1997 DODGE CARAVAN Complaints

TEETH IN EMERGENCY BRAKE GEAR HAVE WORN OUT. WHEN EMERGENCY BRAKE IS APPLIED IT DOES NOT HOLD. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED BECAUSE THE BRAKE GEARS ARE COMPLETELY STRIPPED. *YH

DRIVING ALONG AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON WITHOUT NOTICE. ALSO NUMEROUS TIMES HAVING TO CHANGE OUT THE FUEL INJECTION ELECTRICAL PARTS. ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN TOLD TO US THAT THEY WERE NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OF THE MASTER ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UNDER THE HOOD OF THIS MODEL OF CAR BUT WE HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION OF THIS SITUATION. PLEASE NOTIFY US IF SUCH A RECAL EXISTS. WE WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THIS INFORMATION. WE ARE AFFRAID THAT IT WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO HAVE AN ELECRICAL FIRE.*AK

LEMON OF A CARAVAN - SERPENTINE BELT HAS FREYED AT THE FOLLOWING MILAGE POINTS: 14138, 14661, 47724, 48333, 51280, 97143, 105647. GHOST WHIPERS AT THE FOLLOWING MILE POINTS: 17606, 47724, 105647. TRANSMISSION REBUILT AT THE FOLLOWING MILE POINTS: 27000, 78868. LUCKLY FOR US OUR DEALER WAS UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PROBLEMS, BUT ONLY AFTER GOING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, AND GETTING ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH THE SHOP MANAGER (WHO WAS TIRED OF SEEING OUR VAN IN HIS SHOP EVERY FEW MONTHS IF NOT LESS). I HAVE 24 INSTANCES OF MY VAN GOING INTO THE SHOP, SOME INSTANCES HAVING SERVICE BULLETINS. OUR LATEST ADVENTURE IS YET ANOTHER SERPENTINE BELT WITH THE NEW DEALERSHIP IN BELLEVUE, WA SAYING THAT THE ALTINATOR BRACKET IS MISALIGNED. ALSO, MY DRIVERS SIDE SLIDING DOOR WILL NOLONGER OPEN. THE NEW DEALERSHIP STATED THAT IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO A BODY SHOP? I'VE HAD MY VAN FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS, AND WHEN IT'S NOT IN THE SHOP, IT ACTS LIKE A GOOD VAN, BUT THAT ONLY LASTS FOR AT MOST 3 TO 4 MONTHS AT A TIME. MY VAN WAS ALSO A DEMO AND WAS PURCHASED WITH 5,822 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. *AK

CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY, AS I STARTED CAR AND PUT IN TO REVERSE DRIVEBIG NOISE (THUMP) CAME FROM ENGINE. IT WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. CALLED TOW TRUCK HAVE IT TOWED TO AUTO SHOP GUY AT AUTO SHOP DIAGNOSED ENGINE, TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. NOTHING WAS WRONG WHEN I PARKED MY CAR. THIS IS A VERY COMON PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER MINIVAN. MY NEIGHBOUR HAD SAME PROBLEM WITH PLYMOUTH (WHICH IS A SIMILAR MODEL) AT VERY LOW MILAGE 40K. *AK

JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A TRANSMISSION CAN DIE AFTER THREE YEARS OS SERVICES . I HAVE HAD OTHER CHRYSLER CARS THAT LAST FOR 9YEARS AND NO PROBLEMS. SOME HOW I NEED TO FIND OUT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSIONS . I HAVE HEARD OF OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIER TRANSMISSIONS AS WELL. I F YOU CAN GIVE ME ANY HELP IN TRYING TO GET CHRYSLER TO REPLACE THIS WITH NO CHARGE IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.

WHEN THE BELT FLEW OFF, THE DEALERSHIP WE TOOK IT TO SAID THAT THEIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM THEY SAW EVERY DAY. AND THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL, AND WOULD PROBABLY FAIL AGIAN WITHIN A FEW MONTHS. THE LAST ONE WAS REPLACED IN AUGUST. IT IS SQUEALING AGAIN, INDICATING THAT THE ARM HAS AGAIN BEGUN TO FAIL. *AK

HAD BRAKE TROUBLE; TOLD NEEDED NEW MASTER CYLINDER AT SAME TIME TOLD NEEDED NEW TRANSMISSION.... WHEN I ASKED WHY BOTH WOULD NEED REPLACED SO SOON, DEALER SAID "THESE THINGS HAPPEN"; BOTH ISSUES COULD HAVE LED TO MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. I USE THIS VEHICLE TO TRANSPORT MY TWO CHILDREN, BOTH UNDER AGE 4; THEN DEALER FAILED TO CORRECT BRAKE PROBLEM (LEFT AIR IN THE LINES) WHICH LED TO BRAKES CONTINUING TO LOCK... ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE! I WAS TOLD THE CALIPERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL... BUT BRAKES CONTINUED TO LOCK UNTIL THEY FINALLY DISCOVERED AIR IN THE BRAKE LINES! I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT UNTIL I CHECKED WITH COLLEAGUES WHO ALSO OWN CARAVAN WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS... CHECKED NHTSA WEB SITE AND WAS SHOCKED AT THE NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS!

VEHICLE BOUGHT BRAND NEW, WELL MAINTAINED, BUT OIL STARTED LEAKING APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS FROM PURCHASE. THEN DEALER INSPECTS VEHICLE AND CONVEYED THAT MANIFOLD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ALSO. VERY FRUSTRATING. SERVICE PERSON AT DEALER COULD NOT VIABLE EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THERE WERE LEAKS IN GASKET OR MANIFOLD FAILURE.

ONCE REAR LEFT SIDE SEAT BELT WAS PULLED ALL THE WAY OUT IT WOULD NOT RETRACT BACK INTO THE MECHANISM. VAN WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. WHOLE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED. IT TOOK MORE THAN TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE PART WAS AVAILABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

SLIDING DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM FAILS--DOOR REMAINS LOCKED AND DOOR WILL NOT OPEN, OR DOOR IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCK. JUST BEFORE FAILURE DOOR HAS PROBLEM LATCHING SUCCESSFULLY. AUTO DOOR LOCK MAKES BUZZING NOISE WHEN LOCKING IS ATTEMPTED. AFTER SECOND FAILURE, DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT IT IS COMMON TO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF ROCKWELL ACTUATOR PART FOR THESE VEHICLES. WE'VE HAD 3 FAILURES OF DRIVERS SIDE AND 5 ON PASSENGER SIDE. LATEST WAS TODAY, 10/11/00. VEHICLE IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT THE FAILURES KEEP HAPPENING.