NHTSA Complaint #10746785 — 2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

I RECEIVED A LETTER CONCERNING RECALL R03/NHTSA 14V-373 IN JUNE OF 2015. ON FRIDAY, JULY 31, WE FOUND THAT THE VAN WOULD NOT START, BUT WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED A FEW TIMES, IT WOULD. THINKING THAT THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE RELATED IN SOME WAY TO THE RECALL, I CAREFULLY READ THE DOCUMENT THAT STATED THIS COULD CAUSE UNINTENDED ENGINE SHUT OFF AND INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH. THE DOCUMENT SAID NOTHING ABOUT PROBLEMS INITIALLY STARTING THE VAN. ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, AS THE VAN WOULD ONLY INTERMITTENTLY START, I BROUGHT THE VAN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECTIVE STARTER. AFTER THEY INSTALLED THE STARTER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD THEN DONE SOME RESEARCH AND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OUT FOR THIS PROBLEM. THEY STILL CHARGED ME $390.00. I DROPPED OFF THE VAN THIS MORNING WITH THREE CHRYSLER KEY FOBS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS A FREQUENCY OPERATED BUTTON IGNITION KEY OR FOBIK, AND AN ADDITIONAL AFTERMARKET KEY FOB MADE BY ILCO, WHICH PERFORMS THE SAME FUNCTIONS AS THE OEM KEY FOBS DO. THE PEOPLE AT LARCHMONT CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM STATED THAT THIS RECALL ONLY WOULD REPLACE OEM CHRYSLER KEY FOBS. 1)WHY DOES IT TAKE THREE MONTHS TO SET UP A DATE FOR A SAFETY RECALL? 2)WHY DID THE NOTICE NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT IGNITION PROBLEMS BUT ONLY UNINTENDED ENGINE SHUTOFF? THE WAY THIS NOTICE IS WRITTEN, MOST PEOPLE WOULD INFER THAT THE ENGINE WOULD ALREADY BE ON AND ONE WOULD BE DRIVING TO EXPERIENCE THIS DIFFICULTY. 3)WHY, WHEN A LOCAL VAN WAS BROUGHT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, DIDNT THIS DIAGNOSTIC CODE IMMEDIATELY MENTION THE RECALL AND STATE THAT THE RECALL PART IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE $390 STARTER? 4)WHY, IF A PERSON HAS GONE THROUGH THE RIDICULOUS EXPENSE AND BOTHER OF GETTING FOUR KEY FOBS WHICH ALL FUNCTION, AND THAT IT IS CHRYSLERS FAULT ENTIRELY FOR THE PROBLEM, CANT AN ADDITIONAL KEY FOB BE PROVIDED?