2004 Chrysler Crossfire

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE GOING 55 TO 60 MPH IT STARTED VIBRATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOUR TIMES WITHIN A SIX WEEK PERIOD. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE THE FIRST TIME AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME IT WAS TAKEN BACK A SECOND TIME HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THE DEALERSHIP BALANCED THE WHEELS AND STATED THE VIBRATION SHOULD GO AWAY. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM; THE VEHICLE STILL VIBRATED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. IT WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ONCE AGAIN, BUT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. AFTER DRIVING A WEEK OR SO THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK THIS TIME ALL FOUR TIRES WERE REPLACED. THIS STILL HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP STATES THERE IS NOTHING MECHANICALLY WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN ALERTED.

I GET MY X-FIRE MAINTAINED AT MAPLEWOOD DODGE -CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER IN MAPLEWOOD NJ. I FIRST TOOK IN FOR NEW BRAKES IN NOV. 2005 AND ALSO ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE REAR RIGHT WHEEL BECAUSE IT WAS MAKING A METAL RATTLE NOISE WHEN I GO OVER BUMPS. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD TO ORDER A RIGHT FRONT STRUT. THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THAT THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT STRUT AND RELEASED IT TO ME. JAN 3, 2006, I RETURNED TO THE SERVICE CENTER WITH THE SAME NOISE PROBLEM. THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR 7 DAYS. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD TO ORDER A REAR STRUT FOR MY CAR. I ASKED WHY DID THEY REPLACE THE FRONT STRUT. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT REPLACE IT, THEY JUST ORDERED IT. (FIRST LIE) THREE 3 DAYS IN ON JAN 6, 2006 I ASKED ABOUT MY CAR AND SERVICE REP CHUCK SAID "WHAT'S UP BRO. I ASKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF MY VEHICLE. HE SAID "IF IT WAS READY I'D CALLED YOU". YES I'M A BLACK MAN, BUT I AM NOT HIS BRO. I AM A CUSTOMER. I MADE A COMPLAINT TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AL. NOTHING WAS DONE. I CAME BACK ON TUE. JAN. 10, 2005. WHILE WAITING TO TALK TO AL THE MANAGER, HE WAS TALKING TO THE MECHANIC WHO ASSIGNED TO WORK ON MY CAR AND CHUCK. UNKNOWING OF MY PRESENCE, AL SAY TO THEM THAT HE NEEDED THEM TO LOOK INTO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE WHITE CROSSFIRE, THE CUSTOMER HAS BEEN IN A RENTAL FOR CLOSE TOO 5 DAYS. THE MECHANIC SAY "SO, THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM". THAT IS A PROBLEM! I ASK CHUCK, EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CAR. HE LOOK AT ME AND SAID "I DON'T KNOW" I ASK, DID ANY ONE LOOK AT MY CAR, BECAUSE EVERYTIME I CALL HERE YOU TELL ME THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON IT. HE THEN CALLED THE MECHANIC AND I ASK HIM WHAT PART IS BEING ORDERED FOR MY CAR IF ANY. I LOOKED AT CHUCK THEN ME AND SAID "I DON'T KNOW". NO ONE THERE COULD TELL ME WHY THEY HAD MY CAR FOR 5 DAYS OR WHAT PART IS BEING ORDERED OR IF ANY NEEDED TO BE ORDERED. THEN THE PERSON ASSIGNED TO WORK ON MY CAR SAID "I'M NOT EVEN QUALIFIED TO WORK ON THAT CAR. NOW IT IS WED. JAN. 11, 2006 AND I STILL DON'T HAVE MY CAR. *JB

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT ON JULY 24, 2005 WHERE I REAR-ENDED A BUICK RENDEZVOUS IN MY CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE. I DID EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END OF MY CROSSFIRE AND THERE WAS NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ON THE CROSSFIRE. I SUSTAINED MINOR SEAT BELT INJURIES ON MY SHOULDER AND ACROSS MY STOMACH. I DID CALL CHRYSLER TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON THE CAR AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD HAVE THE CAR AND ACCIDENT INVESTIGATED. I LEARNED LATER THAT THE REASON THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ON THE CROSSFIRE WAS THAT THE RELEASE FOR THE FRONT AIRBAGS IS IN THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE AND THE ONLY WAY TO DEPLOY THEM IS TO BEND THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A MAJOR FAILURE IN THAT THE CROSSFIRE HAS SUCH A LOW PROFILE THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW CARS THAT YOU COULD BE IN AN ACCIDENT WITH AND THEN HAVE THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY. *JB

