CHRYSLER PACIFICA ENGINE CRADLE AND SUSPENSION PROBLEM/COMPLAINT

motherofquads

I purchased a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica Touring which had a little over 96,000 at time of purchase and a 2 year extended warranty from a small car dealership in July 2015. It now has 107,000 miles. I live in a salt state and park my vehicle under a carport. Also, I barely drove the car and took it to the car wash 1x a week during the fall/winter months. It was during a second time around visit for an oil change, I decided to get my tires rotated - they spotted corrosion on the right side of the engine cradle with a hole the length 8 to 10 inches and depth 1 to 1/2 inches. The left side of the cradle has corrosion in various areas the size of tennis balls. I contacted the small car dealership I purchased the car from and after pleading for help a few times ... they finally said "we will fix the cradle". I already had an appointment schedule with the service center from pleading with them awhile back day. In the meantime the small car dealership sent me to an auto shop to get the car looked at. It was during this visit that my inspection sticker was removed because of both the front wheel suspension and engine cradle corrosion being tested as unsafe. They also charged me $21.00 saying I had to pay regardless if my car passed or failed. I went back to the small car dealership and they basically told me they would now have their service guys move my appointment a day sooner as their employee made things worst when he sent me to get the car looked at to another auto shop (the one where my inspection was done and sticker was removed). The dealership is owned by a married couple. The wife simply says to me I have to talk to/with .... about this later tonight. Anyway, I go to the scheduled appointment with high hopes the service guys are gonna fix the car . I sat there for well close to if not an hour before the Owner himself comes into the waiting area and begins to tell me they cannot fix the cradle. He then begins to tell me to contact Chrysler. I cannot pay for a replace I tell him and he then wants me to come into the shop so he can show me the cradle. I don't see my car. It's already backed out of the shop and parked... instead he shows me the cradle for a different vehicle of a different make and model. Rambles on before saying to me they cannot repair the cradle, he or they don't want his/their name on it. I begin to cry of course thinking of how I have to park a car that's not safe to drive and still making payments for 3:5 years. I said but your wife said to me we will fix it I have 1 year warranty left... He then says that the warranty does not cover body damage and corrosion. He then extends his hand out to me as part of saying sorry but I can't help you but will call a couple of places on a used engine cradle and we will do what we can to help telling me finally he will call me later that day. HE NEVER DID. Finally, I've spent Monday to Thursday crying as I feel this small car dealership has been deceptive AND is treating me unfairly. I am a single mom raising 4 children and live on a fixed income. I still have 1 year left on the warranty as well as 3:5 more years to pay for this vehicle and just renewed my auto insurance for another 6 months. It is now sitting in my drive way with no inspection sticker. I'm trying to figure out how am I gonna get things done - transportation. I even think about how I'm just now hearing about this defect on the Chrysler Pacifica... nothing was mentioned at the time of purchase. Based on my last two oil changes... if I had not requested my tires to be rotated, both my children and I could have been seriously hurt or killed. Many services centers don't put your car on a lift when you go for oil changes. Finally, I feel robbed and trapped because I still have to pay for a car that's not safe to drive. What can I do?? What legal rights do I have if any?? I welcome suggestions.

P.S. typing this helped me because I spent the past couple of days crying inside and out

thecardoc3

A number of manufacturers with different models have had similar issues. Some have been turned into recalls, and many have been given special policies under which the warranties were extended. You need to get in contact with a Chrysler dealer, and they may have to get the zone rep. involved.

Here is an outline of some of the other avenues to persue.
http://www.chryslerproblems.com/trends/cradle-rot/

These usually are repairable by replacing the cradle, but due to high demand they can be difficult to find used from time to time.