NHTSA Complaint #11035268 — 2007 CHRYSLER 300C

OVER 2 YEARS AGO AT 108,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING WE EXPERIENCED A LOUD RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IT EVENTUALLY STOPPED BUT THE CAR KEPT RUNNING ROUGH AND SMOKING. WE OPENED UP THE ENGINE AND A PISTON HAD FAILED AND COLLAPSED IN UPON ITSELF. WE PULLED THE ENGINE AND PERFORMED A COMPLETE ENGINE REBUILD. ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO AT 134,000 MILES WE HAD A SIMILAR OCCURRENCE. WE PULLED THE HEAD AND FOUND THAT CYLINDER TWO HAD DAMAGE ON THE HEAD AND CORRESPONDING LOCATIONS ON THE PISTON. COMPRESSION TEST CONFIRMED LOSS OF COMPRESSION ON CYLINDER 2. I PURCHASED A NEW HEAD AND UPON REASSEMBLY I SHOOK THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND DISCOVERED THERE WERE OBJECTS INSIDE. I WAS ABLE TO GET SOME OF THEM OUT AND THEY APPEAR TO BE PARTS OF THE VALVE SEAT FROM CYLINDER 2. I AM ATTACHING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER HEAD AT CYLINDER NUMBER 2 AND ALSO THE FRAGMENTS THAT I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WHICH APPEAR TO BE PARTS OF THE VALVE SEAT FROM THE EXHAUST VALVE AT CYLINDER NUMBER 2. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR 10 YEARS SINCE WE PURCHASED IT NEW BY MY WIFE AND HAS NEVER BEEN STRESSED RACED OR ABUSED IN ANY WAY. WE LIKE OUR CAR WHICH IS WHY I WENT THROUGH THE TROUBLE OF REBUILDING THE ENGINE 2 YEARS AGO AND HAVE GONE TO THE LENGTHS THAT I HAVE GONE TO THIS TIME. HOWEVER AFTER DISCOVERING THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS ENGINE I DON'T FEEL THAT I CAN TRUST IT ANYMORE. FURTHER I AM GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT OTHER MAKE VEHICLES AS I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN TRUST A CHRYSLER PRODUCT ANYMORE. WE HAVE BEEN LOYAL CHRYSLER CONSUMERS FOR QUITE SOME TIME AS WELL AS WAS MY FATHER BEFORE ME. I'M HOPING THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO FOR US TO RIGHT THIS SITUATION.