Tacoma Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

Wow. Just wow. I am mechanical and work on my cars as much as possible. There are some things I am unable or uncomfortable doing. There are also recalls, where I need have to take my vehicle in to get serviced according to the recall notice. The NHTSA investigated the location of the gas tank in the 1999-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and found that the location of the gas tank caused the vehicle to be susceptible to explosion in the event of a rear end collision. But the recall, which came in an 11th-hour deal between the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covers only 1.56 million of the 2.7 million Jeeps that the government wanted repaired. The rest are part of a "customer service action" and many may not get fixed. Chrysler, looking at its bank account, decided that $300 million was too much of a cost to fit all the vehicles with a tow hitch (which they agreed to do for the early model Grand Cherokees that has the gas tank in the same location, but far fewer vehicles on the road), and that the cost of lawsuits for wrongful deaths would be cheaper. I just bought a 2004 Grand Cherokee and was notified of the recall. I took my Jeep in to Tacoma Dodge believing that they would structurally enhance the rear end of the vehicle to keep me and my family as safe as possible. What I got was nothing. That perplexed me, so I asked to talk to the tech. The tech told me I didn't have a hitch, so Chrysler told him to do nothing but note it. I asked to talk to the Service Manager. He told me that Chrysler told them that if I didn't already have a hitch on my Jeep, then they didn't have to do anything. I told him that doing the minimum that Chrysler says you have to do and doing the right thing are different. I expect Chrysler, being a multinational conglomerate, to put their bank account ahead of the people that buy their cars. I also expect Tacoma Dodge, since they like to tout that they are a local shop committed to "Customer satisfaction is our highest priority, and our staff is committed to achieving this goal in every aspect of our business.", to put their customers ahead of profit. Tacoma Dodge knows about the hundreds of people that have died in these collisions. They know that installing a hitch can and will save lives. They also know that it will cost them about $100. Eric (not sure his last name), decided that the $100 bucks was more important than ensuring the safety and satisfaction of his client. He actually had the audacity to yell at me and tell me if I was so concerned about my family's safety, I should buy my own damn hitch and that he'd be happy to sell me one. When I told him that i was already buying one from someone else because safety was my number 1 concern, he changed topics and went back to the "Chrysler tells us what to do" excuse. It's a shame really. The $293 I spent on a factory hitch means very little to me. I'm sure that the cost of the hitch, which is significantly less than I paid, means even less to Tacoma Dodge. Yet Eric and his team decided that, however much that was, was more important than me and my families safety and more than I am worth as a customer. Furthermore, I really didn't expect when I complained, that I would get a call back and be yelled at, belittled, degraded and have them insinuate that I was a bad father. Regardless, it is obvious that Tacoma Dodge has lost me as a customer and I sincerely hope that this post reaches at least one person before they make the mistake of taking their vehicle to Tacoma Dodge. There are many other service centers in the area that can do work for you, including warranty work, even if you bought your vehicle through Tacoma Dodge. Please don't let them continue to treat us like they did and still give them your business. You deserve more. You deserve to be respected and have your voice heard. You deserve better than Tacoma Dodge.