A University City man loves cars but recently drove into some problems. NBC 7’s Consumer Bob has more on his car warranty woes.
Tony DeVico began noticing something unusual after filling up the gas tank of his 2006 Chrylser 300.
At stop signs or red lights, his car would sputter, like it wasn’t getting any gas. Tony said he had to step on the brake while the other foot pumped the gas pedal to keep the car from dying.
“All the warning lights would come on,” Tony told NBC 7 Responds. “I would have to father the gas pedal to keep it alive. If not the car would chug, and the whole car would rock.”
In October 2018 Tony took the car to his mechanic to get fixed. His mechanic had some good and bad news. The bad news: gas was seeping into the evaporation canister. The tank had to be removed and a new part installed.
The good news: the issue was common and in fact, Chrysler had agreed to extend the warranty for Chrysler 300 owners. But to get the warranty Tony needed to go to a Chrysler dealership.
Tony said he took his car to the dealership.
“They dropped the tank and confirmed it was the same problem the other Chrysler 300’s had.”
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Good news, right?
Tony said he thought so. He got on the phone with Chrysler. Tony said the representative said that despite the warranty covered the same, year, make, and model, Tony’s car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) was not on the list and the repair would not be covered.
“It took a month of phone tag until eventually, a manager told me that the repair was on me, that even though it was a factory defect, my car was not covered by the warranty,” said Tony.
Tony said he spent the following weeks seeking an explanation for why his car wasn’t covered.
He said he asked to speak to managers and supervisors at Chrysler. He said he left messages but he was not getting any response.
Meanwhile, Tony’s car continued to sputter at stop signs and stop lights.
That’s when his wife gave him a suggestion.
“My wife Shirley, she said, ‘Hey, why not give Consumer Bob a call, maybe he can help,” said Tony.
Tony did just that. After sending NBC 7 Responds his documentation for the car, NBC 7 Responds contacted officials with Chrysler. Days later, Tony got the call he was hoping for.
“It went quickly from someone ignoring me to someone calling from Chrysler Corporate,” said Tony.
Chrysler, according to Tony, told him the company would cover the repairs.
On December 13, the repairs were completed.
“Thank you NBC’s Consumer Bob,” Tony said. “I really appreciate all of the help.”
A spokesperson for Chrysler would only confirm the repairs made to Tony’s vehicle and did not offer any additional comment for this story.
