1999 DODGE CARAVAN Complaints

AT 36,150 MILES SERPENTINE PULLEY BROKE WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE GARAGE. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND REPAIRS WERE MADE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS MATTER.*AK

FIRST TIME CAR STALLED ON LOCAL STREET ON 27TH MAY 00 AFTER FEW ATTEMPTS, IT START AGAIN. DEALER COULD NOT FIGER OUT, IT STALLED AGAIN ON 06/11/00 ON HIGHWAY SO SCARRY, THEN THEY CHANGED COMPUTER PC IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON 07/23 &07/28, 01 WHICH TEY BLAMED CARBON BUILD UP WHICH I DON'T TRUST THEM BECAUSE ONLY 23400 MILES AND I NEVER HEARD THAT CAR TURNED OFF DUE TO THAT REASON DURING NORMAL SPEED. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT GO DOWN. IT WAS INTERMITTENT. INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULD COME ON, AND THEN THEY WOULD NOT COME ON. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN REAR VIEW MIRROR WOULD NOT ADJUST. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT HEADLIGHTS MIGHT GO OUT WHILE ON HIGHWAY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

1999 GRAND CARAVAN PURCHASED NEW , TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH APPROX 10000 MILES REPAIRED, STILL NOT RIGHT DEALER UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. CAR CAN LUNGED FORWARD WITH VERY SLIGHT PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL TAKEN FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGE BY INDEPENDENT STATION, FOUND TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING SAID POSS SEAL WORN AT 17000 MILES.CAR HAS VERY UNUSUAL ACCELERATION PATTERNS I AM THE FULL TIME DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE AND AFTER TWO YEARS I STILL AM UNSURE ON HOW TO HANDLE IT WHEN ACCELERATING TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE. ANOTHER PROBLEM WE HAVE SEEN WITH IT IS THE BRAKES. WE HAD IT BACK TO DEALER AT 10K MILES FOR NOISE FROM BACK WHEELS, THEY TOLD US IT WAS A LOOSE CAR SEAT , WHAT DO THEY THINK WE ARE STUPID. THE WHISTLING HAS BEEN CONSTANT , EVEN AFTER TELLING THEM TO LOOK INTO IT THIS TIME THEY SAID THE HUBCAPS WERE BENT AND THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THAT, THEY NEVER CHECKED THE BRAKES ,LOW AND BEHOLD, WE NOW NEED A $400 PLUS FULL BRAKE JOB. I AM SO FED UP WITH THIS DISASTER OF A CAR.ANY INFO ON BULLETINS IN. *AK

YOUR LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING THE CRASH OF A 2001 DODGE CARAVAN AND THE FIRE PROBLEM DUE TO A CRACKED COMPONENT. SINCE PURCHASING MY DODGE, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS STRONG GAS SMELLS IN THE CAB OF THE CAR. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO 4 DEALERS AND THEY SAY THEY CAN FIND NOTHING. THIS STRONG GAS SMELL DOES NOT OCCUR ALL THE TIME, BUT INTERMITTENTLY. WE ARE CONCERNED FOR MAYBE A FIRE OCCURING. WHERE IS THIS STRONG SMELL COMING FROM? I CALLED THE CHRYSLER ASSISTANCE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS MY WORD AGAINST THE DEALERS AND THEY WOULD DO NOTHING. I HAVE SERVERAL WITNESSES TO THE STRONG GAS SMELL. WE REMAIN CONCERNED, ESPECIALLY SINCE NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE JUST WONDER IF THERE IS A SIMILARITY TO THE RECENT PROBLEM YOU HAVE REPORTED. WE WANT THIS CORRECTED, BUT HAVE HIT A DEAD END EVERY WHERE WE TURN. WE UNDERSTAND IT IS HARD FOR A DEALER TO FIND THE PROBLEM WHEN IT DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME AND THERE IS NO SPECIFIC PATTERN AS TO WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN AND WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT A FIRE IN OUR CAR. TO US, THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. IF YOU NEED TO CALL BEFORE JULY 29, WE WILL BE AT THE FOLLOWING PHONE NUMBER UNTIL THEN. 864-638-7338. AFTER JULY 29, WE WILL BE AT THE NUMBER GIVEN IN THIS QUESTIONAIRE. THANK YOU.*AK

