News 12 at 6, July 16, 2007

All over the country, people who own certain types of 2001 Chrysler vehicles are complaining of a serious defect in their cars and trucks, cracking dashboards.

A cracked dashboard can lead to all sorts of problems and it can end up being a huge safety hazard.

The owners want it fixed, but so far, Chrysler is saying it's essentially the owner's problem to correct.

Kathleen Gibson hasn't been too happy lately.

"I'm pretty mad." she said.

You'd probably be mad too if you found that your fairly new car has a major defect.

"My dash is cracked from the windshield to the gauges." Kathleen said.

Thomas Hardin is having the same problem with his truck except his cracks have turned into a big hole.

"It's real frustrating, but the main part is it's really embarrassing to drive around with a hole in your dash." Thomas said.

That's not the only thing Thomas and Kathleen have in common. They also both own 2001 Chrysler built vehicles.

And they aren't alone. If the internet is any indication, this problem is spread a lot further than the Augusta area.

A quick search found similar complaints from Florida, Connecticut, Alabama and Pennsylvania.

The one common denominator is the vehicles were all made in 2001.

The cracks aren't only cosmetic either. The dashboard hides and protects a lot of your car's wiring. If it gets melted or even wet, that could big a huge safety hazard. Your lights may not turn on or there could be a fire.

That's something Kathleen doesn't want to deal with.

"I paid a lot of money for this car. It shouldn't fall apart." Kathleen said.

12 On Your Side called Chrysler about this problem.

The company has only offered to pay for half of Kathleen's repair costs, but Thomas hasn't been offered anything.

If this is happening to you, please go to http://www.safercar.gov/ to log your complaint.

You can also send an email to jeff.anderson@wrdw.com with details and photos of your problem