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2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN — STEERING

crash · 950837 · 2012-11-25

Vehicle

Make
DODGE
Model
GRAND CARAVAN
Year
2008
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
STEERING
Miles at failure
113,600
Speed
15 mph

Severity

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

Narrative

DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET. ENGINE QUIT SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED. VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROAD, OVER THE CURB AND CAME TO A STOP. NO PROPERTY DAMAGE OR BODILY HARM. IF WE HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, FEAR OF DEATH WOULD HAVE BEEN A REAL CONCERN. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START FOR APPROXIMATELY A MINUTE AFTER THE INCIDENT. ENGINE FINALLY STARTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DODGE DEALERSHIP. DIAGNOSED AS A 'BAD WIN MODULE' (WIRELESS IGNITION NODE). THE TECHNICIAN ACTUALLY GUESSED THE PROBLEM WAS THE WIN MODULE BEFORE DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM. HE SAID IT WAS A 'FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM'. AN ONLINE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THIS PART HAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH IT IN THE 2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN (OUR DODGE GRAND CARAVAN IS A 2008). THE REASON I AM WRITING THE NHTSA IS THE NEWLY REPLACED WIN MODULE IS CLEARLY A REDESIGNED PART. IT LOOKS AND FUNCTIONS DIFFERENTLY THAN THE OLD, FAULTY WIN MODULE. IF DODGE REDESIGNED THE PART, THEY MUST HAVE ASSUMED THE EARLIER DESIGN WAS DEFECTIVE IN SOME WAY. TO JUSTIFY THE NEED FOR A REDESIGN, THERE HAD TO BE SOME DRIVING FACTOR LIKE IMPROVED SAFETY. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS DEFECT HAD THE REAL POTENTIAL OF CAUSING DEATH AND I AM REQUESTING THE NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER. AM I THE FIRST TO HAVE LODGED A COMPLAINT REGARDING THIS PART? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10485944
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown