1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager

OPENED THE REAR HATCH ON THE VEHICLE, LET GO, AND THE HYDRAULIC STRUT FAILED -- INSTEAD OF OPENING FULLY, THE HATCH SLAMMED SHUT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE RIGHT STRUT ON SHEARED OFF. APPARENTLY, THE OTHER STRUT WAS NO LONGER WORKING, AND THE STRESS OF THE WEIGHT OF THE HATCH ON THE RIGHT STRUT CAUSED THE BOLT TO FAIL. FORTUNATELY. NO ONE WAS UNDER THE HATCH OR WAS INJURED. REPLACED BOTH STRUTS. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE BOLT -- THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THE REAR HATCH WOULD SLAM SHUT, AS IT APPEARED TO OPERATING PERFECTLY UNTIL THE FAILURE. IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS INJURY, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN. *JB

STRUT TOWERS RUSTING OUT. NOTICED THIS CONDITION APPROX. 2 YEARS AGO WHEN VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD. RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, IT SEEMS MANY OTHER PLYMOUTH VOYAGER AND DODGE CARAVAN OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. FOUND TSB#23-044-02 WHICH REFERS TO THIS PROBLEM. SUDDEN FAILURE OF THE STRUT TOWER COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING AND/OR SUDDEN STOPPING FORCE APPLIED ON ONE SIDE OF VEHICLE AS A TIRE IMPACTS A WHEEL WELL.

>> CHRYSLER DID REPAIR THE STRUT AT NO COST AND RENTED US A HANDICAP VAN WHILE OURS WAS BEING FIXED. AT FIRST (6 TIMES) WE WERE TOLD WE WERE OUT OF WARRANTY, END OF STORY. SO OUR HANDICAP VAN WAS WORTHLESS. ONCE I UNCOVERED A BULLETIN ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM CHRYSLER'S TUNE CHANGED. MAKE : PLYMOUTH MODEL : VOYAGER YEAR : 1997 SERVICE BULLETIN NUM : 2304402 DATE OF BULLETIN: OCT 14, 2002 > NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10000317 > COMPONENT: STRUCTURE:BODY THEY HAD ALREADY MADE PARTS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. IT IS RIDICULOUS I HAD TO GO TO THE EXTENT I DID TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. WE WERE TOLD THAT IF THE STRUT GOES ALL STEERING IS LOST. SO THE PUBLIC IS AT RISK BUT THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO CHRYSLER. INSTEAD OF NOTIFYING ALL >> OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM (ABOUT $300 TO FIX) CHRYSLER FEELS PEOPLES LIVES >> ARE NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE. IF THERE ARE ANY ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THIS >> STRUT >> FAILURE , JUST DOCUMENT SOMETHING COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT IT. >> >> PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANY AGENCY THAT MAINTAINS A DATABASE OF >> ACCIDENTS. *JB >>

BRIEF HISTORY, I AM 36 WITH A WIFE AND TWO BOYS WHO ARE 11 AND EIGHT. BOTH MY WIFE AND I GRADUATED FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY WHERE I ALSO GOT MY MBA. I HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). I WENT ON DISABILITY IN 1997. I AM AT ABOUT AN 8.5 TO 9 ON THE DISABILITY SCALE. ZERO BEING NO SYMPTOMS 10 BEING DEAD. I AM IN A WHEELCHAIR. I HAVE A FEEDING TUBE, A SUPRA PUBIC CATHETER. I WILL BE TRYING AN INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.WE ARE ON A FIXED INCOME FROM SOCIAL SECURITY AND A LONG TERM CARE CONTRACT. I REQUIRE NEARLY 24-HOUR CARE SO MY WIFE CANT WORK. OUR ANNUAL INCOME IS ABOUT $34,000.WE BOUGHT A PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER HANDICAP VAN IN 1998 FOR ABOUT $40,000. THIS WEEK WE HAD THE OIL CHANGED. THE MECHANIC SAID ONE OF THE TWO TOWERS THAT HOLD THE ENGINE IN PLACE WAS RUSTED. HE SAID TO HAVE A BODY SHOP LOOK AT IT IMMEDIATELY. THE BODY SHOP SAID THEY WOULDNT TOUCH IT (PRES KOOL). MY WIFE CALLED CHRYSLER AND AN ARROGANT, IMPATIENT CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE NAMED JAY SAID TO TAKE IT TO MAACO (ANOTHER LOCAL BODY SHOP). THEY ALSO TOLD MY WIFE NO WAY WOULD THEY FIX IT. EVERY PLACE MY WIFE TOOK IT SHE WAS TOLD THE VAN HAD WAY MORE RUST ALL OVER THEN A 1998 VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE. ANOTHER MECHANIC SAID NO WAY SHOULD THE TOWER BE RUSTED LIKE IT IS. MY WIFE CALLED CHRYSLER AGAIN AND SPOKE TO ERIKA WHO SAID THERE IS NOTHING CHRYSLER CAN OR WILL DO. OUR WARRANTY IS UP SO WE ARE LEFT WITH OUR ONLY TRANSPORTATION BEING UNSAFE. SHE SAID WE SHOULD TAKE IT TO A CHRYSLER DEALER. WHY WOULD WE TRUST ANYTHING CHRYSLER SAYS WHEN THREE INDEPENDENT BODY SHOPS TOLD US OTHERWISE? I WAS CERTAIN THE VAN WOULD OUTLAST ME. I WISH I COULD SAY I WAS WRONG BECAUSE I GOT BETTER NOT BECAUSE WE BOUGHT A LEMON. *AK

