2007 Chrysler Aspen Powertrain & Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHRYSLER ASPEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY OR BEING DRIVEN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SWITCHED TO 4 WHEEL DRIVE. THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE RED LIGHT FLASHED DURING THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000.

FAILING LIFTERS AND CAMSHAFT WHICH IS HAPPENING TO OVER 5000 SEPARATE OWNERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE LIFTERS AND CAMSHAFT FAIL NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU KEEP UP YOUR MAINTENANCE. I HAD THE CAM AND LIFTERS REPLACED TWICE ONCE AT 98000 MILES BY CHRYSLER AND NOW I NEED THEM REPLACED AGAIN AT 195000 MILES WHICH VERY COMMON WITH OWNERS OF THIS ENGINE

MY FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGES. DEALER WANTS ME TO SPEND MONEY ON PARTS AND ARE ONLY GUESSING THAT THOSE PARTS WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. NOT ONCE HAVE THEY CHECKED THE WIRING. THE ENGAGEMENT HAPPENS WHEN STATIONARY (UNLOCKING THE CAR). SOMETIMES WHEN I TURN AT VERY LOW SPEEDS. THE LIGHTS COME ONE WHEN DRIVING HIGH SPEED BUT NOTHING HAPPENS. THE FOLLOWING LIGHTS TURN ON: 4WHEEL SERVICE, ELECTRONIC STABILITY. I FEEL IT IS A WIRING PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHRYSLER ASPEN 4X4. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SWITCHED TO 4-WHEEL DRIVE AUTOMATICALLY. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (AUTONATION CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM ROSEVILLE, 200 AUTOMALL DR., ROSEVILLE, CA 95661), BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000.

THE SVC 4WD INDICATOR LIGHT WON'T GO OFF AND THE VEHICLE IS STUCK IN 4X4

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHRYSLER ASPEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS STUCK IN ONE POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,000.

VEHICLE RANDOMLY SHIFTS FROM AWD TO 4 LOCK OR 4 LOW. USUALLY AT LOW SPEEDS. TRANSFER CASE MAY ALSO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. WHEN BACKING OR TURNING SHARPLY, AS IN PARKING, IS THE MOST LIKELY TIME OF OCCURRENCE. TRANSFER CASE ALSO SHIFTS WHEN USING THE KEY FOB TO LOCK/UNLOCK DOORS WHILE VEHICLE IS OFF AND PARKED. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT AFTER BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AND WAS UNABLE TO GET TO TRAFFIC SPEED DUE TO RANDOM SHIFT TO LOW RANGE. VEHICLE HAS ALSO SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AFTER PARKING, CAUSING IT TO ROLL ON SLIGHTLY INCLINED DRIVEWAY, NEARLY DRAGGING ME AND/OR STRIKING MY CHILDREN WHO WERE IN THE DRIVEWAY.

THE ASPEN LURCHED BACKWARDS APPROXIMATELY FIFTY FEET AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED, JUST AFTER BEING PUT INTO REVERSE. IT WAS STOPPED WHEN IT CRASHED INTO A GARAGE AND A TOYOTA PRIUS. THE PRIUS WAS TOTALED, THE ASPEN SEVERELY DAMAGED, THE GARAGE DOORS WERE YANKED OUT OF THE CEILING AND SHATTERED, AND OTHER PARTS OF THE GARAGE WERE DAMAGED. ANYONE WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED. FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THERE WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE REVERSE TRANSMISSION. OCCASIONALLY WHEN PLACED INTO REVERSE, THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO A SHORT DISTANCE IN REVERSE, AS IF THE CLUTCH WAS NOT CATCHING. THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP, AND THEN THE CAR WOULD COME TO AN ABRUPT HALT. THE HALT WAS VERY ABRUPT AND "MECHANICAL" AS IF SOMETHING WAS BEING CAUGHT - THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED A PASSENGER IN THE CAR THOUGHT THE CAR STRUCK SOMETHING IN REVERSE. THERE WERE NEVER ANY ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION GOING FORWARD, AND THIS REVERSE ISSUE ONLY HAPPENED ABOUT 10% OF THE TIMES THE CAR WAS PUT IN REVERSE. IN BETWEEN THE CAR WAS FINE IN REVERSE. THIS NEVER SEEMED LIKE A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE CAR STOPPED ABRUPTLY WHEN GOING BACKWARDS IN PREVIOUS INSTANCES - IT DID NOT GO BACKWARDS UNCONTROLLABLY AS OCCURRED IN THE INCIDENT. A CHRYSLER INVESTIGATOR CAME OUT THE DAY FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT. HE CONCLUDED THAT THE DRIVER OF THE CAR ACCIDENTALLY PUT HER FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL RATHER THAN BRAKE. WE ARE QUITE CERTAIN THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. IN SPITE OF EMPHASIZING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE REVERSE, CHRYSLER TOLD THE OWNERS ON 4/4/11 THAT THIS WAS A DRIVER ERROR BASED ON THEIR EVALUATION. HOWEVER, THEY NEVER EVEN LOOKED AT THE TRANSMISSION. WE NOW HAVE THE VEHICLE IN STORAGE AND ARE TRYING TO GET AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION OF THE PROBLEM.

ON 18 NOVEMBER 2010 AROUND 6 PM, MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY OF MY HOME APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET FROM THE GARAGE ENTRANCE. TO MOVE THE VEHICLE INTO THE GARAGE FOR THE NIGHT, I GOT IN THE VEHICLE, CLOSED THE DOOR, STEPPED ON THE BRAKE, LET OFF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, STARTED IT, PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN 'D', LET OFF THE BRAKE, AND DID NOT TOUCH THE GAS PEDAL. THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY CYCLED UP TO 4000 RPM, AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY STARTED MOVING FORWARD. I THEN HIT THE BRAKE TO NO EFFECT ON SPEED. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED THROUGH THE GARAGE, IMPACTED MY STEEL WORKBENCH/TOOL CONTAINER, WENT THROUGH THE BACK WALL AND THE FRONT END IMPACTED THE GROUND SEVEN FEET BELOW THE GARAGE DROPOFF AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I REMOVED THE KEY AND GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE. MY NEIGHBORS WITNESSED THE EVENT AS THE VEHICLE DROVE OUT THE BACK OF THE GARAGE. FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT INJURED, BUT WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT FT BELVOIR AMC. SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED A HOLE IN THE AC COMPRESSOR, FLICKERING OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE FOOT WELL LIGHT, LOSS OF IGNITION WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS PLACED IN 'R' IT WOULD FALL OUT OF GEAR. ALL WERE REPORTED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS AT CHRYSLER DEALERS IN CA, MS AND VA. I REPORTED THIS TO CHRYSLER LATE NOVEMBER AND RECEIVED A LETTER BACK ON 17 DECEMBER FROM CHRYSLER CUSTOMER CLAIMS RESOLUTION GROUP STATING THE FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ACCIDENT. I FOUND ONLINE THAT CHRYSLER HAD VEHICLES RECALLED IN 2007 THAT HAD ACCELERATOR PROBLEMS AND THE ACCELERATORS WERE MADE BY THE SAME SUPPLIER THAT MADE THE TOYOTA ONES. HTTP://WHEELS.BLOGS.NYTIMES.COM/2010/06/04/CHRYSLER-IS-RECALLING-CALIBER-AND-COMPASS-FOR-ACCELERATOR-PEDAL-PROBLEM/ I AM PREPARED TO DISCUSS FURTHER ANY QUESTIONS CHRYSLER LEADERSHIP MAY HAVE, AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPH AND VIDEO DOCUMENTATION AND WITNESSES TO THIS EVENT. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

MY 2007 CHRYSLER ASPEN WAS IN "PARK" AT A GASOLINE STATION. THE CAR SHIFTED INTO REVERSE WHILE I WAS FILLING THE TANK. I TRIED TO JUMP IN THE CAR AS IT WAS ROLLING AND WAS DRUG ALONG THE CEMENT.THE CAR WAS EVENTUALLY STOPPED WHEN THE DOOR HIT A CEMENT POLE. THIS RESULTED IN APPROXIMATELY $2200 IN DAMAGES TO THE DOOR OF THE VEHICLE AND QUITE A FEW CUTS, SCRAPES AND BRUISES ON MY BODY. THE CAR HAD SHIFTED OUT OF GEAR SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE (USUALLY WHILE I WAS IN REVERSE) AND HAD BEEN REPORTED TO CHRYSLER, BUT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO DO IT WHILE IT WAS IN THE SHOP, THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT. THE KEY ALSO WOULD STICK WHEN STARTING THE CAR LEAVING IT TO REV WHILE I TRIED TO GET THE KEY OUT. I WAS TOLD BY THE REPAIRMAN THAT CHRYSLER WAS AWARE OF THESE ISSUES, BUT UNTIL THEY FOUND A FIX THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I HAVE READ WHERE OTHER CHRYSLER MODELS WERE RECALLED FOR THESE SAME ISSUES, BUT THE ASPEN HAS NEVER BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I HAVE SINCE TRADED IN THE VEHICLE FOR ANOTHER BRAND BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEARS (FROM PARK TO REVERSE, REVERSE TO NEUTRAL, ETC.). *TR

I HAVE ONLY HAD MY TRUCK FOR A YEAR AND FOUR MONTHS. THERE HAS BEEN AT LEAST 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS WHEN I PUT MY TRUCK INTO REVERSE THE TRANSMISSION DEFAULTS TO NEUTRAL AND THE BOX AROUND THE "R" WOULD DISAPPEAR. THE OTHER DAY I WAS PUTTING MY TRUCK IN THE GARAGE AND I PUT THE TRUCK IN REVERSE, I LOOKED BACK AND TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, BEING THAT MY DRIVEWAY IS ON A SLOPE MY TRUCK STARTED COASTING DOWN THE HILL FAST. I TURNED AROUND TO PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND JUST IN TIME FROM HITTING MY HUSBAND. MY HEART FELL TO MY STOMACH. I ASKED HIM TO LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD SO HE COULD SEE THAT THE TRUCK WAS IN REVERSE. THE BOX THAT OUTLINES THE LETTERS TO SHOW WHICH GEAR YOU'RE IN WAS AROUND THE LETTER "R" FOR REVERSE THIS TIME. *TR

2007 CHRYSLER ASPEN (WITH ONLY 4000 MILES) BEGAN MAKING A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WHEN SWITCHING FROM DRIVE, NEUTRAL, REVERSE, ETC. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON A TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AFTER A 1 1/2 HOUR WAIT THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ADVISES ME THAT THEY TOOK A LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND IT IS MAKING A LOUD UNUSUAL NOISE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN GEAR. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ADVISES ME THAT I NEED TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK LATER IN THE WEEK AND LEAVE IT WITH THEM - BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE IT APART TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I RETURN ON THURSDAY MORNING DROP OFF THE VEHICLE AT 7:30 AM AND AT ABOUT 3:31PM THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE CALLS ME AND ADVISES ME THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED - THEY ADJUSTED THE "SLACK ADJUSTER" AND TIGHTENED SOME OF THE BOLTS ON THE SHAFT AND PUT IT BACK TOGETHER. WHEN I ARRIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP TO PICK UP MY VEHICLE, THE SERVICE ORDER STATED THAT THEY TESTED 2 OTHER VEHICLES (THE SAME MAKE, YEAR, AND MODEL) AND THAT ALL THE VEHICLES MAKE THE SAME NOISE - NO REPAIRS NEEDED. EITHER THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME A STORY OR THE TECHNICIAN IS TELLING A STORY. I WAS VERY MUCH CONCERNED WHEN I READ THE SERVICE ORDER. THE QUESTION IS WHAT WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT? OF COURSE I HAD TO SPEAK TO ANOTHER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE BECAUSE THE ONE THAT I WAS DEALING WITH HAD LEFT FOR THE DAY AND SO HAD THE SERVICE MANAGER. WHEN I ADVISE THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT I HAD BEEN TOLD AND WHAT THE SERVICE ORDER STATED. HE APOLOGIZED AND STATED THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO, BECAUSE HE HAD NOT HANDLED THE SERVICE ORDER. HE STATED UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAD, SEVERAL CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LOUD UNUSUAL NOISE AND THAT CHRYSLER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED, BUT AT THE PRESENT MOMENT CHRYSLER HAD NO RESOLUTION ON HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND UNTIL THEY CAME UP WITH A RESOLUTION THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND IT STILL MADE THE SAME NOISE ? NOTHING WAS REPAIRED. *TR