1998 Plymouth Voyager

THE 1998 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER PASSENGER VAN WAS INVOLVED IN A TWO VEHICLE COLLISION ON A PUBLIC HIGHWAY. CAUSE OF THE COLLISION WAS DUE TO THE OTHER INVOLVED VEHICLE, THAT BEING A 2011 KIA SOUL, FAILING TO STAY WITHIN ITS TRAVEL LANE. THE KIA CROSSED OVER INTO THE PATH OF THE PLYMOUTH VOYAGER, WITH BOTH VEHICLES COLLIDING, FRONT/LEFT VS FRONT/LEFT. SPEEDS OF BOTH VEHICLES ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR. BOTH AIR BAGS IN THE KIA DEPLOYED, AS DID THE FRONT/PASSENGER AIRBAG IN THE PLYMOUTH VOYAGER. THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG IN THE PLYMOUTH VOYAGER FAILED TO DEPLOY, UNKNOWN WHY. BOTH DRIVERS SUSTAINED INJURIES IN THE COLLISION. THE COLLISION WAS INVESTIGATED BY THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT, PHONE 215-362-2301, POLICE REPORT #2016-00578.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) THE CHRYSLER DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE CLOCKSPRING ON MY MINIVAN BECAUSE THE PART THAT CHRYSLER WILL PAY FOR IS NOT IN STOCK. [XXX]. I HAVE HAD MY MINIVAN IN THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE JAN 15 AND THEY HAVE NOT FIXED THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IF NEEDED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT CHRYSLER IS LIMITING PARTS TO FIX A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN 2000. HE RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM CHRYSLER AND DID NOT HAVE ANY FAILURES ON THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 02V293000, AIR BAGS FRONTAL. AFTER THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE LETTER, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE WARNING PANEL AND THE HORN FAILED TO OPERATE NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS PER THE ABOVE MENTIONED RECALL; HOWEVER, HE WAS TOLD THE CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY PART WAS ON BACKORDER AND WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR A MONTH. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 183,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

AS AN INVESTIGATOR ASSIGNED TO THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL, MULTIDISCIPLINARY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION TEAM (MAIT) IN SACRAMENTO, AND AS DIRECTED BY THE MAIT OPERATIONS MANUAL, THIS IS TO NOTIFY NHTSA/ODI OF THE VERIFIED FAILURE OF A SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM IN A VEHICLE INVOLVED IN A SEVERE-INJURY TRAFFIC COLLISION. ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2009, A 1998 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION IN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA. THE REGISTERED OWNER/SOLE OCCUPANT IN THE VOYAGER SUSTAINED INJURY WHEN HIS VEHICLE COLLIDED INTO THE REAR OF A 1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE, AT SPEED. THE PRINCIPAL DIRECTION OF FORCE WAS ESSENTIALLY FROM FRONT-TO-REAR THROUGH THE PLYMOUTH AND THE FRONTAL DAMAGE WAS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE FULL WIDTH OF THE VEHICLE. THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SRS DEPLOYED, AND THE DRIVER'S SRS DID NOT. THE DRIVER OF THE PLYMOUTH WAS RESTRAINED BY HIS SEAT BELT. A QUERY OF THE NHTSA WEBSITE INDICATED THE PLYMOUTH WAS SUBJECT TO RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN 04V-480, AND DAIMLER CHRYSLER RECALL NO. D17. THE RECALL WAS THE SUBJECT OF EA04-013 OF THE ODI. A LOCAL DODGE DEALER CONFIRMED THE VEHICLE WAS PART OF THE GROUP UNDER RECALL AND HAD NOT UNDERGONE CORRECTION OF THE CONDITION DESPITE RECORDS OF MAILED NOTIFICATIONS TO THE REGISTERED OWNER, OF VALLEY SPRINGS, CA. THE DRIVER OF THE PLYMOUTH MADE NO STATEMENT REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE SRS WARNING INDICATOR LAMP PRIOR TO THE COLLISION, WHICH IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE STOCKTON AREA OF THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL. VALLEY DAVISON MAIT'S PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INDICATES THAT THE DRIVER?S SRS COMPONENTS WERE IN PLACE ON THE VEHICLE. MAIT WILL NOT CONDUCT A FAILURE ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION, AS THE MATTER IS CIVIL, NOT CRIMINAL, IN NATURE. A REPORT OF THE MAIT FINDINGS WILL FOLLOW. OFFICER C.M. PORT, ID 9729 CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL, VALLEY DIVISION MAIT. *TR UPDATED 07/01/10 *BF UPDATED 07/06/10*JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WERE SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE FIRST COMPONENT OF CONCERN WAS THE BELT TENSIONER WHICH HAD TO BE REPLACED BY THE DEALER BECAUSE IT WAS OBSERVED TO BE DISMANTLED. THE SECOND COMPONENT WAS IDENTIFIED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR A REGULAR OIL CHANGE. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED THERE WAS A MAJOR LEAK COMING FROM THE PUMP SEAL ON THE TRANSMISSION. ONCE THE TRANSMISSION WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE, A CRACK WAS OBSERVED IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO REBUILT BECAUSE A TRANSMISSION FOR REPLACEMENT COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A PIN DROP WHICH HAS BEEN COMMON IN VEHICLES OF THIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. THE THIRD COMPONENT WAS DISCOVERED WHILE THE CONTACT SEARCHED CAR FAX FOR HISTORY ON THE VEHICLE; THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THE AIRBAG. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE REMEDY REPAIR, IT WAS NOT PERFORMED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE EXCEEDED 70,000 MILES. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE REMEDY REPAIRS WOULD BE ISSUED ONLY IF THE VEHICLE INCURRED THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE RECALL. THE LAST COMPONENT OF CONCERN WAS THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT, WHICH CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, THEY DETERMINED THERE WAS CYLINDER MISFIRE. HOWEVER, THE CONTACT EXPRESSED THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A MALFUNCTIONED COMPUTER SYSTEM. AFTER A MAJOR TUNE UP TO THE VEHICLE THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ONLY ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY.

DT: CALLER GOT RECALL WORK DONE ON CLOCK SPRING, BUT IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON BEFORE IT WAS FIXED, AND NOW THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS OFF , AND THE ABS LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT WERE ON, AND NONE OF GAUGES WORKED. DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO. DEALER SAID THEY COULD DO A DIAGNOSTIC, BUT CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET.*AK

I OWN A 1998 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER WITH 60,000 MILES ON IT RECENTLY THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND WILL NOT GO OFF. I DID SOME RESEARCH VIA THE INTERNET AND FIND OUT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE CLOCK SPRING PLUS OTHER RECALLS THAT WE HAVE NEVER RECEIVED FOR THE VAN. THIS REALLY CONCERNS ME FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER PRODUCT IF THIS IS THE WAY THEY ARE GOING TO TREAT THEIR CUSTOMERS PLUS I NO LONGER LIKE CHRYSLER PRODUCTS BECAUSE OF OTHER PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST. *NM