BRIEF HISTORY, I AM 36 WITH A WIFE AND TWO BOYS WHO ARE 11 AND EIGHT. BOTH MY WIFE AND I GRADUATED FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY WHERE I ALSO GOT MY MBA. I HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). I WENT ON DISABILITY IN 1997. I AM AT ABOUT AN 8.5 TO 9 ON THE DISABILITY SCALE. ZERO BEING NO SYMPTOMS 10 BEING DEAD. I AM IN A WHEELCHAIR. I HAVE A FEEDING TUBE, A SUPRA PUBIC CATHETER. I WILL BE TRYING AN INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.*AK WE ARE ON A FIXED INCOME FROM SOCIAL SECURITY AND A LONG TERM CARE CONTRACT. I REQUIRE NEARLY 24-HOUR CARE SO MY WIFE CANT WORK. OUR ANNUAL INCOME IS ABOUT $34,000. WE BOUGHT A PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER HANDICAP VAN IN 1998 FOR ABOUT $40,000. THIS WEEK WE HAD THE OIL CHANGED. THE MECHANIC SAID ONE OF THE TWO TOWERS THAT HOLD THE ENGINE IN PLACE WAS RUSTED. HE SAID TO HAVE A BODY SHOP LOOK AT IT IMMEDIATELY. THE BODY SHOP SAID THEY WOULDNT TOUCH IT (PRES KOOL). MY WIFE CALLED CHRYSLER AND AN ARROGANT, IMPATIENT CUSTOMER SERVICE REP NAMED JAY SAID TO TAKE IT TO MAACO (ANOTHER LOCAL BODY SHOP). THEY ALSO TOLD MY WIFE NO WAY WOULD THEY FIX IT. EVERY PLACE MY WIFE TOOK IT SHE WAS TOLD THE VAN HAD WAY MORE RUST ALL OVER THEN A 1998 VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE. ANOTHER MECHANIC SAID NO WAY SHOULD THE TOWER BE RUSTED LIKE IT IS. MY WIFE CALLED CHRYSLER AGAIN AND SPOKE TO ERIKA WHO SAID THERE IS NOTHING CHRYSLER CAN OR WILL DO. OUR WARRANTY IS UP SO WE ARE LEFT WITH OUR ONLY TRANSPORTATION BEING UNSAFE. SHE SAID WE SHOULD TAKE IT TO A CHRYSLER DEALER. WHY WOULD WE TRUST ANYTHING CHRYSLER SAYS WHEN THREE INDEPENDENT BODY SHOPS TOLD US OTHERWISE? I WAS CERTAIN THE VAN WOULD OUTLAST ME. I WISH I COULD SAY I WAS WRONG BECAUSE I GOT BETTER NOT BECAUSE WE BOUGHT A LEMON. WE HAVE CALLED SEVERAL DEALERS AND THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THAT. WE HAVE PICTURES OF BOTH TOWERS. THE PICTURES ARE STARTLING. THE VAN IS VERY UNSAFE.