Chrysler review: rusted subframe 27

What state? In a state with highly salted roads or by the ocean it is possible...salt kills a car

I also learned that our 2004 Pacifica has a rusted front sub-frame. The vehicle has just under 60, 000 miles. We were putting new tires on the car last month and the Goodyear dealer alerted me to the problem. We are in NJ by the way and exposure to salt should not be the cause in such a short amount of time. I have not taken it to our local dealer but plan to do so in the next few days.

Just found the rusted front subframe today (6/9/10), 2004 Pac in MA...

Samу thing in NY. Visited local dealer, said "not covered by warranty"...

My car is in at the dealer today due to the same subframe rust. The dealer had it a month ago and told me i needed to replace the rack and pinion. I took it to another garage for a second estimate and they stopped immediately as there is a 3"x6" rust hole through the subframe immediately adjacent to a connecting bolt for the rack and pinion.

If the dealer had really inspected the car and diagnosed the rack as bad, I think they would have noticed the frame issue. My problem... Car is 5 years 9 months old and 127, 000 miles. I fear there going to want thousands to repair.

Has anyone had luck with their dealer on a repair?

I too just learned that my front sub frame is rusted through. I have been calling chrysler about this same problem. They haven't responded to my complaint yet. I can't wait to hear what they have to say. If I don't get a positive response from them I will call my local news to air it for all to hear. As well as report it to the NHTSA. Thanks for that info. (this is the reason why we buy foreign cars)

I also have that our 2004 Pacifica has a rusted front sub-frame. The vehicle has just under 60, 000 miles. We were change the oil on the car last month and they guys alerted me to the problem. We are in ohio by the way and exposure to salt should not be the cause in such a short amount of time. is any think i can do .. GUYS WE SHOUD DO SOME MY EMAIL MAHMMOUD79@HOTMAIL.COM

I just had the same issue - while servicing (oil) the mechanic told me i should have my 2004 pacifica towed as it is unsafe. Amazing that the body doesn't have any holes but the sub frame could be so completely degraded. I'm in Toronto and yes, there is salt, but many other vehicles older than mine are still held together.

Tried calling Chrysler - just got the warranty run around. Contacted corporate direct and at least a response but nothing resolved.
Contacted Transport Canada and provided with other similar cases and very very supportive with recommendations and action plan
Contact Chrysler again to see if they will now help - will keep you updated

Just purchased a 2004 Pacifica and was having a "clunk" in the front end when hitting bumps in the road. Had the struts, strut mounts, tie rod ends, and sway bar linkages replaced (all of which needed to be done). But still had the "clunk". The mechanic hooked up some gizmo to the chassis to find the source of the noise and found the subframe to be rusted away from the body. Can someone who was successful in getting this fixed please advise me on how to handle it. Thanks Carl, castanton02@yahoo.com.

I found a post on Edmonds discussion forum (http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0ec024/558) that say Chrysler had offered an extended warranty specifically for the rusted subframe for 10 years or 150K miles. I called Chrysler and they said my VIN did not qualify. But that is BS because my 2004 Pacifica was a real early one made in March of 03 and it is indeed rusted out. I called again a couple times and finally one rep issued me a case number and sent me to my local dealer for an inspection. The dealer confirmed the problem but then a different Chrysler rep on the phone at the dealer said my claim was denied. I kept probing how could this be and they finally told me it was because of where I live, not the condition of the car. They said cars from NJ, DC, and Iowa are not eligible for the extended warranty. This is outragious! I want to set up a class action suit for 2004 Pacifica owners who are getting screwed by Chrysler. They clearly recognize the danger in their faulty design and manufacturing yet are discriminating against owners in only a few geographical areas. PA, NY and everyone north of us gets the same salting on the roads! Anyone interested in ganging up on them can send me an email: swingdad@hotmail.com

Thanks for all the valuable information everyone! I was able to call them and tell them about it and they said they will do an inspection.

Hopefully once they do that all will be fine! I also got a letter and the letter does state that one of the main reasons the warranty was extended was because of high salt areas.

I discovered that I have been driving around with a cradle, subframe, that was rusted and cracked completely in two!
This is complete negligence. Worse, I am still $5, 000 in negative equity.

