NHTSA Complaint #10748300 — 2008 DODGE CHARGER

ON 7/17/2015 MY CAR DID NOT START WHILE MAKING A STOP ON MY 3 HOUR DRIVE TO MY VACATION IN CARMEL CA. AFTER MANY TRIES, MY CAR STARTED. FROM THERE THE CARE WENT DOWNHILL AND STARTED ONLY RARELY. MY FATHER WHO HAS A MECHANIC BACKGROUND DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS THE WIN IGNITION SWITCH WHICH WAS RECALLED IN SEPTEMBER 2014. OVER THE 4 DAY VACATION I LEFT MY CAR IDLE AND DIDN'T DRIVE IT. ON THE LAST DAY OF THE TRIP I GOT MY CAR TO START. WHEN TURNING THE KEY/FOB NOTHING HAPPENS. NO CRANKING, NO ELECTRICITY, IT IS AS IF I DIDN'T EVEN PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AT ALL. SOMETIMES AFTER A HUNDRED TRIES THE CAR WON'T DO ANYTHING AND THEN SUDDENLY THE CAR WILL TURN ON. I DROVE THE CAR DIRECTLY TO THE REDWOOD CITY CA DODGE DEALERSHIP AUTO REPAIR (#605-529-1927). THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE WIN IGNITION SWITCH AS WELL AND ATTEMPTED TO ORDER THE PART FROM "MOPAR PARTS." MOPAR PARTS STATED THAT THE NEW IGNITION SWITCH, PART NUMBER CBTTP57CAA IS NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL 8/28/2015. IN THE INTERIM, THEY WILL NOT RELEASE THE OLD IGNITION SWITCH AS A TEMPORARY FIX. THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE AS IT RARELY STARTS. IT HAS BEEN SITTING IDLE AT THE DODGE DEALERSHIP. 24 DAYS HAVE PASSED IN WHICH I HAVE NOT HAD A CAR. I HAVE HAD TO GET RIDES TO WORK. I HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR 4 DAYS WHICH WAS A COST TO ME OF $200. THE PART WILL NOT BE ORDERABLE UNTIL 8/28 (RIDICULOUS SINCE THE RECALL WAS 9/2014) WHICH LIKELY MEANS 3 MORE WEEKS OF NO CAR. I HAVE BEEN OFFERED NO RENTAL CAR FREE OF CHARGE IN THE INTERIM. I DO NOT HAVE A BACK UP CAR AND WILL HAVE TO INCUR ADDITIONAL RENTAL CAR EXPENSES. I ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE BEEN PLACED ON HOLD FOR A LONG DURATION. I THINK AT A MINIMUM THE IGNITION SWITCH SHOULD BE RELEASED TO ME AND FIXED FREE OF CHARGE. IF THIS CANNOT BE DONE, I THINK A RENTAL CAR SHOULD BE ISSUED TO ME FOR THE REMAINING DURATION OF THE WAIT PERIOD.