Blind spot sensor bad after 52000 miles. Not covered under extended warranty. Costs 1300 to replace. Have seen multiple people with same problem. Should be recalled.
I really liked the blind spot detection feature on my Town and Country. It is an important safety enhancement. It's early failure (52000miles) was unexpected. I then find that it is out of warranty and the cost to fix this was $2400!!! The service manager at our Chrysler dealer said that he had replaced up to thirty vehicles with this failure, most still under warranty. Since it is too expensive for me to repair this defective system, I now have to drive, not only without the detection system working, but also with the "ding", "ding", "ding" warning alarm going off constantly! It is annoying, distracting, and dangerous and...it can't be disarmed! The "Blind Spot Detection" system should be recalled and repaired at Chrysler Motors expense!
I just wanted to share my experience with the blind spot avoidance system on my 2012 Chrysler Town and Country. The system stopped working recently and I took the van into the dealer in Ann Arbor. They checked it over and said the left blind spot module had failed and it would cost $1285 to replace. They then informed me that the right side might be needed as well and that the cost would be an additional $1020 to replace.
They claimed they had never seen one fail out of warranty and that perhaps Chrysler would help me out. I called Chrysler customer service and they politely told me there was nothing they could do. I can't believe the parts failed so quickly and cost so much. A person could buy a new Mac book air computer for what they want to replace one sensor.
Blind spot detector started working intermitantly. I was told it would work when debri in the fender from snow, salt and road dirt left fender. Had a bad wirng harness for a trailer hitch removed and blind spot detector stopped working altogether.
Complete failure of blind spot detection system causes a constant reminder on dash panel in place of pertinent info. about vehicle like mpg, speed, etc. This cannot be turned off and can only be fixed by a $2,200.00 replacement of sensors and computer reset. Problem became constant when I had a dealer installed trailer towing harness removed and found wiring harnesses encrusted in snow and ice in rear quarter panel. I believe either snow, ice, dirt etc, has caused the problem or a mistake was made when the wiring harness was removed. The fact that the service reminder is now constant and very disconcerting has turned into a terrible nuisance. The dealer said this reminder cannot be turned off because it is a safety feature and would create liability for the dealer. Which is the bigger safety issue, the blind spot detector not working or the reminder being disabled. The distraction when the chime starts up and you are trying to figure out what system is now functioning improperly also takes your concentration off the task at hand, safe driving. If this system is located so it cannot be protected from winter weather then it is an engineering issue and should be resolved by the company and not at the expense of the vehicles owner.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Blind spot sensor bad after 52000 miles. Not covered under extended warranty. Costs 1300 to replace. Have seen multiple people with same problem. Should be recalled.
- James K., Queensbury, NY, US