1997 Chrysler Lhs

ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2004, MR. ROBERT GALENTY OF ISELIN, NJ, PETITIONED THE AGENCY TO CONDUCT DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS OF CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1993-1997 VEHICLES PRODUCED BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION.HIS PETITION IDENTIFIED THREE ISSUES OF CONCERN: 1) FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL INJECTOR RAILS; 2) BRAKE FLUID CONTAMINATION RESULTING IN BRAKE FAILURE; AND 3) SUSCEPTIBILITY OF THE VEHICLE FRAME TO DAMAGE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING TOWED.MR. GALANTY ALLEGED THAT HIS 1996 DODGE INTREPID HAD EACH OF THESE THREE PROBLEMS.CONCERNING FUEL RAIL LEAKAGE, DAIMLERCHRYSLER COMMENCED A RECALL (98V-184) OF APPROXIMATELY 722,600 VEHICLES TO ADDRESS ENGINE FUEL RAIL LEAKS THAT COULD LEAD TO A FIRE, INCLUDING THOSE VEHICLES CITED IN THE PETITION AND THE PETITIONER'S 1996 DODGE INTREPID.ON OCTOBER 7, 1998, NHTSA OPENED A RECALL QUERY INVESTIGATION (RQ98-018) TO EVALUATE THE ADEQUACY OF THE RECALL REMEDY.THAT INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED ON JULY 8, 2002 WITHOUT REQUIRING FURTHER ACTION BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER.VERY RECENTLY, ON JUNE 9, 2004, NHTSA DENIED A PETITION (RP04-001) TO REOPEN RQ98-018 AFTER FINDING THAT THERE WAS NO NEW INFORMATION THAT WOULD INDICATE ANY BASIS FOR REOPENING IT.THIS IS STILL THE CURRENT POSITION OF NHTSA ON THIS ISSUE.CONCERNING BRAKE FLUID CONTAMINATION AND FRAME ALIGNMENT, A REVIEW OF NHTSA'S DATABASE SHOWS NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ON EITHER ONE OF THESE ISSUES ON THE VEHICLES CITED IN THE PETITION.

THE MANUFACTURER REPORTS ABOVE ARE BASED ON DAIMLERCHRYSLER?S (DC) ANALYSIS OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998 (POPULATION = 356,384) AND 1999 (POPULATION = 486,948) JA, JX AND LH FAMILY SUBJECT VEHICLE DATA (EARLIER MYS EXCLUDED).THE POPULATION NUMBER INCLUDES ALL MYS.THE PRECISE NUMBER OF DUPLICATES BETWEEN ODI AND DC REPORTS CANNOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO MISSING OR INCOMPLETE INFORMATION.THE FATALITY INCIDENT INVOLVED AN ELDERLY PERSON WHO ATTEMPTED TO STOP A ROLL AWAY VEHICLE AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.ODI ALSO GATHERED INFORMATION ON MY 1997-99 PROWLER VEHICLES IN THIS INVESTIGATION. THE PROWLER VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN SHIFTER MECHANISM (THE SHIFT LEVER IS SHORTER).THERE ARE NO COMPLAINTS OF PROWLER INTERLOCK FAILURE IN ODI?S DATABASE, AND DC HAS RECEIVED NO REPORTS EITHER.THE PROWLER IS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL SCOPE.THE INVESTIGATION INVOLVED A CONDITION WHERE THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM COULD FAIL (OR BE MADE INOPERATIVE BY THE OPERATOR) DURING VEHICLE USE, POSSIBLY INADVERTENTLY.THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM IS REQUIRED UNDER FMVSS 114.WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE IGNITION KEY OFF, THE COMBINED ACTION OF PRESSING THE SHIFT BUTTON AND PULLING THE SHIFT LEVER REARWARD MAY RESULT IN THE OPERATOR OVERCOMING THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM AND CAUSE THE MECHANICAL LINKAGE OF THE SYSTEM TO DISCONNECT.WHEN THIS OCCURS, THERE IS NO OVERT INDICATION TO AN OPERATOR THAT THE SYSTEM IS DEFEATED, AND AN INCREASED RISK OF VEHICLE ROLL-AWAY EXISTS.UNDER RECALL 04V021, DC WILL REPLACE DAMAGED SHIFT MECHANISMS, AND WILL INSTALL ON ALL VEHICLES A DEVICE WHICH INHIBITS THE OPERATOR?S ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK AND DEFEAT THE SYSTEM.BEGINNING WITH MY 2000, DC INCORPORATED A BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTER INTERLOCK (BTSI) SYSTEM INTO THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.INTRODUCTION OF BTSI INVOLVED DESIGN CHANGES TO THE SHIFT MECHANISM, ONE OF WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE (RMA) OF THE SHIFT BUTTON.THE RMA SHIFTER REQUIRES INCREASED FORCES TO OVERCOME THE INTERLOCK SYSTEM, MAKING THE SHIFTER LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE.

