NHTSA Complaint #10326589 — 2008 BRAUN TOWN & COUNTRY

I DID NOT DRIVE MY 2008 TOWN & COUNTRY VAN FOR 2 MONTHS AS A RESULT OF MY FOOT SURGERY, 2/17/10 TO 4/19/10. ON THE MORNING OF 4/19/10, AS I ATTEMPTED TO MOVE MY VEHICLE OUT OF MY GARAGE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. I FURTHER DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO "BREAK FREE" AND MOVE. IT SEEMED AS IF THE WHEELS WERE FROZEN. AS I DROVE TO WORK, I NOTICED THAT WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKING WAS UNEVEN AND THE BRAKES WERE "CHATTERING." THE VAN ALSO TOOK LONGER TO STOP. WHEN I GOT TO WORK, I CALLED MY LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER AND ADVISED THEM OF THE PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE VAN HAS 22,500 MILES ON IT. I THEN TOOK THE VAN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THEY SHOWED ME THAT THE FREEZING OF MY WHEELS THAT MORNING WAS ACTUALLY THE REAR PADS RUSTING TO THE ROTORS. I SAW THE MARK ON THE ROTORS WHERE THEY HAD RUSTED. IT THEN MADE THE REAR ROTORS UNEVEN CAUSING THE CHATTER. THEY THEN SHOWED ME THAT THE FRONT PADS WERE VERY LOW. THEY SUGGESTED THAT THE REAR ROTORS AND PADS BE CHANGED ALONG WITH THE FRONT PADS. THE ENTIRE JOB CAME TO $650. TO ME THIS IS UNSAFE AND NO FAIR. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A CAR WITH LESS THAN 23,000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THIS PROBLEM HAD TO BE CORRECTED IMMEDIATELY. I WAS NOT GOING TO PAY THE DEALERSHIP TO DO IT BECAUSE I FEARED THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE THE BRAKES WITH THE SAME MAKE THAT HAD FAILED. *TR