2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

WHEN PARKING AND SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF, I GET OUT AND WALK TOWARD REAR OF THE VAN, I CAN SMELL GAS BUT I CAN NOT FIND ANY GAS LEAKING ON THE GROUND AND THE GAS CAP IS ON TIGHT. I HAD A FRIEND TELL ME THAT THEY HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM ON THEIR DODGE GRAND CARAVAN AND THEY HAD TO DROP THE GAS TANK AND FOUND A LEAK ON TOP OF THE TANK. IT IS A STRONG ODOR AND I AM AFRAID A SMOKER TOSSING A BUTT NEAR THE VAN MIGHT CAUSE AN EXPLOSION. THIS IS AN E85 FUEL ENGINE BUT THAT IS HARD TO FIND SO I USE UNLEADED REGULAR. I HAVE NOT HAD CHANCE TO GET THIS IN TO HAVE IT CHECKED AND REPAIRED. JUST CHECKING ON RECALL POSSIBILITIES FIRST. *TR

I ORIGINALLY CALLED DODGE WHEN THIS ISSUE STARTED AND THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BUT WHEN WE WOULD PUT THE VAN IN REVERSE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND IF YOU WERE NOT LISTENING FOR IT TO "CATCH" YOU WOULD PUT ON THE GAS AND BE GOING FORWARD. AFTER CALLING A FEW TIMES WE JUST GAVE UP AND BEGAN A HABIT OF SHIFTING INTO REVERSE AND MAKING SURE THE VEHICLE WAS INDEED IN REVERSE. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF THIS WE STARTED HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SPEED. THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO IF IT WAS UNDER ANY KIND OF STRAIN, UPHILL OR GRADE. AFTER REPLACING EVERYTHING FROM FUEL INJECTOR TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO SPARK PLUGS, WIRES AND SENSORS AND SPENDING CLOSE TO $1000 ON IT WE ENDED UP IN A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP WHICH FOUND OUR PROBLEM TO BE A CRACKED FLEX PLATE. THAT WAS $1500 MORE BUT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. THE REVERSE IS NOW WORKING PROPERLY AS WELL SO I FEEL THAT THIS FLEX PLATE MAY HAVE BEEN THE REVERSE ISSUE AS WELL. *TR

MY POWER DOOR LOCKS NO LONGER WORK. WE CAN PULL THE FUSE AND PUT IT BACK AND THEY WILL WORK FOR A FEW DAYS. ONE TIME OUR BATTERY DIED AND AFTER CHARGING THE DOOR LOCKS WORKED FOR A FEW WEEKS. ALSO THE POWER WINDOW ON THE DRIVER SIDE INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT WORK AND NOW EVERY TIME I OPEN THE DOOR THE HORN BLOWS. *TR

MY VANS LOCKS DON'T WORK ANYMORE ON THE REMOTE ON BY PUSHING THE BUTTON BUT IF I CHARGE THE BATTERY EVEN IF ITS NOT DEAD IT'LL WORK FOR A COUPLE DAYS I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE FIXED FOR SAFETY. *TR

THE FUEL PUMP ON OUR 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CRACKS AND LEAKS WHICH LEFT A STRONG FUEL ODOR ALONG WITH THE LOSS OF GASOLINE. THE FUEL PUMP SHOULD HAVE LASTED AT LEAST 100,000 MILES BUT IT DID NOT. WHEN I SEARCHED ONLINE, I FOUND THAT QUITE A FEW OWNERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE SUB PAR PARTS ARE COSTLY TO REPLACE, ESPECIALLY WHEN CONSIDERING IT WAS NO FAULT OF THE OWNERS. *TR

THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS FAILED TO FUNCTION WHEN REACHING THE REQUIRED SPEED. EVEN WOULD NOT LOCK WITH THE KEY TOOK IT TO MECHANIC WAS ADVISED THAT WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER, BUT BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY THAT IT WOULD RESET THE COMPUTER, IT IS ONLY A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.SECOND PROBLEM WAS THE DOOR MOTOR STOP WORKING HAD THAT REPLACED. THIRD PROBLEM WAS THE FRONT AXLE BROKE WITH NO APPARENT WEAR, HAD THAT REPLACED. NOW IT'S THE GAS TANK, CAR WANTS TO STALL WAS ADVISED BY MECHANIC THAT THE GAS TANK WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED, THAT IT IS A DEFECTIVE VALVE THAT HAS SINCE BEEN CORRECTED IN THE NEWER MODELS. *TR

AFTER FILLING VEHICLE WITH FUEL, OUR VAN HAS BEEN STALLING UPON STOPPING AT A LIGHT WITHIN 5 MINUTES OF LEAVING GAS STATION. MOST RECENTLY VEHICLE CUT OFF LESS THAN 1/4 MILE AFTER REFILLING WHEN DRIVING ON ROAD. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, ELECTRIC OF VEHICLE SHUTS OFF ALONG WITH LOSING POWER STEERING. THE PROBLEM OF VEHICLE SHUTTING OFF HAS GONE ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR ABOUT 1-2 YEARS NOW BUT IS GETTING WORSE. UNTIL ABOUT A WEEK AGO, THIS ALWAYS HAPPENED AT A STOP BUT THE LAST INCIDENT IS CONCERNING CONSIDERING IT HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING MY WIFE USES THIS AS PRIMARY TRANSPORTATION FOR HER AND OUR 3 CHILDREN. WHAT IF THIS CUTS OFF ON THE HIGHWAY OR IN AN INTERSECTION? I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ONLINE TRYING TO FIND POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSES. THERE SEEMS TO BE AN OVERWHELMINGLY LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE WITH THE 3.8 LITER V6 ON DODGE/CHRYSLER MINIVAN MODELS IN THE 2003-2007 RANGE. I AM ALSO TOLD THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE GAS TANK DUE TO A FAULTY VALVE/SEPARATOR. I HOPE THAT CHRYSLER IS WILLING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER CONSIDERING THE HIGH LEVEL OF DANGER THAT WE ARE PRESENTED WITH HERE. *TR

STARTED UP THE CAR AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH STAYED ON, FUEL LIGHT, ENG LIGHT, ABS LIGHT ....ALL THE LIGHTED SQUARES AROUND THE GEAR (DL321) STAYED LIT AND WOULD NOT SHUT OFF UNTIL I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND THEN THEY DIDN'T SHUT OFF UNTIL THE AUTOMATIC CUT OFF ..SHUT THEM DOWN. CHECKED ALL THE FUSES AND THE FMC AND THE PDC TO CLEAN CONNECTIONS AND DIDN'T CHANGE. DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY CABLES AND THEN RECONNECTED THEM. STILL NOTHING CALLED THE DEALER AND HE SAID THAT THEY COULD CONNECT THE DIAGNOSTIC BUT SOUNDED LIKE THE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A START OF $500. MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN HAVING ON AND OFF PROBLEMS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE ALONG WITH THE DRIVERS WINDOW NOT GOING DOWN THEN IT WORKS FINE FOR A LONG TIME AND THEN STOPS AGAIN. *TR

COURTESY LAMP SOCKET MELTED NEEDING REPLACEMENT. MORE RECENTLY, THE RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL FAILED. WHEN I REPLACED THE LAMP, I NOTICED THAT BOTH SIDES THE SOCKET ASSEMBLY HAD MELTED. THE REPLACEMENT BULB IS NOT ABLE TO FUNCTION AS THE CONTACTS ARE NOT ABLE TO CONNECT. THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID A ROAD ANIMAL. THE CONTACT CRASHED FORCEFULLY INTO THE SIDE OF A DITCH, WENT AIRBORNE AND THEN CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY WITH THE IMPACT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, WRIST AND HAND. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 146,500.