Assorted electrical gremlins (brother's Ram 3500)
main bearing seal leakage (both Acclaims)
cracking cylinder heads (headS, ie, more than one) on that marvel of Japanese engineering, the 2600 Mit$ubi$hi motor with a make-do-and-mend cooling and fuel system setup (81 Aries)
Of course now that they are sharing chassis with Mitsubishi and transmissions with Mercedes, a customer can get the heartbreak of Mit$u quality with the needless complexity of German engineering.
Oh boy!
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Joey (Kev) 8:08AM (2/13/2006)
#2 you are disapointed "in" what? And since when is december spelt December?
Please - if you run a Japanese guerilla PR company that is dedicated to shilling on blogs: TEACH YOUR EMPLOYEES SOME SPELLING SKILLS.
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Chris 9:33AM (2/13/2006)
Whoa Joe, a little defensive? Chrysler still has massive quality and manufacturing issues. I have a 99 Accord V6 with 208k miles. My mom has an 02 Sebring LXi with 60k miles. She has spent twice the money on non-maintenance related items that I have since her 36k mile warranty ran out. This amuses me greatly.
I printed off a list of Chrysler issued TSBs for her and she had 7 out of 25 of the problems...and all of them require expensive parts and/or lots of hours of labor. On a car with 60k miles this is inexcusable. Chrysler has come very far in the past couple years with design and performance, but the engineering foundation and attention to detail still isn't close to the Japanese and isn't up to GM yet IMO.
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VW-Guy 11:27AM (2/13/2006)
Chris, you're amused greatly that your mom is spending money on repairs/maintenance? If you were my kid I'd cut you out of my will right about.....NOW!
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Nick 1:52PM (2/13/2006)
I wrote an email to Flint, and he never responded. Turns out, he's just looking to get people to the site, and it's working. Face it, every manufacturer will have its issues. Honda has transmission problems, Kia has a bad image, Chrysler has a 20 year legacy of "on again, off again". I've had a line of 5 trouble free Chryslers, they've managed to take care of me when companies like Toyota and Mitsubishi completely failed me. (Corolla going completely tits up without any regard from them, Eclipse with rattles, constant steering issues, and a dead clutch at 20k. Their diagnosis? Driver error. Meanwhile, my $15k Neon held up the entire time. Go figure.)
Everyone has to make a choice -- go with your comfort. If you don't think the Chrysler's going to last you, buy something else. But to actively try to dissuade other people when so many people are very happy with their choices, and have been treated well? Shame on you.
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gryhrt 7:40PM (2/13/2006)
#4....I'm not sure what you're getting at, but I'm pretty sure that "December," being a proper noun, is capitalized.
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/december
A guy I work with had a early 90's Wrangler that also self-ignited.
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