NHTSA Complaint #10513471 — 2006 DODGE CHARGER

WAS COMING DOWN A HILL WHEN MY ENGINE DIED AND THE DASHBOARD CHIME STARTED RINGING, PLUS THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON. WAS VERY LUCKY BEING ABLE TO WRESTLE THE CAR, STILL GOING DOWNHILL WITH NO POWER DRIVING OR POWER BRAKE ASSIST, INTO A 7-11 JUST BEFORE A MAJOR INTERSECTION (FOUR LANES ONE WAY, SIX LANES CROSSWISE). CALLED A TOW TRUCK. HAD BEEN SITTING THERE FOR A HALF HOUR AND ON A LARK WE TRIED TO START IT UP AGAIN--AND IT DID START (IMMEDIATELY AFTER INCIDENT, I COULD NOT START). BUT I WAS UNSURE OF RELIABILITY SO HAD IT TOWED TO SHOP, WHICH COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. DROVE IT AWAY THE NEXT DAY AND DID RESEARCH, AND FOUND MULTIPLE REPORTS IN AN ENTHUSIAST FORUM (CHARGERFORUMS.COM) SAYING THIS ISSUE AFFECTED THEM AFTER THE GAS TANK WAS FILLED. BELIEF IS FLAW IN VALVE LEADING TO EVAP SYSTEM--NO ONE WITH NEW CHARGERS SEEMS TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM, PERHAPS RESIDE BUILDUP OVER TIME (ONE FORUM MEMBER, AFTER REPLACING TANK, CUT SECTION AWAY WITH VALVE AND REPORTED ACCUMULATED RESIDE ON VALVE). ONLY KNOWN SOLUTION SAID TO BE REPLACEMENT OF GAS TANK (BECAUSE VALVE IS BURIED IN TANK) OR NOT FILLING UP ALL THE WAY. SINCE THEN, I HAVE ONLY FILLED GAS TANK TO 3/4 MARK MOST OF THE TIME. THAT ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM EXCEPT FOR TWO MORE INCIDENTS WHEN I WAS CARELESS AND LET IT FILL CLOSE TO TOTALLY FULL. *EVERYONE* WHO GETS NEW GAS TANK REPORTS THIS PROBLEM AS SOLVED. MILEAGE ABOVE IS APPROXIMATE. *TR