NHTSA Complaint #10621603 — 2012 DODGE CHARGER

WHILE DRIVING MY SEVERAL OF MY DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLICKERED WHILE DRIVING OVER 50 MILES AN HOUR (NOTE: ALTHOUGH I SELECTED 50 MPH, I DROVE AT VARYING SPEEDS DUE TO START/STOP TRAFFIC - THE INITIAL ISSUES HAPPENED AT ABOVE 50 MPH), I STARTED SMELLING BURNING SMELL - LIKELY WIRES AND BECAME CONCERNED, I ALSO HEARD A STRANGE WHIZZING SOUND. I KEPT DRIVING WHEN GRADUALLY MY CAR BEGAN TO LOSE POWER, THE DASHBOARD NOTIFIED ME THAT IT WAS GOING INTO BATTERY SAVING MODE AND THEN LESS THAN A MINUTE OR TWO LATER, MY POWER STEERING WAS GONE INSTANTLY, THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AS I WAS COMING AROUND A TURN, HOPING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSH HOUR. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE HILL AHEAD AND LET GRAVITY PULL ME INTO A SAFER PLACE. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND HAD NO POWER LEFT, NOT EVEN ENOUGH TO TURN ON THE FLASHERS. THE CAR DID NOT RESTART. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SEARS FOR A CHARGING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC AND TURNED OUT THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS DEAD. THE BATTERY WAS ALSO DEAD. I PAID FOR A NEW BATTERY AND CONFIRMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT CHARGING THE NEW DIE-HARD ADVANCED GOLD BATTERY I JUST PURCHASED. I HAD IT TOWED A SECOND TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE DODGE DEALER BECAUSE I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IT, EVEN THOUGH THE DEALER WAS ONLY 16 MINS AWAY THAT SAME DAY. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS DEAD. WE WILL CONFIRM MAIN CAUSE TODAY. THIS CAR IS A 2012 AND I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A CAR THAT NEW EVEN WITH 101,000 (A LARGE % ARE HIGHWAY MILES) COULD HAVE A BAD ALTERNATOR GO THAT SOON. SO FAR, MY BILL WILL BE OVER $1000 JUST TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR IN ADDITION TO THE $233 I HAD TO PAY FOR THE BATTERY AT SEARS. MORE DIAGNOSTICS ARE BEING DONE AT THIS TIME. THEY MENTIONED THAT IT WAS UNRELATED TO ANY PRIOR RECALLS. *TR