Sadly, the dealers are often the weak link. The pool of mechanics and service writers does not produce the number of quality candidates that it should, for a variety of reasons. It's not simply technical knowledge - sometimes it's that the tech lacks simple common sense and diagnostic reasoning. These are things you don't get out of a book. They don't know how to trace a problem once their computer diagnostics fail to give them an answer, or if the problem is intermittent. The common sense thing is an issue that dogs our workforce as a whole - I see it everywhere, every day. I can't count how many times I have to follow up on things I really shouldn't need to. Another problem is that sometimes a dealer will give warranty work to the lower echelon techs because they make less money, and they would rather have the "A" tech working on a car for someone who is paying top dollar. (Warranty work is paid at a discounted rate by the manufacturer, IIRC)
Scott did the correct thing in calling Ma Mopar on this one. The dealer bailed out on him. I had a friend that did this (called the number in the back of his owner's manual) and the dealer nearly crapped his pants. He said that when somebody calls that number, Chrysler hammers them big time and will sometimes "punish" them for screwing up on a repair or service. I'm not sure what Scott's original issue was, but the time proximity to that repair, plus the fact that it involved the ignition system makes the work suspect. Scott, could you be more specific than "replaced the ignition system"? That's a pretty large area, encompassing everything from the battery on out. OTOH, sometimes stuff just happens. I once brought a 1999 Voyager to the local guy for an oil change, and when I picked it up the trans was in limp mode (stuck in 2nd gear) and all the dash gauges and LEDs were pegged. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the PTC (powertrain control module) and (TCM transmission control module) under warranty. Pretty odd that it failed just when I had the oil changed.
Every manufacturer designs or builds a clunker here and there. I spent 15 years of my adult life in the automotive aftermarket parts and service business. I sold alot of parts and wrote alot of estimates, and while certain models (engines, transmissions) might be prone to certain problems, I never saw an "across the board" situation with one manufacturer. Volvos ate exhaust systems, GM mid-size cars were prone to drum brake backing plates rotting out in certain areas of the country, Subaru brake calipers were a nightmare. "4-6-8" multiple displacement Cadillac motors were poorly designed, as were the GM diesels that went into the passenger cars. The bodies of Japanese cars from the 70s and early 80s would literally rot away around the their engines (when was the last time you saw a '78 Accord tooling around town?). A simple search will net you hours of fun reading on notorious recalls and premature failures in the automotive arena. BTW, in 2011, the most recalled car brands were... Honda and Toyota.
