1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WITH 96,000 MILES IS BADLY RUSTED AT THE TOP OF THE FRONT STRUT WELLS. EXCESSIVE WATER IS COLLECTING ON TOP OF THE STRUT WELLS AND EATING AWAY AT THE STEEL. I REMOVED THE LOOSE CHUNKS OF RUSTED STEEL AND FOUND HOLES OVER BOTH WHEELS. FIRST NOTICE THE RUST ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE STRUTS POPPING THROUGH THE HOOD. I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. *NM

DT: CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO JACK ELLIS DODGE IN GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA FOR RECALL REPAIR OF THE CLOCK SPRING, D17. CONSUMER HAD BEEN HAVING PROBLEM WITH PASSENGER FRONT WINDOW NOT ROLLING DOWN OR UP SOMETIMES. CONSUMER HAD THIS PROBLEM 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO RECALL REPAIR. CONSUMER ASKED DEALER IF THIS MAY BE RELATED TO RECALL REPAIR, AND DEALER CHECKED IT AND SAID HE WAS NOT SURE IF IT WAS RELATED. MANUFACTURER SAID IT COULD BE A PART OF THE CLOCK SPRING PROBLEM. CONSUMER SAYS THAT WHEN AIR CONDITIONER WAS ON POWER WINDOW WORKED, BUT WHEN IT WAS OFF WINDOW WILL NOT WORK. DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THAT MOTOR FOR WINDOW WAS ON ITS WAY OUT, AND REPAIR WOULD COST $500. CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO CLOCK SPRING. CONSUMER MARKED DOOR PANEL TO SEE IF DEALER WOULD TAKE PANEL OFF TO CHECK MOTOR, AND SAID THAT DOOR PANEL WAS NOT REMOVED TO CHECK MOTOR.*AK *NM

I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR (1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE) AND IT INITIALLY WOULDN'T START. THERE WAS JUST A CLICKING NOISE FROM THE STARTER BUT IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER. I TRIED IT A COUPLE MORE TIMES AND IT FINALLY STARTED. BUT THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL RATTLING NOISE. I TURNED THE IGNITION KEY OFF AND THE ENGINE STOPPED BUT SOME PART ON THE CAR KEPT RUNNING. I HAD MY FIANCE LOOK AT IT - HE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON EITHER. IT DROVE OK AROUND THE BLOCK BUT IT SOUNDED HORRIBLE. HE COULDN'T GET IT TO TURN OFF COMPLETELY EITHER. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT FROM THE FRONT END OF THE CAR. MY FIANCE COULD SEE IT WAS IN THE AREA OF THE STARTER. INITIALLY, IF THE CAR WAS LEFT IDLING, THE SMOKE LESSENED BUT IF THE IGNITION WAS SHUT OFF THE SMOKE GOT WORSE. SO WE LEFT IT IDLING WHILE WE LOOKED FOR POSSIBLE WAYS TO SHUT IT OFF COMPLETELY. AFTER A FEW MORE MINUTES, THE SMOKE BEGAN AGAIN AND THERE WERE FLAMES UNDER THE HOOD AROUND THE STARTER. I CALLED 911 TO GET THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HERE WHILE MY FIANCE USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO TRY TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AFTER WE WERE ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH THE EXTINGUISHER AND THEY HELPED US DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CABLE IN A SAFE MANNER SO THAT EVERYTHING SHUT OFF. THE FIREMAN SUGGESTED WE CHECK FOR POSSIBLE PROBLEMS WITH OTHER VANS LIKE OURS AND TO FILE A COMPLAINT REGARDING OUR EXPERIENCE. THEY TOOK DOWN MY INFORMATION AND FILED A REPORT FOR THEIR RESPONSE TO THE FIRE. WE REPLACED THE STARTER AND CHECKED ALL THE CONNECTIONS FOR FIRE DAMAGE. THE OLD STARTER WAS TAKEN BY THE AUTO PARTS STORE SO IT IS NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE. THE MECHANIC AT THE STORE SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE THE SOLENOID ON THE STARTER WAS STUCK IN THE "ON" MODE AND THAT WAS WHAT CAUSED THE ODD NOISE AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE. SINCE THEN, EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE RUNNING JUST FINE. *JB

1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN METAL BRAKE LINE BURST AND THE CONSUMER WAS DENIED A REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIR COSTS.*MR WHEN PARKED CONSUMER'S WIFE PUT FOOTON THE BRAKE AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. SHE WAS LEFT WITHOUT BRAKES. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY AND /OR HEAVY TRAFFIC IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A CHRYSLER EALERSHIP, AND CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT BRAKE LINE BURST. CONSUMER'S REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT WAS DENIED BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED. *AK *NM

I HAVE A 1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. I FOUND THAT I HAVE SEVERELY RUSTED BRAKE LINES. (I JUST HAPPENED TO LOOK MY SELF) THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WILL BURST ANY MINUTE. I HAVE DETAILED PICTURES. SEEMS WRONG TO ME THAT A CAR MANUFACTURER WOULD BE SO CHEAP AS TO USE BRAKE LINES THAT RUST. *NM

RIGHT PARK LAMP AND LIGHTED INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILURE. SHORT LOCATED IN WIRING HARNESS UNDER DASH NEAR FIREWALL ON THE INTERIOR SIDE OF VEHICLE. DEALER UNABLE TO LOCATE SHORT WITHOUT DISMANTLING VEHICLE. DELEARSHIP BYBASS SHORT BY JUMPING AREA WHERE SHORT WAS FOUND USING A NEW WIRE.

THE FRONT UPPER DRIVER'S SIDE STRUT MOUNT IS BULGING UP, OUT OF SHAPE, MAKING THE VEHICLE 1/2 INCH OUT OF LEVEL AND HAS ALLOWED WATER TO UNDERCUT THE MOUNT. THIS IS IN AN AREA THAT IS UNDER THE HOOD AND NOT ACCESSIBLE TO WATER. OUR MECHANIC SAID THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE STRUT WHICH SUPPORTS THE CORNER OF THE CAR COULD RUPTURE THE MOUNT AND GO THROUGH THE HOOD RESULTING IS LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DANGER TO OUR LIVES. THE MOUNT IS PART OF VEHICLE BODY AND SUPPORTS THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S MISTAKE IS THAT THEY BADLY ENGINEERED THIS COMPONENT OF THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM . THE PASSENGER SIDE HAS NO PROBLEM CHRYSLER SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM WITH THE STRUCTURE OF THEIR VEHICLE (1999 GRAND CARAVAN) AT THEIR EXPENSE. I WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT HE HAS SEEN OTHER GRAND CARAVANS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT CHRYSLER FIXED THEM AT CHRYSLER'S EXPENSE. *NM

DT: WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 CONSUMER NOTICED THE VEHICLE WAS GOING FAST, SHE TOOK FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND THE VEHICLE DIDN'T SLOW DOWN, SHE THEN TAPPED THE ACCELERATOR TO TRY AND SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN THIS ONLY MADE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATE FASTER. CONSUMER THEN GOT INTO THE BREAK DOWN LANE AND PUT BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO 65 MPH. CONSUMER FINALLY TURNED THE IGNITION OFF TO STOP THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER CALLED CONCORD STATE POLICE TO ASSIST. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED, AND THE REPAIR MAN STATED THAT THE THROTTLE CABLE WAS FRAYED AND GOT STUCK IN THE HOUSING, AND COULDN'T COME OUT OF HOUSING. THE CONSUMER ACTUALLY STILL HAS THE CABLE.*AK THROTTLE CABLE REPLACED. *TT

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. HE STATES THAT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS ALL THE GAUGES WILL GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE THE CAR WAS RUNNING. ALSO, WHILE THIS PROBLEM WAS HAPPENING ABS BRAKES FAILED. DEALER SAID THAT THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN THE BODY CONTROL MODULE. THEY COULD REPROGRAM OR REBUILD IT. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT TABULATE MILES. HE HAS KNOWN 1994'S TO DO THE SAME THING . THEY REPLACED THE BCM, AND A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER IT WENT OUT AGAIN. IF CONSUMER TAKES Y FIST AND HITS THE DASH THE LIGHTS WILL COME BACK ON. THIS WORKED FOR A WHILE BUT SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN THIS DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM ANYMORE. HE CHECKED THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR THIS PROBLEM AND HAS SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS LISTED BUT UNDER DIFFERENT COMPONENTS. THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY FALSIFYING MILEAGE BECAUSE IT WILL NOT TABULATE THE MILES CORRECTLY. HE HAD THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE 1994 DODGE OWNER.*AK

1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN HAS EXCESSIVE RUST EATING AWAY AT THE INNER STRUT PLATE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE.*MR THE DEALER'S TECHNICIAN WAS REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS EXCESSIVE RUST ON STRUT PLATE. *BF *NM