NHTSA Complaint #10883180 — 2005 DODGE MAGNUM

I HAVE A 2005 DODGE MAGNUM THAT I TAKE EXTREMELY GOOD CARE OF. MY CAR HAS HAD ALL OF IT'S REGULAR MAINTENANCE. A MONTH AGO I STOPPED AT THE LUBE SHOP TO HAVE THE FLUIDS AND AIR PRESSURE CHECKED ON MY CAR BEFORE I HEADED OUT OF TOWN. THE ONLY FLUID THAT WAS TOPPED OFF WAS MY WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID. WHEN I TRIED TO START MY CAR TO LEAVE, IT WOULD NOT START. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO DODGE. TWO DAYS LATER I WAS INFORMED BY MY SERVICE WRITER THAT I NEEDED A NEW MOTOR. DODGE TOLD ME THAT I DROPPED A #4 VALVE SEAT. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS "REALLY, REALLY, REALLY RARE" AND THAT ONLY ABOUT "1 IN A BILLION" THIS HAPPENS TO. I AM CRUSHED. I WENT HOME AND HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE IN DEPTH. THIS IS NOT RARE LIKE DODGE CLAIMS. I HAVE COME ACROSS 100'S OF OTHER DODGE OWNERS WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WHO ARE NOW LEFT HOLDING THE BAG. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. MOST OF THE VEHICLES THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ARE ALREADY OUT OF WARRANTY. DODGE IS AWARE OF THE FAULTY VALVE SEATS THAT ARE BASICALLY (FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM) GLUED IN. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING THIS IS GOING TO OCCUR. MY CAR NEVER GOT HOT, NEVER SMOKED, NEVER BURNED OIL, NEVER HESITATED, NEVER RAN ROUGH; IT ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN A CAR IS BEING STARTED AND THAT IS WHY IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED, BECAUSE IT IS NOT CONSIDERED A "SAFETY" ISSUE. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE NEW MODELS HAVE THE VALVE SEATS PRESSED AND PINNED IN SO THIS ISSUE DOESN'T CONTINUE TO OCCUR. RECOGNIZING THAT THERE WAS A FLAW IN THE HEMI MOTOR AND RE-ENGINEERING IT TO FIX THE ISSUE IS ADMITTING THERE WAS A DEFECT. DODGE NEEDS TO RECALL THE 2005-2007 HEMI MOTORS AND ADDRESS THE DROPPING VALVE SEATS. THIS IS NOT FAIR AND DODGE KNOWS IT.