[Venthos]

Hey guys, been quite a while since I last posted here. I've had a lot going on career wise and the like, but a recent development here with my car has lead me to giving a bit of a PSA back to you guys on saving your warranty.

When I first got my car (2011 SRT8), I noticed some grindiness in the gears -- much more so than the 2009 SRT8 I had before that. After I brought it in, it was found that the clutch plate was not properly set by the factory and was never fully disengaging from the flywheel. They fixed that. I still noticed problems. Shifting 1->2 and 2->3 was still a bit grindy, but they assured me it would "work itself out" over the next thousand miles.

Over the course of the past 1.5 years or so, I've brought by car in 3 times for this grindiness and the fact that going from 2->3 will slam into the gate and refuse to budge unless you consciously make sure to push right while doing so (my 2009 had nothing like this and buttery smooth comparatively). Each time, they said the transmission was fine despite me repeatedly showing them in person how it'd slam into the gate easily. (Note that I have a skip shift installed, so it's not that -- plus its repeatable in all situations, even with the car completely off)

I was getting frustrated, but it was still drivable. This past Saturday, while parking (brake, parking brake, engine off, set to 1st) the handle of my shifter snapped off.

The car has 8500 miles on it, and I've driven my 2009 SRT8 much harder than I had this one (all with the short shifter, I might add). To me, this was evident of the stresses the faulty transmission was putting on the shifter. I took it in for service on Monday.

When I installed the shorter shifter myself on my 2009 Challenger, it accepted the stock shifter. I had my dealer (another dealer) install the one on my 2011 so I wasn't aware that a model change caused Hurst to have to grind down the stock shifters to fit the Hurst part. Therefore I came in expecting to have them replace the shifter itself no big deal and then I was going to press the issue about the transmission that they continually said they couldn't find problems with. They saw the shifter handle, and pointed out that it was ground down and mentioned they likely wouldn't cover it under warranty, and were having a Chrysler rep to come in and look at the transmission complaint (this now being my 4th time bringing it in for it).

Now we're up to 30 minutes ago, I got a call from the dealer saying a Chrysler rep was out, saw the hurst short shifter, and they are now voiding my transmission warranty wholesale. That I should expect an email shortly from Chrysler stating that fact.

I'm pretty livid at this point. The only "modifications" to my car are the Mopar CAI, a catback, and the hurst short shifter. Apparently if Chrysler gets wind of you having a short shifter, your whole transmission warranty is null and void.

I am obviously pursuing this further, but wanted to see if anyone else ran into such problems.

 

[swiftjr]

Similar issue-$5200.00 bucks later...

Mine had to do with the Star # and grease turning to super glue. My "platinum" warranty blamed it on the throwout bearing and Dodge simply said, no factory warranty, no fix. Love the car, DISLIKE Dodge and Tremec.

http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f188/star-case-s1021000004-bad-grease-2009-tremecs-227025/

 

[OmahaRumble]

The stock shifter handle is very weak compared to the block of the Hurst shifter. Since they can prove that adding a beefer shifter caused the handle to be the weak link, they are within their rights to void the transmission warranty. If you want a bullet proof solution get a Barton shifter with the flat stick, there's no way to break that tank. Plus it will be much quieter.

 

[Venthos]

I of course agree they shouldn't warranty the shift stick itself, but I would have to disagree that the presence of a short shifter voids the entire transmission warranty. By Chrysler's actions, even getting some other shifter (Barton or otherwise) would automatically void the entire transmission warranty simply by its presence.

 

[OmahaRumble]

I of course agree they shouldn't warranty the shift stick itself, but I would have to disagree that the presence of a short shifter voids the entire transmission warranty. By Chrysler's actions, even getting some other shifter (Barton or otherwise) would automatically void the entire transmission warranty simply by its presence.

No they can only void your warranty if they can prove that an aftermarket product caused failure. Just by simply having mods on your car they will not void the warranty. Read up on the Magnuson Warranty Act.

 

[Hal H]

That's bunk - the Mopar '10 shifter was the very same Hurst supplied short-throw shifter kit. Factory equipped on those vehicles w/ 6-speed manual.

How can they defend their position, when clearly you've had issues and brought in for a prior issue with the clutch (whatever was done then).

