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Sedans Chrysler 300/300C/300C SRT-8 Chrysler 300 - AGAIN with the "crown sensitive" crutch/gambit!
18 messages, Last post on Sep 15, 2009 at 3:33 PM
You are in the Chrysler 300/300C/300C SRT-8 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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My last post in this forum was in July of 2004 and I commented on the "crown sensitive" issue for the 2005 Chrysler 300 series which in effect 'translated' to the vehicle chronically pulling to the right! I got so tired of repeatedly trying to get the problem corrected and receiving a constant dealership litany that the 300 model series is "crown sensitive" [read: pulls right] as allegedly "normal" [!?] that I traded the vehicle in within 6 months for an identical model year [2005] 300 T only this time with "All Wheel Drive" believing this might make a difference! Nope! It still pulls right although not as pronounced as the first rear-wheel drive 300 did! And AGAIN I get from the dealership that the 300 series [AWD inclusive] is "crown sensitive" ! I see it as faulty design engineering and many websites even now in 2007 show various and sundry Chrysler 300 model owners being told that the vehicle is "crown sensitive" -- in other words, nature of the beast kind of thing and, PS, you'll seemingly get used to it! Say what? Someone please tell me: HOW can a brand new vehicle discernibly pull or track to the right by itself where you have to literally HOLD the wheel to keep the vehicle straight on the road to counter the right pull in 'any' sense of the word allegedly be considered "normal" ? I'm being told there is nothing that can be done and I honestly believe this "crown sensitive" [sic] business is an ad hoc excuse or crutch if you will for what is in reality faulty alignment engineering! So too, if the Chrysler folks themselves take the so-termed "crown senstive" [sic] posture and position or handy 'excuse', what is possibly gained by going the quite lengthy and laborious Chrysler arbitrator or 'buy-back' route when the manufacturer 'itself' claims the right hand pull or 'tracking drift' to be allegedly "normal" under the guise [or 'gambit'] of the vehicle being merely "crown sensitive" ?! In effect, those who have and well know and duly experience the right hand pull on the 300 model series every day they drive it are essentially stuck with it! Doc Tony
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Replying to: doctony (Mar 27, 2007 10:56 am) I don't doubt that many owners had legitimate problems with alignment. But I think the majority of us were just not prepared for what I consider a hyper-sensitive front end, especially if like me, you came from a front wheel drive car where the best description of road feel would be "numb".
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Replying to: vic10 (Mar 28, 2007 9:57 am) What I object to from Chrysler and subsequently the dealerships is the response to such owner remarks, again, 'specific' to the right pull as being allegedly "normal" or the result of "crown sensitivity." But get this Vic-10, various dealerships 'themselves' say that there 'was' a problem with "early model 2005 300's" but this has [allegedly] been allegedly corrected! Oh?! I went from the rear-wheel drive 300 to the AWD 300 T and the same problem exists! A discernible pull to the right. How can this be "normal" and I'll add to that the TBS [acronym sp.?] that Chyrysler itself came out with [shim and bolt 'kit'] to deal with the 'excess drift' [read: the right pull matter] problem but it didn't work! From what I can put together, the worst of this pull right "crown sensitivity" occurs in the early 2005 300 series for BOTH the rear-wheel and AWD with subsequent 300 models and years [2006/2007] being 'somewhat' improved especially on the V8 300 C 'Hemi' AWD models. But for Chrysler and the dealerships to say that a pull to the right is somehow "normal" or "the nature of the beast in the 300 series model" or "you'll get used to it over time" is utter nonsense! The easiest thing in the world is for 300 owners to identify a common problem and then the manufacturer [and hence a requisite albeit parroted 'echo' by the dealerships] is to come up with an 'excuse' or handy 'crutch' to explain this alignment fault away -- and they did --- under the guise of "crown sensitivity." That's a lot cheaper than issuing a national recall! Bottom line message from Chrysler and the dealerships by default to the 300 series owners: "Live with it!" At least until enough folks who experience this pull to the right problem with their 300 [AWD inclusive] get together and force a class action recall situation on the matter or some kind of viable alignment fix that works ... without chewing up the tires! Doc Tony
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Replying to: doctony (Mar 28, 2007 11:05 am) |
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Replying to: doctony (Mar 28, 2007 11:05 am) As for the how-can-you-design-something-like-this issue, for 3 years I drove a late model Ford Taurus, frequently from Montreal to NYC, and was always amazed at how this open stretch from Montreal to the border had such horrific crosswinds that driving was a tight-gripped, two-hands-on-the-wheel-experience. I then got an Intrepid and was looking forward to seeing how it would deal with those crosswinds. Well you know, there must have been a shift in the weather pattern because there were no crosswinds after that. Driving was a one-hand, almost one-finger, on-the- wheel experience. A friend had a first year Taurus and he had the same complaint. The car had a skittish front end at highway speeds and it remained that way through the entire run of the model. So you can have suspensions with unique, and not necessarily desireable, characteristics. My main issue with the 300's suspension is with the noise level of the rear end. They could have used some softer mounts back there.... I'll finally be replacing the Conti's with Goodyear Assurance tomorrow and will be interested to see how that affects the dynamics of the car. Several contributors claim it's miraculous.
