I HAVE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH MY 1996 DODGE NEON --- VIN#:1B3ES42C0TD579181! OVER THE LAST YEAR MY NEON, FOR THE MOST PART, HAS BEEN COMPLETELY INOPERABLE! I SAY, FOR THE MOST PART, BECAUSE A FEW TIMES I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE IT ABOUT 10 MILES, BEFORE IT WOULD BEGIN TO STALL AND THEN SUFFER A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER, RENDERING ME HELPLESS AND STRANDED! THE VEHICLE WOULD REMAIN IN THIS STATE FOR ABOUT 30+ MINUTES, THEN USUALLY WOULD START UP AGAIN. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT SEVERAL TIMES, WITH EVERY MECHANIC TELLING ME THEY COULD TELL THERE WAS A DEFINATE PROBLEM, BUT HAD NO IDEA WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS COMING FROM!!
AFTER RESEARCHING MORE ONLINE, FINDING THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS WITH IDENTICAL DESCRIPTIONS, I FELT THAT THE PROBLEMS WERE ELECTRICAL, WHICH STEM FROM A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS! SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR I HAVE REPLACED ALMOST THE ENTIRE CAR, MORE THAN ONCE -- THE ENTIRE BRAKES SYSTEM – 3 TIMES, THE ENTIRE A/C SYSTEM ONCE, MY FUEL INJECTION ACTED UP AND FUEL GAUGE HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY! MOST RECENTLY THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING, POWER STEERING LEAKS PROFUSELY, EXHAUST LEAKS, HEAD GASKET REPLACED – 2 TIMES, NUMEROUS OIL LEAKS, HEADLIGHT'S HAVE BEEN REPLACED, REAR LIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED IN OVER A YEAR!! DOME LIGHT AND INTERIOR LAMPS FLICKER RANDOMLY, MY DRIVERSIDE WINDOW IS BROKEN ALONG THE METAL EXTENDING ARM (INSIDE OF THE DOOR FRAME), MY TRUNK RELEASE IS BROKEN, SEAT LOCKS NEVER WORKED, CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS AND PAINT IS CHIPPING OFF!
DURING THE SUMMER OF 2005, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THROUGH MYCARSTATS.COM AND THE NHTSA -- INFORMING ME ABOUT A RECALL ON 1996 DODGE NEONS. THE RECALL STATED THAT 1996 DODGE NEONS HAD A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS, WERE PRONE TO SYSTEM OVERHEATING, ENGINE STALLS, POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND INCREASING DANGER OF ENGINE FIRES!! THE RECALL FURTHER INSTRUCTED CONSUMERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES INTO THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP/SERVICE CENTER FOR A NEW WIRING HARNESS TO BE INSTALLED ASAP! I CALLED THE CHRYSLER CONSUMER HOTLINE TO FIND OUT WHERE THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP/SERVICE CENTER WAS LOCATED! THEY VERIFIED MY VIN#, CONFIRMED THAT MY CAR WAS PART OF THE RECALL GROUP AND INSTRUCTED ME TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS ATLANTA DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP, LLC., FOR MY REPAIRS AND UPGRADE!!
UNFORTUNATELY, THE "CLOSEST" DODGE DEALERSHIP IS ABOUT 20 MINUTES NORTH OF MIDTOWN, ATLANTA -- NOT SO CLOSE BY!! CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT MY NEON ONLY RUNS FOR 10 MINUTE SPURTS, BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN FOR 30 MINUTES, I DECIDED TO HAVE AAA TOW MY CAR TO THE SERVICE CENTER. I MET WITH BRIAN, A CUSTOMER SPECIALIST AND TOLD HIM I WAS THERE FOR THE WIRING HARNESS RECALL. HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT SAID HE WOULD CHECK INTO IT AND GIVE ME A CALL. I ALSO TOLD HIM ABOUT HOW THE ENGINE HAD BEEN STALLING AND LOSING POWER AND THAT NO ONE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. SO, BRIAN SAID HE WOULD HAVE THE MECHANIC CHECK IT OUT AND DO A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON IT TO SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THEN GIVE ME A CALL.
I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE IT BACK HOME BEFORE I RECEIVED A CALL FROM BRIAN TELLING ME HE FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR!! MY BATTERY WAS DEAD AND THEY CAN'T DO A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK UNTIL THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED WHICH WOULD RUN ME $180!! I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT MY BATTERY WASN'T EVEN A YEAR OLD AND IT WAS FINE!! I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY STRANGE THAT IT WAS DEAD NOW. I BOUGHT A BATTERY FROM ADVANCED AUTO PARTS FOR $40 AND TOOK IT IN MYSELF. BRIAN WAS AWAY FROM HIS DESK, BUT A MANAGER TOLD ME TO LEAVE THE BATTERY ON HIS DESK AND HE WOULD BE SURE TO GIVE IT TO BRIAN. BEFORE I GOT OFF THE LOT BRIAN CALLED, I MADE HIM AWARE OF THE BATTERY AND HE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS ON HIS DESK! I REMINDED HIM AGAIN ABOUT THE RECALL, HE THEN TOLD ME THE RECALL DIDN'T APPLY TO MY MAKE AND MODEL NEON!! I GAVE THEM THE NHTSA RECALL DOCUMENTATION AND WAS TOLD THAT IT DIDN'T APPLY TO MY CAR, ONLY TO THE NEONS FROM SOME PLANT IN NEW MEXICO!! I ASKED HIM TO CHECK INTO AGAIN, BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS UNDER RECALL AND THAT THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING WERE IDENTICAL TO OTHER WIRING HARNESS COMPLAINTS.
JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING I DECIDED TO CALL ATLANTA DODGE LLC. FOR AN UPDATE. I SPOKE WITH BRIAN THE CS REP. AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE MECHANICS COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR AND REFUSED TO RESEARCH ANY FURTHER UNLESS I AGREED TO SPEND AT LEAST $250 TOWARDS REPAIRS!! THIS STATEMENT FLOORED ME, NOT ONLY DID THEY REFUSE ME SERVICE, BUT THEY NEGLECTED MY SAFETY AND THE NHTSA RECALL!! I LET HIM KNOW THAT IT WAS NO COINCIDENCE THE SAME PARTS IN NEED OF REPAIRS ON MY NEON JUST HAPPENED TO BE IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF 15,000 OTHER NEONS -- REGARDLESS OF WHICH PLANT THE VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLED, THE DEFECTS LIE IN THE PLACEMENT AND/OR MANUFACTURING OF THE FAULTY PARTS, NOT THE ASSEMBLY LINE AND THE REPAIRS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER ANY RELATING RECALLS! BRIAN REPLIED, THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE HE COULD DO WITHOUT HAVING ME AGREE TO THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE!! HAVING NO CHOICE, BESIDES TOWING THE INOPERABLE VEHICLE BACK TO SIT IN MY PARKING LOT, I AGREED TO THE CHARGES, BUT LET HIM KNOW I WOULD BE CHECKING INTO THE RECALL A LITTLE FURTHER!!
ABOUT TWO MONTHS PASSED AND I HEARD NOTHING. I CALLED AND LEFT SEVERAL MESSAGES, COULD NEVER GET BRIAN ON THE PHONE AND NEVER GOT ANY CALLBACKS. FINALLY, I DECIDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. IT TOOK ABOUT TWO MONTHS, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND THE DEALERSHIP ADMITTED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND MY VEHICLE!! THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS CONSIDERED ABANDONED AND HAD BEEN SENT TO A HOLDING FACILITY. I VOICED MY CONCERN FOR MY VEHICLE BEING SURE TO TOUCH ON HOW COMPLETELY NEGLIGENT I FELT THE DEALERSHIP WAS IN THIS MATTER!! I WAS THEN TOLD THEY WOULD TRY TO LOCATE THE VEHICLE AND HAVE A MANAGER CONTACT ME IN A DAY OR TWO!! ABOUT A WEEK LATER, I SPOKE TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER – HE ATTEMPTED TO TELL JUGGLE LIES AROUND, EVENTUALLY DECIDING THAT SOMEONE AT MY 2ND CONTACT NUMBER HAD RELEASED/ABANDONED THE CAR TO THEM!! I THEN TOLD HIM, IT WAS BAD ENOUGH HOW NEGLIGENT ATLANTA DODGE LLC HAD BEEN THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, BUT NOW I HAD TO ENDURE BEING BLATANTLY LIED TO!! THE 2ND NUMBER WAS ALSO MY LINE AND I NEVER RECEIVED ANY CALL FROM THEM AND SURE AS HELL NEVER ABANDONED MY CAR!! THE SAME CAR I BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY FOR AND AGREED TO PAY A $250 DEDUCTIBLE ON!! AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF ME EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS ON THIS TOPIC, I WAS TOLD BY THE MANAGER THAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT TO FIND MY VEHICLE AND CALL ME IN A COUPLE OF DAYS!!
NOW, ALMOST 4 MONTHS LATER, I HAVE NOT HEARD ONE THING FROM THE MANAGER OF ATLANTA DODGE, LLC. I STILL HAVE NO VEHICLE AND AS IT SEEMS ATLANTA DODGE LLC. HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF HELPING ME OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT THEY STOLE A VEHICLE WHICH I NOT ONLY OWN BUT RETAIN MY TITLE FOR AND THEN PROCEEDED TO FURTHER BREAK THE LAW BY SELLING IT FOR PARTS OR SELLING IT AS A USED CAR!!
ANY HELP OR ADVICE ON THIS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO GO ABOUT PROSECUTING SUCH A CORRUPT, UNDERHANDED AND DECEITFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE!!
SINCERELY,
KELBY TARPLEY
AFTER RESEARCHING MORE ONLINE, FINDING THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS WITH IDENTICAL DESCRIPTIONS, I FELT THAT THE PROBLEMS WERE ELECTRICAL, WHICH STEM FROM A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS! SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR I HAVE REPLACED ALMOST THE ENTIRE CAR, MORE THAN ONCE -- THE ENTIRE BRAKES SYSTEM – 3 TIMES, THE ENTIRE A/C SYSTEM ONCE, MY FUEL INJECTION ACTED UP AND FUEL GAUGE HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY! MOST RECENTLY THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING, POWER STEERING LEAKS PROFUSELY, EXHAUST LEAKS, HEAD GASKET REPLACED – 2 TIMES, NUMEROUS OIL LEAKS, HEADLIGHT'S HAVE BEEN REPLACED, REAR LIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE NOT WORKED IN OVER A YEAR!! DOME LIGHT AND INTERIOR LAMPS FLICKER RANDOMLY, MY DRIVERSIDE WINDOW IS BROKEN ALONG THE METAL EXTENDING ARM (INSIDE OF THE DOOR FRAME), MY TRUNK RELEASE IS BROKEN, SEAT LOCKS NEVER WORKED, CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS AND PAINT IS CHIPPING OFF!
DURING THE SUMMER OF 2005, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THROUGH MYCARSTATS.COM AND THE NHTSA -- INFORMING ME ABOUT A RECALL ON 1996 DODGE NEONS. THE RECALL STATED THAT 1996 DODGE NEONS HAD A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS, WERE PRONE TO SYSTEM OVERHEATING, ENGINE STALLS, POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND INCREASING DANGER OF ENGINE FIRES!! THE RECALL FURTHER INSTRUCTED CONSUMERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES INTO THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP/SERVICE CENTER FOR A NEW WIRING HARNESS TO BE INSTALLED ASAP! I CALLED THE CHRYSLER CONSUMER HOTLINE TO FIND OUT WHERE THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP/SERVICE CENTER WAS LOCATED! THEY VERIFIED MY VIN#, CONFIRMED THAT MY CAR WAS PART OF THE RECALL GROUP AND INSTRUCTED ME TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP, WHICH WAS ATLANTA DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP, LLC., FOR MY REPAIRS AND UPGRADE!!
UNFORTUNATELY, THE "CLOSEST" DODGE DEALERSHIP IS ABOUT 20 MINUTES NORTH OF MIDTOWN, ATLANTA -- NOT SO CLOSE BY!! CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT MY NEON ONLY RUNS FOR 10 MINUTE SPURTS, BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN FOR 30 MINUTES, I DECIDED TO HAVE AAA TOW MY CAR TO THE SERVICE CENTER. I MET WITH BRIAN, A CUSTOMER SPECIALIST AND TOLD HIM I WAS THERE FOR THE WIRING HARNESS RECALL. HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT SAID HE WOULD CHECK INTO IT AND GIVE ME A CALL. I ALSO TOLD HIM ABOUT HOW THE ENGINE HAD BEEN STALLING AND LOSING POWER AND THAT NO ONE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. SO, BRIAN SAID HE WOULD HAVE THE MECHANIC CHECK IT OUT AND DO A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON IT TO SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THEN GIVE ME A CALL.
I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE IT BACK HOME BEFORE I RECEIVED A CALL FROM BRIAN TELLING ME HE FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR!! MY BATTERY WAS DEAD AND THEY CAN'T DO A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK UNTIL THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED WHICH WOULD RUN ME $180!! I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT MY BATTERY WASN'T EVEN A YEAR OLD AND IT WAS FINE!! I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY STRANGE THAT IT WAS DEAD NOW. I BOUGHT A BATTERY FROM ADVANCED AUTO PARTS FOR $40 AND TOOK IT IN MYSELF. BRIAN WAS AWAY FROM HIS DESK, BUT A MANAGER TOLD ME TO LEAVE THE BATTERY ON HIS DESK AND HE WOULD BE SURE TO GIVE IT TO BRIAN. BEFORE I GOT OFF THE LOT BRIAN CALLED, I MADE HIM AWARE OF THE BATTERY AND HE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS ON HIS DESK! I REMINDED HIM AGAIN ABOUT THE RECALL, HE THEN TOLD ME THE RECALL DIDN'T APPLY TO MY MAKE AND MODEL NEON!! I GAVE THEM THE NHTSA RECALL DOCUMENTATION AND WAS TOLD THAT IT DIDN'T APPLY TO MY CAR, ONLY TO THE NEONS FROM SOME PLANT IN NEW MEXICO!! I ASKED HIM TO CHECK INTO AGAIN, BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS UNDER RECALL AND THAT THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING WERE IDENTICAL TO OTHER WIRING HARNESS COMPLAINTS.
JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING I DECIDED TO CALL ATLANTA DODGE LLC. FOR AN UPDATE. I SPOKE WITH BRIAN THE CS REP. AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE MECHANICS COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR AND REFUSED TO RESEARCH ANY FURTHER UNLESS I AGREED TO SPEND AT LEAST $250 TOWARDS REPAIRS!! THIS STATEMENT FLOORED ME, NOT ONLY DID THEY REFUSE ME SERVICE, BUT THEY NEGLECTED MY SAFETY AND THE NHTSA RECALL!! I LET HIM KNOW THAT IT WAS NO COINCIDENCE THE SAME PARTS IN NEED OF REPAIRS ON MY NEON JUST HAPPENED TO BE IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF 15,000 OTHER NEONS -- REGARDLESS OF WHICH PLANT THE VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLED, THE DEFECTS LIE IN THE PLACEMENT AND/OR MANUFACTURING OF THE FAULTY PARTS, NOT THE ASSEMBLY LINE AND THE REPAIRS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER ANY RELATING RECALLS! BRIAN REPLIED, THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE HE COULD DO WITHOUT HAVING ME AGREE TO THE $250 DEDUCTIBLE!! HAVING NO CHOICE, BESIDES TOWING THE INOPERABLE VEHICLE BACK TO SIT IN MY PARKING LOT, I AGREED TO THE CHARGES, BUT LET HIM KNOW I WOULD BE CHECKING INTO THE RECALL A LITTLE FURTHER!!
ABOUT TWO MONTHS PASSED AND I HEARD NOTHING. I CALLED AND LEFT SEVERAL MESSAGES, COULD NEVER GET BRIAN ON THE PHONE AND NEVER GOT ANY CALLBACKS. FINALLY, I DECIDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. IT TOOK ABOUT TWO MONTHS, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND THE DEALERSHIP ADMITTED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND MY VEHICLE!! THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS CONSIDERED ABANDONED AND HAD BEEN SENT TO A HOLDING FACILITY. I VOICED MY CONCERN FOR MY VEHICLE BEING SURE TO TOUCH ON HOW COMPLETELY NEGLIGENT I FELT THE DEALERSHIP WAS IN THIS MATTER!! I WAS THEN TOLD THEY WOULD TRY TO LOCATE THE VEHICLE AND HAVE A MANAGER CONTACT ME IN A DAY OR TWO!! ABOUT A WEEK LATER, I SPOKE TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER – HE ATTEMPTED TO TELL JUGGLE LIES AROUND, EVENTUALLY DECIDING THAT SOMEONE AT MY 2ND CONTACT NUMBER HAD RELEASED/ABANDONED THE CAR TO THEM!! I THEN TOLD HIM, IT WAS BAD ENOUGH HOW NEGLIGENT ATLANTA DODGE LLC HAD BEEN THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, BUT NOW I HAD TO ENDURE BEING BLATANTLY LIED TO!! THE 2ND NUMBER WAS ALSO MY LINE AND I NEVER RECEIVED ANY CALL FROM THEM AND SURE AS HELL NEVER ABANDONED MY CAR!! THE SAME CAR I BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY FOR AND AGREED TO PAY A $250 DEDUCTIBLE ON!! AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF ME EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS ON THIS TOPIC, I WAS TOLD BY THE MANAGER THAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT TO FIND MY VEHICLE AND CALL ME IN A COUPLE OF DAYS!!
NOW, ALMOST 4 MONTHS LATER, I HAVE NOT HEARD ONE THING FROM THE MANAGER OF ATLANTA DODGE, LLC. I STILL HAVE NO VEHICLE AND AS IT SEEMS ATLANTA DODGE LLC. HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF HELPING ME OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT THEY STOLE A VEHICLE WHICH I NOT ONLY OWN BUT RETAIN MY TITLE FOR AND THEN PROCEEDED TO FURTHER BREAK THE LAW BY SELLING IT FOR PARTS OR SELLING IT AS A USED CAR!!
ANY HELP OR ADVICE ON THIS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO OR HOW TO GO ABOUT PROSECUTING SUCH A CORRUPT, UNDERHANDED AND DECEITFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE!!
SINCERELY,
KELBY TARPLEY
