NHTSA Complaint #10701496 — 2005 CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE HOW ANYONE AT NHTSA CAN SIT AND REVIEW ALL THE REPORTS ON A SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT (AND SAFETY HAZARD) ON THESE CARS YET CHRYSLER GET AWAY WITH A PARTIAL RECALL BASED ON WHERE THE CROSSFIRES WERE INITIALLY DELIVERED. BOTTOM LINE: AS OF LATE 2011, CHRYSLER WILL DO THE "RIGHT THING" ONLY IF ONE'S CAR WAS "DELIVERED" IN ONE OF SEVERAL SOUTHERN STATES -- IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO HEAT. CHRYSLER WILL NOT DO THE RIGHT THING IF THE SAME PROBLEM (THE REAR WINDOW FALLS OUT OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP) IF THE CAR WAS DELIVERED SOMEWHERE ELSE -- AS IF THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING IN THOSE STATES IS SOMEHOW NOT A SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. OR AS IF PEOPLE DON'T MOVE TO OTHER STATES DURING THEIR LIVES. I WILL NEVER BUY A CHRYSLER/FIAT PRODUCT AGAIN IN LIGHT OF HOW THE CHRYSLER COMPANY HASN'T STOOD BEHIND ITS PRODUCT AND REPAIRED THIS COMMON DEFECT -- A DEFECT THAT SHOULD NEVER OCCUR IN A MODERN CAR. THIS IS SO FAR FROM THE ATTITUDE OF MOST JAPANESE AND KOREAN CAR MANUFACTURERS THAT THE DIFFERENCE SUGGESTS THAT IT'S FLAT-OUT FOOLISH TO BY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO NHTSA, IT MAKES ONE WONDER WHY THAT AGENCY SITS ON ITS HANDS AND DOES NOTHING TO REQUIRE CHRYSLER TO EXTEND ITS SERVICE BULLETIN TO COVER ALL SUCH VEHICLES, NO MATTER WHERE DELIVERED. RIGHTLY MAKES ONE WONDER WHAT NHTSA DOES THAT'S WORTH WE TAXPAYERS PAYING THEIR SALARIES. *TR