NHTSA Complaint #708184 — 1992 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 1996. IT WAS ONLY A FEW MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THAT I NOTICED VERY HARD UP AND DOWN SHIFTS, A JERKING MOTION WHEN SHIFTING DOWN FROM SECOND GEAR TO FIRST GEAR, AND A RATCHETING SOUND WHEN DOWN SHIFTING FROM SECOND TO FIRST GEAR, WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. IN JUNE 1998, AN AUTHORIZED CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP DEEMED THE SECOND GEAR WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE, SO I HAD THEM REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A REMANUFACTURED CHRYSLER TRANSMISSION. THEY ALSO HAD TO PLACE AN "UPDATED" COMPUTER MODULE SO THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD WORK PROPERLY WITH THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE TOTAL REPLACEMENT COST AMOUNTED TO $1,603.13. THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION ALSO DISPLAYED HARSH SHIFTING. IN OCTOBER 1998, THE TRANSMISSION BECAME STUCK IN SECOND GEAR AND WOULD NOT SHIFT UP OR DOWN, SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. THE TECHNICIAN RESET THE COMPUTER (AT A COST OF $35.00) AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHIFT, BUT STILL DISPLAYED ROUGH UP AND DOWN SHIFTING. THE TRANSMISSION THEN FAILED (9 MONTHS AFTER INSTALLATION) ON MARCH 31, 1999 AND FOR THE SECOND TIME, ANOTHER REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE INSTALLED. I CONTACTED THE DAIMLER/CHRYSLER CORPORATION, AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, BUT I HAD TO PAY ALL LABOR COSTS ($424). IN MAY 1999, THE SECOND REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION BECAME HARD TO PLACE IN GEAR WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE AND PARK TO DRIVE, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS ON LEVEL GROUND WITH NO STRESS ON THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE ALSO CONTINUED TO DISPLAY HARSH UP AND DOWN SHIFTING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT (NO CHARGE). TO THIS DAY, THE TRANSMISSION STILL DISPLAYS ROUGH SHIFTING DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION, THE RATCHETING SOUND IS STILL VERY EVIDENT, AND AT TIMES IT IS HARD TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN GEAR DURING UPSTARTS. IT IS EVIDENT THE REMANUFACTURED CHRYSLER TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE. THANK YOU