2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, BOTH OF THE SLIDING DOORS ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE OPENED AND THE POWER STEERING SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 126,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A FUEL PUMP RELAY FAILURE, WHICH CAUSED IT NOT TO START AND/OR STALL. SCOVILLE-MENO CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP (18 UNION ST, SIDNEY, NY 13838, (607) 561-7500) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE FUSE BOX, WHICH WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $1,000. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND SUGGESTED THE CONTACT FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO STATED THAT THE PART COULD NOT BE BOUGHT AT A LOWER PRICE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED FROM SOME PLACE OTHER THAN THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

STARTED WITH THE VEHICLE NOT WANTING TO START ALL THE TIME. RECENTLY IT SHUT OFF WITH NO WARNING WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 65 MPH WITH NO STEERING. NOW IT WONT START AT ALL. WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM AFTER 2 DAYS. THE PROBLEM IS THE TIPM (TOTAL INTEGRATED POWER MODULE). FINDING OUT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT ISNT SAFE FOR OTHER DRIVERS OR TO THE FAMILIES INSIDE THE VEHICLE.

WIPERS ON INTERMITTENTLY AND WILL NOT TURN OFF. NO INTERIOR LIGHTS OR DASH LIGHTS, THEN ALL LIGHTS ON INSTRUMENT PANEL/WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. LOUD SQUEALING NOISE AND CHATTERING NOISE FROM INSTRUMENT PANEL. VAN WILL NOT START. SLIDING DOOR SOMETIMES OPENS ON IT'S OWN. VEHICLE IS USUALLY PARKED AND HAPPENS ON START UP, BUT HAS OCCASIONALLY HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING.

FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THE TIRE PRESSURE GAUGES COME OFF AND ON RANDOMLY EVEN THOUGH THE PRESSURE IS CORRECT. SOMETIMES, MY VANS SLIDING DOORS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE OPENING, START CLOSING BEFORE THE DOOR IS EVEN OPEN COMPLETELY AND WITHOUT ANYONE HITTING THE BUTTON TO CLOSE (MY 3 YEAR OLD FINGERS WERE SMASHED IN THE DOOR DUE TO THIS. LUCKILY, XRAYS REVEALED NONE WERE BROKEN, BUT I AM LEFT WITH AN EXPENSIVE HOSPITAL BILL)). WHEN I GO FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, SOMETIMES IT FEELS AS THOUGH I'M BEING JERKED FORWARD BECAUSE THE SHIFT IS SO HARD. LASTLY, MY VAN STARTED NOT WANTING TO START IN THE MORNINGS. AFTER TESTING BATTERY AND REPLACING SPARK PLUGS, THE PROBLEM CONTINUED TO GET WORSE. IT'S LIKE IT WANTS TO START BUT CAN'T GET GAS SO IT DIES. REPEATEDLY TRYING GOT IT TO START, BUT THEN IT QUIT. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO START ONE MORE TIME AND DROVE TO MECHANIC. THEY INFORMED ME IT'S A FAULTY TIPM MODULE, AND IT NOW WON'T EVEN CONTINUE TO RUN ONCE IT'S STARTED. SO THEY INFORMED ME THEY CANNOT FIX IT BECAUSE ONLY A DEALERSHIP CAN REPROGRAM IT, AND THAT BECAUSE IT'S THE MODULE IT'S NOT SAFE TO DRIVE EVEN IF I COULD GET IT TO START TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT CAN DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING IT LEADING TO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. SO NOW I'LL HAVE TO PAY TO TOW IT. I JUST PURCHASED THE VAN 3 MONTHS AGO BECAUSE I NEEDED ROOM FOR MY 4TH CHILD AND WANTED A SAFE, RELIABLE VEHICLE. NOW I HAVE A CAR PAYMENT AND A VEHICLE WITH ONLY A LITTLE OVER 80,000 MILES THAT ISN'T RELIABLE AND IS SITTING BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO REPAIR WHAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN PLACED IN THE VEHICLE TO BEGIN WITH GIVEN IT WAS DEFECTIVE BEFORE INSTALLATION. PLEASE HELP PEOPLE LIKE ME BY HOLDING THE MANUFACTURER ACCOUNTABLE FOR FALSELY REPORTING A SAFE VEHICLE WHEN THEY KNEW IT HAD A DEFECTIVE PART THAT CAN ONLY BE FIXED BY A DEALERSHIP SINCE IT HAS TO BE PROGRAMMED.

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A ROUNDABOUT AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE REAR SLIDING DOOR BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. TWO OF MY CHILDREN WERE IN THE SECOND ROW SEATS. THE RIGHT SIDE DOOR WAS CRUSHED AND THE GLASS WAS SHATTERED AND PROJECTED THROUGH THE VAN TO THE LEFT SIDE. THE SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS NOT ON, SO THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A FAULT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED.

TIPM FAILING. OUR 2011 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN ONLY HAS 78,000 MILES ON IT, YET THE TIPM IS CAUSING ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS. THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS THAT THE VEHICLE WON'T START ON OCCASION, AND IT'S PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. THE ENGINE TURNS OVER, BUT IT DOESN'T START AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY. OTHER TIMES IT WON'T EVEN TURN OVER. WHEN IT DOESN'T TURN OVER, WE USUALLY PUT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND BACK INTO PARK, THEN IT USUALLY STARTS. WE'VE ALSO HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON MANY TIMES. ONE SET OF CODES WAS FOR A CAMSHAFT POSITIONING SENSOR, SO WE REPLACED THOSE. THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER IT DID IT AGAIN, SO WE HAD THEM REPLACED AGAIN. AFTER A FEW MONTHS WE THEN HAD THE LIGHT COME ON AND THE DEALERSHIP EVENTUALLY HAD THE PCV HOSE AND VALVE REPLACED, THEN THE LIFTERS, ROCKERS, TAPPERS, ETC. ON THE RIGHT SIDE (NOT PART OF THE LEFT-SIDE RECALL). WE HAVE HAD DOORS RANDOMLY OPEN, LOCK OR UNLOCK. WINDOWS HAVE OPENED WITHOUT US ACTIVATING THE SWITCH. A FEW TIMES THE ALARM (HORN) HAS SOUNDED AND WE HAVE TO PRESS THE BUTTON ON THE FOB SEVERAL TIMES TO SHUT IT OFF. THE CAR ALSO SHUT OFF ONCE WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD, WHICH IS VERY FRIGHTENING. THE TIPMS IN THESE VEHICLE ARE FAULTY, NO MATTER WHAT DODGE SAYS. CHECK THE COMPLAINTS ON THE CARCOMPLAINTS WEBSITE.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT RESETTING DUE TO P0740 CODE EVEN AFTER CHANGING VALVE BODY AND RELATED SOLENOIDS ON TRANSMISSION. VAN DOES NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES WHILE DRIVING. NO GAS MILEAGE ISSUES. CURRENTLY IT IS ~93K. DEALER IS ALSO NOT SURE. HE SAYS NEED TO OVERHAUL THE TORQUE CONVERTER (COST $1100) THEN HE WILL KNOW IF ANYTHING ELSE IS DAMAGED. IN THAT CASE HE HAS TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION (COST $2800). 2ND OPTION TO PUT A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION (COST $3100). I HAVE READ ONLINE THERE IS A ONGOING ISSUE WITH DODGE TRANSMISSIONS (2011 TO 2014 MODELS) WHICH IS NOT BEING RECALLED. MANY A TIMES CHANGING TRANSMISSION DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE. MY PERSONAL MECHANIC ALSO SAID HE GOT THIS ISSUE IN MANY OF THE DODGE VANS. WOULD REQUEST NHTSA TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THIS INVESTIGATION.

APPARENTLY THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH DODGE AND RELATED CHRYSLER VEHICLES ACCORDING TO OUR MECHANIC. BASICALLY THE TIPM--TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE IS BAD AND THIS CAUSES AMONG OTHER SYMPTOMS: VEHICLE NOT STARTING, ISSUES WITH ELECTRIC CONTROLS(LIGHTING), ISSUES WITH FUEL SYSTEM(FUEL PUMP OR RELAY) OUR VEHICLE HAD ISSUES STARTING. ESPECIALLY DURING WINTERTIME THIS HAPPENED. AND HAVING REPLACED THE BATTERY NEW AND ALSO HAVING ENSURED SPARKPLUGS ARE NEW, THOSE ISSUES WERE RULED OUT. STARTER ISSUE ALSO WERE RULED OUT BOTH BY OBVSERVATION AND MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO HAVE DIFFICULTY AND INTERMITTENT SUCCESSES IN STARTING, UP TO THE POINT THAT IT DIDN'T START ANYMORE ON 12/10/2018. THE STARTER IS TURNING BUT ENGINE DOESN'T START. SO TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AND LEARNED THAT THE TIPM IS THE ISSUE. PRIOR TO IT TOTALLY FAILING TO START., IN THE PAST 4 MONTHS, THE VEHICLE HAD STALLED 4 TO 5 TIMES WHILE DRIVING IT ON THE THREAD GOING ABOUT 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR WITH TRAFFIC. I REALIZED THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE BASICALLY THE CAR STOPS ALL OF A SUDDEN WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD--WITH TRAFFIC. WHEN THIS FAILURE HAPPENS, APPARENTLY NO FUEL GOES INTO THE ENGINE THAT THE VEHICLE COMES TO A HALT. THERE IS NO POWER STEERING AND RADIO OR OTHER--AS IF THE POWER WAS JUST TOTALLY DISCONNECTED. LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OFF THE ROAD, USING ITS MOMENTUM. AND AFTER A COUPLE TIMES TURNING ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. AGAIN THE SUDDEN ENGINE STOPPAGE OCCURRED AROUND 5 TIMES AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT AFTER A COUPLE OF TRIES. UNTIL THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER START AT ALL FROM A PARKING LOT. THE REPAIRS COS $1300+ FOR THE TIPM WHICH HAD TO BE DEALER ORDERED AND REPROGRAMMED.

THE TIPM MODULE COMPLETELY FAILED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE FUEL PUMP. FROM PRELIMINARY RESEARCH THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT DODGE HAS FAILED TO ADDRESS WITH THIS MODEL. VEHICLE WILL NOT START. HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT PROPULSION ISSUE WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO BE SLUGGISH THUS CAUSING A DANGER TO DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS IN TRAFFIC SITUATIONS