ckl Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Hello. As the title states, does anyone have contact info to corporate specifically regarding dealer/warranty issues? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 You can call the Customer Care Center directly @ 1-800-992-1997 and they will direct your questions accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) ^^ Yeah that. There should be all the necessary contact info you need in your owners manual. They usually prefer you address warranty issues with your local dealer though. Edited January 21, 2014 by jkeaton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Do you have an unresolved problem or just general questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 (edited) Do you have an unresolved problem or just general questions? Well. Not really an unresolved problem, just a little mad that I had a leaking power transfer unit a couple of times late last year and they (the dealer) brushed it off as normal. Then Dec 31, 2013 came around and my warranty expired and last week the power transfer unit died and I have to pay out of pocket to replace it. I would have expected they knew about the problems with this part and should have done something earlier given the amount of problems with it. I've been a member of this forum for quite a while (even though I don't post much, I read quite a lot of the topics), I knew at the time when the unit started leaking, it was on it's way out. I even notified the dealer to pay special attention to inspect the unit. I'm mad because the cost to replace the unit is probably the most expensive repair I've had to pay for ANY vehicle I've ever owned. In fact, if I added up all the unexpected repairs of all my previous owned vehicles combined, it still wouldn't even match the cost for this single repair. I guess at the time I created this topic I was still in a fit of rage and all I wanted was a number/email to contact Dodge/Chrysler and vent my anger at some poor customer service agent. I've calmed down now, but I need assurances that the new power transfer unit is not going to end up like the last one in a year's time when the warranty is up. I really don't want to get rid of this vehicle because it is actually quite nice when it's operating normally. It's got all the features that I need that other comparable vehicles don't have. I just can't get over the fact that Dodge put some seriously shoddy components on it hoping that customers won't get angry when they have to continually bring their vehicle in for repairs. That's not good for business, but what's done is done... what are they doing for damage control? Edited January 22, 2014 by ckl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingit11 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Maybe DodgeCares could comment on this members concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted January 23, 2014 Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 Have you had the repair done yet? If so, have you picked up your vehicle yet and paid the bill? Regardless of the answer(s) to any of my questions, you may be entitled to some warranty assistance if the basic warranty or powertrain warranty has expired on your Journey. If, in fact, you do have documented PTU leak concerns that were not addressed and now you are facing PTU replacement, I would contact the number that I provided for you above and inquire about getting some assistance for this repair. You have absolutely nothing to lose and may only be faced with a co-pay which may be significantly less than the quoted repair amount. There are several factors - year and mileage of your Journey, are you original owner, maintenance history and records, etc - that come into play when determining goodwill assistance. Give it a shot. ckl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) Have you had the repair done yet? If so, have you picked up your vehicle yet and paid the bill? Regardless of the answer(s) to any of my questions, you may be entitled to some warranty assistance if the basic warranty or powertrain warranty has expired on your Journey. If, in fact, you do have documented PTU leak concerns that were not addressed and now you are facing PTU replacement, I would contact the number that I provided for you above and inquire about getting some assistance for this repair. You have absolutely nothing to lose and may only be faced with a co-pay which may be significantly less than the quoted repair amount. There are several factors - year and mileage of your Journey, are you original owner, maintenance history and records, etc - that come into play when determining goodwill assistance. Give it a shot. The repair is done and is ready for pick up which my wife will do this afternoon. I will try and call the number you provided (thanks, BTW), and see where it goes. And the factors you mentioned are 2009 DJ with 65000kms (40000miles), original owner, maintenance history is with the same dealer so they should be able to look that up. Basically, what they will find with history is a TSB fix on the sunroof, the infamous brake problem x 2, suspension squeaking, dash rattle, the PTU leak x 2, and power stearing belt squeal. I had to pay half for the brakes the second time even with all the issues other people have with them and even though there is a class action lawsuit in progress regarding them. I think that was considered a goodwill gesture. As you can see, the vehicle is 5 years old with 40000 miles. Normally, people don't expect the drivetrain to fail that early. We don't take the vehicle off road and with the exception of a 300 mile road trip back in 2010, all we use the vehicle for are short trips like dropping off/picking up the kids from school, grocery shopping, and visiting friends/family... probably max 70 miles round trip. EDIT: just called. That number is the US number. The Canadian number is 1-800-465-2001. Spoke with CSR, currently on hold. Edited January 23, 2014 by ckl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 (edited) Just an update