NHTSA Complaint #10661062 — 2004 CHRYSLER PACIFICA

I RECENTLY TOOK MY 2004 PACIFICA TO MY MECHANIC TO GET AN OIL CHANGE AND HE ADVISED ME THAT MY SUBFRAME WAS RUSTED, ROTTED AND CRACKED WITH HOLES. HE SAID HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN HIS MANY YEARS AS A MECHANIC. HE ALSO TOOK PICTURES OF IT TO SHOW ME. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL CHRYSLER AND THE HEADQUARTERS AND ADVISED THEM OF THE SAME. THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE MY VEHICLE'S AGE WAS OVER 10 YEARS OLD. I EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT THE MECHANIC SAID AND THAT THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE NOT BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF THE CAR BUT BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE PART. THEY DO NOT STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF MY VEHICLE THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HELP ME. HOWEVER, I AM AWARE THAT SOME LOCAL CUSTOMERS IN MY AREA HAD THEIR SUBFRAMES REPLACED BY CHRYSLER "FREE OF CHARGE", BECAUSE THE PARTS EMPLOYEE TOLD ME. HE SAID THAT PICTURES OF THEIR VEHICLES WERE TAKEN WHILE ON THE LIFT AND SUBMITTED TO CHRYSLER AND THEY WERE GIVEN AUTHORIZATION TO REPLACE THE PARTS. HOWEVER, THEY WOULD NOT ACCOMMODATE ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH THEM. CHRYSLER PICKS AND CHOSES THE CUSTOMERS THAT THEY WANT TO HELP. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE IS 10 YEARS OLD AND I DON'T HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH CHRYSLER, I ALWAYS HAVE MAINTAINED THE USE OF MY VEHICLE WITH REGULAR OIL CHANGES, TUNE-UPS, BRAKE REPAIRS, ETC. WITH A PRIVATELY OWNED MECHANIC. THERE IS NO REASON THAT MY VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE A RUSTED, ROTTED PART LIKE THIS ESPECIALLY SINCE I DO NOT LIVE IN A FLOOD ZONE AREA. *TR