NHTSA Complaint #10232536 — 2006 CHRYSLER 300

1. DRIVING ON AN OVERPASS. MADE A LEFT TURN TOWARD RAMP TO GET ONTO I5 NORTH. 2. DURING THE TURN, I HEARD AND FELT A HUGE "CLUNK" SOUND FROM THE RIGHT FRONT OF CAR. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THINKING I MAY HAVE JUST RUN OVER A ROCK OR SOMETHING. AFTER A FEW WEEKS THE CAR BEGAN PULLING TO THE RIGHT WHILE DRIVING AND EVENTUALLY BEGAN VIBRATING HARSHLY WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. 3. BEING A "SHADE TREE" MECHANIC, I PULLED THE WHEELS AND CHECKED THE SUSPENSION. I NOTED THAT THE TIE ROD ENDS SEEMED TO BE SHOT. THIS IS A 2006 CHRYSLER 300 TOURING WITH ONLY 62,000 MILES! I PURCHASED THE PARTS AND REPLACED THE OUTER TIE ROD ENDS. I TOOK NOTE THAT THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIE ROD ENDS DID NOT HAVE ANY WAY OF LUBRICATING THE TIE ROD BALL JOINT. THERE WERE NO GREASE POINTS THAT WOULD ALLOW PROPER MAINTENANCE OF THIS PART. I REMOVED THE BOOT FROM ONE OF THE OLD ENDS AND NOTICED THERE WAS VERY LITTLE GREASE IN THE JOINT AND THERE WAS SCARRING ON THE BALL WHERE THERE HAD BEEN METAL TO METAL CONTACT BETWEEN THE BALL AND THE HOUSING. THIS CAUSED THE BALL TO WEAR PREMATURELY AND EVENTUALLY CAUSED THE PART TO FAIL COMPLETELY. A PART OF MY OIL CHANGE RITUAL IS TO HAVE THE LUBRICATION POINTS GREASED. TIE ROD ENDS ARE MOVING PARTS WHICH NEED LUBRICATION IN ORDER TO REMAIN IN GOOD CONDITION. THE FACT THAT CHRYSLER IS USING PARTS WITH NO PROVISION FOR LUBRICATION IS INSIDIOUS AND SMACKS OF EXTORTION.