NHTSA Complaint #10787064 — 2002 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER

BUYBACK REQUEST: MY 2002 PT CRUISER WAS BOUGHT NEW, WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. IT WAS DISABLED BY FOOTHILL CHRYSLER ' JEEP IN FOOTHILL RANCH CA, WHILE PERFORMING A FACTORY RECALL. IT HAS NOT BEEN USED SINCE THEN, BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE IT. I TOOK IT IN FOR 60K MILE MAINTENANCE ($399). THE MECHANIC DEMANDED THAT I ALLOW THEM TO DO A RECALL FOR THE 'SECONDARY FUEL PUMP SEAL', WHICH THEY DID INCORRECTLY, SO THE RED 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT REFUSED TO SHUT OFF. THE CAR WILL NOT PASS THE CALIFORNIA SMOG REQUIREMENT. CHRYSLER WAS THEN SOLD TO FIAT, AND FOOTHILL RANCH CHRYSLER JEEP THEN WENT OUT OF BUSINESS, BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX IT. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN DISABLED, AND HAS BEEN STORED ON MY DRIVEWAY SINCE 2009, WHERE THE NEIGHBORS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING. THE DEALER HAD INSISTED THAT THEY FIX A RECALL. I DECLINED THREE TIMES, THEN RELUCTANTLY SAID YES. FOUR HOURS LATER HE SAID THEY HAD A PROBLEM, THE RED 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT REFUSED TO GO OFF. I PAID $399, AND SCHEDULED ANOTHER APPOINTMENT. RECALL WORK INVOLVED REPLACING THE GAS CAP AND OTHER PARTS. FOR A THIRD APPOINTMENT, I WAS CHARGED $250. I PAID FOR THE RED LIGHT REPAIR 5 TIMES, FOR A TOTAL OF $800. I DROVE THE CAR WITH THE RED LIGHT ON. SIX MONTHS LATER, I WENT TO THEM FOR THE SMOG CHECK, BUT THE CHRYSLER DEALER WAS GONE, REPLACED BY A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER. I WAS UNABLE TO SMOG MY CAR, OR TO HAVE THE RECALL WORK DONE. CHRYSLER WAS THEN BOUGHT OUT BY FIAT. SERGIO MARCHIONE REPLIED TO TAKE THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT CHRYSLER DEALER, BUT I COULDN'T LEGALLY DRIVE IT. THE CAR IS WORTH $6,000 AND NEEDS $2,000 WORTH OF WORK, TO FIX THEIR FAULTY RECALL WORK. AFTER SPENDING $800 TO REPAIR THEIR FAULTY RECALL WORK, I WILL HAVE A CAR THAT DOESN'T RUN. IT IS THEIR FAULT. I WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE CAR TO THEM, AND EITHER GET A REFUND OF $6,000, OR APPLY IT TO THE COST OF A REPLACEMENT CAR THAT RUNS.