1999 Plymouth Breeze engine and engine cooling problems

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 PLYMOUTH BREEZE. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SMOKING. HE PULLED OVER AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT EXCESSIVE OIL CAUSED THE FIRE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 120,000.”

“MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING OUT 1999 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER HOME FROM WORK AFTER A SNOWSTORM. ABOUT A BLOCK AWAY FROM OUR HOME, HE ATTEMPTED TO TURN A CORNER WHEN HE HIT A SMALL PILE OF SNOW THAT THE PLOWS HAD LEFT BEHIND. THE SERPENTINE BELT CAME OFF FROM THE PULLEYS, CAUSING HIM TO LOSE THE POWER STEERING. WITHOUT TIME TO SLOW DOWN OR STEER HARD ENOUGH TO GET AROUND THE CORNER, HE WENT ACROSS TRAFFIC AND ALMOST HIT A PARKED CAR AND SNOW BANK. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE AND HAD THE SERPENTINE BELT PUT BACK ON. LAST SPRING WE ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM DURING A RAINSTORM AFTER DRIVING THOUGH SOME PUDDLES. AT THAT TIME THE REPAIR WAS TO REPLACE THE SERPENTINE BELT, THE A/C BELT (IT WAS TANGLED WITH THE SERPENTINE BELT) AND REPLACE THE BELT TENSIONER PULLEY. *JB”

“1999 - PLYMOUTH BREEZE - DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET - PURCHASED 12/11/01 FROM GOOD WHEELS GLASSBORO - REPLACED BY PERFORMANCE DODGE, WOODBURY, NJ ON 10/25/02 - 47,076 MI - RECEIVED $300.00 FROM CHRYSLER CORP. 02/03/04 - 51,854 MI - CHRYSLER JEEP WOODBURY, NJ - HAD TO REPLACE IT AGAIN - RECEIVED $100.00 FROM CHRYSLER CORP. 05/01/06 - 54,206 MI - CHRYSLER JEEP WOODBURY, NJ - WAS TOLD IT HAD TO BE CHANGED AGAIN AT A COST OF $917.34 05/30/06 - CONTACTED DAIMLER-CHRYSLER - RECEIVED A LETTER BACK THAT THEY WOULD DO NOTHING CONCLUSION - A FOURTH REPLACEMENT OF HEAD GASKET ON AN AUTOMOBILE WITH 54,206 MILES - 12/11/98 - TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FROM CHRYSLER CORP. INFORMING ALL THAT THEY HAVE GASKET PROBLEMS ALL ABOVE HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED TO CHRYSLER CORP I HAVE ALL DOCUMENTATIONS. *JB”

“MY PLYMOUTH BREEZE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AS I WAS DRIVING IT. MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME AND WE BOTH COULD HAVE GOTTEN SERIOUSLY HURT. ALSO, I JUST SPENT $700 ON A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. SOMETHING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THESE VEHICLES. *NM”

“DT: THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER TOOK VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING FLUID FROM THE ENGINE. THE REPAIR SHOP PERSONNEL TOLD HER IT WOULD BE AWHILE BEFORE THEY COULD GET TO HER VEHICLE. SHE NEEDED TO LEAVE, AND THEY TOLD HER IT WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN HOME AND PARKED. THEN, SOMEONE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. SHE WENT OUTSIDE AND DISCOVERED THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK UPDATED 2/24/2006 - *NM”

“IT SEEMS AS THOUGH EVERYONE THAT OWNS A PLYMOUTH BREEZE MUST REPLACE A HEAD GASKET. I KNOW THIS MAY NOT BE A SAFETY CONCERN IN GENERAL, BUT AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD IS APPARENT. CONSIDERING THE ANTI-FREEZE AND OIL THAT IS DUMPED ON THE GROUND AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT. IT IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR TO MAKE, AND IS VERY COMMON AMONG OWNERS OF THESE CARS. UNFORTUNATELY, NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THE SOURCES TO GO THROUGH TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. I AM BRINGING IT TO YOU IN HOPES THAT YOU WILL INVESTIGATE THIS DEFECT. THE AVERAGE WORKING CLASS FAMILY CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX THESE TYPES OF DEFECTS WHILE DAMILER CHRYSLER SEEMS TO GET AWAY WITH THIS OBVIOUS PROBLEM. NO ONE TO MY KNOWLEDGE HAS DIED, GOTTEN INJURED, OR CRASHED DUE TO THIS DEFECT, BUT THINK OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS DUE TO THIS VEHICLE CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF OIL AND ANTIFREEZE DUMPED ON OUR HIGHWAYS EVERY DAY. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE CHRYSLER HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS. BEING THAT MY HUSBAND MUST COMMUTE TO WORK EVERY DAY, OUR CAR IS DESPERATELY IN NEED TO BE FIXED. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WILL COST US $700 TO FIX THE BLOWN HEAD GASKET. WE ARE STILL SAVING UP TO FIX THIS PROBLEMATIC CAR. *JB”