NHTSA Complaint #738603 — 1996 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER

CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION AT 54800 MILES IS SHOWS A SERIOUS FLAW IN QUALITY OF THE COMPONENT. FAILURE OCCURRED AT CITY SPEEDS, BUT WIFE HAD JUST PULLED OUT ON TO HEAVLY TRAVELED ROAD(HWY 6) WITH AN APPROPRIATE DISTANCE BETWEEN HER AND AN ONCOMING TRACTER TRAILER. FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION CAUSED THE TRUCK TO CATCH UP TO HER, AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED WHEN SHE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. OUR 2 YEAR OLD AND 3 MONTH OLD CHILDREN WERE IN THE VEHICLE WITH HER. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TRANSMISSION FAILURES ON THIS MODEL AND RELATED CHRYSLER PRODUCTS ON THE INTERNET. THE FAILURE OF THE FRONT DRIVE AXLE OCCURRED ON A CROWDED HIGHWAY. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS STILL FUNCTIONING, THE NOISE REQUIRED FULL ATTENTION FROM ME TO ASSERTAIN THE SITUATION WHILE MANUEVERING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED I NOTED A CONTINUOUS PULLING TO THE LEFT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR VARIOUS REASONS AND ALWAYS HAD THEM LOOK FOR THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM WAS VARIFIED BUT THE CAUSE WAS NEVER DETERMINED. SINCE THE NEW AXLE WAS PUT IN THE VEHICLE NO LONGER PULLS. OBVIOUSLY A BAD AXLE WAS THE CAUSE AND IT WAS DOOMED TO FAILURE. INSPECTION OF THE BROKEN PART SHOWED A RUSTY NONUNIFORM BALL AND SOCKET WHILE THE OTHER BALL AND SOCKET IN THE ASSEMBLY WAS STILL METALIC AND SMOOTH. I WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT THE HIGHLY RESPECTED REPAIR SHOP THAT DID THE WORK FOUND THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS INDICATED IN THE MAUAL DID NOT FIT THE VEHICAL, THEY CHECKED TWO DIFFERENT MODEL NUMBERS AND NEITHER FIT. THE THIRD ATTEMPT PURCHASED FROM CHRYSLER DID FIT.*AK