2000 Chrysler Concorde

I HAVE AN 2000 CHRYSLER CONCORDE AND WAS TURNING FROM ONE HIGHWAY TO NEXT AND CAR DIED RIGHT IN MIDDLE OF TURN. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR LOUD ENGINE SOUNDS THAT WOULD INDICATE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HAD CAR TOWED TO CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID ENGINE HAD FROZE UP AND WOULD COST $7,100 TO REPLACE IT WITH NEW ENGINE AS NO USED ENGINES WERE AVAILABLE. CAR ONLY HAD 85,300 MILES ON IT AND HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE...WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED PREVIOUS YEAR. CALLED DAIMLER-CHRYSLER CORP AND THEY WERE VERY RUDE. *NM

COMPLETE 2.7L ENGINE FAILURE AT 87,000 MILES. OIL CHANGES OCCURRED EVERY 3,000 MILES (MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDATION BY THE MANUFACTURER). SCHEDULE A IN THE OWNERS MANUAL RECOMMENDS OIL CHANGES EVERY 7500 MILES UNDER "NORMAL" OPERATING CONDITIONS. SCHEDULE B RECOMMENDS OIL CHANGES EVERY 3000 MILES IF YOU OPERATE YOUR VEHICLE UNDER ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: 1. DAY AND NIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING OR 2. FREQUENT STOP AND GO DRIVING OR 3. FREQUENT LONG PERIODS OF ENGINE IDLING OR 4. FREQUENT SHORT TRIPS OF LESS THAN 5 MILES OR 5. FREQUENT OPERATION AT SUSTAINED HIGH SPEEDS DURING HOT WEATHER, ABOVE 90 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR 6. FREQUENT TRAILER TOWING OR &. TAXI, POLICE OR DELIVERY SERVICE, NON OF WHICH APPLY TO OUR SITUATION AND WE STILL CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3000 MILES. WITHOUT ANY INDICATION OF A PROBLEM, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 70 MPH PLACING US IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TRYING TO COAST TO A SAFE PLACE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A CLOSED CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP ON A SATURDAY EVENING AND WE WERE STRANDED TRYING TO FIND A RENTAL CAR. THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP STATED THE NEXT MONDAY THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $7400. CONSIDERING THAT THE BALANCE OF THE CAR LOAN IS $6000, IT IS NOT FEASIBLE TO REPAIR THE CAR AT THAT COST. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THIS CAR THAT WE CANNOT DRIVE AND WE ARE ALSO PAYING A STORAGE FEE SINCE WE ARE UNABLE TO KEEP A BROKEN DOWN CAR AT OUR RESIDENCE. AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR A RENTAL CAR UNTIL WE FIND ANOTHER VEHICLE. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER CUSTOMER RELATIONS DEPT. 1/11/06 AND SPOKE WITH A SCREENER WHO GAVE ME A REFERENCE NUMBER AND PASSED ME ON TO CHRYSLER REP. #177 ONLY TO BE TOLD BY CHRYSLER REP. ID#177 THAT IT'S NOT THEIR PROBLEM, IT'S OUR PROBLEM. *JB

OIL LIGHT WENT ON YESTERDAY MORNING. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AT A SERVICE STATION AND THEY PUT IN A QUART OF OIL. ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK LAST NIGHT, OIL LIGHT WAS STILL ON. I STOPPED AT ANOTHER SERVICE STATION AND THEY PUT IN ANOTHER QUART OF OIL. MINUTES LATER, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I PUSHED THE CAR INTO A NEARBY GAS STATION AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING. THEY JUST INFORMED ME THAT I NEED A NEW ENGINE - MINIMUM COST WILL BE $6,400. THEY ADVISED THAT THESE WERE NOT GREAT ENGINES AND CHRYSLER IS NOT PROUD OF THEM. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 CHRYSLER CONCORDE. WHILE DRIVING IT IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC THE TIMING CHAIN WENT OUT AND THE ENGINE WAS TRASHED. THIS OCCURRED ON 9-22-05. THE CONTACT WAS TO HAVE A NEW ENGINE INSTALLED. HE FOUND SOME INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET ABOUT HOW OIL SLUDGE BUILDUP IN THESE ENGINES COULD CAUSE THE TIMING CHAIN TO FAIL, WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO MALFUNCTION. APPARENTLY, THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES. THE CONTACT STATED MERCEDES BENZ AND VOLKSWAGEN HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE SAME ENGINE. THEY HAVE EXTENDED THEIR WARRANTIES TO COVER SLUDGE PROBLEMS BEYOND THE NORMAL WARRANTY PERIOD. HE HAS NOT YET TALKED TO THE DEALER.*AK *NM

DT: THE CONTACT HEARD A TAPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2005. HE HAD NOT DRIVEN IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. THEN, HE TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC, AND THEY TOLD HIM THEY BELIEVED THAT IT HAD AN ENGINE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME, AND THE NEXT TIME HE TRIED TO START VEHICLE UP BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THE CONTACT TOWED IT TO A DEALER, AND THEY SAID THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE HAD THE ENGINE REPLACED NOW.*AK UPDATED 12/7/2005. *NM