AUTO/TRANSMISSION/ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. I'M JUST SO GLAD THAT THIS IS A DRIVE BY WIRE CAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CARS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CAN'T REGULATE ITS VOLTAGE PROPERLY. YOU WOULD THINK THAT DAIMLER WOULD HAVE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BUILT AS TOUGH AS NAILS. SEEING THAT THE CARS LIFE SUPPORT IS ALL DEPENDENT UPON PULSE POWER. SO MY COMPLAINT IS DO TO THE CARS FAILURE TO REGULATE ITS POWER, IT COOKED MY TRANSMISSIONS DRIVE PLATE LOCATED INTERNALLY ON TOP OF THE VALVE BODY. THEN SURGED BACK TO THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE & FRIED THAT. AND SOME HOW, AND I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THIS OCCURRED BUT, THE INTERNAL GEARS INSIDE MY THROTTLE BODY GOT FUSED TOGETHER. THIS IS STRANGE TO ME SEEING THAT THE GEARS ARE MADE OUT OF A COMPOSITE. SO WITH ALL THAT HAS OCCURRED IT HAS LEFT THE CAR LIFELESS FOR OVER 90 DAYS NOW. I HAVE CONTACTED CHRYSLER CORP. OFFICES THROUGH THERE WEBSITE, PLEADING WITH THEM TO EXCHANGE THE BROKEN PIECES. THEY ONLY RESPONDED WITH "CONTACT YOU DEALER" SO I HAVE SENT MULTIPLE "PARTS AND SERVICE REQUESTS" TO THE TWO DEALERSHIPS THAT I CAN GO TO. ONE IS A " " FIVE STAR DEALERSHIP, AND THE OTHER IS NOT. I NEVER ONCE GOT A RESPONSE FROM EITHER ONE. DAIMLER SAID TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, SO I REPLIED "THE CAR DOES NOT DRIVE", SO AGAIN I REQUESTED A PARTS EXCHANGE, AND AGAIN THE SAME STOCK RESPONSE "CONTACT YOUR DEALER"...BLA BLA. I AM MORE THAN QUALIFIED TO INSTALL ALL PARTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I GUESS THE RUMORS ARE ALL TRY, ABOUT CHRYSLER TURNING THEIR BACKS ON CUSTOMERS ONCE THE CAR HAS BEEN SOLD. ALL I KNOW IS I AM NOT PAYING FOR THIS, OR HEADS WILL ROLL. *JB

THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON THE INTERSTATE WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET. UPON APPROACHING AN EXIT, THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AGAIN AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. AFTER SEVERAL SUCCESSIVE ATTEMPTS TO BRAKE THE VEHICLE, THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS FINALLY OVERRIDDEN. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS OBTAINED REPLACED THE SWITCH THAT GOVERNS THE CRUISE CONTROL AND BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS SWITCH FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IDENTIFIED THE BRAKING AS CLIMBING A GRADE AND IT WAS ACCELERATING IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE SPEED AT WHICH THE CRUISE WAS SET.

ITS TWO THINGS. I THINK BECAUSE OF ONE FAILURE, IT HAS CAUSED ANOTHER. THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AND OVER VOLTAGE, THE FAILURE OF THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR IN THE ALTERNATOR, I BELIEVE HAS CAUSED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVETRAIN (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AND THE HYDROLIC BRAKING SYSTEM) I HAVE NOTICED SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE LOSS WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WHEN COMING TO A STOP THE CAR JERKS BACK AND FORTH IN WHILE IN 1ST OR 2ND GEAR , AS IF THE CLUTCH WASN'T ENGAGING. HOWEVER I COULD GET THAT TO JERKING TO STOP IF I APPLIED THE BRAKES REALLY HARD. 3-D WOULDN'T JERK, HOWEVER IT WOULD SLAM DOWN INTO THE LOWER GEARS WHEN COMING TO THE STOP. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM STARTED HAPPENING BACK IN OCTOBER. THE TRANS, AND HYDROLIC ISSUES JUST STARTED HAPPENING MAY 23, 2005.

DAIMLER CHRYSLER HAVE ISSUED A RECALL TO ALL MERC BRAND CARS FOR A VOLTAGE REGULATOR CHECK AND REPLACMENT. THE CROSSFIRE HAS THE EXACT SAME SYSTEM AS THE SLK BUT HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, THERE ARE DOZENS OF CASES WHERE THE LIGHTS DIM AT STOP LIGHTS AND AT IDLE WHERE IT IS CLEARLY DOWN TO THE VOLTAGE NOT BEING REGUALTED. DC HAVE BRUSHED ASIDE MY COMPLAINTS.