NHTSA Complaint #10824698 — 2008 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER

IN DEC. 2013, AT 71K MILES, IN THE CAR USED BY MY COLLEGE-AGE DAUGHTER, WHEN STARTING THE CAR ON A COLD MORNING (20'S) I NOTED ROCK-HARD BRAKE PEDAL AND NO POWER ASSIST WHATSOEVER WHILE BACKING DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY. BY THE STREET, IT HAD A NORMAL PEDAL FEEL AND ASSIST. THIS REPEATEDLY HAPPENED IN COLD-MORNING STARTS. THE DEALER, KLABEN CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE OF KENT, OHIO, WAS HELPFUL AND EVENTUALLY REPLACED THE BRAKE BOOSTER A FEW WEEKS LATER, FOR FREE. A YEAR LATER MY DAUGHTER MENTIONED THE CAR WAS DOING THIS AGAIN (COLD WEATHER HAD RETURNED). I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO KLABEN AND SAID I WAS COMPELLED TO CONTACT NHTSA AS IF I OR MY DAUGHTER HIT A PERSON BECAUSE OF NO BRAKE ASSIST WHATSOEVER, IT WOULD BE TRAGIC. IN MARCH OF 2015, KLABEN AGAIN REPLACED THE BOOSTER AND PCV FILTER, FREE, INFORMING ME THAT THERE WAS OIL IN THE BOOSTER. WHILE THIS SERVICE WAS APPRECIATED, WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS HOME FROM COLLEGE RECENTLY (JAN. 2016), I STARTED HER CAR AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ROCK-HARD WHEN PUSHING IT TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF PARK. IT IMMEDIATELY HAD POWER ASSIST AFTER THAT, BUT THIS TELLS ME THE PROBLEM IS RETURNING. THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL LAST YEAR (AFTER OUR CAR'S LAST BOOSTER REPLACEMENT) ON 2013-14 DODGE DART MODELS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE REPAIR WAS IDENTICAL--REPLACE BOOSTER IF OIL IS FOUND IN THERE. I BELIEVE OTHER CHRYSLER MODELS BESIDES THE DART ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE, AS OUR CAR HAS. THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED AND HOPEFULLY A PERMANENT FIX FOUND. I BELIEVE OUR CAR'S COLD-WEATHER BRAKING WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE AND I DON'T WANT THIS PROBLEM TO REAR ITS UGLY HEAD IN THE NEXT WINTER.