NHTSA Complaint #11258180 — 2018 CHRYSLER 300

THE CHRYSLER OPERATORS MANUAL/CHRYSLER.COM EXPLICITLY STATES THAT "THE BLIND SPOT MONITORING (BSM) ZONE STARTS AT THE OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR AND EXTENDS APPROXIMATELY 20 FT (6 M) TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE." NONE OF CHRYSLER'S MANUFACTURED VEHICLES MEETS THIS SAFETY SPECIFICATION. INSTEAD, THE BSM DETECTS A VEHICLE APPROACHING FROM EITHER SIDE LANE ONLY WHEN THE VEHICLE APPROACHES THE BSM VEHICLE AFTER IT HAS REACHED THE BSM EQUIPPED VEHICLE'S REAR BUMPER, OR JUST 6 TO 7 FEET BEHIND THE REAR VIEW SIDE MIRRORS, INSTEAD OF THE PUBLISHED 20 FEET. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW ENOUGH TIME FOR THE DRIVER OF THE BSM EQUIPPED VEHICLE TO CHANGE LANES SAFELY. CHRYSLER IS ERRONEOUSLY STATING/PUBLISHING SPECIFICATIONS TO THE PURCHASERS OF THEIR SAFETYTEC PRODUCTS THAT CANNOT AND ARE NOT MET BY THE CURRENT MONITORING SENSORS. THE BSM SYSTEM IS PART OF CHRYSLER'S SAFETYTEC PLUS GROUP PACKAGE THAT HAS A MSRP VALUE OF $2995. I HAVE DRIVEN OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE CHRYSLER BSM PACKAGE AND NONE OF THE DRIVEN VEHICLES MEET CHRYSLER'S DESCRIPTION/ SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE BSM TO ALERT THE DRIVER OF AN ONCOMING PASSING VEHICLE. THE BSM SYSTEM DOES ALERT THROUGH TRIANGLE LIGHTS ON THE SIDE REAR VIEW MIRRORS AND AUDIBLY ALERTS THE DRIVER, BUT NOT UNTIL THE ONCOMING VEHICLE IS NEXT TO THE CAR EQUIPPED WITH THE BSM SAFETY. THE BSM ALERT COMES ON TOO LATE TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. THE BSM SYSTEM DOES NOT PERFORM AS DESCRIBED BY CHRYSLER PUBLICATION AND DEALER DESCRIPTION TO NEW CAR PURCHASERS. IN ADDITION, I DROVE JEEPS AND OTHER 300 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH BSM AND EACH OF THESE VEHICLES HAD THE SAME SAFETY CONCERNS. I MET WITH THE SUPERVISOR OF SERVICES AT MY CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND WE WENT FOR A TEST DRIVE. HE STATED THAT THE BSM IS MONITORING AND WORKING AS DESIGNED, BUT NOT AS EXPLICITLY SPECIFIED CHRYSLER IN CHRYSLER PUBLICATIONS AND OWNER AND OPERATING MANUALS.