NHTSA complaint #11477063

Owner complaint summary

I was driving in the fast lane of the freeway when the vehicle stalled, losing all engine power, and the following warnings lit up on my dash: - service charging system - shift to P to start - the shifter knob light was blinking Due to large amounts of fast-moving traffic and my rapidly decelerating speed, I was unable to safely cross 4 lanes of traffic to the right-hand side, so I was forced to pull over on the left shoulder of the freeway directly next to the fast lane and right after a blind curve. It was an incredibly dangerous place to be stalled. I could have been hit at any moment by cars going 65-80mph, which would have caused a massive multi-car accident due to the nature of the blind curve. I shifted the car into park and turned the vehicle completely off. Waited a couple minutes and turned it back on. The check engine light remained illuminated but my ability to accelerate resumed when I briefly tested it. I was able to pull back onto the freeway and continue my commute with no further issues. I initiated a STAR case with Chrysler and the van was brought to the dealership for troubleshooting. One incident prior to stall: engine began idling really rough when accelerating from a stop ~15mph, and the check engine light came on. I pulled over and shut off the van. I turned it back on and the engine sounded normal again. The check engine light went off after 24 hours and no other issues, so I didn’t bring it in. This happened 2-4 weeks prior to the freeway stall. P0A43-00 Drive Motor "A" Position Sensor Circuit Intermittent was the error code. The dealership could not replicate the stalling problem and tried to give the van back. I refused due to safety concerns and got my Chrysler case manager involved. They tested the transmission fluid and found it to be contaminated (metal fragments?). The transmission was ultimately replaced which took about 1 month. I don’t know if they kept the faulty part.