NHTSA Complaint #11697921 — 2013 DODGE DART

This complaint is in regard to the most recent recall on Dodge Darts, the transmission shifter cable detachment. I was in the process of parking my car on an incline. All was normal. I had been out running errands, driving, and shifting for a few hours. The gear shift felt disconnected from anything; there was no effort required to move it back and forth in the shift. The car was not recognizing any movement I was making with the gear shift, and would not lock into place for any gear. I had to hold my foot on the brake even while "shifted" into park; otherwise, I would drift backwards into the car behind me, and potentially into a ditch/creek. I had to call for help to stabilize my car, with bricks behind the tires and a 25-pound weight left on the brake so I could exit the vehicle. We had to lift and open the gear shift to the compartment underneath and manually shift the car into park. During this, we unfortunately broke something under the gear shift. This happened on a Sunday evening (July 20), so no repair person was available to help me. Chrysler refused to offer any assistance or information about the last recall of this issue, and advised me to call the dealership that did the repair (they would not tell me which one I went to, just that it was marked complete in 2019). I know I went to a Shorkey location, but not which. I called three Jim Shorkey Dodge locations in Pittsburgh, and they all refused responsibility. I was told to call Chrysler again. I did not, because why would I? A local mechanic was able to acquire the part from Dodge to "fix" the issue. However, he had to override the safety mechanism that causes the car to recognize what gear the car is in before it can turn off. So now I have to drive around, hoping I don't accidentally press the power button and shut off my car on the road. The car was inspected by a representative from Progressive. They determined a mechanical failure and denied my claim for coverage. This is BS.