2010 Dodge Avenger

RACK AND PINION I WAS PROGRESSING DOWN HILL. WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP IN FRONT END OF MY VEHICLE. THE POPPING GETS MORE FREQUENT AS ONE DRIVES. SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME. AND I PLACED IN ON DRIVEUP RAMPS AND HAD SOMEONE TWIST THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH WELL WOULDN'T YOU KNOW THE CLOSER I PLACED MY HAND NEXT THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE RACK AND PINION ( CLOSEST TO THE RACK ITSELF ) THE MORE PRONOUNCED WAS THE FEELING POP POP POP. *TR

I JUST BEGAN HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND I AM VERY CONCERNED. THERE IS NOT A RECALL YET, HOWEVER I AM HOPING WITH TAKING THE TIME TO REPORT MY CONCERNS AND PROBLEMS THERE WILL SOON BE A RECALL. AFTER ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO AN HR OF DRIVING MY VEHICLE THERE BECOMES A CLUNKING NOISE ON THE LEFT FRONT END OF MY CAR. YOU CAN FEEL THE NOISE/MALFUNCTION IN THE LEFT LOWER PART OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. STEERING FEELS SHAKY AND UNSTABLE. MY VEHICLE IS MAINTAINED MONTHLY AT THE SAME PLACE EACH MONTH. THE LONGER YOU DRIVE THE LOUDER THE CLUNKING SOUND. AFTER, REALIZING THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT GOING AWAY AND COULD BECOME VERY SERIOUS I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NOT A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT $600.00 D/T ALSO TELLING ME WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER IT. AFTER, EXTENSIVE RESEARCH I HAVE LEARNED THAT CHRYSLER THEMSELVES HAVE PLACED A CONCERN IN REGARDS TO THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER ARE NOT ISSUING A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THIS IS ONLY A PROBLEM WITH VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BEFORE 7/2010 WHICH MINE WAS MANUFACTURED 8/2010 AND I AM HAVING THIS CURRENT PROBLEM. I AM VERY SCARED THAT IF THIS DOES NOT GET RECALLED AND FIXED THERE ARE GOING TO BE BIGGER PROBLEMS THAN JUST COMPLAINTS. I HAVE READ SEVERAL INCIDENT REPORTS PLACED WITH NHTSA WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS. WITH THAT SAID WHY IS THERE NOTHING BEING DONE ABOUT THIS AND WHY SHOULD I PAY $600+ TO GET THIS FIXED WHEN THIS IS CLEARLY A CHRYSLER/DODGE ISSUE AND CONVENIENTLY WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THIS PARTICULAR MALFUNCTION. I HAVE 2 YOUNG CHILDREN AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO US WHILE DRIVING MY CAR AFTER NUMEROUS REPORTS HAVE BEEN PLACED THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS BIGGER THAN A RECALL. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN CHRYSLER/DODGE AND NOT SURE THAT I WOULD BUY ANOTHER DODGE VEHICLE AFTER THIS. *JB

AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR 30-45 A CLUNKING NOISE BEGINS IN THE LEFT FRONT, WHICH GETS LOUDER THE LONGER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN DURING ONE DRIVING PERIOD. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE LONG ENOUGH FOR IT TO COOL DOWN, THE PROBLEMS STARTS AGAIN. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC WHO SAID WAS COMMON PROBLEM BUT NEED TO TAKE TO DEALER FOR CORRECT DIAGNOSIS - AFTER 3 DAYS THE DEALER DETERMINE RACK & PINION NEEDED REPLACED. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW & DRIVE 90-95% OF THE TIME ON THE HIGHWAY. ALSO, WHEN BRAKING THE CAR SHIMMIES AND SHIFTS. THEY STATE THIS IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE WAS A 2008 DODGE WITH 110,000 MILES ON IT AT TRADE-IN, I DROVE MORE IN-TOWN DRIVING WITH IT & IT NEVER NEEDED ANY KIND OF REPAIR. *TR

WHEN RAINING, THE VEHICLE TENDS TO WANT TO "SLIP OUT" OF GEAR. IT COULD BE AT A STOPLIGHT OR EVEN WHILE I AM DRIVING; IT FEELS LIKE WHEN DRIVING A MANUAL CAR AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO STALL IT, THAT IS HOW THE TRANSMISSION/GEARS FEEL. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD GOING APPROX. 30 MPH, IT WAS RAINING; THE RPM'S WILL STAY WHERE THEY ARE AT, BUT THE MPH WILL FLUCTUATE ALMOST AS IF IT IS ABOUT TO STALL. HOWEVER, I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC CAR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL PEOPLE TO TAKE THE CAR IN, AND HAVE CALLED CUTTER DODGE (PEARL CITY, HI) ABOUT MY WARRANTY, BUT THEY DON'T SEEM TO CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT MY CAR. NOT SURE IF OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE, BUT MY CAR IS STILL A "PUPPY", ONLY HAS 35,000!! THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED ANY TIME IT RAINS, NOT JUST ON THE DATE GIVEN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 DODGE AVENGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH A SUDDEN REDUCTION IN ENGINE RPMS. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED INTO A NEARBY PARKING SPACE AND THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVEN AFTER THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED NOR WAS IT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,800.

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL (ETC) WARNING LIGHT COMES ON SPORADICALLY. STILL RUNS OK. THE ETC WARNING LIGHT DID NOT COME ON FOR THE DEALERSHIP (SO THEY CLAIM). I HAD A COOLANT SYSTEM LEAK AND HAD TO REPLACE 2 THERMOSTATS, COOLANT HOUSING AND HAVE THE COOLANT SYSTEM FLUSHED AND FILLED AT DEALERSHIP. NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. NOT CHEAP. PICKING UP THE CAR TOMORROW. *TR