I NOTICED A GAS SMELL WHILE DRIVING AND THOUGHT THAT SINCE I HAD RECENTLY PUT GAS INTO THE VEHICLE THAT THAT WAS WHAT I SMELLED. THE SMELL PERSISTED AND I HAD THE HOOD OPEN AND I NOTICED THAT GAS WAS GUSHING OUT OF THE FRONT MIDDLE PART OF THE ENGINE. MY ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND IT WAS FLASHING ON AND OFF SO I PARKED IT AND IT NOW SITS. I RELY ON MY CAR TO GET TO WORK. I WAS TOLD THAT A FIRE COULD START AND I FEARED FOR MY SAFEY AND OTHERS AROUND ME.

NHTSA ID

11175093

Incident

Feb 6, 2019

Mileage

160,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND MY DASH LIGHT WENT BLACK. IT STOPPED WORKING. THEY DID NOT WORK FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THEN A WEEK AGO THEY CAME BACK ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING. TONIGHT, AFTER A WEEK OF WORKING DASH LIGHTS, THEY SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING AGAIN AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WHAT IS GOING ON? PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10499816

Incident

May 30, 2012

Mileage

68,044 mi

CAR HAS HAD BAD FUEL LEAK NOW FOR A MONTH , IT IS AN INJECTOR THAT I AM CERTAIN WAS REPLACED BY THE LOCAL DEALER TWO YEARS AGO , BUT EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE DIAGNOSED IT, THEY ARE CLAIMING THEY REPLACED A DIFFERENT INJECTOR TO THE LEAKING ONE ,AND THEREFORE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THEIR WARRANTY. I CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE LEAK . *TR

NHTSA ID

10440227

Incident

Nov 14, 2011

Mileage

140,000 mi

BAD FUEL LEAK DEVELOPED , AND WAS , AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS , REPAIRED BY LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER ,- PLENUM , INJECTOR ETC. REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10440225

Incident

Oct 14, 2009

Mileage

127,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHRYSLER LHS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED AND REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 98V184000 (FUEL SYSTEM: GASOLINE: FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM) IN 1999 FOR AN ABNORMAL GASOLINE SMELL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ODOR HAD RETURNED AND THE SMELL OF GASOLINE WAS EXTREMELY OVERPOWERING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE O-RINGS FAILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 143,000.

NHTSA ID

10436782

Incident

Nov 15, 2011

Mileage

143,000 mi

I HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. I CHECKED IT ON A COMPUTER AND IT SAID MISFIRE ON CYLINDER ONE. IT WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND A FAMILY FRIEND IS A SERVICE MANAGER FOR A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP ON THE MAINLAND, I LIVE IN HAWAII. HE SAID THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT VERY LIKELY COULD BE RELATED TO RECALL # 98V184000. I TOOK IT INTO, CUTTER DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP IN PEARL CITY HAWAII, IN HOPES THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE RECALL. A FEW DAYS LATER THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIRES AND SPARK PLUGS AND TO COME AND PICK UP MY CAR. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING, GRANTED WHEN I DROPPED IT OFF IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH BUT IT WAS RUNNING NEVERTHELESS. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED OFF OF THE LOT AND WHEN I TOOK IT BACK TO MY HOUSE I CHANGED THE SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES. I STILL HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, WHEN I DROVE THE CAR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. I KNOW THAT IT MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF TRIPS TO RESET THE COMPUTER. WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OFF I WANTED TO CHECK AND SEE HOW THE FUEL INJECTORS WERE. THAT IS WHEN I FOUND THAT THERE WAS GAS UNDER THE FUEL RAIL, AND THE FUEL RAIL HAS CRACKS AROUND WHERE THE FUEL INJECTORS SIT. I TOOK THE PARTS TO THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD THE PARTS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS IT WENT FROM THE GENTLEMAN THAT I WAS WORKING WITH IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO HIS MANAGER TO TOM SMITH WHO ULTIMATELY SAID HE WOULD NOT HELP ME WITH THIS RECALL. THE FUEL INJECTORS ARE DEFINITELY LEAKING AND THERE ARE CRACKS ON THE FUEL RAIL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10347884

Incident

May 15, 2009

Mileage

105,243 mi

MY 1997 CHRYSLER LHS COMPLETELY LOST ALL STEERING,THE STEERING WHEEL WENT FROM ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER WITH NO RESISTANCE AT ALL AND THE WHEELS NEVER MOVED,LUCKILY IT WAS IN A PARKING LOT AND NOT DRIVING MY GRANDKIDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10328658

Incident

May 3, 2010

Mileage

137,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHRYSLER LHS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, THE TRANSMISSION PAN WAS CLEANED. SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE REPAIR, WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK IN THE APPLIED POSITION. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKES. SHE HAD TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER. SHE IS IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR A PROPER DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE IS 104,000. UPDATED 3/30/09 *CNTHE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE ACCLERATOR PEDAL WAS STUCK. UPDATED 03/31/09.*JB

NHTSA ID

10260789

Incident

Jul 2, 2008

Mileage

97,000 mi

Charging System, Battery Diagnostic Tools and Warranty This information only bulletin discusses using the correct test equipment for testing batteries and charging systems, and also warranty reimbursement when battery replacements are necessary.

Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of recycled or salvage parts.

Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of recycled or salvage parts.

Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to structural repair parts usage.

Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to structural repair parts usage.

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