Whenever Brian drives his Dodge Charger in the rain, all of the dash lights flash and has trouble restarting his car. He’s taken the car to the dealership multiple times, but they say they’re never able to recreate the problem. Above are two screencaps of the video he took last time this occurred. He’s now taken to writing a letter to Chrysler CEO Big Bob Nardelli, which is most likely a futile effort. You might instead email Cerberus, the company that now owns Chrysler’s ass. Maybe the dealership will find it’s able to recreate the flashing signals if Brian rides along the next time they test the car. Maybe call the Car Talk radio show. Inside, a video of this bizzare phenom in action, and his letter to the CEO.
March 13, 2008
Robert Nardelli
Chrysler LLC
1000 Chrysler Drive
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2766
Dear Mr. Nardelli:Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I am writing about a serious and very dangerous condition that exists with my 2006 Dodge Charger. My name is Brian. I own a 2006 Dodge Charger that I purchased new at Danbury Dodge in Danbury CT on February 18, 2006. The current mileage of the car is 37200 miles. I am writing to bring a serious trouble with my Charger to your attention. While driving the Charger, usually during a rain or inclement weather, a tone will sound and the brake assist and stability control lights on the dash cluster will come on.
Soon after, all of the lights on the dash cluster will begin to flash randomly. This includes the oil light, the check engine light, and even the speedometer and rpm meter. The engine and transmission will experience trouble shifting gears or accelerating or climbing hills. Sometimes the car will engine will shutter and not move. Once the vehicle is stopped and the engine shut off, the engine will not turn over for 5 to 10 minutes. Eventually the engine will turn over and the car will continue as normal or under partial power. This trouble has occurred four times.
I have taken the Charger to Danbury Dodge for repair three times and Meadowlands Dodge in Carmel, NY once. Neither dealership has replicated or repaired the trouble. The dealers will not do any further work on my vehicle until they replicate the problem. Unfortunately the trouble happens intermittently and without warning. So now I am left with little option but to contact Chrysler to resolve this problem. The first serious trouble occurred at approximately 7PM on or around August 18, 2007. The Charger was parked outside in the rain all day at my place of employment. The rain stopped shortly before 7PM that evening when I started the car. When I started the car the BAS and ESP lights came on instantly. The engine was making pinging noises and not driving under full power. I took the car to Danbury Dodge for repair. I dealt with Derek Thomas, the service advisor at Danbury Dodge. The technicians repaired the rocker arms. Derek mentioned codes for loss of communication and claimed the trouble was fixed.
The same trouble occurred a second time at approximately 6:30AM on September 9, 2007. I was driving on the highway in a light rain. The ESP and BAS lights came on followed by the other lights on the dash. I stopped the car, turned off the engine and had trouble starting the car. My mother was in the Charger at the time and witnessed the trouble. I took the car to Danbury Dodge, and they repaired a tube gasket and were unable to replicate the trouble.
The third instance occurred on October 10, 2007 at 7:21AM. The dash lights came on, reacted randomly, and the car was not able to climb any hills without stopping. I stopped the car, turned off the engine, and experienced trouble turning the engine on again. After about 10 minutes I was able to start the car and drive to work. I took the car to Danbury Dodge and they were unable to replicate the problem and did no repairs. I then took the Charger to Meadowlands Dodge in Carmel, NY. I dealt with Billy O’Brien. They were also unable to replicate the trouble despite driving the Charger down an interstate highway in the rain.
The most recent instance occurred on March 7, 2008 at 7:30PM. I was driving the car in heavy rain and, like clockwork, I heard the tell tale tone and all of the dash lights began to flash. I stopped the car, turned the key and was unable to start the car for 5 minutes. I was able to start the car and make it home. I took pictures of the dash lights using my cell phone. The problem occurred during the evening so I was unable to take my car to a dealer right then and there. I could not leave the car running until the dealership opened at 8AM on Saturday. I have not had the opportunity to take my vehicle to the dealer since. I know what to expect at this point.
I also took a video of the third instance, and it on youtube.com for the world to see. I believe that by showing as many people as possible proof that the problem with my Charger exists, maybe that will motivate your company to do something about it. The url is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDjwvHVMD6s. Please be sure to read the comments left by other visitors as well. I am also sending a copy of this letter to the consumer website The Consumerist at http://www.consumerist.com. The website is very insightful and I look forward to sharing my story with people across the world.
My Charger has undergone 4 repair attempts with no resolution. The dealers are unable to replicate the trouble and are therefore unwilling to do any necessary repairs. My vehicle has been out of service for around 15 days thanks to Danbury and Meadowlands Dodge. I am constantly afraid that my car will malfunction during a rainstorm, or at any time, and put my life and the life of my passengers in danger. In my experience Dodge and Chrysler dealers are not obligated to honor the warranty or fix obvious troubles. You and your fellow corporate leaders at Chrysler have the power to produce and maintain safe and reliable vehicles. That is the way to solid profits and loyal customers.
