2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

THE FRONT PASSENGER ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINT (HEADREST) DEPLOYED WHILE THE VAN WAS JUST SITTING STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE, NOT FROM BEING REAR-ENDED LIKE IT'S DESIGNED.

VEHICLE WOULD START AND RUN THEN COUPLE MINUTES LATER IT WOULD JUST CRANK AND CRANK WITH A NO START. THE AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT WILL, WITH A LONG CRANK, IT WILL START.. ONCE VEHICLE IS RUNNING, IT RUNS GOOD UNTIL YOU SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. THEN IT JUST CRANKS AND CRANKS. SOMETIME BATTERY WOULD DIE FROM ALL THE CRANKING.. LET IT SET THEN CRANK AND IT STARTS AGAIN. SOMETIMES IT WON'T START FOR A DAY OR TWO. ALL TIME IT IS PARKED.

I WENT TO UNLOCK MY VEHICLE TO GET SOMETHING FROM INSIDE. I NOTICED THAT THE LIGHTS WERE VERY DIM AND AFTER PLACING THE KEY FOB INTO THE IGNITION, THE FOB WAS LOCKED IN PLACE. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO RELEASE IT FROM THE IGNITION. I HAVE TRIED RESETTING THE BATTERY AMONG OTHER THINGS AND NOTHING HAS HELPED.

THE VEHICLE EITHER WILL TAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START OR WILL COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN DURING OPERATION WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE WILL ABRUPTLY STALL AND POWER BRAKES AND STEERING FAIL. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD THE VEHICLE BEHAVES AS IF THE KEY WAS JUST TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, MEANING THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS UP, AND IT CAN BE PUT IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED. NO SPECIFIC ACTIVITY TRIGGERS THE SHUTDOWN. IT CAN HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED IN ANY CONDITIONS OR WHILE IDLING.

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT RANDOM SPEEDS. MY DODGE CARAVAN WILL JUST SHUT DOWN. I HAVE NOTICED ON A COUPLE OCCASIONS ALL OF THE DASH LIGHTS WILL COME AND THEN ENGINE WILL SHUT DOWN. LOSE OF STEERING AND BRAKES. I HAVE MANAGED A FEW TIMES SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL AND QUICKLY RESTARTING. AN THE FEW TIMES IT WOULD NOT START IVE MANAGED TO GET OFF THE ROAD WITH STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND BRAKE PEDAL THAT WONT DEPRESS. SIT FOR A MINUTE PUT IN PARK AN RESTART. THIS HAS HAPPEN OVER 18 TIMES OF OWNING THE VEHICLE FOR A YEAR

OUR HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. IT HIT MY HUSBAND IN BACK OF HEAD BUT NO REAL DAMAGE, HE JUST HAS SMALL BUMP. THE NOISE STARTLED ME BUT I WAS ABLE TO STAY ON ROAD.

I WAS DRIVING FINE WITH THE KIDS AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN I FEEL LIKE MY VAN WANTS TO SHUT DOWN ON ME WHILE DRIVING. WENT TO THE PARK ONE DAY AND WHEN CAME BACK WITH THE KIDS THE CAR WOULD NOT START... I FINALLY( AFTER SEVERAL TRIES) GET IT TO START AND GOT HOME SAFE, THANKFULLY. THE NEXT DAY I GO GROCERY SHOPPING AND CAME BACK, THE VAN WOULD NOT START! NOW, I'M FRUSTRATED WITH THE KIDS AND GROCERIES OUT IN THE HOT WEATHER. FINALLY GET IT TO START AND DROVE HOME HOPING TO GET THERE SAFE. FRUSTRATED THINKING CANNOT AFFORD A MECHANIC AT THIS TIME AS I RECENTLY REPLACED THE WATER PUMP AND THAT WASN'T CHEAP. GOT HOME! AND THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD NOT START CALLED ASSISTANCE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WRONG AND EXPLAINED THAT IT WASN'T THE BATTERY NOR THE ALTERNATOR, THERE'S NO CODE AND THAT IT WAS POSSIBLY THE TIPM AND THAT WAS GOING TO BE ABOUT A $1,200 IF NOT MORE TO REPLACE. EXPLAINED THAT GRAND CHEROKEE AND OTHER DODGE CAR HAD RECALLED IT BUT NOT THE DODGE GRAN CARAVAN

I GOT AN OIL CHANGE AND AN INSPECTION THE INSPECTION REPORT WAS GOOD, NO MAJOR MECHANICAL ISSUES. ONLY RECOMMENDATION WAS A POWER STEERING FLUSH NEXT TIME I CAME IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE. I DROVE THE VAN HOME 1/2 MILE AWAY. I PARKED THE VAN. I SAW LIGHT SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. IT SMELLED LIKE BURNT RUBBER. I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE BACK TO SHOP 1/4 MILE AWAY. THE VAN LOST ALL POWER AT A STOP SIGN. I SAW MORE DARKER SMOKE COMING OUT. I GOT OUT OF THE VAN IMMEDIATELY. WITHIN 2 MINUTES THE VANS FRONT END WAS IN FLAMES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER COMPLETING A LEFT TURN AT 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. ANOTHER DRIVER ASSISTED HER WITH THE BATTERY AND THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE HOME. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT STATED THAT MULTIPLE UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 89,000.

1ST PROBLEM ERRATIC IGNITION STALLING WHILE IN PARK. BATTERY WAS REPLACED AND TAKEN TO SHOP, THE AUTO TECHNICIAN ASSUMED BASED ON P0128 P0520 P0441 IT WAS GAS FUEL CAP, SWITCH OIL PRESSURE, HOUSING THERMOSTAT, GASKET INTAKE MANIFOLD THEY REPLACED O2 SENSORS VACUUM LINE READ A SENSOR WITH EVAPO SYSTEM CAUSING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A HOST OF OTHER ITEMS CHECKED GAS CAP TOTALED ME $779. CAR REFUSE TO STARTED NEXT MORNINGS FOR PASS TWO WEEKS EVERY MORNING SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START CAR AFTER PARKED OVERNIGHT NO START ONLY STALLING FIRST. THEN WAITED AN HOUR PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL SEE IF CAR STARTS IT DID. AFTER DRIVING THAT DAY WHILE DRIVING CAR ACCELERATION BEGAN TO GO FAST BY ITSELF ON A HIGHWAY THEN JERK RPM DROPPED DOWN WHILE DRIVING MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I THOUGHT MAYBE GEAR WAS OUT OF PLACE SO I LOOKED TO SEE IF IT WAS IN DRIVE, IT WAS IN DRIVE. WENT BACK TO AUTO SHOP THEY SAID SINCE CAR IS WORKING NOW CAN'T HOOK UP SYSTEM TO CHECK P CODES BECAUSE IT WON'T SHOW UP IF IT'S WORKING.TOLD ME DRIVE 60 MILES TO SEE PROB CONTINUE. NEXT MORNING CAR DIDN'T START, NO FUSE SIGNAL SHOWS. THEN CAR WAS DEAD ONE CLICK SOUND ,NO STALL. CALLED ROADSIDE ASSIST AND TRIED TO JUMP BATTERY. GUY SAID IT'S NOT BATTERY HE SAID IT'S THE FUEL PUMP. CONTACTED THE AUTO MECHANIC SPOKE WITH MGR OF SHOP AND SAID IT CAN BE A TIPM AND COST $1200. THIS IS A VERY UNSTABLE AND UNSAFE ISSUE MY FAMILY AND I DRIVE IN THIS VAN DON'T FEEL SAFE 2ND ISSUE CAR HESITATED TO STOP TWO MONTHS AGO WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES TO STOP CAR WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD TO STOP AT RED LIGHT, NO STOP I HAD TO PUMP BRAKES AND I THOUGHT IT WAS BRAKES I PAID FOR REPLACEMENT OF BRAKES AND PADS AS WELL. THIS ELECTRICAL MODULE HAS BEEN THE CAUSE OF KNOWN INCIDENTS. IT CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS. THE VAN IS DANGEROUS SAFETY HAZARD. TIPM AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS CREATING UNSAFE BRAKING AND IGNITION FUEL CONDITIONS CAUSING MALFUNCTION