NHTSA Complaint #10063988 — 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

WHEN TAKING TRANSMISSION IN FOR ROUTINE FLUID & FILTER CHANGE, SEVERAL FRAGMENTS OF METAL WERE FOUND IN THE PAN. SOME FROM GEAR TEETH, OTHERS FROM BEARINGS. TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE COMPLETLEY REMANUFACTURED, AND THE COST IS ASTONOMICAL. THIS IS MY SECOND (AND NOW MY LAST) CHYSLER MINIVAN. I HAD SIMILAR TROUBLE WITH AN OLDER MODEL, HOWEVER CHRYSLER HONORED THE REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH IT DID NOT LAST VERY LONG. THIS TIME HOWEVER, THEY WERE NOT ONLY NASTY TO ME ON THE PHONE WHEN I CALLED, BUT THEIR RESPONSE WAS "WE WILL NEVER PAY FOR OR REPAIR THIS VEHICLE" WHICH I FIND ODD, CONSIDERING WHAT THEY WOULD DO IF THEY WERE FORCED TO RECALL IT FOR THIS PROBLEM. I'VE LOOKED INTO THIS, AND IT SEEMS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME TROUBLE WITH THESE VANS. NOW, I ASK CHRYSLER "FOR OVER 13 YEARS YOU'VE CONTINUED TO MANUFACTURE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS, HOW LONG WILL YOU CONTINUE TO BILK THE CUSTOMERS WHO HELPED MAKE YOU ONE OF THE BIGGEST AUTOMAKERS IN THE WORLD" YOU HAVE TURNED YOUR BACK ON THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL TO YOUR PRODUCT, DON'T BE SHOCKED WHEN WE RETURN THE FAVOR. WHEN THE FOREIGN AUTOMAKERS EVENTUALLY PUT YOU OUT OF BUSINESS, IT WILL BE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF CORRECTING YOUR BIGGEST AND LONGEST LASTING MISTAKE IN THE HISTORY OF YOUR VEHICLES. I SUGGEST YOU CHARGE A LITTLE MORE FOR YOUR CARS, AND INVEST IN THE TRANSMISSION LONGEVITY. SAVING A FEW PENNIES PER VEHICLE TODAY, WILL COST YOU BILLIONS SOME DAY. I WAS HOPEFULL THAT DAIMLER WOULD COME IN AND STRAIGHTEN THINGS OUT, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. SHAME ON YOU DAIMLER FOR EMBARRASSING YOURSELVES WITH POOR QUALITY, AND FOR THE POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE YOU ALLLOW TO CONTINUE. YOUR PREVIOUS HISTORY WAS TO BE ADMIRED WITH YOUR MECEDES LINE OF VEHICLES. NOW YOU ARE SLOWLY BECOMING AN EMBARRASSMENT. I WAS EXPECTING BETTER FROM YOU, AND YOU LET US DOWN. IF IT IS YOUR INTENTION TO SLOWLY DISSOLVE CHRYSLER, THEN YOU ARE CERTAINLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK. *AK