NHTSA Complaint #10749078 — 2012 CHRYSLER 200

WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR BEGAN TO RAPIDLY LOSE FUNCTIONALITY WHILE WARNING LIGHTS WERE APPEARING ON THE DASHBOARD UNTIL IT ABRUPTLY SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. THE TIME FROM NO WARNING LIGHTS TO COMPLETE LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY WAS APPROXIMATELY 10-15 SECONDS. THE SHUT DOWN INCLUDED AN ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING CAPABILITIES WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY STREET AT NIGHT. I WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING AND STOP THE VEHICLE WHILE AVOIDING A CRASH, BUT JUST BARELY. THANKFULLY, I BROKE DOWN NEXT TO TWO POLICE OFFICERS WHO HELPED PUSH MY VEHICLE ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THESE OFFICERS MAY BE ABLE TO ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT NO NOISES OR ABNORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE WAS APPARENT BEFORE THE ABRUPT SHUT-OFF WHILE DRIVING. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE VEHICLE INVOLVED NO CLICKING OR THE ENGINE ATTEMPTING TO TURN OVER. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED, BUT THE PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS IS ONE OF A FAULTY ALTERNATOR. I WILL ATTEMPT TO RETAIN THE FAULTY ALTERNATOR FROM THE REPAIR CENTER. I HAD ONLY STARTED THE CAR 2-3 MINUTES BEFORE THE INCIDENT AND THERE WERE NO APPARENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES (ENGINE STRUGGLING TO START, LIGHTS DIMMING, ETC.) WHILE STARTING THE CAR OR DURING OPERATION.