Nikki Curiale-GarrisonLake Havasu City, AZ, United States
Jun 5, 2016
Hi Jenna, How are you today? Honestly I did not anticipate a response from Dodge so your email is welcomed. I would like to start out by telling you about my 2005 Dodge Magnum. I bought my Magnum in September of 2015 not having done any research into the car or the motor first. I chose the Magnum I bought very carefully. The car was exceptionally maintained inside, outside and mechanically. The day following my purchase from a private party, I brought my car to my local Dodge dealer (Anderson Chrysler) and had them do a complete inspection of my vehicle. We had a Hemi tune-up done, had new motor mounts installed, new EGR valve and PCV valve, new water pump, radiator, thermostat and hoses. Everything recommended was addressed on the car accept for the sun roof update. All of the recalls were also addressed. Shortly after my car was at Anderson Chrysler I got a call from their re-sale department asking me if I wanted to sell my car to them. I told them my car was not for sale. This happened two more times after my car was serviced, once again by telephone and the next time in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Company where my son was approached by a saleswoman identifying herself as being from Anderson Chrysler asking him if he was interested in selling them my car. He again told her no. The beginning of May I had a trip planned out of town to pick my daughter up at the Las Vegas Airport. As I always did before a trip I stopped at the local lube shop to have my fluids checked and air pressure in my tires to ensure a safe trip. I shut my car off when I pulled into the service bay and three minutes later when I attempted to start it again, it absolutely would not start. I immediately had my car towed to Anderson Chrysler and two days later got a call from them telling me that I dropped a valve seat and needed a new motor. This information was unbelievable because Typically when a motor is going to blow in a car, there are signs of impending trouble. There were no signs. My Magnum never got hot, never smoked, never burned oil, never hesitated, never ran rough, never failed to start, nothing. I had a hard time understanding how this could happen so I went down to Dodge and spoke with the service writer, the service manager, and the mechanic all at the same time. The service manager looked me right in the eyes and told me this issue was, "really, really, really rare" and that it only happens to "1 in a billion" people. So I looked at my mechanic and said, "So did you foresee this in my future at all?" He responded with, "Absolutely not." Instead of taking their word for it that this issue was rare and I was the one freak out there this happened too, I decided to do my own research. I have since joined multiple Magnum groups, Hemi forums, Challenger, Charger and 300 groups as well. Do you know what I have found? I have come into contact now with over 300 other 2005-2007 Hemi owners who have all experienced the EXACT same issue as I did. Sadly there are even some owners who have experienced this issue more than once. This issue is not rare. I am not a freak who is "1 in a billion". This has happened to more than 5% of the 2005-2007 Hemi owners out there and Dodge is more than happy to leave the customer holding the bag on this one since the dropping valve seats would be to costly to recall and since it can't be classified as a safety issue it is ignored. If these people (like myself) were mistreating their vehicles it's one thing but each and every story I have read is exactly the same...."I stopped to get gas...turned the key...dropped a valve seat". It is absolutely heartbreaking to pride yourself in your upkeep and vehicle maintenance just to be told....sorry...it's rare! I have started a petition and asked for only 2005-2007 Hemi owners who have experienced this same issue sign the petition. We have 316 signatures, 184 more to reach 500 signatures. The stories are real and the issue is a defect that Dodge needs to address. I paid over $700 for a detail on my car, trust me, my car was/is pampered. I bet Anderson isn't interested in buying it now. My goal is to have Dodge address this defect and recall these motors. Thank you for your time. I am attaching a link to my petition. Nikki Curiale-Garrison
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