1998 DODGE CARAVAN Complaints

WE HAD A EURO TOUR TIRE FROM BIG O (SERIAL #U9YTT2N3903 PRODUCED BY COOPER TIRES SIZE 205/70R15 [THIS SIZE IS NOT LISTED ON THE TIRE SECTION]) ON THE FRONT OF OUR DODGE CARAVAN. MY SON WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY THAT HAD BEEN COMPLETED APPROXIMATELY A YEAR BEFORE SO THE FREEWAY WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. MY SON SAID THAT WHILE THEY HAD OUR VAN THEY HAD NOT HIT ANYTHING NOR WAS THERE ANYTHING IN THE ROAD. THE COP WHO HELPED MY SON CHANGE THE TIRE SAID MY SON HAD NOT HIT ANYTHING. BOTH STEEL BELTS BLEW OUT. MY SON SAID THE TIRE EXPLODED! IT BLEW OUT THE WHEEL WELL, BLEW OFF THE BUMPER,BLEW OUT THE HEADLIGHT, BLEW OUT SOME OF THE WIRING AND BROKE THE BOTTLE FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS & GAVE THE FENDER A FAT LIP. MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW WAS THE VEHICLE AHEAD & LOOKED BACK JUST IN TIME TO SEE PIECES OF TIRE & VAN FLYING EVERYWHERE. LUCKILY THE VAN DID NOT ROLL. THERE WAS $1800-$1900 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO OUR VAN. BIG O REPLACED THE TIRE BUT WHEN WE SENT IT COOPER, THEY SAID THEY BELIEVED THE TIRE FAILED BECAUSE OF A PROBABLE IMPACT. A COOPER TIRE DEALER & THE BIG O DEALER IN POCATELLO BOTH TOLD ME THEY FELT THE TIRE WAS FAULTY. THEY DID NOT BELIEVE THE DAMAGE TO THE TIRE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE RESULTED FROM IMPACT. EVERYONE EXCEPT COOPER THINKS DAMAGE TO THE TIRE INDICATES IT ACTUALLY EXPLODED. *JB

MATERIAL HEADLAMPS ARE MADE OF IS YELLOWING/DULL TO THE POINT THAT IT INTERFERES WITH YOUR VISION AT NIGHT. WE HAVE TRIED TO CLEAN AND BLUFF THEM. THEN WE WERE TOLD TO TRY WET SANDING AND CLEANING THEM. THIS HELPED SOMEWHAT FOR AWHILE. REPLACEMENT FOR BOTH HEADLAMPS COST OVER $700 TO REPLACE. THE VEHICLE RUNS OKAY AND WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT FOR AWHILE LONGER, BUT NIGHT DRIVING IN IT IS REALLY BECOMING A PROBLEM. I HAVE SPOKEN TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH VEHICLES IN THAT AGE MODEL THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS. *JB

SUBJECT: DEFECTIVE SERPENTINE BELT DESIGN I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT A RECENT MALFUNCTIONING SERPENTINE BELT IN MY 1998 CARAVAN. THE BELT HAS SLIPPED OFF TWICE LAST MONTH WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN. THE FIRST INCIDENT LEFT ME STRANDED OFF THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT ON DAMP PAYMENT (NO STANDING WATER) WHILE AT A REST STOP MANY MILES FROM HOME. BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRED ON NORMAL PAVEMENT AND DRIVING DURING RAINY DAYS, AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VAN HAS THE STANDARD 3.0 LITER V6 ENGINE WITH 88K MILES, BUT THE SERPENTINE BELT INSTALLED WAS LESS THAN 1 YEAR OLD. TWO SETS OF PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS FOUND THE BELT, THE BELT TENSIONER, AND ALL RELATED PARTS OF THE SYSTEM IN GOOD WORKING ORDER (INCLUDING THE ENGINE MOUNTS). IN SUMMARY, THE SYSTEM WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND WORKING AS DESIGNED. THE CONCERN WE HAVE IS THE DESIGN OF THIS SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN VERY RELIABLE DURING THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. BUT THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM IS GREATLY DISTRESSING. NOT ONLY IS THE RANGE OF THE VEHICLE LIMITED TO A COUPLE OF MILES WITH A STRONG BATTERY, THE LOSS OF POWER ASSISTED STEERING MAKES THIS BOTH A SAFETY AND RELIABILITY ISSUE. *NM

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE CARAVAN, AND HAD TO REPLACE THE SERPENTINE BELT 8 TIMES SINCE 05/06. THE LAST INCIDENT WAS ON 01/25/07. WHILE MAKING A 10 MPH TURN THE SERPENTINE BELT CAME LOOSE CAUSING THE LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. THE CONTACT TOWED VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THEY TIGHTENED THE SERPENTINE BELT, BUT THEY COULDN'T FIND THE CAUSE OF THE SERPENTINE BELT COMING LOOSE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD'T FIND A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT HAPPENED ON ALL TYPES OF ROADS AND WEATHER CONDITIONS. *AK UPDATED 2/27/2007 - *NM

DRIVING 20 MPH ON LOCAL ROAD, HAD FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRES INCUR BLOWOUTS WITHOUT ANY APPARENT CAUSE. TIRES WERE ROTATED EVERY 6,000 MILES AND INFLATION CHECKED AT LEAST MONTHLY. TIRES WERE 3 YEARS OLD AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 22,000 MILES OR WEAR.*JB

HEADLAMPS ON 1998 DODGE CARAVAN HAVE CLOUDED OVER SO MUCH THAT IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. RECEIVED TWO ESTIMATES ON REPLACEMENT OF HEADLAMPS. BOTH WERE BETWEEN 600 & 700 DOLLARS. INFORMED BY BOTH MECHANICS THAT REPLACEMENT LAMPS WOULD MORE THAN LIKELY DO THE SAME THING AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL ON PART IN QUESTION FOR THAT YEAR VEHICLE. *NM

98 DODGE CARAVAN, PURCHASED FROM DEALERSHIP: SECURITY SYSTEM LOCKS UP AND WILL NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO START. I WAS INFORMED BY AN OLDER MECHANIC THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS COMMON TO ALL DODGES WITH SECURITY SYSTEMS BUILT SINCE 91. IF THIS IS SO COMMON WHY HAVE THEY NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM AT THE SOURCE? I TOOK MY VAN IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SOME MINOR BODYWORK, WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP, IT WOULD NOT START. THEY TORE IT APART FOR TWO DAYS AND BASICALLY SAID, "GOSH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG." I HAVE BEEN LEFT STRANDED (15 MINUTES TO 5 HOURS) ABOUT 15 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. IN MY JOB I TRANSPORT DISABLED CLIENTS SO THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. *NM

MY 98 DODGE CARAVAN SPORT IS HAVING REPEATED PROBLEM WITH THE SERPENTINE BELT AND BELT TENSIONER. FROM A QUICK SEARCH ON THE WEB IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, THAT THE BELT WOULD SLIP OFF WHEN IT GETS WET. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM 3 TIMES SO FAR, TWICE IN JAN 2006 AND ANOTHER ONE JUST TODAY (NOV 06). I CANNOT TRUST THE VAN ANYMORE, I CANNOT TELL WHEN THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND WHEN IT DOES, THE VAN LOST POWER STEERING AND WOULD OVERHEAT. LOST OF POWER STEERING CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING ON A FREEWAY, AND BEING EASILY OVERHEAT WOULD LEAVE ME STRANDED AT POSSIBLY ISOLATED PLACES. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT TAKES REPEATED FIXING YET WOULD NOT RESOLVE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A NHTSA RECALL LETTER #02V293000, PERTAINING TO THE AIRBAG:FRONTAL, WAS RECEIVED AFTER HAVING THE PART REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT REIMBURSEMENT FOR PARTS AND LABOR. THE MANUFACTURER ONLY AGREED TO REIMBURSE FOR PARTS NOT LABOR. THE CONTACT WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR ALL AS PROMISED IN THE RECALL LETTER RECEIVED. UPDATED 11/30/06. *JB

HEADLIGHTS ARE CLOUDED OVER, LIGHTS ARE DIM, CAN'T SEE WELL AT DARK. POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT. *NM