NHTSA Complaint #10733139 — 2003 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER

CAR STOPPED AT RED LIGHT. ENGINE DIED AND SMOKE BEGAN TO RISE FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THEN FLAMES SHOT OUT. DRIVER COULD NOT GET DOOR OPEN AT FIRST THEN AFTER SHORT TIME LOCKS RELEASED AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE. FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED FLAMES AND SAID FIRE APPEARED TO BE STARTED BY FLUID LEAKAGE. THIS MODEL HAD BEEN SUBJECT TO RECALL DUE TO FIRES. CAR HAD RECALL FIX ON 9/23/04. IT NOW APPEARS THE RECALL FIXES WERE NOT PERMANENT AND THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM CAN RECUR. IT IS POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING. ATTEMPTS TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. CHRYSLER STONE WALLED AND FALSELY RIGGED THEIR RESPONSE PROCEDURE SO AS TO AVOID ANY RESPONSIBILITY. CHRYSLER REFUSED TO ALLOW ME TO SPEAK WITH ANY PERSON IN A POSITION OF AUTHORITY. THE CLERKS I SPOKE WITH STATED THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH ME. FINALLY AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE AT CHRYSLER, AND AFTER MORE THAN ONE MONTH FROM ORIGINAL CONTACT, A LETTER DATED MAY 13, 2015 WAS RECEIVED FROM CHRYSLER STATING THEY HAD TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO CONTACT US AND THE CLAIM WOULD BE DROPPED IF WE DID NOT RESPOND IN 10 DAYS. THIS QUITE SIMPLY IS A LIE! NO ATTEMPT WAS EVER MADE TO CONTACT US, EVEN AFTER WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER ON THREE OCCASIONS ASKING TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE. THE LETTER INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT DEKRA AUTOMOTIVE TO ARRANGE AN INSPECTION. WE DID AND GAVE THEM ALL THE INFORMATION ONCE AGAIN. WE OFFERED TO SEND PHOTOS OF THE DAMAGE BUT DEKRA WAS NOT INTERESTED. ON MAY 27 WE RECEIVED A LETTER STATING THEY WERE UNABLE TO INSPECT THE CAR SINCE IT HAD BEEN SOLD (SALVAGED) AND WERE CLOSING THE FILE. THUS, CHRYSLER HAD CREATED CIRCUMSTANCES THROUGH OBFUSCATION AND MANIPULATING THE RESPONSE TIME WHICH THEY FELT RELIEVED THEM OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY, EVEN THE NEED TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE WITH US. THIS FIRE HAZARD STILL EXISTS.