NHTSA Complaint #10047471 — 1999 CHRYSLER CONCORDE

AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING UNIT DOES NOT COOL OR HEAT PROPERLY. HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED REGULARLY WITHOUT CHRYSLER DEALER "FINDING" ANYTHING. ON PARTICULAR DATE BELOW IT WAS A VERY COLD MORNING, USED HEAT AND DROVE 3 KIDS 20 MILES. STOPPED FOR HALF HOUR, GOT BACK IN CAR AND CAR SOUNDS LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE - ROUGH AND LOUD. I WAS ALONE WITH THE 3 KIDS. ASKED A COUPLE OF MEN TO LISTEN, THEY THOUGHT CYLINDER(S) WERE GONE AS NOISE LOWERED WHEN ENGINE REVVED. (BY THE WAY, THIS CAR HAS HAD 2 TRANSMISSIONS ALREADY, WITH 73,000 MILES). LIMPED HOME SCARED TO DEATH ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WITH THE 3 KIDS. STOPPED AT SERVICE STATION, TOLD NOT TO DRIVE AS ENGINE WAS FAILING. CALLED AAA AND THEY CAME AND TOWED TO CHRYSLER DEALER. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE DIESEL SOUND AND "FOUND NOTHING WRONG." TODAY IS NOV 24TH 2003 AND THIS MORNING THE SAME SOUND IS BACK IN MY ENGINE. THE HEAT ONLY WORKS WHEN I AM MOVING, NOT AT IDLE, AND LEAVES A VERY ODD SMELL IN THE CAR IF THE CAR IS LEFT IDLING WITH THE HEAT ON. I HAVE A 5 MONTH OLD, A 5 YEAR OLD AND AN 8 YEAR OLD, I AM GETTING VERY FRIGHTENED TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITH THEM IN IT ANYMORE. I DID AN ONLINE SEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS AC/HEAT PROBLEM IS PREVALENT IN THIS MODEL (CHRYSLER CONCORDE 1999) AND CAN CREATE SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE THAT CAUSES SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE. I WANT THIS FIXED AND I WANT YOU TO GET AFTER CHRYSLER ABOUT THIS! *LA