Or, “Chrysler gets a head of the situation.” (Insert the alternate, comic headline of your choice here.)
Chrysler has issued an extended warranty notice to U.S. dealers, notifying them that customers who have a flaw in their 3.6 liter engine’s left cylinder head will find it covered by Chrysler for both parts and labor.
A number of early Pentastar V6 engines had issues with head failures, which insiders tied to poor quality gasoline coupled with unusual driving conditions. Chrysler used a single supplier for gasoline for engine durability testing at the time.
The extended warranty covers 3.6 liter V6 engines for ten years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, measured from the in-service date, in applicable cars. These are the 2011, 2012, and early-2013 Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Durango, minivans, Avenger, Journey, Challenger, Charger, and 300. The Chrysler 200 was not on the list, despite being nearly identical to the Avenger; this may have been an oversight.
Customers who paid for a repair within or outside of a Chrysler dealership before the warranty was announced may be eligible for reimbursement. Dealers should have details as part of warranty bulletin D-14-12, dated June 10, 2014.
Chrysler’s Pentastar V6 engines made their way onto the Ward’s Ten Best Engines list twice, and have generally been critically acclaimed for their power, economy, and quiet operation; generally, they have been trouble-free other than the head issues, which have apparently been resolved. Most customers with “bad heads” have experienced failures fairly early in their cars’ life.
