Complaint Review: Chrysler - Missouri

I bought a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and put it into service 21 AUG 2007.  I chose this manufacturer specifically for the lifetime warranty.  If you research Chrysler's warranty online, there is substantial conversation on whether or not the owner's copy of the warranty manual requires transmission inspections every five years in order to keep the lifetime warranty in force.  I cannot say whether my manuals require it or not since my T&C is immobile at an authorized Chrysler dealer due to my transmission failing.

Assuming the inspection is clearly documented and a requirement of the lifetime warranty, it stands to reason that the responsibility to have the inspections done is shared between Chrysler, their authorized dealers, and the owners.  My T&C has always been maintained by the dealer we bought the vehicle from.  The dealer's service department routinely calls, emails, and mails reminders for oil changes.  The same dealer has done every oil change in the vehicles 210,000 mile history.

The five year inspection was done within the constraints of Chrysler's warranty by the original dealer's service department.  I vaguely remember the inspection being done because the vehicle was in for a recall.  Regardless of the reason, the free inspection was completed at the five year point, but I missed the 10-year inspection.

18 MAY 2018, my transmission failed and I had the vehicle towed to another dealer for what I assumed would be warranty covered.  The dealer said the warranty was expired and the cost to fix was over $4800 (more than twice the vehicle's value).  I have been fighting to get Chrysler to honor the lifetime warranty I paid for, but they refuse since the 10-year inspection was not done.

I am willing to accept responsibility for my inaction due to ignorance, but I have a hard time accepting that I negligently, willfully, or intentionally negated a free inspection in order to invalidate the lifetime warranty I paid for.  Further complicating the issue, I have documentation from the dealer that always serviced my vehicle state that a world-class 23-point vehicle inspection was complete.  Of those 23 points, 13 specific components are listed, one of which is the differential.  Furthermore, MOPAR's website lists 41 service dates for my VIN.  The 5-year transmission inspection entry reads nearly identical to the 10-year oil change.

As I am not a Chrysler authorized mechanic, nor do I have Chrysler's decoder ring, how do I the consumer know whether the warranty inspection was completed or whether it was entered into Chrysler's computer?  Add to that, Chrysler intentionally did not put a transmission dipstick in the vehicle in order to prevent the owner from checking their own transmission fluid.

I am attaching two files that lead me to believe the required inspection/s were completed by a Chrysler authorized service department.  One is a receipt from an oil change in the middle of my 10-year +/- 60 day inspection window.  Note how many times "inspection" is listed as well as differential as one of the 23 inspections completed.  Also of note is the fact the dealer's recommended service sheet makes no mention of a warranty required inspection.

The second file is a screenshot of MOPAR's VIN specific maintenance records.  Notice the 07-26-2012 service entry is nearly identical to the 07-19-2017 entry.  The 2012 entry evidently includes the required lifetime warranty inspection.  The 2017 entry does not.  Perhaps Chrysler knows the difference between the two, but I do not.  It stands to reason Chrysler would provide a means for me to know whether or not a required inspection is due and whether or not it was completed.

As I read different forums on the internet, I find many people with the same issue across a broad spectrum of years and Chrysler/Dodge branded vehicles.

I think I have sufficient documentation and obvious motivation to indicate I had/have every intention of keeping my Town & Country for the long haul.  I think Chrysler has breached their end of the contract by not providing the consumer enough information to know if the inspection was completed.  Furthermore, the information they do provide is cryptic enough to confuse the owner on whether or not their specific inspection was done or not.  In my 23-point inspection that specifically mentions differentials, I would assume the larger piece of the powertrain (namely the transmission) was also inspected.  Couple that with not reminding the owner that a required inspection is due.

While I think the dealer is the third partner of responsibility, I do not believe they are ultimately at fault.  I think Chrysler intentionally misled the public with a well engineered plan to deceive consumers.

I would appreciate any related information that attempts to hold Chrysler accountable for the lifetime warranty advertised.