[K-Dawg]

So I no sooner get in the door from taking my 2013 R/T Classic on it's first run of the year (immediatly after taking it down off blocks, removing the cover, rotating the tires and changing the oil) when my wife hands me a recall notice from FCA for "Alternator Diode Thermal Fatigue".

:smiley35:

 

[K-Dawg]

Looking around, looks like this recall has been around since the summer. If this failure could cause my power steering to fail, or the alternator to burst into flames......why am I getting this notification 7 months later than everyone else? Should I call Edgar Snyder?

 

[RoadTrippin']

The parts to fix it just now became available, so everyone is getting notified of that.
Be glad you didn't know you had a concern since last year.

 

[K-Dawg]

The parts to fix it just now became available, so everyone is getting notified of that.
Be glad you didn't know you had a concern since last year.

Now I'm pissed I took a 2500 mile road trip in a car with a known issue that I didn't know about. Losing all power at 80MPH or bursting into flames along the highway certainly wouldn't make me a repeat FCA buyer. Not telling me about it until replacement parts are available is even more negligent. I probably would not have put my grandkids in a car that has this potential for failure, had I known. I didn't see any news stories, and wasn't following this forum last summer....or all fall. I should have gotten a notification the instant the problem was known, so I could decide if I wanted to continue to drive the car or not. This is monumental bull crap.

 

[RoadTrippin']

I can appreciate that. I cancelled a road trip I had planned last year for that very reason.
I can not speak to what happened to your first notification, I received mine last summer as well as being told, replacement parts were not available.

 

[PSM450]

I just received a letter last night as well, I'm more worried about damage to the car at the dealership than a parts failure

 

[K-Dawg]

I just received a letter last night as well, I'm more worried about damage to the car at the dealership than a parts failure

Me too. Had my car in the dealer for collision repair. When they put it back together, they left the connector for the electric fan.....disconnected. I drove it for 2-months in Western PA (April - June) with no problems (when you're always moving, there's enough air for cooling). Never got hot. Headed to Florida on a vacation road-trip in June. Drove all morning through PA, W. VA, and VA with no problems. As soon as I hit stop-and-go traffic at Lake Norman, N.C., she heated up like a feminist at a Trump rally. Boiled the coolant before I could get to the next off ramp. Put an air-bubble the block that I couldn't get out. Ended up getting towed to a garage that could burp it.
Dealer paid all my costs and replaced the coolant and threw in a free oil change, but the aggravation and inconvenience, on my way to vacation, were.....well.....aggravating and inconvenient.

 

[stevewhite]

Now I'm pissed I took a 2500 mile road trip in a car with a known issue that I didn't know about. Losing all power at 80MPH or bursting into flames along the highway certainly wouldn't make me a repeat FCA buyer. Not telling me about it until replacement parts are available is even more negligent. I probably would not have put my grandkids in a car that has this potential for failure, had I known. I didn't see any news stories, and wasn't following this forum last summer....or all fall. I should have gotten a notification the instant the problem was known, so I could decide if I wanted to continue to drive the car or not. This is monumental bull crap.

sorry but letters where sent out on this months ago, many many months ago.....August 24th 2017 as a matter of fact, under federal rule people must be notified immediately whether a repair procedure exist or not, or whether parts are available or not....

FCA relies on RL.Polk and their own data base to contact customers....if your information is incorrect you will never received anything, second owner where info was not updated properly etc will affect the outcome, if you moved etc

you can contact FCA at 800-992-1997

 

[stevewhite]

for example recall that just launch a few days ago, no parts yet or repair procedure



I know different recall, but same style letter was sent out immediately when recall was initially launch
Luke

 

[K-Dawg]

Well FCA (or the U.S. Postal service) screwed the pooch on this one. I never got a recall notice last summer. I'm the second owner (bought it 4 months after original owner, who had it for 3 weeks/600 miles and traded it in), but have had it for 5 years (in March). I've had it several times into my local Dodge dealer for warranty work, so, I've been in their "system" for several years. I haven't moved, haven't updated any databases and got the second notice this week, just fine. I didn't see it in the news media and wasn't a close follower of this forum last summer either. So, I'm just one of those poor slobs who slipped through the cracks. Good thing my car alternator didn't fail or burst into flames during the time I was not aware of the recall. At least now, I have the opportunity to park it until it's fixed.

 

[stevewhite]

the dealer dms system is not connected to FCA, the data is not pushed, plus lot of different dms systems, unless the dealers physically updates the info manually it will not be updated, and the time required to this, very few will ever do it, its cumbersome

manufacturers use a number of market research company like RL. Polk to update the the information, most likely the reason why you never got the first letter but as the info is updated, you are now being notified

Luke

 

[stevewhite]

anytime you move or buy a used vehicle its always a good idea to reach out to the manufacturer to ensure the information is updated
Luke

 

[K-Dawg]

anytime you move or buy a used vehicle its always a good idea to reach out to the manufacturer to ensure the information is updated
Luke

"the dealer dms system is not connected to FCA, the data is not pushed"

This seems to be an opportunity for improvement.