Sincerely,
Brian
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@coaster.n3rd: Instead of posting ridiculous and off-topic conspiracy theories in the comments, why don’t you try emailing me if there’s something you really think I should take a look at? ben@consumerist.com. Sometimes stories get lost in the pile.
El Bunnie writes:
“You may want to let this guy know that calling the Chrysler customer service number actually does some good! I didn’t know these people existed, and was about to pull off emailing the corporate folks. I got some very nice individuals based out of Tennessee who were sympathetic to my cause, and managed to cover $1800 of work out of warranty. My PT Cruiser died in a big rainstorm 2 weeks after I got it (wiring had to be replaced), key thingie wouldnt let my key turn (had to be replaced), got sold the car with bad breaks, AND a bad battery. I just told them how badly the company’s dealers had been treating me and the myriad of issues i’ve had and they helped me out a ton!”
Come on people. No car company has ever built a perfect car…yet. It does not appear that the factory has even been given a chance to see this vehicle. I had a 2006 Charger with a 3.5 liter engine. It was the best car I have ever owned/leased. NO issues what so ever. I currently have a 2007 Dodge Caravan with 30,000 miles. No issues other than some bad speakers from a Japanese manufacturer that Toyota has a large holding in.
Also Toyota had a huge recall on ball joints last year, suffered through oil sludge issues a few years back and has a tailgate on the made in Texas pickup truck that crumples up if a 200 lb person stands on it. You can jump up and down on any American pickup tailgate and nothing will happen. There are also reports of suspect torque converters on these Toyota pickups.
Also, whoever thinks Jeeps are an electronic test bed has another thing coming
@Ben Popken:
Because Ben, even comsumerist readers have a right to know. Doesn’t it go against what you preach here to A.) censor a user because he states your blog is biased B.) ask that this be handled in private C.) tell a fellow consumer and reader that his statement is a “ridiculous and off-topic conspiracy theory”?
I’ll leave this here. Sometime ago several readers wrote in to explain they were having major issues with their Honda Civic. This was the same week that Consumerist posted an article regarding GM and their $39 billion loss (which was really a write off) that had no affect on any consumer anywhere. The honda issue which has since been picked up by several local news organizations was ignored by consumerist.
Conspiracy? Well, consumerist can spin it any way they want.
@coaster.n3rd: You may be interested in this recent post, Honda Ignores Civic SI Owners’ Complaints About Faulty Transmissions
Today Paul from Danbury Dodge called me and arranged for a Chrysler rep to inspect my car. Apparently Chrysler called the dealership, and I haven’t even sent the letter yet. The wonders of the internet.
I think he unknowingly got the Christmas light option.
Car Talk. The EECB of public radio. I say go for it.
Its probably a simple fix of electrical tape and checking the relay and/or fuse box for any open holes or gaps.
Rather absurd to throw out emails to executives on an issue that can affect any type of vehicle.
@cookan4:
If the problem is so insignificant and absurd, why didn’t the dealers fix it before I sent a letter to the CEO?
Could we get an update on Wednesday’s inspection, please. Thanks
I’ll give you an update after I pick up my car from the dealer on Friday.
Updates?
No update? The vehicle must be fixed!! Yes?
I have to test drive the vehicle in the rain before I can say it is fixed. Sorry Chrysler internets reading guy.
The hardest problem to diagnose in a vehicle today is an electrical problem. More so when the problem is intermittent and only happens under certain conditions. All manufacturers whether domestic or import, automotive or non-automotive consider an electrical problem to be the most difficult to diagnose. Blaming a manufacturer or a dealership for not finding a needle in the haystack that is not present most of the time is a little unreasonable. They both have the best of intentions to repair the vehicle as quickly as possible and inconvenience the customer as little as possible. Sometimes it is not possible to accomplish this easily. Be grateful Chrysler did seek you out and finally correct the problem. It is easy to sit back and be critical of what the dealership or Chrysler should have done. Brian, please update us with the status of the repair. It is easy to be negative when there is a problem but we all like to hear the positive when the vehicle is finally repaired and your driving it everyday.
Like I said previously, I will not write an update until I can test drive my Charger in heavy rains. Maybe the good people at Chrylser can talk to God and give us a rainy Saturday?
Brian, it is now well into the month of May and based on your silence we can all assume your Charger is now operating to your satisfaction. We have had a few heavy rain storms since the repair was completed. It would be nice to hear from you that your vehicle is now fixed. I am sure the good people at Chrysler would also like to know they were successful.
Brian,
How is your car doing?