You had brought it for ongoing 1>2 and 2>3 gear grinding issues.

There have been a couple of posts with others having their OEM shifter lever break (and I think some of those were with stock shifters).

I remember the times (when I still had the stock shifter), that going from Neutral > 1st when the light was about to change, that it took some force on occasion to push into the 1st gate due to the compliance of the rubber bushings along with the "slop" of the stock unit (more rubber in the block the lever attaches to).

I kept thinking that eventually something would bend and fail if this went on long enough.
Never had issues with grinding or shifting from one gear to another, aside from the cold-start "notchy" 1>2 shifting...that went away ~ 13.8K.

None of that with the Hurst unit at all, just positive shifts/short throw into each gate and none of those long 2>3 throws or the 4>5 / 5>6 vagueness of the stock shifter.

 

[Venthos]

No they can only void your warranty if they can prove that an aftermarket product caused failure. Just by simply having mods on your car they will not void the warranty. Read up on the Magnuson Warranty Act.

Correct. That is the basis for me being upset and why I am not dropping it with Chrysler. I guess I'm misunderstanding you here.

I read your initial reply and implying that my broken shifter lever was valid reason for them to void my entire transmission. That is in essence saying the symptom (broken shifter lever caused by faulty transmission) is the justification used against the origin cause (faulty transmission).

It does make sense for them to not warranty the shifter level because of the Hurst short shifter, of course. That makes sense (stronger hurst shifter causing weaker chrysler stick to break). I am not arguing that.

 

[OmahaRumble]

Correct. That is the basis for me being upset and why I am not dropping it with Chrysler. I guess I'm misunderstanding you here.

I read your initial reply and implying that my broken shifter lever was valid reason for them to void my entire transmission. That is in essence saying the symptom (broken shifter lever caused by faulty transmission) is the justification used against the origin cause (faulty transmission).

It does make sense for them to not warranty the shifter level because of the Hurst short shifter, of course. That makes sense (stronger hurst shifter causing weaker chrysler stick to break). I am not arguing that.

It's definitely a raw deal, and I totally agree that it's bogus to void the entire transmission warranty for a shifter handle that breaks with stress over time. It's just that I've seen Chrysler do this so many times to other people. They find ANY reason to say "this mod caused this", etc, and then they take the opportunity to void your warranty. In your case you have nothing to lose by fighting it. Although it's not fair what they are doing, I understand their "logic" if you want to call it that.

Best of luck to you though, I hope you get it figured out.

 

[Yahooligan]

Sounds like a bad dealer/rep, I would fight it. Having a Hurst isn't grounds for having the transmission warranty nullified. My local dealer had no problem with my Hurst being installed when I took it in for the clutch issues, they covered the actuator and pilot bearings under warranty, but I had to pay for a new clutch and the labor. No restrictions or other issues with my warranty.

Keep us posted, but definitely fight it especially since you've had documented problems.

FWIW, the TR-6060 is known to have problems with the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts when the trans is cold. Once the fluid warms up after 5-10 miles it should be fine. This has been a problem for Camaro and Mustang GT500 owners as well.

If your trans is still notchy or grinding even after being driven for a while then there's something more going on than the "usual" problem.

 

[2doorrocket]

What a mess... I'd call Chrysler executive customer care. I know the Business center in Texas is a pain to deal with but if you call executive customer care you can get the warranty bit straightened out. If I were you I would check your vin number in a few days if it's not warranty blocked. I would take it to a different dealer and get that fixed, and have the other dealer see the transmission noise. That should be enough for them to warranty the tremec. That transmission has all kinds of issues. Worst case scenario get a lawyer.

 

[sick'r bee]

Yep, keep fighting up the chain never talk to same level twice, get their boss on line and keep working your way up the line till ya get someone so pissed that you/your dealer are wasting their time they will kick butts back down the line, make sure and remind them of the dealer install and the Mopar 10s having them they are definitely compliant to OEM. An the handle just needed the new tang bent out a bit (their upgrade/reinforcement due to the earlier breakages), looks like they just went crazy on the grinder. GL, stay on em!

 

[stamatz]

That is total BS. Chrysler and Tremec should step up to the plate here. These TR-6060 transmission are complete and utter JUNK!

