2000 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

I OWN A 2000 DODGE CARAVAN. I RECENTLY HAD TO REPLACE A FAULTY CLOCK SPRING. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED ON EARLIER MODELS AND WAS PREVIOUSLY UNDER LIFETIME WARRANTY. I HAVE 53,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND DO NOT FEEL THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE. *JB

AFTER 22800 MILES (FEB 7, 2002), THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID PACK FAILED (SLIGHT LEAKING), CAUSING A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON AND FORCING BAD SHIFTING. THE DEALER REPLACED THIS UNDER WARRANTY. AT 49,500 MILES (SEPTEMBER 8, 2003), THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE VAN WAS SHIFTING ROUGH AGAIN. SINCE THE MAIN WARRANTY HAD BEEN EXCEEDED AT 36K MILES AND THE PART FROM THE FIRST DEALER REPAIR WAS WARRANTED FOR 1 YEAR/12000 MILES, THE DEALER OFFERED NO RECOURSE. FOUND A GOOD (NON-DEALER) MECHANIC TO REPLACE IT FOR LESS (STILL COST $525...DEALER WANTED OVER $600). DEALER CLAIMED THAT THIS WAS UNUSUAL TO HAPPEN ONCE, LET ALONE TWICE, BUT STILL WOULDN'T HELP ME. *LA

AT 41,000 MILES SUFFERED TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE W/ NO WARNING. VEH WOULD BUCK WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, AS WELL AS FORWARD GEARS. BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A FAILED DIFFERENTIAL, NEEDED TOTAL REPLACEMENT AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. (THIS VAN IS 10 DAYS/ 5000 MILES BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD). WE HAD A PREVIOUS PROBLEM OF TRANS FLUID LEAKAGE WHICH WAS REPAIRED APPROX A YEAR AGO, AND WE HAVE FOLLOWED THE RECCOMENDED SERVICE SCHEDULE. THIS TIME AROUND THE REPAIR TOTALED $1900.

AC FAILED COOLING. UNIT HAS LOST ITS FREON CHARGE. UNIT WAS RECHARDEG AND DYE INSTALLED TO LOCATE LEAK. LEAK WAS FOUNG IN FRONT EVAPORATOR. WAS ADVISED CORE LEAK, NOT A COPPER TO ALUM JOINT, BUT THROUGH ALUMINUM PART OF CORE. APPEARED TO BE DETERIORATED BY ACID. OTHER INVOLVES THREE FAILURES ON BATTERY ON THIS VEHICLE. THE ORIGINAL, A REPLACEMENT INSTALLED IN OCT 2001 AND THAT FAILED THIS JULY 2003.

WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT TURN OFF WHEN THE SWITCH IS TURNED OFF. THE WIPERS SWIPE AN ADDITIONAL 2 - 8 TIMES AFTER THEY ARE TURNED OFF, EVEN IF THE ENGINE IS OFF. THE DEALER TELLS ME THEY WILL NEVER FAIL TO COME ON, THEY ONLY FAIL TO GO OFF, AND THAT CHANGING THE SWITCH MAY NOT ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT ONE DAY THE SWITCH WILL NOT RESPOND WHEN THE WIPERS ARE NEEDED AND VISIBILITY WILL BE COMPROMISED. IT HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE SINCE I HAVE HAD THE VAN.

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH SERPENTINE BROKE. THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME SUCH AN OCCURANCE HAS HAPPENED WITH COMPONENTS RELATED TO THIS SYSTEM. EACH REPAIR AVERAGES 250-300 DOLLARS. THIS POSES A RISK TO US AS AS A FAMILY AS THE VEHICLE FAILS WITHOUT WARNING, IN A HIGHWAY THIS COULD PROVE DISASTROUS. *AK

I LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT REGARDING 2000 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THIS VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM OTHER OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT REGARDING THE HORN AND AIR BAG NOT FUNCTIONING DUE TO A DEFECTIVE CLOCKSPRING HARNESS. CHRYSLER HAS REFUSED TO RECALL THIS COMPONENT OR ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE OTHER THAN SAYING IT SHOULD BE FIXED. MOST MINI-VAN OWNERS TRANSPORT FAMILIES IN THESE VEHICLES AND IT IS A SHAME THAT CHRYSLER WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *LA

WHILE DRIVING THE GEAR SHIFTER SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THIS ALSO HAPPENED WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. THE CONSUMER HAS SEVERAL WITNESSES TO THE PROBLEM BUT THE DEALER MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM

DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE PADS WORE OUT PREMATURELY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES, WHERE THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE PADS. *AK

TRANSAXLE PIN SLIPPED OUT OF POSITION AND RIPPED TRANSMISSION CASE OPEN. TRANSMISION WAS DESTROYED. FLUID DRAINED OUT IN LOCAL DRIVEWAY. EALERSHIP SAYS WILL COST $3,100 TO $3,400 TO REPLACE TRANSMISION WITH, NOT A NEW ONE, BUT A CHRYSLER REBUILT TRANSMISION.*AK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 YEARS OLD ... 71,000 MILES ... WHEN TRANNY BUSTED. DEALERSHIP PREFORMED $150.00 POWERFLUSH TO TRANSMISION 1 1/2 YEARS AGO WITH SUPERIOR FLUID THAT WAS AVERT ANY PROBLEMS DUE TO ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FLUID NOT RECOMENDED BECAUSE OF NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMY WHITFORD STOPPED VAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHEN SHE THOUGHT SHE HIT SOMETHING (THE NOISE OF THE TRANSMISION PIN BREAKING THROUGH THE CASE) AND GOT OUT IN TRAFFIC WALKING AROUND VEHICLE WITH 3 YOUNG CHILDREN INSIDE. SHE NOTICED FLUID ON GROUND AND PULLED INTO NEAREST DRIVEWAY, WHERE REMAINDER OF FLUID RAN OUT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I AM OUTRAGE TO FIND THAT THOUSANDS OF THESE EXACT FALURES HAPPEN WITH THESE CHRYSLER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISIONS AND CONTINUE. THE CONSUMER PAYS THE $3,300 PRICE FOR THESE KNOWN DEFECTS AFTER THEY TEAR THE TRANSMISION APART. THESE FAILURES ARE DANGEROUS AND ONLY IGNORED BECAUSE IT WILL COST THE MANUFACTURER INSTEAD OF ME. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHRYSLER HAS MADE A BLUNDER HERE AND WANTS ME TO PAY FOR IT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAMERON R. WHITFORD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [email protected] PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY ASSISTANCE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOW DO I GET CHRYSLER TO OWN UP TO THIS CUSTOMER NIGHTMARE. I WILL DO ANYTHING!