2016 charger awd. 30k, still under 3/36 factory warranty and 6/86 extended bumper to bumper warranty
intermittently, the car will begin to shake violently. When this happens, if you hit the brakes you can feel extreme pulsating in the pedal. Stopping and getting out, one or both back wheels radiating heat and hot to the touch. Sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes both.
I’m not looking to diagnose myself like the camaro misfire saga. I’m just trying to see if anyone has heard of this before.
car has been to dealer once, they couldn’t “replicate the problem” and gave it back 3 days later after a combined 40 miles of driving. Of course, it did it on the way home and is getting progressively more predictable and violent. Feels like a caliper dragging heating rotor to point of warping bad. I’m puzzled by it being random as to which side it is, but not my problem.
would a dealer take pictures i take of IR temperature readings on the wheel as enough evidence to take it apart and inspect? They would not take it apart without experiencing the issue the first time, and before I show up and explain calmly that i will not accept the “we cannot replicate the problem” line again, i’d at least like to show them some evidence that we’re not making this up.
We specifically bought new cars because now these issues are not my problem, so I don’t have any desire to dig into anything because not my job. I just want a functioning vehicle that my wife isn’t afraid to drive, and we’re at that point.
Chrysler has a 12mo/12k mi warranty on brakes/wear items(tires, alignment, etc) so if it is indeed base brake related(rotors/pads) you're probably on your own.
Insist to test drive with the tech. You could try lifting it up and checking the rear hubs for play, I've replaced several.
FWIW normal driving after 15-20 min you can probably expect 170-220 deg temps at the rotors. Depends on outside temp, driving/braking habits, etc. But much more than that and it means something is dragging most likely. Could be sticking caliper pins... In which case it's probably not covered.
(I'm a former Chrysler tech, work on all makes elsewhere now)
Service advisor said calipers and associated parts covered, rotors and pads would not, even if the defect further down the line caused the damage. Arguably original rear pads and rotors should last 100k on most anything and i’ve had them go 150+. I just want it fixed, but they’re closed today.
i’ll request to take the tech on a ride so i can kidnap them until the problem happens.
I’ve used video in the past to get the dealer to demonstrate an issue that they couldn’t reproduce. I would try it, just try to get some video that indicated vibration was occurring, which might be tough. .
In my case it was a transmission issue that resulted when parked facing uphill overnight. I took video of the gages from cold start through the first time through the gears to show the flare on the 3-4 shift. Until I provided the video they wouldn’t follow instruction on how to reproduce so I kept getting a similar answer to what your getting.
Thr problem sounds like it could be traction or stability control is kicking in and activating the brakes to limit what it thinks is wheel spin.
can you turn off stability/traction control while the vibration is happening to see if it goes away?
No Time said:
I’ve used video in the past to get the dealer to demonstrate an issue that they couldn’t reproduce. I would try it, just try to get some video that indicated vibration was occurring, which might be tough. .
In my case it was a transmission issue that resulted when parked facing uphill overnight. I took video of the gages from cold start through the first time through the gears to show the flare on the 3-4 shift. Until I provided the video they wouldn’t follow instruction on how to reproduce so I kept getting a similar answer to what your getting.
Thr problem sounds like it could be traction or stability control is kicking in and activating the brakes to limit what it thinks is wheel spin.
can you turn off stability/traction control while the vibration is happening to see if it goes away?
I had that thought last night, if it was one side i would suspect slider or other mechanical, but with it being either or both i had the thought of what if the pcm is commanding brake thinking something is slipping as if a wheel speed sensor were dying. Going to take a drive with the TC off and see what happens.
I drove 40 miles with tc off and got excited, then drove 24 more with it on and it still didn’t do it. Seems like it’s happening every day morning and evening to Carli when she goes to/from work, but i take it out ready to read rotor temps and take video of the noise and shaking and it acts normal for 64 miles.
Does it happen in the same spot on her commute?
I remember having a ram pickup that only had a problem going up one hill in town. In the end, replacing the cat pipe fixed it. I really thought a programming “hole” was the real cause because well, Chrysler.
