NHTSA Complaint #10106244 — 1998 DODGE VAN

MY WIFE AND I NOTICED A SMOKY ODOR IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VAN A YEAR AGO. AFTER REPLACING SEVERAL ENGINE GASKETS AND PRESSURE-WASHING THE ENGINE BLOCK TO RULE OUT BURNING OIL, THE SMELL CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. FINALLY, MIDAS DISCOVERED A CRACKED CROSSOVER PIPE WAS ALLOWING ENGINE EXHAUST TO ESCAPE AND ENTER INTERIOR OF THE CAB. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PART HAS BEEN ON A NATIONAL BACKORDER WITH DODGE FOR OVER 3 MONTHS AND OVER 1,000 OF THESE PARTS ARE ON ORDER ACROSS THE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO MIDAS, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE GRAND CARAVANS AND LONG DELAYS DUE TO NATIONAL BACKORDERS IS TYPICAL FOR THIS PART. THE DANGER IS THAT LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON MONOXIDE ENTERS THE VEHICLE. MY SON HAS BEEN COMPLAINING OF HEADACHES WHILE RIDING IN THE VAN. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF WAITING, WE FINALLY WORKED OUT WITH MIDAS A CUSTOM RETROFIT OF ANOTHER MANUFACTURERS CROSSOVER PIPE AND THAT SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED. THE DODGE PART NUMBER IS 4694374. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE CARBON MONOXIDE KILLS SOMEONE WHILE THEY ARE DRIVING. *NM