Steering Column problems of the 2008 Dodge Avenger

On 1/12/12 at about 545am I was driving to work on a rainy day. While traveling on 95 north bound at about 55mph my wiper blades stop working and so did my steering wheel. My steering column was not controling my wheels and I hydroplained while trying to stop my car. My car spun around numerous times before slamming into the median wall. I have had many malfunctions with this vehicle but this one topped them all. I have been out of work since this day with injuries caused by this accident, I could have been killed. I contacted the corporate office of Dodge and was basically told I was s. O. L. . Now I'm stuck with no vehicle and I'm out of work because of it. My waranty on my car has expired and my insurance company will only pay for the damage that was caused from the accident not the problem that caused the accident. So what am I to do?.

-the contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The vehicle was parked and the contact observed the column shift was stuck in the park position. There were several attempts before the gear shifted from the park position into another position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer that informed the gear shift failure was a common problem. There was not a recall or service warranty related issue. The technician stated the entire gear shifter required replacement. The manufacturer was notified and stated the owner would be responsible for the service repairs. The failure mileage was 56,000. The current mileage was 57,500. Updated 11/05/10.