WE WERE ADVISED THAT COMPONENT WAS REDESIGNED DUE TO THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAD GASKET SEAL BREAKING AND LEAKING OIL. *AK

THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT DOWNSHIFT OUT OF OVERDRIVE. AT 43-47 MPH, THE CAR LURCHES AND ACCELERETION IS IMPOSSIBLE. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED ON APRIL 14 WHEN THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE UP A HILL. EVERYTIME THE CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN FROM 50 MPH WHILE GOING UP A HILL, THE CAR WOULD LURCH AND ACCELERATION WAS IMPOSSIBLE. THE CAR CAME BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE WEEK OF APRIL 23RD BUT THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. A MONITOR WAS PLACED ON THE CAR OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BUT NOTHING SHOWED UP. AGAIN, I BROUGHT THE CAR IN BUT THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. JUNE 18TH I DROVE WITH A MECHANIC AND REPRODUCED THE PATTERN WITHIN TEN MINUTES AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP. THE CHIEF MECHANIC FOR PALMEN SAID IT DEFINATELY WAS THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID PACK. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED THE FOLLWING WEEK WHEN WE WERE ON VACATION. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK IN AND THE MANAGER KEPT IT FROM JULY 3RD THROUGH THE 5TH. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE BUT THE PUT ON OVER 100 MILES CONFIRMING THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID IT WAS ELECTRICAL. I WAS TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM ON MONDAY, JULY 9TH BUT I HAD TO GO IN JULY 11TH TO FIND OUT THAT THEY HAD NO RESULTS. IN THE MEANWHILE, I HAD DRIVEN TO LOUISVILLE AND BACK IN THE CAR ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS CONTINUE WHILE I WAS STUCK IN A DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION(HIGH WINDS AND RAIN). THE CAR BUCKED AT 42 MPH AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION IF I CANNOT GET THE CAR TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION "GETS STUCK". PLEASE HELP.*AK

I HAD BEEN TO A FUNERAL AND WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE HIGHWAY SPEED OF 70 MILES PER HOUR ONLY MINUTES BEFORE THE FAILURE OF THIS PART. I HAD TURNED INTO THE RESIDENTIAL SECTION AND HAD GOTTEN TO MY HOUSE AND SLOWED TO ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS TO TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY. THE PART BROKE AT THIS TIME AND ALL THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I COULD NOT TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME WHAT PART HAD BROKEN. IT ALSO HIT THE PULLEY WHEN IT BROKE AND THE PULLEY AND BELT BROKE ALSO. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS IS A DEALER ITEM; HOWEVER, THEY STOCK IT BECAUSE IT BREAKS ALL THE TIME ON THE 1999 MODELS AND OLDER MODELS ALSO. IF THIS PART HAD BROKEN ONLY MINUTES EARLIER WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY, DRIVING AT THE HIGHWAY SPEED OF 70 MILES PER HOUR AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT COMPLETELY, I COULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT AND THE PASSENGER IN MY VAN AND MYSELF COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED AND IT COULD HAVE INVOLVED OTHER VEHICLES DUE TO MY LACK OF STEERING ABILITY. I HAVE NOT CALLED DODGE TO SEE IF THIS PART HAS BEEN REDESIGNED FOR THE NEWER MODELS OR NOT. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM DUE TO THE IMMINENT DANGER IMPOSED BY THIS FAILURE AND THE FACT THAT IT HAPPENS VERY OFTEN.*AK

THREE TIRES HAVE NOW BEEN REPLACED WITH BUBBLES ON THE SIDE, INCLUDING THE ONE THAT BLEW. *AK (TIRESIZE: 14)

IN HEAVY SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND AIR CONDITIONING ON I LOST THE POWER STEERING WHICH MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL.JERRY ULM CHRYSLER DEALER CHARGED ME $208. AND TOLD ME SOMEONE INSTALLED THE WRONG FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR WHICH ISN'T TRUE ANYWAY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN AND THE DEALER SAYS HE CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG.I'M WONDERING IF ANY OTHER COMPLAINT OF THIS NATURE HAS BEEN LAUNCHED I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE FOR VACATION IN THE VERY HOT WEATHER.