Update: The van is now in the possession of Norman Chrysler/Dodge. We dropped it off yesterday -- the service department wasn't open but they have an after-hours drop where I deposited the keys and a detailed log of exactly how the van had acted ever since I'd picked it up on Thursday. I wrote down times, distances, and any problems that occurred. Hopefully this will give them some sort of clue what to check first, or at least give them a jumping-off point for trying to make the problem reoccur so they can see it.

One little gem I got to add to the log once we got there was how the thing died while we were driving down the highway. No, I'm not kidding. At least we had the good sense to go the back roads to Norman and stay off I-35. I was behind Robert in his dad's car, essentially blocking for him, should something like this occur. Fortunately the van had the momentum to get to a nice, wide shoulder area and Robert had the strength to turn the wheel to guide the van off the road (I, myself, can't steer the thing when the power steering is not operational). After we sat around for about ten minutes it started up again and ran merrily the rest of the way up to Norman. WTF?

What makes me angry is when I first Googled this issue back in October I came up with numerous stories of this very same thing happening -- mostly to Dodge Durangos. Apparently this has happened quite a bit, and it just the way it's happened to us -- the 'no bus' message appears, the vehicle won't start, it dies randomly, including while people are driving on the freeway. What I want to know is what is Chrysler waiting for? Are they waiting for an entire family to be obliterated in an accident before they recall these vehicles? They know this is happening, and they don't care. Because no one has brought a lawsuit it is simply easier for them to turn a blind eye to the problem and knowingly allow unsafe automobiles to drive the roadways, and if someone gets killed because of it, no big deal -- as long as the family doesn't sue. I am seriously considering doing some more research and asking my father-in-law what he thinks about some sort of class-action suit or something to try to make Chrysler step up and take responsibility.

The other thing that worries me is, if I remember correctly, a lot of the stories I read online said they never could get the vehicle fixed properly and eventually gave up. I will have to go look again, though, since it's been a while and I may be getting confused with something else. Wouldn't that be just like our effed-up luck, though? Stuck with a van that is unsafe to drive, that can't be fixed, and can't be sold to pay off what we still owe on it (which is quite a lot)?