No it’s always somewhere different, can be 35 and lots of lights, 45 and no lights, and a couple weeks ago before we took it in it happened to me 15 minutes into a highway ride. There was a loud howl like a truck next to me had aggressive mud tires, but it was the car. When i went to exit the brake pedal pulsated violently and the whole car shook. Parked it for 20 minutes at my customers house within a mile of the exit and it was fine. Every time it happens she stops and lets it sit 10 minutes, and it quits, but when you need to be at work it’s kinda not cool. She is driving my truck tomorrow and i’m going to drive the car and see if i can get some evidence on video of it happening.
I’m driving it today, so of course it didn’t happen on the way to the job
Sounds like brake fluid pressure is not releasing properly in the rear brake circuit(s). Does it only happen after a relatively hard deceleration? Or only after having held the pedal for a long-ish time such as waiting for a train etc?
No, it’s completely unpredictable. I did wait for 2 trains today. When it happened to me, it was after being on the highway for 10 minutes with no brake pedal interaction.
My first thought when it was not just one side was if there is a single hose feeding both rears that it could be bad, but in the era of single lines feeding each wheel cylinder i would imagine it has 2 hoses, so then I thought bad master or abs unit.
I feel like once i can get the dealer evidence either by video or them experiencing it, they might have to fire the parts cannon at it
it’s not my problem, i just want to be able to deliver them the car, with the problem or something more than anecdotal evidence, so they can take it apart and fix whatever is broken
Finally got it to do it, even have video for them. When it happened, nobody was behind me and i let off the gas at 45, and it dragged the car to 12mph in a matter of probably 12 seconds. When it happens, foot off gas immediately feels like you’re pushing the brake pedal. I was beginning to think it wouldn’t do it for me because it knew i was going to record it
It’s back at the dealer and we have a 2019 cherokee with butt warmers.
In reply to Patrick :
Not a bad option to have in January.
Dealer still says they can’t replicate the problem. They had 3 people drive it a total of 20 miles today. To me that sounds like they’re mailing the effort in, and aren’t committed to finding the issue. I like them, we bought the car there, Mom bought her van there, FIL bought his van there, they’ve taken care of every other service promptly and correctly. So i’m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
What are the magic words to make them figure this out? “I intended to buy my next $56000 truck from you and got you 2 sales on top of our charger, but now i’m not sure where the next big diesel ram will come from?”
the video sucks because the noise can’t be heard over normal road noise on the recording. The service advisor said she could probably get permission to take some stuff apart based on what info i provided, but now they have the car they are back to “if we don’t hear it it’s not happening”
Carli won’t drive it, I don’t blame her, because who knows if it’s getting hot enough to boil the brake fluid she could be berkeleyed. BTDT it sucked. She’s literally sitting at the table right now crying because she’s paying $360 a month for a car that’s got a warranty that they won’t do anything to repair. If they don’t do anything for us tomorrow i got FCA on twitter to send me the number for them to step in.
I hope someone steals it from the dealer lot tonight and drives it off a bridge
This is driving me nuts i google searched the 2 huge charger forums and am not coming up with anything similar
Have you tried pulling the ABS fuse? I hate to start troubleshooting something under warranty, but...
I'd get FCA involved as you mentioned...
I’ve done my best to not troubleshoot anything because warranty, I don’t want them coming back saying it was tampered with and refusing to cover it. The only thing i have done to the car are oil changes. It appears to me that the rear brake issue may have been going on longer than the physical manifestation we’re experiencing now because the rotors seemed abnormally worn prior and have been warped enough to feel a slight pulse for a while now. I had planned to do new ones but was waiting for the 3/36 factory warranty to run out(which is then picked up by a 6/86 bumper to bumper extended)
Can you kidnap a service advisor (or a tech) for two hours and ride around till it happens? I would think with as much business you've given them they'd like to keep you happy.
That’s on the table for tomorrow afternoon
Just took the dealer guy on a 40 mile ride and it would not do it. Service advisor apologizing and saying me taking heat measurements isn’t something they can go with because they have to witness the vibration. I bet it happens on the way home.
I’m stuck calling Fca i guess and being the squeaky wheel
Talking to myself here, but it happened on the way home, Carli turned right around and a tech came out and shot the rotors with the temp gun and went to bat for her in the service manager’s office. He measured the rears being significantly hotter than the fronts with hot spots and enough difference side to side that he was able to get the service manager to sign off on taking it apart
I hope so. I don’t care if i have to foot the bill for rotors and pads if they fix whatever is causing it under warranty.
