2008 Dodge Avenger

I LEFT WORK TODAY, GET IN MY CAR, AND TRY TO LEAVE, I CAN'T!! WHY?!?! BECAUSE THE CAR WILL NOT GO OUT OF PARK, NO WARNINGS TO LEAD UP TO THIS HAPPENING. IT WAS SUCH AN INCONVENIENCE. I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR IN AN AREA OVERNIGHT THAT I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH. WHAT A PAIN!! NO RECALLS AND A LOT OF MONEY OUT OF A SINGLE HARD WORKING MAN'S INCOME. I HAVE NOT EVEN HAD THE CAR TWO YEARS. DUE TO MY MILES THE WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GET MY CAR TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AM STRANDED AND INCONVENIENCED. I HAVE A 2008 DODGE AVENGER 4CYL. WHAT THE [XXX], DODGE?? THE ENTIRE SHIFT ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I OWN A 2008 DODGE AVENGER AND EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SOOO GREAT UNTIL TWO WEEKS AGO I STARTED MY CAR AND WHEN I TRIED TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE IT WOULD NOT BUDGE. AFTER SEARCHING THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET I FOUND A TEMPORARY SOLUTION, THE USE OF A BUTTER KNIFE TO MOVE THE HOT PINK LEVER UNDER SHIFTER WHICH INTURN RELEASES GEAR FROM PARK. SO IN ORDER TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE I MUST USE THE BUTTER KNIFE TO RELEASE FROM PARK...........EVERYTIME!! I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER AND THEY STATED THEY HAD NOT SEEN ANY PROBLEMS LIKE I EXPLAINED. I ORDERED(FROM THE DEALERSHIP) A SHIFT ASSEMBLY WHICH IS $50.00 + TAX. (I KNEW WHAT PART I NEEDED FROM A POST FROM THIS SITE) AND NOW MY CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP GETTING "FIXED" AND LABOR IS DUE TO RUN ME $114.00 + .!!! I ASK THAT DODGE BE REQUIRED TO RECALL THIS PARTICULAR PART AND REIMBURSE THOSE WHO HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT FIXED. *TR

AFTER RESEARCH, THIS COMPLAINT HAS BEEN FILED AS EARLY AS JULY OF 2008. THEN VERY AGGRESSIVELY WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. WENT TO LEAVE A PARK WITH MY 2 DAUGHTERS FRIDAY AND COULD NOT BACK OUT OF PARKING SPOT DUE TO SHIFTER LOCKING UP. SEARCHED MANUAL FOR ANSWER AND TRIED THE OVER-RIDE SWITCH TO NO AVAIL. TOW DRIVER TOLD ME HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM JUST DAYS BEFORE WITH A DODGE. INFORMED ME OF THE COLOR AND PURPOSE OF THE CULPRIT AND AFTER RESEARCH? LO AND BEHOLD, COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT FILED FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS (NEXT MONTH) ABOUT THE LITTLE PLASTIC PINK PIECE THAT RENDERS SHIFTER USELESS. THIS SITE PROCLAIMS TO "ADMINISTER SAFETY RECALLS TO SUPPORT THE NHTSA'S MISSION TO IMPROVE SAFETY ON OUR NATION'S ROADWAYS, YOUR COMPLAINT IS IMPORTANT TO US AND IF WARRANTED, THE (ODI) WILL OPEN AN INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE IF A SAFETY DEFECT TREND EXISTS." WELL HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO BE LEFT STRANDED, MISS A DAYS PAY, FAIL TO PICK UP THEIR CHILDREN AND/OR BORROW MONEY FOR THIS REPAIR (AS I HAVE HAD TO DO), OR FLAT OUT BE LEFT WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION. BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO MEANS FOR REPAIRS THAT ARE DUE TO A FACTORY FLAW THAT EVERYONE (DEALERSHIPS AND O.D.I.) REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE? LETS SEE ONE OF YOU HEAD OUT TO WORK, JUMP IN THE CAR TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD AND OR PACK THE TRUNK FOR VACATION. ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT YOU CAN'T SHIFT OUT OF PARK DUE TO DODGE'S ARROGANCE. THINK YOU SEE A DEFECT TREND THEN? RECALL WARRANTED? TWO YEARS FOLKS! AND COMPLAINTS BEING FILED MORE CONSECUTIVELY BY THE DAY. AS FOR THE LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY? TALK ABOUT FALSE ADVERTISING AND MISLEADING A CONSUMER. BUY AMERICAN? THINK I'LL GO WITH TOYOTA NEXT ROUND THANK YOU. AT LEAST THEY WILL FIX THEIR DEFECT TRENDS. THOUGH IT APPEARS THAT THEY WERE PUSHED TO DO SO OUT OF PREJUDICE. DODGE CAN GET BY WITH THE VERY SAME ACT OF IGNORANCE. SINCE THE TOW MAN COULDN'T GET MY CAR IN GEAR, WHEN HE LIFTED IT FOR HOOK UP. THE FRONT BUMPER DRAGGED THE PARKING CURB AND SCARRED IT MAJOR. *TR

MY WIFE, MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, AND I ALL DROVE MY CAR ON FRIDAY WITH NO ISSUES. THE NEXT TIME I TRIED TO DRIVE MY CAR ON SATURDAY, I COULD NOT SHIFT MY CAR OUT OF PARK. MY CAR IS A 2008 DODGE AVENGER. WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES, MAKING SURE THE STEERING WHEEL WASN'T LOCKED, THE BRAKES WERE PRESSED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MOVE OUT OF PARK, CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND CHECKED ANYTHING ELSE WE THOUGHT MIGHT CAUSE THE ISSUE. AFTER ALL THAT FAILED, I RESEARCHED A LITTLE ONLINE AND FOUND A FORUM ON CUSTOMERCOMPLAINT.COM WHERE SEVERAL OWNERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE TYPE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. APPARENTLY THERE IS A VERY SMALL, PINK PLASTIC HOOK IN THE SHIFTING ASSEMBLY THAT ALLOWS THE SHIFTER TO MOVE OUT OF PARK. NOT SURPRISINGLY CONSIDERING HOW SMALL IT IS, THIS HOOK BREAKS, PREVENTING THE CAR FROM SHIFTING. ON THE FORUM, MULTIPLE PEOPLE COMPLAINED THAT THE DEALERSHIPS WERE TELLING THEM THIS WASN'T COVERED ON WARRANTY. MY WARRANTY WAS UP, SO I USED A SUGGESTION FROM THE FORUM TO USE A COMPRESSION SPRING TO HOLD THE PINK ASSEMBLY IN PLACE ONCE THE HOOK BREAKS. NOT AN IDEAL FIX, BUT IT WORKS AND ONLY COST ME A COUPLE OF DOLLARS FOR THE SPRING INSTEAD OF THE 100-300 DOLLARS INVOLVED IN TOWING AND HAVING THE DEALERSHIP LOOK AT IT THAT OTHERS ON THAT FORUM WENT THROUGH. *TR

WE WERE ON OUR FIRST DAY OF VACATION. WE ORDERED SOME TAKE OUT AND WERE GOING TO PICK IT UP. WE PULLED OVER INTO A PARKING LOT TO GRAB OUR DEBIT CARD OUT OF OUR CONSOLE. WE PUT IT IN PARK AND THEN TRIED TO CONTINUE ON OUR WAY WHEN IT WOULDN'T COME OUT OF PARK. THE CAR NO WARNINGS THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. WE ENDED UP HAVING TO CALL OUR SISTER AND BROTH IN LAW TO HELP US. OUR TWO YEAR OLD WAS IN THE BACK SEAT. WE HAD TO TAKE HER OUT AND PUT THE CAR SEAT IN OUR SISTERS CAR. THEN WE HAD TO CALL AND CANCEL OUR TAKE OUT. WE EVENTUALLY PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE MANUALLY TEARING APART THE CONSOLE AND DRIVING IT TO DODGE. THIS WAS THE WORST START OF ANT VACATION WE HAVE EVER BEEN ON. WITH ALL THESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE GEAR SHIFT LOCKING UP AND THERE IS NO RECALL YET. SERIOUSLY, THIS IS HARD TO BELIEVE. NOW I JUST BLEW 300$ OF OUR VACATION MONEY. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR