NHTSA Complaint #11282704 — 2013 DODGE DART

I GOT IN MY PARKED CAR, STARTED IT UP AND TRIED TO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE BUT THERE WAS NO TENSION WHEN I LIFTED THE LEVER ON THE SHIFTER. THE LEVER MOVED UP AND DOWN AND I COULD SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR EXCEPT REVERSE. LIFTED SHIFTER BOOT AND FOUND THE REVERSE LOCKOUT CABLE WAS SNAPPED. A MONTH OR SO AFTER, I WAS LEAVING MY HOUSE AND IT WAS SNOWING. THE ROADS WERE SLICK AND AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE STOP SIGN AT THE END OF MY STREET HERE IN TOWN, MY CAR WAS SLIDING. TRIED TO USE MY EMERGENCY BRAKE TO GET SOME TRACTION SO I COULD STOP BUT, JUST LIKE THE REVERSE LOCKOUT CABLE LEVER, AS I LIFTED THE BRAKE THERE WASN'T ANY TENSION AND THE LEVER MOVED UP AND DOWN FREELY. LUCKILY THERE WEREN'T ANY ONCOMING CARS IN THE INTERSECTION AS I SLID THROUGH. IN BOTH CASES THERE WASN'T A REASON FOR THESE PARTS TO SUDDENLY STOP WORKING. NEITHER WERE USED FORCEFULLY, MY CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND I HAVE 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. MY CAR HAD LESS THAN 100K MILES AND NEITHER WERE USED EXCESSIVELY. BASICALLY, THE REASON BOTH OF THE PARTS JUST STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY IS UNKNOWN. I SEARCHED ONLINE FOR A REPLACEMENT REVERSE LOCKOUT CABLE, I FOUND THAT THE WHOLE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED AS THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN THE LENGTH TO CORRECT A DEFECT WITH THE LOCKOUT CABLE (? YET NO RECALL?) NOW I CAN'T EVEN FIND A REPLACEMENT PART. I CONTACTED MOPAR TO ASK IF ANY OTHER DARTS HAD RECALLS RELATED TO MY ISSUES BUT I WAS TOLD MY PARTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TESTED AND CLEARED BY THE NHTSA AND THERE WAS NOTHING MORE TO DO. REGARDLESS, I FEEL REVERSE AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ARE BOTH CRITICAL AND COULD EASILY POSE SUBSTANTIAL RISK IF DEFECTIVE.