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2005 DODGE DAKOTA — SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

fire1 injured · 1046154 · 2014-03-14

Vehicle

Make
DODGE
Model
DAKOTA
Year
2005
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Miles at failure
85,000
Speed
40 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

I TURNED ON MY HEATED SEAT, AS I HAVE DONE SEVERAL TIMES THIS WINTER. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES, I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. I REACHED AROUND THE BACK OF ME AS I WAS DRIVING BECAUSE A SPOT ON MY BACK WAS VERY HEATED. I ACTUALLY STUCK MY FINGER THROUGH A HOLE IN THE SEAT THAT HAD BURNED THROUGH BOTH THE SEAT AND MY COAT. (ALSO MY FINGER, AT THIS POINT.) I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE HEAT OFF AND WENT DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEIR SOLUTION WAS TO CONTACT CHRYSLER'S CUSTOMER CLAIMS RESOLUTION CENTER, WHO IN TURN INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND MY COAT ON MARCH 3, 2014. THE NEXT CONTACT I HAD WAS A LETTER DATED MARCH 10 THAT STATED, "THE INSPECTOR FOUND NO INDICATION OF A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT CAUSED OR CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT..." I SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED THEIR GENERAL OFFICE COUNSEL AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT BE DOING ANYTHING FURTHER AND I SHOULD MAKE A CLAIM TO MY INSURANCE AGENT. THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS REGARDING HOW MANY VEHICLES HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND THAT THERE WERE NO "HIGHER UPS" THAT I COULD CONTACT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME AND WOULD WELCOME ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE FOR ME. THANK YOU. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10569443
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown