Screw you, says Dodge

To complicate my already hectic week further, my car would not start yesterday. The battery appeared dead, so I took it to the auto parts store to have it checked. They said it was fine, just completely discharged.  I took it home and put it on the charger.

While I was doing this, I found the problem. The Challenger has a feature called "Smart Window" that cracks the window in each door as you grab the door handle. The feature in my car is constantly opening and closing the windows and killing the battery. This is an issue that is common in the Challenger, and Dodge was aware of for a full year before I bought the car. At least one service bulletin was issued on the problem.

The dealer has told me that since my car is 3,000 miles outside of the warranty period, they will not repair it under warranty, even though this is a defect that they knew of when they sold me the car, and did not disclose.

How is this NOT fraud?

The car is not even two years old, and has 39,000 miles on it. It needs tires, brakes, and now needs the door handles replaced because of a manufacturing defect. I have taken it in to be repaired under warranty three times already. The total repairs that are needed at this point are close to $3,000. This is my last, and I mean last, American car. I have never spent so much to keep a new car running.

No wonder you domestic car makers need bailouts, your cars are rubbish. I am going to trade your piece of crap in on a Nissan or Toyota within the next three months. In the meantime, I will have to keep the car in the garage with the windows down.