NHTSA Complaint #10247374 — 2005 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY

UPON HEARING A NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE OF OUR 2005 TOWN AND COUNTRY WE TOOK THE VAN TO OUR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. HE FOUND THE NOISE WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN ALTERNATOR MOUNT. HE DID NOT COMPLETE ANY REPAIRS BUT STATED WE SHOULD CONTACT CHRYSLER SINCE THIS WAS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT IN THE PART. WHEN I CONTACTED CHRYSLER I WAS TOLD I HAD TO TAKE IT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT AND THEN THE DEALERSHIP WOULD HAVE TO CALL THEM BACK. I DID THAT AND THE SHOP MANAGER, JIM, TOOK AN APPROXIMATELY 15 SECOND LOOK AT THE BROKEN PART, SHUT THE HOOD, TOOK MY NUMBER AND ASKED WHY CHRYSLER SAID HE HAD TO CALL. I TOLD HIM THAT WAS WHAT I HAD BEEN TOLD AND HE SAID HE WOULD GET BACK WITH ME. I CALLED HIM THE NEXT DAY AND HE SAID HE HAD A CALL IN TO HIS DISTRICT MANAGER WHO HAD THE AUTHORITY TO AUTHORIZE REPAIRS. WHEN JIM CALLED BACK HE STATED THAT THE DISTRICT MANAGER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE BROKEN PART BASED ON THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THE VAN (83,000.) JIM ALSO STATED THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE MOUNT TO BREAK. HE AGREED THAT EVEN IF THE VAN HAD 200,000 MILES ON IT HE WOULD NOT EXPECT TO SEE THE BROKEN MOUNT. I ASKED WHAT OTHER RECOURSE I HAD AND HE STATED I WOULD HAVE TO CALL THE 1-800 CHRYSLER NUMBER. I THEN CALLED THAT NUMBER AND SPOKE WITH STEVE WHO TOOK A REPORT ( WHICH I REQUESTED TO HAVE FILED.) HE THEN TRANSFERRED ME TO CHERYL WHO READ THE REPORT AND THEN CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH JIM. WHEN SHE RETURNED TO ME SHE STATED THEY WOULD NOT DO THE REPAIR BASED ON THE NUMBER OF MILES AND THE FACT THAT I DID NOT EXCLUSIVELY USE THE DEALERSHIP FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. SHE SAID THAT SINCE I DID NOT SHOW LOYALTY TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE BRAND THEN THEY WERE NOT WILLING COVER THE REPAIR. NO ONE EVER DENIED THAT THE PRODUCT WAS DEFECTIVE. *TR