Problem: While driving the brake lights come on, those that indicate failures. Brake wear indicator, BAS ESP, ABS. In addition the gear indicator (usually shows D for automatic Drive) goes black, odometer goes blank, it no longer changes gears (not good in heavy traffic in the city), and the spoiler fails. Brakes work fine, switching gears do not. I can stop the car, turn it off and then back on again and things work again. Though the spoiler may still fail to work and the light on the button on the console may be on.

I had this problem a while back and took it in. They found a short in some part related to the brake system and it happened the spoiler goes through that same area and was shutdown as a result. What I don't get is how intermittent it is.

Why do I ask if they fixed it previously? Because they claimed to have fixed it and now, after about a month it has started to fail again. Today for the first time and the first time it was rather odd. Clearly a short because the lights were going on and off in quick succession as was the ability to accelerate (change gears). I was stuck in traffic and had to stop the car and turn it off and then back on again (I had done this before). My concern is that Ill take it to the dealership and they'll just "fix" it again and this time I believe the warranty has just run out. I'd kind of like the right solution this time. The only difference this time is the spoiler comes back right away after shutdown. Sometimes the symptoms will go away fairly quick. Im concerned its going to progress again, as Im sure a short circuit would.

Either this part that they replaced is buggy or something else is causing it to fail. They clearly fixed something last time with their part replacement. I wish I had kept the receipt to quote it.

Anyway, the symptoms are the same then and now and Im hoping someone has experienced this before. Electrical problems being nasty things to troubleshoot sometimes I'm hoping for some experience.

Thanks.

 

I have been on this forum for a while now and have not heard of a similar problem.
I would take it back where it was fixed and not really say anything about the symptoms being any different.
I would tell them that the work performed did not fix the problem and you need it fixed as they did not get it right the first time.
Don't give them an excuse to say it is an unrelated problem or you may wind up with the bill when obviously they missed something the first time.
best of luck.

 

After reading those two lines I can tell you one thing for sure - You are not going to be happy with Chrysler ... hooah.

 

If they supposedly 'fixed' the problem while it was under warranty and it has the same problem, they are probably liable for the bill.

However, if it's only a 'similar' problem and is a different component or another area of the wiring harness, you will get stuck with it.

Lastly. Short circuits usually produce blown fuses. If it's shutting down components, then it sounds like a bad controller box of some sort. It is too bad you didn't keep the receipt, I could probably narrow it down better.

Good luck!

 

Well, they couldn't recreate the problem. As I feared. When it first happened many months ago it was a fairly regular thing and they were able to recreate it with a short test drive and fixed it. This time, the first time it happened I scheduled an appt the next day and then drove it another three days without seeing the problem myself. But they did spend three days on it, test drove it, ran it in the shop, and did a multipoint inspection AND washed it (which it needed). They didn't give up on it until I told them to go ahead and give up. Free of charge. I'll have to wait and see if it comes back and I guess let it get so bad that the frequency is such that they are likely to recreate it next time I take it in. Then again taking it apart and putting it back together again, whatever they did, may have done something. My only complaint about their service is getting put on hold, getting dropped, and never getting calls back. Its the smallest things sometimes.

 

Sounds to me like the computer that controls your dashboard has gone bad. I'll be willing to wager everything else is fine.