My (only) Dodge

One of our first 'big' purchases as a new family (back in 1997) was a 1996 Dodge Stratus. One day after work (about 5 minutes after I had made it into the townhouse), I looked out our kitchen window and saw flames coming out of the front wheel wells. It was surreal. After the initial shock, I was glad I had paid $1800 for and 'extended' warranty. It still makes me ill to think about the whole thing, but here's how it turned out:
- Dodge dealership told me to learn about 'subrogation' and that they would not being talking to me
- Dodge corp told me that in cases involving an engine fire, my warranty covered neither repair, replacement, or even a loaner car
- The local TV stations told me about advertising revenue and that they had no interest in saying anything negative about a car company
- Dodge suggested that I had set fire to my own car.
- Dodge would not refund my warranty, because it wasn't really and extension, but a replacement. Therefor, since I had owned the car for almost a year, I was entitled only a small portion of the warranty price.

My wife and I spent a month sending letters to every government agency we could think of. We even discovered that Dodge had recalled about 50,000 Stratuses for a fuel rail leak - which could cause an engine fire. However, my car was built a month or two after the recall period. One lawyer chuckled when I asked about litigation; he said something along the lines of, "How much money do you have saved? Do you have the time or money to pursue a big car company?" I sent a letter to the CEO of Dodge - one last attempt at appealing to their sense of honor - but it was ignored.

I'm just getting around to converting my old videos, and thanks to the internet, I can finally share my story. For the American/Dodge car fans, I'm sorry if I sound negative. But honestly, could they have possibly screwed me over any more?