NHTSA Complaint #10681696 — 2012 DODGE CHALLENGER

ALTERNATOR FAILURE (DOCUMENTED RECALL) CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND LOSE ALL POWER. LUCKY THIS WAS AT LOW SPEED ON A SURFACE STREET VS. HIGHWAY SPEED AND INTERSTATE. WAS ABLE TO COAST VEHICLE TO A SIDE STREET HOWEVER BLOCKING ONE LANE OF TRAVEL. VEHICLE WOULD NOT START NOR SHIFT TO NEUTRAL AND THE HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD NOT FUNCTION IT WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. DEALER INSTALLED A NEW ALTERNATOR SUBJECT TO THE SAME RECALL AND STATED THAT THE PROPER REPLACEMENT IS ON BACK ORDER AS WELL REFUSED TO PAY TOWING (COST INCURRED DUE TO A FAILED COMPONENT UNDER RECALL) STATED THEY WERE DOING US A FAVOR BY NOT HAVING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR AND PROVIDING A RENTAL CAR. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT WILL CAUSE A CRASH AND OR FATALITY IF THIS HAPPENS AT HIGHWAY SPEED OR ON ANY BUSY THOROUGHFARE. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO REPLACE A FAILED PART WITH ANOTHER PART SUBJECT TO THE SAME RECALL. ANOTHER SOLUTION NEEDS TO BE AVAILABLE OTHER THAN SUBJECTING OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES TO CONTINUED SERIOUS SAFETY RISK WHILE AWAITING BACK ORDERED PARTS.THERE ARE ALTERNATE REPLACEMENTS THAT COULD BE OBTAINED BY DODGE VS. HAVING THE OEM OF THE ALTERNATOR COVER THE ENTIRE RECALL COST. THIS IS A DODGE ISSUE TO ITS CONSUMERS HOWEVER DODGE PURSUES RECOUPING ITS COSTS IS ITS OWN ISSUE. THEY ARE BLATANTLY PUTTING COST ABOVE SAFETY AND NOT ACCOMMODATING OWNERS TO DEFER COST. KEEPING A VEHICLE IN OPERATION WITH THIS SERIOUS OF AN ISSUE WILL BE DISASTROUS AT SOME POINT. MANY OWNERS HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO OPERATE THE VEHICLES WITH THE ISSUE GIVEN THEIR FINANCIAL SITUATION. IMPACTED OWNERS SHOULD HAVE COSTS OF MITIGATING THE RISK SUCH AS A LONG TERM RENTAL CAR DEFERRED BY DODGE WHILE AWAITING AN APPROPRIATE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT OF THE RECALLED PART GIVEN THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SAFETY RISKS INVOLVED. *TR UPDATED 3/31/16 *JS