1997 DODGE CARAVAN Complaints

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. AT THE SAME TIME, THE HORN AND THE CRUISE CONTROL CEASED TO FUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE WIPERS COME ON AT RANDOM, BUT ESPECIALLY UPON USING TURN SIGNALS (WIPER CONTROLS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER).*AK

AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND HORN STOPPED WORKING. DEALER WAS REPLACING CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY.*AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS THE SAME DEFECT AS THE OTHER MODELS ON RECALL BUT THIS VEHICLE IS NOT RECALLED. *YH

WHILE TRAVELING AT 5 TO 10 MPH CONSUMER RAN OVER A ROCK IN ROAD AND DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. CONSUMER FEELS THESE AIRBAGS SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT STAYS ILLUMINATED WHIEL DRIVING, AND CRUISE CONTROL IS INOPERABLE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK CLOCK SPRING CONNECTOR FAILED. *SLC

BELT RETRACTOR FOR THE INTEGRAL CHILD SAFETY SEAT HAS MALFUNCTIONED. BELT IS EXTENDED FULLY AND CANNOT BE USED PROPERLY. DEALERSHIP HAS YET TO EXAMINE VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS.*AK

THIS WAS A FUEL LEAK ON THE TOP OF FUEL TANK AT ONE OF THE OPENINGS FOR THE THREE ITEMS THAT CONNECT TO THE TANK. THIS WAS DIAGNOSED IN MARCH, 1999. HOWEVER, WE HAD NOTICED A GAS SMELL PRIOR TO THIS (1998-1999 MOST LIKELY) AND REPORTED IT, BUT NOTHING WAS FOUND. WE LIVE ON A STEEP HILL AND FROM AUG, 1997-DEC, 2000, WE PRIMARILY PARKED THE VAN IN THE GARAGE WHERE IT WAS LEVEL. IN DEC, 2000, WE STARTED PARKING IT ON THE HILL AND STARTED NOTICING A GAS SMELL AND A GAS DRIP FROM THE TANK WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED UP HILL. MOST LIKELY THE LEAK HAS BEEN FROM DAY ONE AND WHEN WE HAD A FULL TANK AND DROVE UP THE HILL, SOME OF IT WOULD LEAK OUT. THE SERVICING DEALER (HAYES CHRYSLER, LAWRENCEVILLE, GA) IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM IN MARCH, 2001 AND ESTIMATED A ~$700 REPAIR TO REPLACE THE TANK, AS THE GASKETS WERE MOST LIKELY THE PROBLEM, BUT IT WAS MORE RELIABLE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TANK. I BELIEVE, THIS WAS AN IMPROPER AND HIGH QUOTE AND STATED SUCH AND THEN I REQUESTED A REPAIR UNDER SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS AND ASKED THEM TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER'S REP. THEY DID AND CHRYSLER PROVIDED THE TANK AND I PAID THE LABOR ($198) -- I PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE PAID THE LABOR. I KNOW THEY HAVE HAD SOME RECALLS RELATED TO SIMLAR ISSUES AND ROLLOVERS. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT -- I ASSUME YOU RELAY THE VEHICLE INFORMATION, BUT NOT MY PERSONAL INFORMATION, CORRECT? *AK

IDLER/TENSION PULLEY FAILED CAUSING THE TIMING BELT TO SKIP AND CAUSING VALVES TO BE STRUCT BY THE PISTONS. TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE WITH NO COMPRESSION AT ONLY 26,160. VEHICLE WAS MAINTAIN VERY WELL. DEALERSHIP WANTS TO CHARGE FULL PRICE BUT AGREED TO A 50/50 SPLIT OF COST. THEY ARE DRIVING UP THE COST OF REPAIRS BY FINDING OTHER PROBLEMS. CAN YOU HELP?

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, AFTER VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY STALL OUT, CAUSING LOSS OF ALL POWER. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO RESTART VEHICLE ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT, IT WILL RESTART. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK *SLC

TIRE BLEW-WE SPUN OUT, HIT A SEMI, TOTALED VAN..INSURANCE CO INSPECTOR SAID TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE-TREAD TOTALLY CAME OFF-JUST HAD TIRES SERVICED IN JULY 2001. NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED AND WE HIT SEMI IN FRONT-CUT ENGINE IN HALF . WHEN BOUGHT CAR, DEALER SAID IT HAD BEEN IN NO PREVIOUS ACCIDENTS, BUT WE'RE LATER TOLD WHEN WE FOUND GLASS IN THE BACK, THAT THE REAR BUMPER/PANEL HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPLACED. WONDERING NOW IF AIRBAGS WERE NOT RECHARGED FROM A PREVIOUS ACCIDENT. ACCIDENT OCCURED 6 HRS OUTSIDE SAN ANTONIO (VAN HORN, TX) AND VAN IS NOW IN EL PASO, TX.*AK

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SYSTEM. DEALER REPLACED CLOCK SPRING.*AK *JB