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Replying to: vic10 (Mar 29, 2007 7:28 am)
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Replying to: lacade (Mar 29, 2007 10:40 am) On the Chrysler 300 series LX frame, the alignment issue WAS and IS the basis for a Chrysler issued 300 series TSB and at first this "shim and bolt kit" [sic] fix was tried but didn't make the problem go away. It helped somewhat but was not a "cure" as various of the 300 series continued to pull right. But read on ... However, the problem became better controlled [although not eliminated] with later 300 model years [2006 and 2007] and after the early 2005 300 series [AWD inclusive] VERY pronounced "crown sensitivity" [read: pull right]. Right now, I'm negotiating for yet another trade-in for a V8 300-C AWD and this model from 2006 onward has the least manifestation of the "crown sensitive" issue . What else can be done? If Chrysler itself takes the position that the "crown sensitivity" issue is allegedly "normal", hey, all the dealerships or arbirators can do is follow the prescribed, shall we say, "line", yes? So, I either trade up for a lessening or even hopeful disappearance of the pull/drift to the right "crown sensitive" problem or go for another model vehicle entirely where such issues as pulling right by itself and having to literally HOLD the vehicle straight via the steering wheel to 'manually' counter the right drift/pull is NOT considered "normal" [sic -- Chrysler] by other vehicle manufacturers and their wares! Doc Tony Ahh well, I can always hope to hit the multi-state "Mega-Millions" lottery, right? I mean with over 200 mill' [Ohhh yes -- the pot about a month ago was 370 million on a one dollar ticket! There were 2 winners! NJ and GA], then I'll get a Rolls Royce Phantom and get it over with although with my luck it would no doubt ... pull to the right! 
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Glad to see I wasn't imagining things. My 2005 300C is very crown sensitive. If the car had been like this when I first drove it,I would not have bought it. Anyway the dealer adopted the same "see no evil hear no evil" and acts condescending. Anyone out there have a front end rattle/vibration that stops when the brakes are applied when driving city streets? The dealer acts the same way about this problem too. Ron
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Replying to: rerone1 (Apr 09, 2007 11:29 am) The more I read the comments of 300 owners, the AWD models and V8 'C' inclusive, the more I am convinced that this 'crown sensitive' business is an engineering design flaw where compounding the problem is that a 'fix' is not available or simply doesn't work! So, you guessed it, the 300 owner gets dealership double-talk as in "relax ... you'll get used to it!" I'll go one better! On one of the websites, a 300 owner sought the opinion of a wheel alignment independent expert and the response was "Sure, we can force [via front end mechanical tinkerings] the vehicle to run perfectly straight without the pull to the right ... but within a few months the tires will be chewed up!", so what does that suggest? It suggests to me a serious engineering design flaw under the rather handy guise of the vehicle being "crown sensitive." In effect, the Chrysler/dealership message to the 300 series owner is ... "live with it!" Doc Tony
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Replying to: doctony (Apr 10, 2007 8:08 am) I have A '06 Charger with the same suspesion you have.I don't have your problem so its not the design.My car goes straight down the road,and the steering wheel is straight.The alignment problem is mostly on early built 2005 300.There is A Service bulletin for your problem so I don't know why your dealer didn't do this.They all know about this problem.The Service Bulletin # is tsb-0200304 the date of bulletin is Mar/12-2005.This is a revised version from their first bulletin that didn't solve the problem.You could go back to your dealer and ask them to perform this bulletin on your car.Or try a differant dealer. I hope this helps,Good Luck
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