NHTSA Complaint #10594301 — 2012 DODGE DART

AS WE WERE CROSSING A LARGE BRIDGE IN NEW YORK CITY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN A MINUTE AFTER THE LIGHT CAME ON, THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING, AND THE CAR BEGAN TO RUN VERY ROUGHLY. SMOKE BEGAN TO COME FROM THE VENTS, THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE AND OVERHEAT. AFTER ANOTHER MINUTE, THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND BECAME MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. WE STOPPED AT THE CLOSEST AREA TO PULL OFF. CHRYSLER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE HAD US WAIT FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE NOTIFYING US THAT OUR CAR WAS LOCATED 100FT SHY OF BEING ABLE TO BE TOWED. WE MANAGED TO FUDGE THE CAR ANOTHER 100FT, AND REACHED A SIDE STREET WHERE WE NEEDED TO WAIT ANOTHER TWO HOURS TO BE TOWED. THIS WAS MAY 11TH. THE VERDICT FROM THE LOCAL DEALER IS THAT THE ENTIRE BOTTOM END FELL OFF AFTER JUST OVER ONE YEAR OF TYPICAL USE (LESS THAN 17000 MILES), AND THE ENGINE MUST BE REBUILT (CRANKSHAFT, ENGINE BLOCK, EVERYTHING). WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION, AND ONLY ESTIMATES OF WHEN THE ENGINE WILL BE IN (OVER A MONTH LATER) DETACHMENT OR PARTIAL DETACHMENT OF THESE COMPONENTS IS EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS, PARTICULARLY AT THE SPEED THAT WE WERE MOVING, AND WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE NOT TO BE INJURED, OR BE IN AN ACCIDENT. WE WERE EVEN LUCKY TO GET OFF OF THE BRIDGE. *TR