I also have the passenger door-open signal binging at me while i drive, but also while the car is parked, and I come back to a dead car. My gas gauge is mostly on empty, regardless of how full it is.

Some box inside the transmission has been clicking for two years. found out that's about a $3, 000 fix. I just keep driving it because I can't afford it.

I bought this car 4 years ago thinking it would be less problem than my 97 Bonneville. Yeah I was wrong.

My front wheels rattle like a bag of spoons.

The cloth on the third seat literally peeled off. I mean, a seat that's hardly ever used just falls apart. I have to put two towels over it - that's classy.

cruise control dead.

I burn through headlights every two months! Same with brake lights and blinkers.

Oil is constantly low, but no drips anywhere to be found.

I couldn't put a trailer hitch on because the back frame is too rusted. This car is 8 years old! I have never seen a frame rot out from underneath the car before. The Links had to be welded to stop a rattling, which returned anyway.

I had to break my tail light, because the clamp/nut on the other side of the screw had rusted and was just spinning inside. I mean - a 2 cent clamp/nut make me break a $120 item...

Strangely enough, I actually the love the way the car handles... it's just falling apart whenever I use it.

I am in Ontario Canada and have the same issue with my 2004 Pacifica. Only 145.000Km on it and I was under warranty until 110.000Km. My subframe is also rusted out and will not pass the ontario inspection as it is deemed unsave. The car is 8 years old. I have a 95 Pontiac and it has seen its share of salt.. No issues at all with respect to rusting out subframes. Not sure were to go from here as the story is no warrany sorry... Bull.. The company should be doing something about this issue..

I have a 2004 Pacifica with 94, 000 miles. The subframe is rusted through and the motor mounts are bad. I called Chrysler to ask about extended warranty. They told me to take it to the my local Chrysler dealership to have it diagnosed. The dealership confirmed the problem and sent the report to my case manager I was dealing with at Chrysler.
She told me the warranty is for 04-05 pacifica's 10 years or 150, 000 and live in a state that uses salt on the roads. I live in Illinois. I met all of the qualifications, so I thought... they said my car was built in Nov. 03 and the extended warranty is for pacifica's built after Feb. 04. and there is nothing they can do.

The same thing here with me. I contacted the dealer and they were helpfull in requards to my complaint. I was given a number to contact Customer Service to open a file on my vehicle. How many files need to be started for the Company to do something about this. I was also informed by my dealer that there was in fact recalls on SOME Pacifica for this very reason.. What do they mean by some? They are deemed to be the fastest growing Automotive Company? I just do not understand that a Company like Chrysler would just ignore the complaint.. Not sure where to go from here as you all know the vehicles look very good but they are falling apart under the pretty outside.. They got a bail out ! Why do the customers always end up wearing there mistakes.

I live in Belfast, Maine and have a 2004 Pacifica with 165000 miles on it. Took it to have the oil changed and when it was on the lift the mechanic told me I had some rust going on. I looked under the car and could put my hand up into the sub-frame through the rusty metal. I've never seen anything like this on any vehicle. Thanks for these posts... I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow. Good luck to you all, I've really loved this car until now!

I live in Biddeford, ME; I took my car into for an annual sticker inspection and the mechanic showed me a rusted out sub-frame on the passenger side frame. The car has 145K miles, but in excellent condition. The mechanic stated that he had never seen it before. I purchased the car new and have always had it serviced at my local Chrysler dealership. I immediately called my local dealership and they diagnosed it free of charge, took pictures to send off to their Chrysler rep. I had a call back with an hour stating that Chrysler would pay for the parts and I have to pay for labor; which I thought was fair, its going to end up being only a few hundred dollars instead of a couple thousand! My advise to you is to work closely with your dealer for resolution, heck they even gave me a loaner car to use while my car is being repaired!

I LOVE IN LONDON ONTARIO AND HAVE 208K ON MY 04 PACIFICA AND FOUND OUT TODAY I HAVE A TERRIBLY RUSTED ROTTEN GONE SUBFRAME! CHANCES OF IT GETTING FIXED BY CHRYSLER?

wow, clearly I am tired lol I live in London, not love. and I appologize for the caps! :)

i bought a pacifica with 212000 kms from saskatchewan and brought it to manitoba i didnt know at the time that it was sold new in ontario . it wont pass safety inspection because the engine subframe is rusted out on the passenger side. after some research i discovered it has 10 year/150000mile warranty on the subframe. apparently though my pacifica was built in a date range not covered by THE warranty. so i have contacted chrysler canada and i have had my car to the dealer twice for them to take pictures and i am waiting to hear back from them. i bought it in october and i'm stuck still with a car i caant license. really sucks because all i drive is dodge products ( 2004 ram 2500, 2004 srt10 ram, and various dodge vehicles from the late 60s to early 90s). hopefully chrysler will help me out with this

I live in a pretty bad "salt using" state, I bought a used 04 Pacifica
For 7000$ in February? It is now march. I love the car but
Went for an oil change and noticed two holes in the front (subframe)
It's rusted pretty bad & also a large crack in the subframe.
I didn't buy it straight from a chrysler dealer, I bought it from a small
Repair shop in Syracuse ny that sells cars here and there. I have only
Had it 1 month so I contacted the place I bought it from and they took a look
And they have agreed to weld the holes. He gave me a choice to buy the subframe
To replace but I don't believe after spending 7000$ I should have to spend another what 500-700$ ? His argument is its not yet "unsafe" so it's now my responsibility if I want it replaced he will charge me only for the subframe- no labor fees. Well this is bull! Can I still call chrysler? Although I didn't get it from a chrysler dealer? It is an 04 but only has 82000 miles!

I live in Maryland a place where we don't get a lot of snow so we don't use a lot of salt on the road. I had my car at the dealer last month and was advised the same "you need to replace the front end sub frame due to rust" He showed me on the rack. I asked how the frame of a car can rust out but the heat shields are all fine. He said he had never seen this happen. The car has around 140k so i do not plan on dropping the thousands to get it fixed. This car was bought new and serviced only by this dealer, I wonder why they never noticed it till now?

I live in Ottawa, Canada and while my wife was driving our 2005 model year Pacifica (built in Oct 2004) the front left wheel gave way. The K Frame had rusted through and the engine dropped enough to break the bolt holding the control arm. It was eventually towed to Capital Dodge where it's been sitting for two weeks while Chrysler Canada decides what they are going to do about it. The vehicle has approx. 75k Miles (120K km) on it. It was a daily rental from what I understand and I only purchased it in 2009 with about 55k Miles on it. My wife drives it (to keep her safe) mostly, and she doesn't go very far very often. Most cars that are 8 years old have rusted bodies, not rusted out subframes. This is insane! The dealer quoted me $6200 to fix it. Labour is only $850, the rest is parts! BTW, my wife was just coming up to a light and going slowly when this happened. Had it happened at highway speed, she could have been killed along with others. I'm just hoping that Chrysler steps up and fixes it. For a few thousand dollars they could do the right thing.

I also have a 2004 Pacifica and im from NY, small town of Almond i also have a rusted out engine cradle/sub frame but the entire rest of SUV is in great condition. I'm a mechanic with a degree and many years of experience, I believe this is a MAJOR SAFETY concern! I have never seen nothing like this and i believe it was from a piss poor design and should be recalled, Either fixed/ or money something for the consumers. It would be well worth it for Chrysler instead of having a bunch of lawsuits when kids get killed!

Sincerely one pissed of owner

I live in Auburn, Me; I just picked my car up from my mechanic and was told that it is unsafe and I should not be driving it due to a rusted sub frame. There is a large hole in the sub frame; so bad they couldn't do a wheel alignment on the vehicle. It's a 2004 Pacifica with 125, 000 miles. I am a single mom of two children and this is our only means of transportation. THANK YOU for these posts, it has guided me in the right direction. I have called the dealer and am awaiting a return call.

I LIVE IN SACRAMENTO CA. I HAVE A 2004 CHRYSTLER PACIFICA. TOOK IT TO GET CHECKED OUT AT MY MECHANIC AND IT HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS AS EVERYONE. STARTING TO RUST ON THE SUBFRAME. IT ONLY HAS 120, 000 MILES AND HE TOLD ME THAT ANOTHER COUPLE THAT CAME HERE HAS THAT SAME PROBLEM, BUT EVEN WORSE. THANKS FOR GIVING ME SOME INSIGHT I WILL BE CONTACTING CHRYSLER TOMORROW. THANKS.