 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Chrysler Cars / October 2006Pacifica recall
Got a letter in the mail today: "Dear Pacifica Owner:" (ahhh crap!) "The problem is..." "The Powertrain Control Module software on your Pacifica (identified on the enclosed form) may allow the engine to stall when it is warming up, if the vehicle is driven under certain operating conditions. This could cause a crash without warning." (Huh? Loss of power causes a crash? WTF? I've had plenty of stalls and have NEVER crashed because I lost power...anyway...) Letter goes on explaining what I gotta do, blah blah blah and finally "We're sorry for any inconvenience but we're concerned about your safety." Now I called when I first read about this either here or on allpar.com and got a serial number checking on the recall and they said I wasn't affected. I guess the Daimler Chrysler folks were wrong. I am affected? And my car, with about 4k miles has never stalled while warming up. Oh well. My only problem under 4k miles of service has been the seatbelt holder upper thingie that fell off. That's it. Nothing major like stalling or ANYTHING else. Jimmy > Got a letter in the mail today: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > crash? WTF? I've had plenty of stalls and have NEVER crashed because I > lost power...anyway...) The problem is several people don't know what to do if the engine stalls. The stored vacuum will allow 2-3 good hard assisted presses, more than enough for a controlled stop, but if you're stupid and pump the brakes, the vacuum is gone you have to stand on the pedal to get any amount of hard braking. I've tried it in a Neon before, and I'd imagine a Pacifica would only be worse. If you didn't know what to do you could easily crash, and try to sue Chrysler. The lack of power steering really isn't an issue when you're moving, but I'm sure someone would find a way to pin it on Chrysler. > Letter goes on explaining what I gotta do, blah blah blah and finally > "We're sorry for any inconvenience but we're concerned about your > safety." read- We don't want to get sued. > Now I called when I first read about this either here or on allpar.com > and got a serial number checking on the recall and they said I wasn't [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > been the seatbelt holder upper thingie that fell off. That's it. > Nothing major like stalling or ANYTHING else. Did you get the dealer to run your VIN? They may have mailed the letter to everyone to make sure no one was missed. You car may not have stalled as of yet, but that doesn't mean it might not in the future. The purpose of a recall is to fix it before it becomes a problem for more people. > Did you get the dealer to run your VIN? They may have mailed the letter to > everyone to make sure no one was missed. > > You car may not have stalled as of yet, but that doesn't mean it might not > in the future. The purpose of a recall is to fix it before it becomes a > problem for more people. I called them on March 12. Notifications were supposed to be going out starting March 15 according to the nhtsa's website. I called the 800 number, and DC said my car wasn't affected and they gave me a serial #. BUT, now I get a notice? Hmmm. Here's the info I got from nhtsa's website: Make : CHRYSLER Model : PACIFICA Year : 2004 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 04V113000 Recall Date : MAR 02, 2004 Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) Potential Number Of Units Affected : 34561 Summary: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE MAY ALLOW THE ENGINE TO STALL WHEN IT IS WARMING UP, IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN UNDER CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS. Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 15, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403. Notes: DAIMLERCHRYSLER RECALL NO. D15. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236). Jimmy I Have a 2005 Pacifica with 13,000 miles on it that stalls every once in a while when making turns, I contacted the dealer and they have recieved similar complaints but are consulting with Chrysler concerning the fix. When it stalls it is very hard to steer no matter how strong you are. I did not know you had start working out to own a pacifica or any car for that matter. POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM, might be tha issue? >> Did you get the dealer to run your VIN? They may have mailed the letter to >> everyone to make sure no one was missed. [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > >Jimmy > The lack of power steering really isn't an issue when > you're moving, but I'm sure someone would find a way to pin it on Chrysler. I've had the serpentine belt pop off unexpectedly in ~40MPH traffic in the Intrepid. Suddenly, the steering effort becomes several times what you're expecting. I'm just under 6', and ~205lbs, i.e. not a small person. I could steer it (but it was a helluva surprise.) Turning around at low speeds in a driveway was a riot, let me tell you. I'm kind of surprised I didn't damage the steering column. Plain and simple, my wife would've crashed, or would've been forced to stop dead in traffic (and probably would've been crashed into). These vehicles aren't like the cars of the old days that had steering wheel diameters big enough to give you much mechanical advantage. None of the current ones have power steering as an option, it's standard. The design of the rack and pinion and steering geometries reflects that. --Geoff A hose popped off my vacuum booster once. Lost the power assist and it was IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP THAT SUCKER!! I was lucky enought to coast down without hitting anything. These posters are correct. 100% correct. You will lose your brakes and steering when the engine quits at low speeds. At highway speeds there is enough coupling from the drive wheels through the tranny to keep the engine turning, so manifold vacuum and the power steering pump keeps going. At low speeds you are screwed. Now, does anyone question my thesis that the engine must be 100% reliable and that means two fuel pumps and two ignitions even if it costs an extra $40 per car? > Got a letter in the mail today: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > crash? WTF? I've had plenty of stalls and have NEVER crashed because I > lost power...anyway...) Lawyers rule the world now. They HAVE to say that because it is true- under some extraordinary combination of conditions, a stalled engine might just be able to cause a wreck. Therefore, they must disclaim. Next, the lawyers will require a warning that starting the engine "could cause a crash without warning." Think about it- you have to start the engine to drive the car, and driving the car can "lead to a crash!" Better add that disclaimer! Lawyers... <spit> |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.