I have the same exact problem. My dart is at the dealership now because my light came on from the grill shutters. He says that there was damage on the front fascia like I hit something. I know I didn't hit anything for a fact but have no valid proof other than my word. So I gotta pay $600 for them to fix and put a new one in there. Ugh he said I could drive it the way it is and it won't cause any problems but the light may come back on again. Won't cause any problems.

 

chryslerman1542,

Sure is a tough spot to be in, I can understand your frustrations. Typically in situations like these speaking with the Service Managers at our dealers might help straighten things out however this is not a guarantee.

Were you able to work things out with your dealership? Let us know.

 

I fell your pain. nothing worse than having your wallet raped.

 

the active shutters are a pain in the butt for sure.

however THey dont brake easy. yes the flimsey tab that holds them on can pop off. but that doesnt mean it needs replacement. it all snapps together. to be honest When i took my facia off it happened to me to . took me all the more 10 minutes to get all the blades realigned and where they should be. i very much doubt in either case they were broken beyond repair. and that is a big problem these days.

i know i didnt do any banging etc when i put my facia back but its a pain to do so the crap design of the active shutter allowed the one center piece that holds the whole thing together to come un done and the blades came out of alignment. but me being a good mechanic fixed it without taking the bumper or belly pans back off. simple removed the plastic where hood latch is and went to town. 10 minutes later done. Seems like techs do not take the extra steps anymore.

ITs been 2 weeks and i can actuate my shutter both open and close all works perfect. almost garuntee considering the situation i experienced it is not a damage replace situation. just the one plastic bracket adjustment arm popped off.

 

No not yet. Engine light still on but I want to know if I had the whole system removed, would there be any problems afterward? Since it is an option on the dart?

 

Any word on the check engine light going off if you unplug it

 

So if that's the case, can you explain what and how you did it, because I believe that's all there really is. I just happened to see that the pins weeny aligned right.

 

in the center of the piece is both the holder and motor moving assemble.
If you look at it , the center is probably seperated which means some blades are possitioned incorrectly.

what i did was close all the blades by hand.
then individually align them in the center with the movement arm. you will see there is grooves etc to get them back in place.
as long as all the arms are in the right place and the center snapps back in. that should be it.

to clear the check engine light simple remove the negative terminal of the battery for about 5 minutes.
after your done all the blades should be at the same angle.

if you look now you probably have a few similar(still snapped in) and a few that are doing there own thing.

Remove the plastic near the hood latch. its held in by push pins. using a flashlight I am sure you will see what i am talking about. its really easy to fix which is why i cant understand the quick jump to just replace.

 

im sorry but i am not going to take off my facia to take pictures and taking pictures from above will not yield much. the skill lever required to fix this is about the same as doing an oil change.

btw all that is needed is a flat head screw driver or push pin tool and a socket to get negative battery terminal undone.

 

@earlrdion -

Sorry about your grille shutter woes and the incompetent service technician at your dealership.

I'm curious what the "MDX" in the title of this thread stands for? .... Although it's an acronym frequently used in my field (software and computers), I'm not familiar with any such automotive related term or phrase (other than the Acura SUV of the same name).


EDIT: Nevermind ... I just figured out that MDX is the sales code for the "Active Grille Shutters" feature of the "1.4L I4 16V Multi-Air Turbo" engine option (EAF) package.

 

Thanks. I'm gonna look at it tomorrow morning after I take my girlfriend to my sister's school for her field trip. I had went under there once and tried to get it back but no dice. Hopefully this works out. I'll let everyone know what happens tomorrow

 

To be fair to the local dealer, Every other issue I had with my local dealer has been successfully resolved. When

I spoke with the Main Manager of the dealership I told him that to that day, all I ever experienced was excellent service beyond my

expectations. He said that he was grateful of my honestly and an equable outcome to my problem with the service center. I have no

reservations owning a dodge dart, its a good little car.

 

Glad I read this thread. Just another useful piece of info to have in my brain for when I eventually get my Dart

 

Ok so I just went outside on my break and looked at the shutters and I saw what he was talking about. One problem though. It seems like one side of the shutters has completely fallen off its mounting place and is laying under the car. I see where it looks like I can just pop it back in place but I mean wow like really? Smh ugh man

 

So does what I have said seem to apply to you ? A basic look shows that its easy to pop out and put back together?

 

 

Taking the shutters is completely out involves a lot of clips and two screws

 

So pretty much I can take the shutters and just pop them back in place?

 

Well on either side there's 2 8mm screws holding it on. One of those screws could be missing. The assembly should not be able to come off or even get loose w those screws. I know because it has to come off to install the rallye fascia

 

I can't say for sure your case might be different from mine. And the time I did it I was late to work so I fixed it with out remembering what needed to be done

 

Ugh. In that case ill just look around at it tomorrow

 

Good thread,

@chrylserman1542 you should make a how-to if this is your issue... something like that or a pictorial would help alot.

 

Indeed I will. I haven't had time over the weekend to do it so it'll probably be this week. I just got a second job so it'll be rough but as soon as i get to seeing what's up, I'll post it up on here. My car was at the dealership today for that rattle in the dash and the headlining in the rear brake light. Both have been taken care of.

 

I could but the light came on back in like February and I have no way of proving it wasn't.

 

Well. Looks like a light tap to the hitch on my truck is much more expensive. The lower right hand mount for the license plate bracket punched through the grill and cracked the actuator that moves the shutters.

Dealer just reflashed to car for the updates and the light has not come back on. Gonna disconnect the battery, unplug the shutters and see if the engine light stays off. My guess is the shutters are just waiting for the engine temps to go high enough to activate them. If i unplug them before the computer sends a signal maybe it will be ok and run as if the car does not have the option.

 

the active shutters are programed into the bcm so I can imagine the car will know when you unplug them.

everything is monitored by the bcm. so unless you have a way to remove the Shutters from programing I can assure you the car will bitch. as well as the pcm calibration specifically states with active shutters so it too will throw a check engine light.

 

Well. After looking at the whole assembly i found an even better solution. I pulled the shutters off, they snap off. Now the actuator can work as designed which should fool the BCM. Ill give it a week and see how it works. Hopefully no light will come on.

 

Ummm I don't know. As the motor n PCM is looking for resistance to know its open or closed. Hence y it knows it has a problem

 

Well, just an update but 100 miles done today and no light. I believe the true test will come once stuck in DC traffic on a 90+ degree day.

 

Are you just not replacing them due to the sheer cost? One of the reasons I've been a fan of the Dart is because of the Active Grille shutters and how that tech helps with MPGs, etc... Just curious for your reasoning on not repairing them