NHTSA Complaint #10175012 — 2005 CHRYSLER PACIFICA

ON OCTOBER 25, 2006 I DROVE DOWN MY LANE IN MY 2005 CHRYSLER PACIFICA TO PICK UP MY MAIL AT THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY MY 4 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS IN THE BACK SEAT IN A CAR SEAT. AFTER RETRIEVING MY MAIL. I BACKED UP AND BUMPED A SMALL TREE. I THEN PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND AT THAT MOMENT WAS PROPELLED FORWARD AT A HIGH SPEED WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. WITHIN AN INSTANT I COLLIDED WITH A LARGER TREE. I HIT MY HEAD ON THE WINDSHIELD, BREAKING THE GLASS. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE ENTIRE FRONT BUMPER OF THE CAR WAS DESTROYED AT THE CENTER POINT. MY DAUGHTER BIT HER TONGUE, BUT OTHERWISE WAS FINE. THE CAR COULD NOT BE MOVED AFTER THAT AS THE STEERING FLUID WAS EMPTIED ONTO THE DRIVEWAY. WE FILED A POLICE REPORT AND HAD AAA TOW THE CAR. I WAS THEN TAKEN TO EMERGENCY. I HAD HIT MY HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK THE WINDSHIELD AND HAD CAT SCAN AND REPORTED TO HAVE A CONCUSSION. THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS APPROXIMATELY $7000.00. MY INSURANCE COMPANY, WESTFIELD INSURANCE COVERED EVERYTHING EXCEPT A $500 DEDUCTIBLE, AND DID SUPPLY ME WITH A RENTAL CAR FOR 30 DAYS. ON NOVEMBER 25, 2006 I RECEIVED MAIL FROM CHRYSLER INFORMING ME OF A FUEL PUMP RECALL. ON MONDAY, DIRECTLY AFTER PICKING THE CAR, I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP FOR THE RECALL. I WILL NOT DRIVE IT AGAIN UNTIL THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPAIRED. I KNOW THAT THE REASON I WENT FORWARD WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS WAS DUE TO FUEL INJECTION OR FUEL PUMP ISSUES. ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 28, LADD HANFORD CHRYSLER INFORMED ME THAT THEIR COMPUTER THAT WOULD BE FIXING THE SOFTWARE ISSUES THAT CAUSE THE FUEL PUMP TO MALFUNCTION WAS NOT WORKING. THEY WANTED ME TO PICK UP MY PACIFICA AND BRING IT BACK AT A LATER DATE'''' I WOULD NOT BE DOING THAT, BECAUSE I AM COMPLETELY SKEPTICAL OF THE SAFETY ON MY CAR. I WILL NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL IN HAS BEEN REPAIRED. THE DEALER TOOK IT TO ANOTHER NEARBY DEALERSHIP TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THEY ALSO COULD NOT FIX THE SOFTWARE GLITCH. *NM