Well, I finally got stung this afternoon.
Got home from grocery shopping, complained to the wife that she wasn't parked straight in the driveway, so I gave her a glare, hopped out, took the keys and attempted to start the car to fix it.....NOTHING!!
Here's the chain of events after that.
1. Opened the hood and tried to start it again, still nothing but I could hear a faint clicking noise.
2. Took off the attachment covering the battery (that was a 1st for me, as I'm not that mechanically inclined) just to make myself useful.
3. Noticed that the door locks worked from the switch in the cab but not from the key fob....I immedialtey thought there may be a connection between the key fob and the security system.
4. Went and got the spare key fob still nothing.
5. Called roadside assistance and she said someone would be there is 1/2 hr, to provide a boost and/or a tow.
6. Guy showed up within 1/2 hr, and i explained to him the chain of events and observations from above.
7. He tried to boost it, no spark from the terminals, and still wouldn't start.
8. I told him I was considering disconnecting the battery just to see if something would re-set itself once it was reconnected.
9. He found the proper size wrench, and immediatley said it looks like the positive end of the battery cable wasn't tightened up tight against the battery post.
10. He told me to try it again, and IT STARTED
11. He was convinced the cable was not in good contact with the terminal.

I dunno, why was there radio, instrument cluster lights, and inside door locking functionality if there was no battery connection? There was but it just wouldnt attempt to turn over.

Anyway, I have a very important meeting for tomorrow @ 8am, and I was freaking out about potentially missing it. Car rental agencies were all closed today early so I didn't know what to do.

Because I can't trust the vehicle I have been outside 5 times testing and retesting the car and so far so good.
Kuddos to Chrysler Canadas roadside assistance...good customer service and fast reaction from the tow-trucking company.
The whole episode was over in 1 hr, no charge.
Who knows whats in store down the road next.

I have had numerous conditions where sub-systems will work but the starter will not due to a poor battery connection. Good luck tomorrow. Just a word of advice, don't start the car over and over without driving it around. If you had a weak connection it is possible that the battery is now under charged from weeks of driving with the loose connection.

Jepstr is right. The current-drain when the starter motor is actually turning is huge; it requires a large area of contact throughout the continuity chain to guarantee that this amperage will pass through unrestricted. What's happened to you happens far more frequently than you think, KFC. The current requirements for things like interior lights and radio are tiny compared with the drain of the starter motor; they can usually be supplied by only a strand or two of cable in contact, but the starter needs everything to be clean and tightly clamped.
This is one of the first things to check when a car is a year or two old and the starter won't turn. It's then often the fault of non-conductive sulphate salts or "fur" forming in the area of the battery terminals, or where the cable is connected to the starter.
Now that you've nipped everything up tight you'll be fine for a long time to come.
I'm constantly having to keep on top of this with my older vehicles; I think it's not helped for us folk living in the Cold World by the amount of salt-spray that's around over winter. All these Greeks, Texans, Montenegrans and Miami snow-birds never have to worry their heads about that! ;)

Rocal

Well..thanks for the info and reassurance.
No probs today, starting in the morning or once work is over.
It was a 1st for me...but now I am a little more educated thanks to you both.
Case Closed!!

It's similar to what happened to me a few weeks ago. There was a loose wire between the battery and the engine starter. (Actually it was broken). All systems worked fine, but the engine wouldn't start. My "red battery" indication light was on, didn't you have any indication?

If the key fob would not lock/unlock the doors, but all the electrical systems seemed ok, but still no start then see this TSB. The same thing happened to me the other day and required pulling some fuses and resetting one of the computer modules. Disconnecting the battery would have the same effect.

http://www.wkjeeps.com/misc/Patriot/TSB/tsb_0800708.pdf

Thanks alot ted..nice catch.
I'm really surprised the customer service rep from roadside service never mentioned this.
She went through a series of questions with me to help, prior to expediting the tow truck.
This TSB talks about replacing the WCM.
Im thinking I may take it to the dealer and see if they can change it.
Its really inconvienant when this happens..you never know where you will be, and Im not carrying around a wrentch..just in case.
Maybe I'll send an email to Chryslers customer service to see if they will approve the pro-active repair

Jeppstr67 and Rocal are right on! In my younger days I took out the starter from my Fiat 125 two times to check it and change the carbon contact because the engine wouldn`t start while other accesories worked normaly only to find out in the end it was just the battery contact. It`s a good idea to disconnect both terminals once a year, clean the battery poles and clamps with sandpaper down to "fresh" clean lead and put a light coat of grease on it :smiley_thumbs_up:

I'm constantly having to keep on top of this with my older vehicles; I think it's not helped for us folk living in the Cold World by the amount of salt-spray that's around over winter. All these Greeks, Texans, Montenegrans and Miami snow-birds never have to worry their heads about that! ;)

Rocal

Thanks for mentioning Montenegro :D

Well, here's the reply i got back from Chrysler Canada when I emailed them, requesting that this component be replaced..as per the above TSB.

*****AUTOMATED RESPONSE - DO NOT REPLY TO THIS ADDRESS ***** Thank you for contacting the Chrysler Canada Customer Assistance Center.Your email is important to us but we are experiencing a very high volumeof emails. If you require an immediate response, please call us at 800.465.2001 between 8:30 am - 4:45 pm EST, Monday thru Friday. NOTE: This is an automatically generated response. Our system is NOT able to accept any emails at this address. Please do not use the 'Reply'function of your email. For all future communication (related to this email), please refer to the following information: REFERENCE NUMBER: 18461799