Hatchback/liftgate Support Device problems of the 2012 Chrysler Town & Country

Vehicle was in park and the power liftgate malfunctioned, slammed shut and locked on pointer finger crushing my digital nerve. The liftgate malfunctioned two years previous to this incident and was repaired by the dealer. When I inquired about it being replaced when this happened, I was told the warranty ran out. There is a major safety issue with this part of the vehicle. Im very lucky the only thing that was injured was my finger. This could easily kill someone.

The automatic liftgate opened normally and moments later fell suddenly as the operator was placing items in the vehicle. The liftgate struck the operator on the head causing injury not requiring treatment. The liftgate was closed and latch engaged before the vehicle was in motion. Without warning the liftgate motor engaged while the vehicle was driving at a high rate of speed and the operator suffered property loss. The operator pulled off the highway and attempted to secure the liftgate but was unable to get the latch to engage. The operator continued to destination cautious with the liftgate opened. Once the vehicle was stopped, the operator was able to close the liftgate and engage the latch. The liftgate was secure when the operator proceeded to enter the building. Some time later, the operator was notified by a CO-worker that the vehicle liftgate was opened. The recently replaced struts are not supporting the liftgate and it falls suddenly on the operator. The liftgate od also engaging without operator initiating the action, even with the vehicle in motion.

The contact owns a 2012 Chrysler town and country. The contact stated that whenever accessing the power liftgate with the key fob, the door would close abruptly. The contact sustained a bruise to the right leg because of the door failure. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 12v191000 (equipment) however, the contact's VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.