The NHTSA should force Tremec to replace all transmission including the ones in the GT500 and Camaro SS.

I sent a complaint to the NHTSA, maybe if everyone with tranny issues did the same it will force them to generate a recall.

I am personally going thru a tranny issue right now and my car has been at the dealer since Sat.

Called today for an update and they haven't even checked it yet. What was the
F-ing point of making an appointment if they weren't even going to look at the car?

Service is the worst I have ever experienced and I am not happy about that.

Wondering what those jugheads will say when they finally have my car apart?
Probably won't be very happy with that call either.

I will never buy another car with a Tremec tranny.

Tremec should really be ashamed of themselves here and I only hope their bottom line suffers as a result of these many documented failures.

Maybe then they will realize the error in their ways.

Hopefully one day Tremec will become synonymous with JUNK and go the way of the dodo bird, extinct!

 

[Lonestar]

I am certainly in the camp that Chrysler is totally in the wrong here but I do want to point out the Mopar 10 with Hurst shifters had the Hurst pistol grip handle with beefed up shaft as well if I recall correctly. However, grinding hundredths of an inch (if that much) off the shaft to get the stock shaft to fit the Hurst shifter should not have resulted in the OEM shaft breaking and I fail to see how they can look someone in the eye & tell them an aftermarket shifter resulted in harming a transmission. How many people have Hurst and Barton shifters and have not experienced this situation? I do not give hang how great any car is or how much love there may be for a specific car, a bad experience at a dealership will certainly make you want to shop another brand next time.

 

[Yellow Jacket 2012]

If they want to play games I'd either get an attorney to send a letter or just go on twitter with your story, it appears big companies can't deal with live complaining about them and their products.

 

[esRT]

If they want to play games I'd either get an attorney to send a letter or just go on twitter with your story, it appears big companies can't deal with live complaining about them and their products.

Seriously, get on twitter/facebook. I have completely stopped calling companies when I have a problem now. I just ***** and moan on their twitter/facebook and within an hour I have some PR rep calling to fix it.

 

[FlowmasterMufflers]

Some car dealerships are notorious for voiding warranties for what they consider to be "modifications" to a vehicle. Just so that you know, Chrysler/Dodge buys this exact same shifter from us, Hurst is one of our sister companies, and sells it as a Mopar Performance part. As stated by other members of this forum, the voiding of your warranty is not justified, in this case, because of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty act. The dealership would be hard-pressed to prove that your transmission troubles stemmed from a shifter that they optionally install as a performance upgrade. You have a good case, unfortunately you will most likely have to go to court to get your warranty re-instated. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[10ChallSRT8]

On FB this morning, someone was wanting to know a way to find out how many other cars were made like his. He knows about emailing dodge but I knew there were websites doing pretty much the same. I remember the dodgechallengerregistry.com site, went, and saw your story had replaced the site. I read through the whole thing (tis how I came here). I cannot offer any more advice that has not been posted already here. I truly feel for you and completely understand how you feel betrayed by the brand as a whole.

I will ask though that you either put the site database back online or consider letting someone else run the that portion of the site. It is a fantastic resource going back many model years.

Good luck

 

[redd6054]

Well it is all fine and dandy to be mad at Chrysler, I would be to in your shoes and have been with GM for the same thing (not honoring a valid warranty issue on a transmission).
Could you please give the registry information to someone else if you don't want to host the site anymore. The registry was not for Chrysler's benefit, but for the benefit of car enthusiasts like myself (I also own a mustang). I was able to connect with other people in my area because of the vin numbers for my year being so close together. Thanks.

 

[Zaphod]

If talking to Chrysler doesn't get you any help, tell the dealer that you will be happy to have your lawyer forward them a copy of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. It states that they must prove the modification was the cause of the damage, or honor their warranty.

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

15 U.S. Code Chapter 50 - CONSUMER PRODUCT WARRANTIES | LII / Legal Information Institute

 

[Zaphod]

I mean hell, I even had my dealer install mine. This is clearly a crock of shite, and they are trying to bully you.

By the way, part of the code clearly states that if they violate this statute, and you sue, they are responsible for your attorney's fees. I'm willing to bet that they will fold like a cheap card table the moment you stand your ground and make it clear you know what you are talking about.