today. Yesterday, I was on hold for about a half hour while the CSR was trying to get a hold of the service manager but wasn't able to. I ended up not picking up the vehicle due to this unresolved issue. This morning, she called back to tell me that the issue is being referred to the regional manager in the area and should be getting a call back this afternoon. Not sure if that is a good thing or not but the fact that it has esculated to that level has me worried. Nevertheless, the CSR was very helpful and I applaud her for her efforts. Edited January 24, 2014 by ckl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted January 24, 2014 Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 Thanks for the update and please keep us posted. Hope you get some assistance. Sorry to provide you with U.S. number; it was an assumption on my part - I didn't see any info in your profile or post that you were from Canada. Glad you got through! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2014 I hope so too! And thanks for providing that number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) It's Monday today and I still haven't gotten a call back from anybody. I wonder what's taking so long? I'm hesitant to call them back... but I need the vehicle back, so I may have to. Edited January 27, 2014 by ckl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to Dodge Posted January 28, 2014 Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 It took nearly a week for me to hear back from someone when I had my last issue. It was minor though. I wouldn't hesitate to call them back. Its your car and your money. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) Okay. Good news! I got a call back and they were able to provide some assistance, so the final cost is significantly lower than what the dealer wanted to charge me. My faith in Dodge is partially restored. The unknown variable I must face now is how long the new PTU unit will last... I fear that at the first sign of leaking, I may have to get rid of this car. Maybe if I understood what caused the PTU unit to leak and inevitably fail would give me some idea on how to prevent it? Any ideas? I would like to especially thank Journeyman425 for the assistance... my hat's off to you. Edited January 28, 2014 by ckl Journeyman425 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 You are most welcome. The good folks at Chrysler want to keep their customers happy, and standing behind their product is the number one way to do it. In the big picture, some out-of-warranty assistance to a customer for an unusual failure is a relatively small investment to make in the hopes that the customer will become a repeat buyer. Think about it. How many millions of dollars do companies spend on Super Bowl Sunday just to attract buyers to their products? How much did Chrysler spend to satisfy you? A whole lot less, but it just may very well get you back to their showroom if you have faith that they stand behind you. I don't advocate people picking up the phone and complaining to the company about every nickel and dime they have to spend on off-warranty repairs. The vehicle has a stated warranty which we all agreed to when we purchased the vehicle. But some items are expected to last for a significant period of time or mileage, especially with proper maintenance. We have to show Chrysler that we did our part. If you have done so - and in this case you did - and you have a major repair just outside of warranty, then the company should step up and help. Glad to see that they helped you out. Addicted to Dodge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted January 29, 2014 Report Share Posted January 29, 2014 By the way, I have only seen one PTU leak at my shop. Honestly, I don't remember the exact cause, I just recall that we replaced the unit itself. I think there was a seal leaking which was pressed into the housing and the factory allowed a replacement PTU rather than a repair. The vehicle was an early build 2009 R/T. We don't sell a whole lot of Journeys at my shop but all except that one was free of this issue. Most of our sales have been AWD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) I was doing some research on AWD systems and why they fail and found that most problems occur when tires of different tread depths are used. Mainly the problem lies when a vehicle gets an unrepairable flat tire and has to be replaced. The general consensus is that it is not a good idea just to replace the damaged tire if the rest of the tires have worn noticeably. The argument is whether to replace all 4 or just the 2 on the affected axle. So I just checked mine and found that the front pair of tires have less tread than the rear... I would say 60% on front and 90% on rear. I plan to replace the front tires this weekend just to be on the safe side. Edited January 30, 2014 by ckl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcgusto82 Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Why not rotate them for now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) Why not rotate them for now? My understanding of AWD is that all four tires should be the same brand and similar tread depth. Unless the AWD in the dodge journey operates differently than a traditional AWD, I think it would be safest to spend a little on 2 new tires than a new PTO unit... if the differing tread depths is what caused the failure. correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the AWD in the journey was full time until it reached a certain speed at which point it would disengage and become FWD? I've heard other people say that the journey is FWD most of the time until it detects slip, then engages the rear wheels to become AWD. Which is correct? EDIT: I found a post on this forum that seems to indicate it is the on-demand type of AWD. Edited February 3, 2014 by ckl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Yes. Normally FWD until slippage is detected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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