NHTSA Complaint #10491567 — 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

DRIVING IN A SMALL TOWN, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THIS. I AM A MEDICAL COURIER AND WE HAVE 4, MAYBE 5, GRAND CARAVANS OPERATING OUT OF OUR FACILITY. TWO HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE HEADS REPLACED, BOTH WITH THE PENTASTAR V-6. I HAVE THIS ENGINE IN MINE AS WELL . I WAS TOLD BY THE DRIVERS OF THOSE TO WATCH FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON, AND LAST NIGHT IT DID. SO NOW, IT SEEMS I MAY BE NUMBER THREE. I WOULD CONSIDER MY DRIVING HABITS IN THE DODGE "EASY", PROBABLY 90% OF THE TIME I AM DRIVING RURAL TWO LANE HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATE. THE WORKDAY IS ABOUT 380 MILES DRIVEN. I DRIVE VERY LITTLE STOP AND GO. I CAN GET 90K MILES OUT OF ORIGINAL BRAKES AND TIRES. I DO USE A VARIETY OF BRANDS OF GAS, BUT I WOULD CONSIDER THEM ALL "BRAND NAME". WE SERVICE OUR VEHICLES AT PROPER INTERVALS, ALL CARAVANS ARE ORDERED TO THE SAME SPEC, BUT THIS CAN DIFFER SLIGHTLY WITH MODEL YEAR. WHILE SEARCHING THE NET, I'VE READ WHERE CHRYSLER IS QUIETLY REPLACING HEADS WITH PROBLEMS. ONE OF MY FELLOW COURIERS RECENTLY HAD THE HEAD WORK DONE AT 80K+ ON HIS DODGE. YOU CAN SEE I AM NOW AT A SIMILAR MILEAGE. OUR FLEET MAN TOLD ME THERE WAS NO INVOICE AND THE ENGINE WAS FIXED FOR FREE AT A CHRYSLER DEALER. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN- A CYLINDER HEAD SHOULD NOT NEED REPLACEMENT AT 80K+ ON A PROPERLY MAINTAINED VEHICLE. I AM SUBMITTING THIS BECAUSE CHRYSLER IS STATING THIS IS SOME SORT OF RARE (LESS THAN 1%) OCCURRENCE DUE TO AN ODD COMBINATION OF FACTORS, INCLUDING BAD FUEL. I BEG TO DIFFER AS WE HAVE HAD 2 PENTASTAR CARAVANS FIXED AT WORK, AND IT'S LIKELY MINE WILL BE NUMBER 3. THIS IS QUITE REMARKABLE, AND CAN'T BE DISCOUNTED AS SOME SORT OF FLUKE. IT'S NOT COINCIDENCE, IN MY VIEW. IT'S A FLAWED HEAD DESIGN, OR POOR MANUFACTURING. THERE SHOULD BE CORRECTION BEYOND THE FACTORY WARRANTY. *TR