2006 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

WE WERE DRIVING ALONG AND THE HEADLAMPS RANDOMLY TURNED OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON. WE JIGGLED THE SWITCH AND THEY CAME BACK ON. THIS NOW HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED SEVERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE BRAKE LIGHTS, INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE CLUSTER ABOVE HER HEAD ALL FAILED. THE CONTACT REPLACED SEVERAL LIGHT BULBS BUT ALL OF THE LIGHTS CONTINUED TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE LIGHT IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 165,000. ..UPDATED 12/06/12 *BF

I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED IN AUGUST, AFTER READING REVIEWS I DISCOVERED THE RACK AND PINION WAS AN ISSUE ON THIS VAN, SO I ASKED THE PREVIOUS OWNER WHETHER THEY HAD ANY ISSUES AND THEY REPLIED THEY HAD JUST REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION DUE TOO A SEVERE POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK. AFTER HEARING THIS I FIGURED THAT MEANT PROBLEM SOLVED. UNFORTUNATELY ITS NOW NOT EVEN A MONTH AND A HALF LATER AND AM NOTICING A SEVERE POWERSTEERING LEAK, MY MECHANIC IS TELLING ME THE RACK AND PINION HAS FAILED ONCE AGAIN AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. USUALLY THIS PART LAST THE LIFETIME OF ANY OTHER VEHICLE. I AM CONCERNED AND VERY DISPLEASED ABOUT THIS ISSUE AS IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR MY FAMILY AND I AS WELL AS OTHER MOTORIST ON THE ROAD. I ALSO SUSPECT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS REPEATEDLY. IS THERE A RECALL IM UNAWARE OF, WHAT CAN I DO? I WAS QUOTED BETWEEN $700-800 FOR THIS JOB BY THREE MECHANICS. IS THIS SOMETHING DODGE MAY BE LIABLE FOR? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO UNLOCK THE DOORS WITH THE KEY FOB BUT THE DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK. THE CONTACT STATED THE DOOR HAD TO BE UNLOCKED FROM THE EXTERIOR MANUALLY USING THE KEY. THE CONTACT STATED THE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE CONTROL PANEL ALSO WERE INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE SOFTWARE WOULD HAVE TO BE UPDATED. THE SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED HOWEVER, AFTER THE REPAIR THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME WHERE THE TECHNICIAN THEN ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SIDE DOORS WOULD OPEN AND CLOSE WITHOUT THE BUTTON BEING DEPRESSED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE DOORS WERE NOT UNDER RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. RANDOMLY, THE DOORS ALSO DO NOT CLOSE. UPDATED 10/24/2012 *JS

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED IN 2011 AND ABOUT THREE MONTHS LATER I TOOK INTO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY SAID I NEED TO CHANGE OUT MY RACK/PINION/STEERING SINCE IT HAD A SMALL LEAK. NOW I HAVE A LARGER LEAK UNDERNEATH THE VAN WHEREVER I PARK. I CHECKED MYSELF TO SEE THAT THE SMALL PLASTIC CLAMPS HAVE COME LOOSE AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING OUT. THAT DID NOT FIX IT SINCE IT IS NOW LEAKING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. ALSO I HAVE A SUNROOF THAT LEAKS WHEN WE WASH THE VAN AND WHEN IT RAINS, I HAVE CLEANED OUT THE DRAINS BUT THE SEAL IS WORN DOWN AND I WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT $500 FOR THE PART DOES NOT INCLUDE LABOR? I AM HAPPY WITH THE VEHICLE OTHER THAN THE LEMON PART OF THE AXLE GOING BAD. *TR

HEADLIGHTS SPONTANEOUSLY EXTINGUISH WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. INITIAL ACTIVATION OF THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH SPORADICALLY FAILS TO ACTIVATE HEADLIGHTS, OR ACTIVATION IS DELAYED BY SEVERAL SECONDS. TOGGLING THE SWITCH WILL OCCASIONALLY RETURN FUNCTION TO THE HEADLIGHTS. THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR DAILY. *TR

AS I'M DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE ACCELERATOR STICKS, AND I CAN'T UNDO IT. THE VAN STARTS SLOWING DOWN I HAVE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO STOP THE VEHICLE, AND TO TRY AND GET THE ACCELERATOR UNSTUCK . THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE SHUTS DOWN ON ITS OWN WHEN THIS HAPPENS. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO STOP THE ENGINE TO GET THE ACCELERATOR TO UNSTICK. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME THAT THIS HAPPENS IS WHEN I'M DRIVING IN BETWEEN 55 TO 60 MPH. IT HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY THAT I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IN MULTIPLE LANE TRAFFIC IN FEAR THAT IT WILL STICK WHEN I'M IN A MIDDLE LANE AND START SLOWING DOWN AND SOMEBODY HIT ME FROM BEHIND OR BE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH NO WAY OUT BECAUSE IT WONT START. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR STICKS THE VEHICLE STARTS SLOWING DOWN AND I START TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND START TO TRY AND STOP IT. IF I DON'T PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE VEHICLE WILL STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND POSSIBLY SHUT DOWN. I HAVE READ OTHER REPORTS OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING WITH THE SAME MODEL. I FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR WORSE KILLED. THANKS. *JS

AIR CONDITIONING FAILED AROUND 50,000 MILES. HAD SYSTEM RECHARGED AND STARTED TO FAIL AGAIN IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. BY THAT TIME, WEATHER STARTED TO BECOME COLD. BY 80,000 MILES (FOLLOWING SUMMER), TOLD THAT THE REAR AIR EVAPORATOR PART WAS LEAKING AND WHILE DODGE DID NOT "RECALL" THE PART, THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANT TO I THINK - 75,000 MILES. THE PART TOOK ABOUT 2 MONTHS TO COME IN AND COST OVER $1,600 TO INSTALL. I WAS NEVER GIVEN NOTICE OF THE "EXTENDED WARRANTY." DRIVER SIDE AUTOMATIC DOOR NO LONGER WORKS FOR THE SECOND TIME (FIRST AROUND 50,000 SECOND TIME AROUND 75,000). RACK AND PINION NEEDED REPLACEMENT AROUND 90,000 MILES. THAT COST AROUND $1,500. FUEL GAUGE IS ABOUT 1/4 TANK OFF IN THE BAD DIRECTION. CAN NO LONGER TRUST GAUGE UNDER HALF A TANK. PAINT STARTED TO PEEL AND METAL UNDERNEATH RUST AROUND 50,000 MILES. *TR

THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE SIX MONTHS SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE. ANY TIME IT RAINS, ESPECIALLY IF MY VEHICLE GOES THROUGH A PUDDLE, THE POWER STEERING IS GREATLY AFFECTED. THE MOST RECENT TIME, THE POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY LOST AND I HAD TO USE ALL OF MY STRENGTH TO MANEUVER THE CAR INTO A SAFE LOCATION, OUT OF TRAFFIC. THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. THE BELT SQUEALED AND THEN EVERYTHING RESUMED... UNTIL I HIT ANOTHER PUDDLE. IN THE TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, IT WAS NOT NEARLY AS LONG OF A LOSS OF POWER STEERING, NOR DID THE BATTERY LIGHT COME ON; THE BELTS SQUEALING ALWAYS SIGNALS THAT THE STEERING HAS RESUMED. MY MECHANIC IS BAFFLED AND WE ARE SCARED TO DRIVE OUR VEHICLE, SPECIFICALLY IN THE RAIN. FROM MY RESEARCH, THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. *JS