NHTSA Complaint #10264361 — 2005 DODGE STRATUS

1. WAITING FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT TO CHANGE AT INTERSECTION OF LINCOLIN WAY AND SOUTH DAKOTA. 2. AS I ACCELERATED FROM THE STOP LIGHT TO TURN SOUTH ONTO SOUTH DAKOTA, MY CHAIR MADE A "POPPING" NOISE AND MY CHAIR SLAMMED BACKWARD INTO THE RECLINE POSITION AND I WAS STARRING AT THE TOP OF THE CAR. THE FAILURE WAS THE FORWARD RETAINING BOLT THAT FASTENS THE SEAT BACK TO THE SLIDING FRAME RAIL HAD SNAPPED. THIS IN TURN CAUSED THE FRAME SUPPORT FOR THE SEAT BACK TO BEND. THANKFULLY NO PERSON WAS HURT DURING THIS EVENT BECAUSE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. 3. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, BENSON MOTORS. THEY PROCEEDED TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT FAILURE HAD OCCURRED. THEN I WAS INFORMED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE AN ENTIRE DIFFERENT SEAT FOR MY VEHICLE. A NEW CHAIR WOULD COST IN EXCESS OF $1,000.00 OR PURCHASE A USED CHAIR FROM A SALVAGE YARD FOR ROUGHLY $500.00. FROM INSPECTING THE CHAIR PERSONALLY, THE SUPPORT BOLT SNAPPED CLEAN OFF, AND THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND HAD LESS THAN 60,000 MILES ON IT. THE OLD PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, AND I WILL BE RECORDING THE FAILURE WITH MY DIGITAL CAMERA. I ALSO CALLED THE CHRYSLER CORPORATIONS CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FAILURE BECAUSE THE VEHICLES 3YR/30,000MI WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. *TR