Complaint Review: Fiat Chrysler Automotive

In December of 2014 I ultimately made a big mistake when I chose to purchase a brand new 2015 Ram 3500. The truck has had mechanical, electrical and cosmetic issues since day one. The local dealerships have tried to correct the problems but CHRYSLER keeps binding their hands. If you own a new (2012 to present) Chrysler Manufactured vehicle I am going to IMPLORE you to look at your paint. Especially look at it if it was manufactured at the Saltillo plant! 

My truck is black, so any and all issues show up like a giant eyesore. The paint is completely wrong. There is Orange Peel texture in the color coat. Thats right folks, my brand new truck looks like it has the craters of the moon all over it. I have taken this truck in multiple times for the paint issue. The Estimator at Larry H. Miller’s Collision Center said this was the WORST factory paint he had seen. When I asked him how it is fixed he said they would have to knock it all the way down and repaint it. When I asked how long it would take I was told at least 3 weeks. 

Chrysler sent me to the collision center to have the truck looked at so they could authorize repair. There was miscommunication (on chryslers end) as to where I needed to go. Chrysler told me to go directly to the collision center and not their service department. The collision center took the photographs of the flawed paint and sed they would get them over to chrysler for approval which would take a few days. Chrysler claimed they never received them. Then Chrysler changed tune and sent me to the service department to have photographs taken again. They once again claimed they did not receive them. Even though the service manager could confirm they had and that he had been talking with chrysler about my truck. 

This paint flaw is a KNOWN issue by Fiat Chrysler Autogroup. There have been botched paint jobs coming out of their Saltillo plant for the past two years. The dealership even said it happens and that the Area Manager would come look and approve the job. They said it would be smooth process.  

The dealership scheduled an appointment to try to polish out the orange peel as per CHRYSLERS direction. Jared the area manager for chrysler told them to do this BEFORE he inspected the vehicle. So the dealership had my truck for several days. When I returned to pick up the truck not only was the Orange Peel texture still all over the truck…but now the truck has a milky white haze all over it. I have taken the truck to other body shops to have it inspected and they have all stated that the clear coat has been burnt off the truck. I guess thats the term they use for over polishing. 

So I wait a week, Jared comes to inspect the truck to approve further work. Mind you, Jared is not a trained painter nor is he a trained auto body, paint or collision inspector. Jared looked at the paint and kept saying he did not know what bad paint looked like and kept looking around for other vehicles on the lot that might have bad paint. He found two, one he said was bad and the other he said was worse. When the the service manager asked him what they were going to do he told ME to deal with it. I showed him areas of the truck where the factory had failed to apply paint…..and he said oh we will fix that but not that. He continually acknowledged the paint was flawed but told me that it is what it is. Jared was an hour and a half LATE to the appointment and was more concerned about going to lunch than handling my issue. Jared argued with me in the dealerships service waiting room in front of the dealerships customers. Talk about a good image for the Chrysler Ram Truck brand….The area manager of CHRYSLER throwing a fit in the lobby of one of their dealerships. I had to prompt Jared several times that the location of our conversation was NOT appropriate and that we needed an office or somewhere private. After other customers spoke up and said he was being unprofessional did he finally acknowledge this and we went to the service managers office. 

In the service managers office, Jared continually refused to address the problem. I was a burden to him….making him late to lunch when he was an HOUR AND A HALF late getting to the dealership. He said he would only authorize partial work and not all of it while at the same time acknowledging the paint was wrong. I continually said that he knew what he was doing was wrong. He would refuse to respond. Instead he would just look at his watch and make comments about being late for lunch. 

I have had multiple conversations with Chrysler customer service about this issue and I can tell you its a joke. They continually pass the buck and enjoy hanging up the phone instead of handling the issue or transferring the call. Marty is another classless act from Chrysler. He actually slipped up on the phone and made the mistake of telling me that Jared accidentally told the dealership to try and polish out the flaws on my truck knowing this would not correct the problem. This is why Jared was back peddling and not wanting to handle the issue. He screwed up and now I have to suffer for it. 

Tonight I just got off the phone with Chrysler and I was informed that JARED had decided to void my warranty because of the POLISH job that HE instructed the dealership to perform. I addressed this concern with the dealership, JARED, MARTY and other Chrysler reps before the work was performed. They all stated that it would NOT void the warranty because THEY were doing the work at a Chrysler Service Center. Yet now I find out JARED voided my warranty and has instructed Chrysler customer service agents to NOT take my call and NOT handle my concerns. I feel lake a rape victim. I guess this is the kind of treatment one can expect from a company ran by Sergio Marchionne the Chairman and CEO of Fiat Chrysler Autogroup.

Chrysler failed to inspect the paint when it left the factory. Chrysler Failed to send a certified paint inspector to the dealership to inspect the flawed paint job on my truck. Instead, Chrysler sent an Area Manager that was an hour and a half late and more concerned about his lunch than about providing quality customer service and a quality assessment as to the problems with my truck. Now when I call into Chrysler customer service I get the run around. They refuse to address my concerns or even provide me with quality customer service. I am now stuck with a truck that is less than a year old, with a botched paint job, haze marks from a shotty polish job requested by the manufacturer and performed by a Chrysler Service Center. If you want to waste $72,999.00 plus tax title and license on a poorly painted truck that is NOT backed by quality of any nature then please purchase a Chrysler product. However, if you value your hard work and money then I would look to the other manufacturers. I will be looking at Fords and Chevys to trade my LEMON  truck for.