Originally Posted by
Pearl
Hi,
I’ve been a lurker for quite some time. First I want to thank this group for providing the solution when my trunk would not open. Thanks!
I’m one of the 2005 Roadster owners whose rear window’s adhesive failed (on the bottom and both sides). I again turned to this group for help and, once again, you all gave me great information. My problem began 5 days ago when the bottom and both sides of my Roadster’s rear suddenly popped free.
Following the advice offered here, I called Chrysler and was given a case number. My case manager called and told me that because my car was originally purchased in Michigan, it was not covered by the X31 extended warranty. I bought the car in 2006 in Georgia and it has remained here since then. Chrysler still insisted my car was not covered. I then filed a complaint with the NHTSA. And I followed that with a phone call to them. The NHTSA rep read me the entire TSB. It does not include any limits on location. The man at the NHTSA was very familiar with the issue – as soon as I gave him the official TSB number (SB-23035-11REVA, dated 10/29/11) he knew what my issue was. His advice was as follows: there are currently 91 complaints filed about this problem with the NHTSA. After conferring with his supervisor, he suggested that if there were between 200-300 complaints, the NHTSA would take a much more pro-active stance. On the basis of our conversation, he has already tagged the issue for further investigation since by the NHTSA’s guidelines this constitutes a major safety issue. He suggested that everyone whose has had a problem with the rear window of the 2005 Crossfire Roadster file a complaint. He also said it was important to do this even if Chrysler had fixed the problem or if anyone had done a successful DIY repair because if the number of complaints reaches a critical mass, a mandatory recall would be issued. Finally he added that if Chrysler continues to repair some but not every rear window adhesive problem, this could be a matter for the Federal Trade Commission. I’d add that a phone call to the NHTSA after filing your complaint will get you a NHTSA reference number. Having that number seems to make Chrysler suddenly pay very close attention to you.
Please help all of us by filing a complaint at the NHTSA website (https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/). It takes about five minutes. If a mandatory recall is issued all 2005 Roadster’s tops, including those which had undergone DIY repairs would be replaced at no charge. In filing a complaint all you have to do is explain the conditions under which the rear window’s adhesive failed – you don’t have to provide information about how the problem was resolved. It helps if you add that you feel this is a major safety issue which merits a recall.
After my conversation with the NHTSA, I called my Chrysler case manager again and, magically, her firm response that my Roadster was not covered became this: “Even if your car is not covered under the X31 warranty, you have misunderstood me, and Chrysler stands ready to assist you.” Tomorrow I have to take my car to the dealer for inspection and photographs. I will keep you updated, but it seems that the old adage of carrying a heavy stick certainly applies here. Since the problem occurred on the weekend, I couldn’t do much till Monday.
Thanks so much for posting this...I will be giving the NHTSA a call in the very near future...