This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The dealership was unable to perform the ignition switch wiring recall #00V135000, and the throttle cable recall# 01V037000 because the parts were not available. It has been 60 days. Recall campaign; the consumer stated that it has now been 3 months and the parts are still not available. The consumer has since found a part on his own.
1995 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, VIN [xxx]. when dropping the tilt wheel to it's lowest position the radio/tape player would shut off and then restart as if the power was cut off. Power for the radio came from battery positive, fuse # 3 (40 amps) to the ignition switch connector C212 position 1 wire (A1 12 red) where it is switched in run and accessory to fuse #7 (10 amps) to the radio and other fuses to other systems. Recall # 875 performed on 8/8/2000 involved the blower motor, a relay was added for power switching using the relay controlled by the ignition switch rather than feeding the power through the ignition switch. I observed the motion of all the wires going to all the switches on the steering wheel as it was moved. Clearly observable was the connector C212 position 1 wire (A1 12 red) moving out of the connector accompanied by the radio momentarily losing power. Observation showed the stripped wire being held only by the insulation crimp part of the metal connector, the wire did not fray away from the connector because it was clean cut and the original smaller gauge wire was still in the crimp part of the connector. Note I have pictures of the problem. I removed the smaller crimped wires, spread the crimp wings and soldered the red wire to the metal connector. Most likely the damage was done as part of recall #875, as the wiring diagram indicates a 12-gauge wire and the wire I reconnected was at a minimum of an 8 or a 6 gauge. Thank god this did not feed a critical system like the antilock breaks or cause overheating and or a fire. Updated 07/2012 07/24/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The procedure that dealership performed for recall 00V135000 concerning ignition switch is causing other electrical system components to fail. There were two power failures, the brake lights had gone out along with the clock and radio. The mechanic discovered that all of the wires that had come from the back of the fuse panel had been cut very short and spliced into the wiring harness that the dealer replaced.
Throttle control cable was repaired under campaign id 01V037000. Less than 500 miles later, throttle cable failed while driving. Vehicle checked by another dealer, who advised consumer that recall repairs did not properly repair the first time. Dealer advised consumer that first dealer did not add all necessary components. Consumer states hood latch and ignition switch repaired under recall campaign (01V-040 and 00V-135) but failed again.
Prior to recall notification (00V135000) consumer experienced stalling, intermittent fan motor failure and problems with the radio, which all contributed to the ignition switch being faulty and therefore was replaced, consumer is seeking reimbursement.
After elec. Ingnition harness replaced under recall vehicle has had numerous electrical related faliures. Headlight switch melted in dash 2X's causing smoke and or fire condition. A/C failure, no power to compressor. Bucking, missing, hesitation at idle and all speeds. Buck, miss, hesistation can not be diagnoised by numerous dealers or private mechanics. Have spent over $1700 replacing parts (PCM, egr selonoid, egr gasket, tps sensor, iat motor, O2 sensor, fuel pump, fuel regulator) to remedy problem. So far no help. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
While driving vehicle started smoking from dashboard. Then, when driver turned off head lights smoke stopped, and vehicle was still on fire. Consumer had received manufacturer's recall # 875 that said ignition switch could cause electrical problems, but dealer would not honor recall.
Consumer had received a recall notice 875 for ignition switch. Vehicle could catch on fire in the instrument panel. Dealer did not took care of this recall.
The vehicle caught fire prior to recall notice 00V-135, they complained of a burning smell emmiting from the vehicle on 2 occasions but the dealer never investigated the source of the problem, soon after the vehicle caught fire while parked. Nlm
Gas gauge has malfunctioned, moving up and down, going from a full tank of fuel to half a tank of fuel, which prevented driver to identify the correct fuel reading. Also, having other problems. Consumer has contacted the dealer. This vehicle had problem with ignition switch. Radio and the fan motor speeding up and down, the vehicle to lose power occasionaly. The air bag light comes on and off irregularly.
Recall 00V135000/ignition switch/wiring: After contacting dealer concerning recall notice, dealer urged consumer to take vehicle back to where he bought it. Again asking NHTSA's help in this matter.
Received two recall notices: 00V135000/ignition switch/ wiring, and 99V214000/ suspension. Still was unable to get dealer to honor recalls. On two occasions, dealer had informed consumer that parts were available, and an appointment was set. When consumer arrived they informed him that parts were not available. Seeking help from NHTSA in this matter. Feel free to provide further details.
PE 99 031, ignition switch; vehicle experiencing problem with ignition switch causing smoke from steering column; also when condition gets too hot it melts the bottom of steering column cover, and unable to remove from ignition switch. Seeking help from NHTSA in this matter.
PE99031, defective wiring harness, caused malfunctioning of the ignition switch. Also power window would not operate/ airbag light stayed on/ air conditioner fan malfunctioned, and the wires were melted together, which may have caused a fire.
Shorted ignition wiring due to poor engineering of wire size and amp draw from HVAC fan. While backing out of a parking space, the truck stalled. The truck could not be restarted. After discussing the failure with the dealer, I was able to retain the damaged ignition switch and the cause of the failure. There technician stated that due to an undersizing of the wire which feeds power to the HVAC fan, through the ignition no less, the insulation heats up and detiorates to the point at which it shorts with the surrounding the wires. The technician had cut the worst wires away for obvious reasons but the remaining wires show signs of overheating. I have read a couple of incidents like this exact one on the NHTSA trouble page. I was very lucky that I was only traveling at 5mph because at a high rate of speed in heavy traffic, this could have been a much bigger incident. Chrysler has no intention on reimbursing this or fixing other owners which will ultimately have this failure. They need to reassess the possible safety issue this failure could create. Thanks craig dixon.
Ignition switch gets hot while driving. Also, switch has been replaced and a heat shield was added problem returned. Dealer found cause to be too many amps from vehicle accessories, causing overloading of switch and overheating
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rogers, AR, USA