Though the heating and cooling systems are zoned, they are intertwined thus we have no A/C in the vehicle and since the defroster relies on the AC system to work, we are technically operating with defective heating and cooling all year round.

Like other components I have complained bout with this vehicle on this site, the A/C components are not located in areas easily accessible to the non-mechanic and certainly they are not components which can be abused or damaged by our contact or use. For a system to leak like this at under 65000 miles, the defective component had to have been defective or deteriorated over time though it is not a typical user maintenance item which would be listed in the service manual as a schedule maintenance item. For the rear evaporator to leak, it had to happen from breakdown, corrosion or other defect in the component, not user inflicted damage or neglect (assuming no collisions or modifications to the vehicle).

As with other "Out of Warranty" items, Chrysler Dealership Service reps at the dealership and the Chrysler Customer Service reps (phone) feel this is not a big deal and that these are somehow consumable components which should not necessarily be expected to last more than 3 years/36,000 miles.

This is a concealed/hard to access component which the owner can really destroy given it concealed placement in the vehicle.