2002 DODGE CARAVAN Complaints

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON MY 2002 DODGE CARAVAN WENT ON. THEN STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO MAKE CLICKING NOISE WHEN TURNING CORNERS. THEN DIRECTIONAL INDICATORS WOULD NOT TURN OFF AFTER MAKING A TURN. FINALLY, I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND I COULD NOT TURN A CORNER. I FORCED IT AND IT DID TURN. I WILL NOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN. I CALLED A CHRYSLER DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT SOUNDS LIKE THE CLOCKSPRING. THE MILEAGE ON THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY 33,000 MILES. SINCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR THIS AS OF YET. THIS IS THE SECOND DODGE CARAVAN THAT I HAVE OWNED. THE FIRST ONE WAS RECALLED FOR THE CLOCKSPRING ALSO. I KNOW THAT CHRYSLER HAS A HISTORY OF BAD CLOCKSPRINGS. ARE THEY WAITING FOR ENOUGH ACCIDENTS TO HAPPEN? I WANT CHRYSLER TO FIX THIS PROBLEM FOR ME, FREE OF CHARGE. THIS IS NOT AN ABUSED VEHICLE. I TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING I OWN. HOW CAN THEY MAKE SUCH POOR PARTS? *JB

HAD RACK IN PINION AND FRONT END WORK DONE DECEMBER 28, 2005 AND TOOK BACK THE CAR ON JANUARY 2006 TWICE FOR FRONT END NOT BEING ALIGNED. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEAL TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IGNITION AND ALARM BECAUSE CAR WON'T START AND ALARM LIGHT WAS FLASHING. STEVE- FIXED THE ALARM BUT ALSO NOTICE THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WON'T LOCK AND THE IGNITION WAS HAVING ISSUES STARTING CAR. HE SUGGESTED SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT TO GET THEM FIXED, GOT THE CAR BACK TODAY AND THE STEERING WHEEL STILL ISN'T LOCKING. BACK IN DEC-JAN SERVICE DATES, DENSIE-SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT THEY REPLACED MY STEERING COLUMN WITH A REBUILT BECAUSE THE HAD ISSUES FIXING MY ORIGINAL ONE. NOW THE IGNITION ISSUES HAS HAPPENED AND THE DEALER AND SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THE REBUILT STEERING COLUMN WAS NEVER REPLACED OR IN THE COMPUTER HISTORY. DENISE IS NO LONGER WORKING AT THE DEALERSHIP AND I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR THE IGNITION PROBLEMS. *JB

HEADLIGHTS/ INTERIOR DASH BOARD LIGHTING FLICKERING. DURING THE DAY TIME HOURS THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS SEEM TO SURGE. THE POWER FOR THE 12 VOLT OUTLETS IN THE CAR WHEN BRAKING TAKE OFF TIMES. IN THE EVENING HOURS THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FLICKER ON AND OFF WITHOUT CAUSE DURING NORMAL DRIVING TIMES. THE FLICKERING WILL NOT BE STOPPED BY TURNING OFF THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL SWITCH AND SOMETIMES THE SWITCH WILL NOT OPERATE THE HEADLIGHTS AT ALL. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY ANSWERS FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE DECIDED TO WAIT AND SEE IF YOU COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS SUBMISSION. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY AND OCCURRED AT NO PARTICULAR SPEED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. UPDATE 5/2/2006 - ALL THE DASH LIGHTS FLICKERED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY. *NM

I BOUGHT A DODGE CARAVAN 2002. OUT OF NOWHERE THE AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON WHEN I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I TOOK IT TO A DODGE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED BUT BECAUSE MY CARAVAN DIDN'T FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF THAT RECALL IT WAS NOT TAKEN CARE OF. THE PERSON AT THE SERVICE DESK DID SAY THAT MANY CARAVANS HAVE HAD THAT PROBLEM. SO I CALLED CHRYSLER CORPORATION AND THEY STATED THAT BECAUSE THE CAR HAS 80,000+ MILES ON IT THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. EVEN THOUGH THE DEFECT WAS THERE BEFORE. THIS ISN'T FAIR AND I THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY CHRYSLER BECAUSE THEY SOLD THE DEFECTIVE VAN TO BEGIN WITH. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, ALL OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON A FLATBED TRUCK BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE LOCKED UP. THE DEALERSHIPS DIAGNOSTIC TEST DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE BRAKES WILL NOT RELEASE WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THIS OCCURS EVERY TIME, AND CAUSES THE RIMS TO GET HOT, CAUSING THREE BLOWOUTS ON THE FRONT END. THE DEALERSHIP IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE A PROBLEM, BUT THE SHOES HAVE BEEN REPLACED 6 TIMES AND THE ROTORS WERE REPLACED TWICE.

HEADLIGHTS KEPT FLICKERING WHEN TURN SIGNAL WAS TURN ON ALSO HIGH BEAM LIGHT SWITCH WOULD STAY ON AFTER FLASHING THEM. FRONT SUSPENSION SQUEAKS AND MAKES CLUNKING NOISE WHEN HITTING BUMPS. BELTS SQUEAK THEY ARE BRAND NEW LESS THAN 10000 MILE WITH IT ON. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE WITHOUT PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR BAGS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A DEALER OR REPAIR SHOP. *AK UPDATED 2/16/2006 - *NM

AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ON ALL THE TIME. BROUGHT VAN TO DEALER KNOWING THAT THEIR HAD BEEN LARGE RECALLS OF VANS WITH AIRBAG PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. THE CLOCKSPRING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. COMPANY CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR 2002 MODELS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR DODGE AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY THEM. ALSO NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. ALSO PROBLEMS WITH THE REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR BREAKING. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THEREWAS A HUMMING NOISE AND TIGHTNESS IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IN COLD OR DAMP WEATHER. THE HUMMING NOISEWAS NOTICEABLE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO EITHER THE LEFT OR RIGHT. THE DEALER REPLACED SEVERAL SEALS, GASKETS, THE POWER STEERING PUMP, SEVERAL HOSES ,AND WIRING. NONE OF THESE REPLACEMENT PARTS SOLVED THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER TOLD THE CONTACT THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THERE MAY BE A RECALL OR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITHIN A YEAR. *AK