NHTSA Complaint #10946717 — 2011 DODGE CHARGER

3 SEPARATE VEHICLE SHUTDOWNS WHILE ACCELERATING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE AND TO OVERRIDE CRUISE CONTROL. ESC AND ABS LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH "ACC/FCW UNAVAILABLE VEHICLE SYSTEM ERROR" IN THE EVIC AT 30MPH. SECONDS LATER ALL WARNING LIGHTS SHUT OFF, THE TURNED BACK ON A FEW SECONDS LATER AND REPEATED CONSTANTLY. POWER STEERING WAS 100% LOST WHILE TURNING, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO GO INTO A DITCH. AT ABOUT 25MPH, AGAIN AT 35MPH, AND AGAIN AT 40MPH, MY CAR HAD BRIEFLY APPLIED THE EBRAKE BY ITSELF, EVEN THOUGH THE EBRAKE WAS FULLY DISENGAGED, AND A CLICKING SOUND COULD BE HEARD COMING FROM THE SHIFTER. THE SPEEDOMETER DROPS TO ZERO, THEN WARNING LIGHTS TURN OFF AGAIN AND SPEEDOMETER GOES BACK TO NORMAL FUNCTION. BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY STIFF, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STOP. WHEN I CAME TO A FULL STOP AT AN INTERSECTION, THE EBRAKE PREVENTED ME FROM ACCELERATING, THEN I WAS ABLE TO ACCELERATE AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS AND THEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THEN THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER THE INTERSECTION, THE BRAKE LIGHT REMAINED ON, SPEEDOMETER STAYED AT 0, AIRBAG LIGHT STAYED ON. DINGING CONSTANTLY, AS CARS NORMALLY DO WHEN YOU FIRST START THEM ( ABOUT 1 DING A SECOND). RADIO AND MOST INTERIOR LIGHTING SHUT OFF, HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF, THEN CAME BACK ON AND STARTED FLICKERING, ACCOMPANIED BY A "BATTERY SAVER MODE" MESSAGE ON THE EVIC. WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTED MOVING, BUT VERY SLOWLY. ENGINE SOUNDED WINDY, LIKE A SIREN FROM A FIRE TRUCK AND ENGINE WAS NOTICEABLY LESS POWERFUL. BURNING SMELL FROM ENGINE. ONCE STOPPED, CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, AND ALMOST NO POWER TO ANY AREA OF THE CAR. REPLACED BATTERY, WHICH FIXED NOTHING. WINDOW WAS STUCK DOWN, SO WE PULLED THE BATTERY AND PUT IT ON A CHARGER TO SEE IF IT WAS CHARGED, AND PUT IT BACK IN THE CAR. THE BATTERY WAS CONNECTED ABOUT 45 SECONDS, WITH THE ENGINE OFF BUT THE CAR IN ACC MODE, AND ALTERNATOR STARTED SMOKING. 20 CEL CODES. *TR