 

[stevewhite]

"the dealer dms system is not connected to FCA, the data is not pushed"

This seems to be an opportunity for improvement.

I would agree
Luke

 

[TorRed Jim]

K-Dawg,

Most of us actually knew BEFORE we got our official recall notices. Not sure why you didn't. Lots of communication (and complaining) about it here:

http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f89/2011-2014-alternator-recall-597553/

Hang in there.... :|

 

[K-Dawg]

K-Dawg,

Most of us actually knew BEFORE we got our official recall notices. Not sure why you didn't. Lots of communication (and complaining) about it here:

http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f89/2011-2014-alternator-recall-597553/

Hang in there.... :|

I hadn't monitored this forum for quite some time. Just started really watching it last month. Never saw it in the news. I'm more miffed that I took it on a 2500 mile road trip, risking a high-speed power loss while a long way from home. AND I would NEVER have put my small grandchildren in a car that with this potential failure, but since I didn't know about it, they were then exposed to this risk. Unacceptable to me. I can accept parking the car and not driving it until the repair is made. What I can't accept is what might have happened if this alternator had failed while I had precious cargo in the back seat.

 

[ChallyTatum]

So I no sooner get in the door from taking my 2013 R/T Classic on it's first run of the year (immediatly after taking it down off blocks, removing the cover, rotating the tires and changing the oil) when my wife hands me a recall notice from FCA for "Alternator Diode Thermal Fatigue".

:smiley35:

FYI if you register your vehicle through mopar connect, you can see which recalls are specific to your vehicle.
https://www.mopar.com/en-us/services/mopar-connect.html

 

[Hal H]

Now I'm pissed I took a 2500 mile road trip in a car with a known issue that I didn't know about. Losing all power at 80MPH or bursting into flames along the highway certainly wouldn't make me a repeat FCA buyer. Not telling me about it until replacement parts are available is even more negligent. I probably would not have put my grandkids in a car that has this potential for failure, had I known. I didn't see any news stories, and wasn't following this forum last summer....or all fall. I should have gotten a notification the instant the problem was known, so I could decide if I wanted to continue to drive the car or not. This is monumental bull crap.

The symptoms of the alternator failing are generally going to be:

*alert messages of electric-hyd p/s system error
*low voltage errors
*flickering IP cluster
*battery going dead

In some extreme cases the alternator rectifier "smoked out" as it failed. In come extreme cases it can take out the TIPM [power dist module in engine bay].

If you notice symptoms, don't drive it. Low voltage conditions can damage various items.

I think in some cases owners kept charging up a battery that would get weak or go dead or ignored noises or symptoms.

There's 100K+ cars ('11 - '14) affected and getting the parts supply side lined up is the logistical issue.

If you go onto the aftermarket parts sellers (the big national ones) there's out-of-stock issues with alternators for the FCA applications for the V8 models...

 

[K-Dawg]

I'm not taking any chances. I'm not interested in losing all power while I'm tooling down the interstate on my way to work. I'm reasonably sure if I was travelling straight I could stop it and get it to the breakdown lane with no power steering or power brakes, but if it happened in one of the bends (ever driven interstates in PA?....lots of S-curves and aggressive hilly bends), I'm not confident I wouldn't be in the median, against the guard-rails or in the woods. And I definitely won't put another person (especially children) in it. Just gonna park it until it's fixed. Not worth the gamble, to me. It will give me time to put new spark-plugs in and maybe work on sprucing up the finish. Looking at some aftermarket wheels. Maybe by the time the alternators are available, I'll have a better, than new looking '13.

 

[TorRed Jim]

I'm not taking any chances. I'm not interested in losing all power while I'm tooling down the interstate on my way to work. I'm reasonably sure if I was travelling straight I could stop it and get it to the breakdown lane with no power steering or power brakes, but if it happened in one of the bends (ever driven interstates in PA?....lots of S-curves and aggressive hilly bends), I'm not confident I wouldn't be in the median, against the guard-rails or in the woods. And I definitely won't put another person (especially children) in it. Just gonna park it until it's fixed. Not worth the gamble, to me. It will give me time to put new spark-plugs in and maybe work on sprucing up the finish. Looking at some aftermarket wheels. Maybe by the time the alternators are available, I'll have a better, than new looking '13.

Parts are available now..... I got my letter yesterday. Call your dealership and verify first, then take it in for the "fix". The letter says it's a two hour job. You'll be tooling around those crazy Pennsylvania roads (getting speeding tickets) in no time.....:surprise: