2015 DODGE DART Electrical System Problems

UNEXPECTEDLY LOSS MOTIVE POWER RESULTED IN A CRASH.

SATURDAY JANUARY 9 2016 - HERTZ RENTAL CAR - DAYTIME LIGHT FOGGY CONDITIONS. VEHICLE HAD BEEN RUNNING SINCE 09:35 EDT WITH NO SIMILAR INCIDENT. INCIDENT 1 - DRIVING INTERSTATE 79 NB IN A DESCENDING RIGHT RIGHT TURN WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET TO MAINTAIN SPEED LIMIT. APPLIED BRAKES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CURVE DUE TO SLOWER TRAFFIC. ALL ELECTRICAL INCLUDING ENGINE QUIT OPERATING AT APPROXIMATELY 13:35 EDT. WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OFF ROADWAY WITHOUT TURN SIGNALS (ALSO INOP). A SHORT INVESTIGATION SHOWED THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS IN THE "OFF" POSITION. VEHICLE READILY RESTARTED WITH TRANSMISSION IN "PARK" POSITION (NOT "NEUTRAL"). INCIDENT 2 - AT APPROXIMATELY 17:25 EDT I EXITED INTERSTATE 376 EB ONTO A UPWARDLY INCLINED SURFACE ROAD WAITING AT A STOP SIGN, ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENGINE QUIT OPERATING. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS DISCOVERED TO BE IN THE "OFF" POSITION AGAIN. VEHICLE RESTARTED WITH NO TROUBLE, WITH TRANSMISSION...

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, I NOTICED THE TACH WAS APPROACHING REDLINE AND DISCOVERED THE CAR HAD GONE INTO NEUTRAL BUT SHIFT LEVER WAS IN DRIVE. I PULL ONTO THE SHOULDER AND AFTER STOPPING, PLACED SHIFT LEVER INTO PARK. REVVED THE ENGINE A COUPLE OF TIMES AND TRANSMISSION WENT INTO GEAR WITH NO OTHER PROBLEMS. THIS HAS OCCURRED ONLY ONCE. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS VEHICLE IS BEING RECALLED BY CHRYSLER FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE. I HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY CHRYSLER AS OF YET.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET I HIT A BUMP AND THE CRUISE CONTROL SHUT COMPLETELY OFF WASN'T EVEN TURNED ON ANYMORE

DRIVING AT APPROX. 20 MPH, GETTING READY TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT, BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED, INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT BLACK, TOTAL LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND STEERING. COASTED INTO A PARKING SPACE AND RETURNED TO CAR IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. CAR STARTED AND ACTED NORMAL. NEXT INCIDENT WAS ABOUT 35 MILES LATER DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. SAME SENARIO, BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED BLACK PANEL AND LOSS OF STEERING. TOOK 10 MINUTES FOR CAR TO REGAIN POWER AND START. THIRD EPISODE AT ABOUT 45 MPH, BATTERY LIGHT FLASHED, I SHOVED SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, PANEL REMAINED LIT, BUT NO RPM SO ENGINE HAD QUIT. I PUSHED START BUTTON, ENGINE RESTARTED AND I PUT SHIFT LEVER INTO DRIVE. TOOK TO DEALER BUT NO CODES. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS BUT ISSUE CANNOT BE DUPLICATED AT THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT IS INTERMITTENT. I AM TRYING TO GET CHRYSLER TO...

MY GAS SAYS EMPTY AFTER I FILL IT AND THAN 10 MIN INTO DRIVING ITS FULL MY CONTROLLS GO HAYWIRE I AM GOING 65MPH ALL OF A SUDDEN I AM GOING 5 MPH AND EVERYTHING TURNS OFF ON THE PANEL, MY ENGINE MAKE A LOUD NOISE AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A WHILE. MY BRAKES MAKE A PLONG SOUND EVERYTIME I STEP ON THEM TO PUT IN DRIVE OR REVERSE

WHILE DRIVING IN THE MORNING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SPEED LIMIT OF 30, I DECREASE SPEED TO COME TO A FULL STOP AND SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF ENGINE POWER AND POWER STEERING AT APPROXIMATELY 10MPH. VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO START UNTIL THE 3RD ATTEMPT. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE UNTIL THE VEHICLE STALLED THE 2ND TIME. THEY UPDATED PCM/TCM, BUT STILL HAD STALLING ISSUES. THIS VEHICLE HAD STALLED OVER 5 TIMES AND THE DEALER WERE NOT ABLE TO PIN POINT THE ISSUE. MY VEHICLE IS NOW AT APPROXIMATELY 15,400 MILES. I FEEL LIKE I'M ON THE EDGE AND UNSAFE EVERY TIME I GET BEHIND THE WHEEL. ALSO HAD TROUBLE WITH THE AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS NOT TURNING ON AND AS WELL AS THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOWS NOT CLOSING.

AS I WAS DRIVING, I SLOWED AND BRAKED FOR OTHER VEHICLES AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. AS I STARTED TO RE-ACCELORATE, I REALIZED THE CAR HAD STALLED. WHEN I GOT THE CAR RE-STARTED, IT WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND THE CHECK ENGINE, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHTS WERE ALL LIT AND/OR FLASHING. AFTER I GOT HOME, I DECIDED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THIS TIME, THE CAR DROVE FAIRLY NORMALLY WITH ONLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN ONLY 3600 MILES. (THE FIRST TIME WAS AT APPROX. 280 MILES AND THE SECOND TIME WAS AT ABOUT 500 MILES.) THE DEALER'S SERVICE WRITER IMPLIED SINCE THIS CAR HAS AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL, IT WAS MY DRIVING STYLE AT FAULT. I HAVE DRIVEN SEVERAL OTHER CARS WITH ELECTRONIC THROTTLES FOR SEVERAL YEARS (MY PREVIOUS CAR HAD 120,000 MILES ON IT)...

VEHICLE HAD A DEFECTIVE, BROKEN CLASP SPRING WHICH COULD HAVE ALLOWED THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY AT ANY TIME WHILE DRIVING....CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND ALL OTHERS IN THE PATH OF THE VEHICLE DRIVING CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS DEFECTIVE FROM THE MOMENT IT WAS DRIVEN OFF OF THE CAR LOT. *TR