NHTSA Complaint #10874620 — 2004 CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE

AT 50 MPH ON A MARYLAND STATE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE UNEXPECTEDLY SHUT OFF RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE COASTING TO A STOP IN THE TRAFFIC LANE (THERE WAS NO SHOULDER). FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE, BUT IT WAS DARK AND VEHICLES COMING OVER A SMALL HILL AND SLIGHT CURVE HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID A COLLISION. THE ENGINE WOULD CRANK AND START BRIEFLY AND THEN SPUTTER TO A STOP. OR, IT WOULD JUST CRANK AND NOT FIRE OR NOT CRANK AT ALL. I WAS EVENTUALLY, WITH ASSISTANCE, ABLE TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY INTO A RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY RESIDENCE FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE WOULD LATER START AND RUN NORMALLY FOR A SHORT PERIOD, BUT THEN WAS PLAGUED BY A LARGE LIST OF ISSUES TO INCLUDE: MALFUNCITONING INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED - BRAKE LIGHT, BRAKE WEAR INDICATOR, TRACTION CONTROL, STABILITY CONTROL; P0600 DATA LINK LOSS CODE; VEHICLE NOT SHIFTING OUT OF PARK; SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING, ETC. EVENTUALLY, THE ENGINE WOULD NO LONGER CRANK AT ALL. ALL ISSUES WERE REMEDIED BY REPLACING THE RELAY CONTROL MODULE (RCM) - A PART THAT WAS, AND STILL IS, MANUFACTURED BY STRIBEL. THIS PART HAS KNOW ISSUES RELATED TO POORLY SOLDERED CONNECTIONS THAT CAUSE NO-START CONDITIONS OR CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE OPERATING. THE RCM IS ALSO PLAGUED BY FAILURE OF THE INTERNAL RELAYS (ENGINE CONTROL, FUEL PUMP, TRACTION CONTROL, SECONDARY AIR PUMP) THEMSELVES WHICH MAY BE HASTENED BY OVERHEATING AS A RESULT OF THE POOR SOLDER JOINTS. IF IT HAS NOT ALREADY HAPPENED, SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED WHEN THEIR CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE (OR ANY ONE OF A NUMBER OF MERCEDES BENZ VEHICLES UTILIZING THE SAME STRIBEL RELAY) STALLS DUE TO THIS WIDELY KNOW DEFECT AND IS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE.