NHTSA Complaint #10248863 — 2001 CHRYSLER 300M

MY 2001 CHRYSLER 300M HAS ONLY 29,000 MILES ON IT AND HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY PURCHASED. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING AND HEARD A BAD RUBBING NOISE AND FELT A VIBRATION BY MY FOOT. BEFORE THIS TRIP, THE CAR HAD BEEN TOTALLY SILENT. WHEN THIS NOISE BEGAN, THE CAR STARTED TO WANDER ON THE ROAD, ESPECIALLY WHEN BRAKING. I CHECKED UNDER THE WHEEL WELL AND FOUND OILY RESIDUE SPLATTERED AROUND. I TOOK IT TO LARSON CHRYSLER AND WAS TOLD THE DRIVERS SIDE STRUT WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AND THE PASSENGER SIDE STRUT WAS ABOUT TO FAIL. HE SAID IT WAS TOTALLY UNSAFE TO BE DRIVING. THE SCARY THING IS THIS JUST FAILED OUT OF NOWHERE WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING OR GOING OVER ANY BUMPS. LUCKILY I WAS ON A 35 MPH ROAD AND NOT THE FREEWAY. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THIS UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE SOMEHOW THEY DECIDED IT WAS WORN BEFORE I BOUGHT THE WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT MAKING ANY NOISES OR SHOWING ANY SYMPTOMS OF FAILURE BEFORE THIS. I ASKED THE DEALER WHAT WOULD CAUSE IT TO FAIL AND HE SAID IT WAS NORMAL FOR A CHRYSLER VEHICLE DUE TO AGE. I POINTED OUT THAT IT ONLY HAD 29,000 MILES ON IT AND HE SAID IT FAILED NOT BECAUSE OF THE MILEAGE, BUT BECAUSE THE CAR IS 7 YEARS OLD. HE ALSO TALKED TO THE CHRYSLER HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SAID THE SAME THING. THIS PROVES THAT CHRYSLER IS AWARE THAT THEY HAVE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH STRUT FAILURE AND ARE DOING NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE IN DANGER DUE TO THIS IF THERE IS A FAILURE ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MPH! PLEASE DO ANYTHING YOU CAN TO HELP MAKE CHRYSLER TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS SAFETY PROBLEM. IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL OR EMAIL ME. *TR