NHTSA Complaint #10640454 — 2011 DODGE DURANGO

VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON 9/1/14 AND BEGAN EXHIBITING PROBLEMS IN FIRST FIVE DAYS. 9/3/14, THE CAR DID NOT START ON THE FIRST PUSH OF BUTTON, BUT STARTED ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT. ON 9/5/14, THE CAR WAS RUNNING AND IN PARK, I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR (DRIVE) AND IT BEGAN SHAKING SIDE TO SIDE. THE CAR DID NOT MOVE WHEN I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR. I PUT IT BACK IN PARK AND HIT THE STOP BUTTON AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. IT STARTED ON THE NEXT ATTEMPT. ON 9/20/14, HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM STARTING, BUT THIS TIME IT TOOK MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AND THE ENGINE SPUTTERED A BIT AND EVENTUALLY SHUT OFF. I TRIED IT AGAIN AND IT WORKED. MY DAUGHTER ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR THE SAME DAY AND HAD THE SAME ISSUE. 9/21/14 EXPERIENCE THE SAME ISSUES WITH THE CAR NOT STARTING. ON 9/22/14, I DROVE IT TO WORK AND IT STARTED FINE. UPON LEAVING WORK THE CAR FAILED TO START ON THREE ATTEMPTS, BUT EVENTUALLY STARTED. WHEN I STOPPED 15 MINUTES LATER THE CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN. I PLACED ONE FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND I HIT THE ACCELERATOR AS I STARTED THE CAR AND IT WORKED. I DROVE HOME AND ATTEMPTED TO START IT AGAIN TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT IT WOULD NOT START. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS IT FIRED UP, BUT BEGAN SHAKING REALLY HARD SIDE TO SIDE. I PUT IT IN DRIVE AND THE SHAKING WAS WORSE. I PUT IT BACK IN PARK AND THE CAR BEGAN SPUTTERING AND LURCHED FORWARD AS THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I WAS ABLE TO START IT A FEW MINUTES LATER AND DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP. IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE 9/22/14 AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT. I SPOKE WITH A CHRYSLER REPRESENTATIVE WHO INDICATED THAT A RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP RELAY WOULD GO INTO EFFECT ON 10/24/14. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ASKED ME TO TAKE THE CAR UNTIL THE RECALL IS IN EFFECT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT BOTH THEY AND CHRYSLER ARE ACKNOWLEDGING THE SAFETY DEFECT. I REFUSE TO PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK IN A CLEARLY UNSAFE CAR! *TR