NHTSA Complaint #10783088 — 2012 DODGE CHARGER

WITH OUT ANY WARNING WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON A CITY STREET MY ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DONE VERY RAPIDLY. BEGINNING WITH THE RADIO SHUTTING IT SELF OFF, THE VEHICLE THEN DISPLAYED INDICATOR LIGHTS SAYING THAT MY ABS SYSTEM WAS BAD FOLLOWED BY A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INDICATOR. SHORTLY AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INDICATOR CAME ON A SERVICE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR LIGHT DISPLAYED FOLLOWED BY ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN COMPLETELY. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO PARK. I THEN TRIED SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND OTHER CAR ACCESSORIES BEGAN TO TURN ON AND OFF ON THEIR OWN. AT THAT TIME A STRONG PLASTIC BURNING SMELL BEGAN FOLLOWED BY SMOKE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IN ORDER TO SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE I HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. THE NEXT MORNING I RECONNECTED THE BATTERY TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM HAD FIXED ITSELF. AT THAT POINT THE VEHICLE STARTED, BUT STILL HAD THE SAME ELECTRICAL ISSUES FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THIS TIME THE VEHICLE SHUT ITSELF OFF AND WILL NO LONGER START. UPON HAVING THE VEHICLE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED IT APPEARS THAT THE ALTERNATOR FAILED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING CAUSING A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN OF THE VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THE 2012 DODGE CHARGER VEHICLES CONCERNING FAULTY ALTERNATORS IN VEHICLES THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH 160 AMP ALTERNATORS. MINE HAS A 180 AMP ALTERNATOR, BUT STILL EXPERIENCED A SHORT IN THE ALTERNATOR AS DESCRIBED BY RECALL P60 ISSUED IN 2014. UPON CALLING OUR LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP WE WERE TOLD THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS UNDER RECALL. AFTER TOWING THE VEHICLE TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP WE WERE TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS NOT UNDER THE RECALL LIST AND WE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING THE TOWING FEES A LONG WITH REPAIR FEES FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ALTERNATOR.