1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

THE AIRBAG INDICATOR HAS TURNED ON AND WILL NOT GO OUT. NO FAILURE CODES ARE REPOTED. THE HORN WILL NOT WORK AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS GO ON BY THEMSELVES OCCASIONALLY. THE LEFT DOOR LOCK WILL UNLOCK AND LOCK QUICKLY WHEN THE KEY IS TURNED TO OPEN THE DOOR.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, VEHICLE SHUTDOWN AND THERE WAS NO POWER. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK DEALER REPLACED A BAD ISC MOTOR TO REMEDY STALLING PROBLEM. FAULTY CRANKSENSOR AND CAM SENSOR CAUSED A NO START CONDITION. VEHICLE SHAKES AND RUNS ROUGH, DEALER REPLACED POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. *JB

THE CLOCKSPRING ACTS AS AN ELECTRICAL CONDUIT FOR THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG, HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN IT BREAKS ONE OR MORE OF THESE SYSTEMS FAILS WITHOUT WARNING. I FEEL THAT IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CLOCKSPRING FAIL ON ANY OTHER CAR THAT I HAVE OWNED, SEVERAL OF WHICH HAVE GONE WELL BEYOND 100,000 MILES.*AK

TRANSMISSION HAS LOCKED UP 4 TIMES. 1ST TIME @ 54KMILES/2ND @ 37KMILES/3RD @ 30KMILES/ 4TH (WHICH WAS A REMANUFACTURED) @ 48K MILE. ALL OF THESE OCCURRED WHILE I WAS PULLING INTO AN INTERSECTION OR THROUGH A LIGHT.*AK

THE FAILURE OF THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY RESULTED IN THE AIR BAG LIGHT BEING ILLUMINATED, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE BAG WAS ALSO INOPERATIVE. THE HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL WERE DEFINITELY INOPERATIVE. I PURCHASED A REPLACEMENT CLOCKSPRING ($75) AND INSTALLED IT MYSELF (2 HOURS). THE NATURE AND FREQUENCY OF THIS FAILURE WOULD SEEM TO WARRANT A RECALL, IN MY OPINION.

THERE IS A VERY FOUL SMELL INSIDE VEHICLE WHENEVER CONSUMER STARTED UP VEHICLE.ALSO, AIR CONDITIONER DOES NOT WORK. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK

I DISCOVERED A LEAK ON THE FRONT FUEL RAIL ON MY 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WAS INFORMED PRIOR TO PURCHASE IN NOVEMBER 2001 THAT ALL RECALL ISSUES HAD BEEN RESOLVED ON THIS VEHICLE. THE REPAIR HAD NEVER BEEN DONE TO THE VAN, AND I DISCOVERED THE LEAK AS THE VAN IDLED IN MY DRIVEWAY ON 2-2-2002.*AK

SERVICE AGENT DETERMINED/CONFIRMED ANTI-FREEZE COOLANT LEAK INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE CARPET AND DOOR SILL AREA. THE LEAK MADE AN OFFENSIVE ODOR, FERMENTING THE CARPET, AND THE RESIDUAL SMELL/ANTIFREEZE FUMES APPEARS UNHEALTHY TO BREATH IN. THE LEAK WAS DETECTED BY VISIBLE SUBSTANTIAL WETNESS OF THE CARPET AREA ABOUT THE SILL AREA. CARPET BECAME SLIGHTLY DISCOLORED/STAINED BY THE ANTI-FREEZE LEAK. THE ACTUAL LOCATION OF THE LEAK COULD NOT BE DETECTED WITHOUT THE COMPLETE DISASSEMBLY OF THE REAR INTERIOR TRIM. A QUOTE OF OVER $230 IN MATERIALS AND $430 IN LABOR WAS GIVEN TO REPAIR THE LEAKING CORE. THIS IS AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF COST, AND OFFERS A POTENTIAL UNHEALTHY SITUATION IF LEFT UNREPAIRED. THE OWNER CANNOT FORESEE EXPENDITURE OF SUCH MAGNITUDE OF COSTS, AND MUST TRY TO SEEK A LESS EXPENSIVE REMEDY. NOTE, THE SERVICE AGENT WOULD NOT DISCONNECT/SHORT CIRCUIT THE HEATER CORE LINES TO DISCONNECT/REMOVE THIS HEATER CORE FROM SERVICE; HENCE AN IMPASSE REMAINS. THE OWNER WILL BE FORCED TO DO SAME TO ELIMINATE THE PERSISTENT LEAK.*AK

THIS IS A FOLLOWUP ON ODI 757393 SUBMITTED ON 1/24/2002 AND AMENDED 1/27/2002. UPON TOWED RETURN OF VEHICLE TO SERVICE AGENT REPAIR SHOP, SERVICE AGENT INVESTIGATED VISIBLE GASOLINE LEAK. UPON CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE REPLACEMENT VENT ASSEMBLY, SERVICE AGENT REPORTED THAT WHILE THE PART "LOOKED" LIKE THE RIGHT PART; IT INDEED WAS AN INCORRECT PART. THE SERVICE AGENT SAID THE PART WAS PREVIOUSLY PACKAGED AND SHIPPED IN A BOX WITH THE CORRECT PART NUMBER; HOWEVER IN CONVERSATIONS WITH DAIMLERCHRYSLER, IT WAS ONLY THEN DETERMINED TO BE AN INCORRECT PART. THEY COULD ONLY DISTINQUISH THE PART BY ITS VENDOR MANUFACTURER'S "CASTING NUMBER" CAST INTO THE ASSEMBLY. CHRYSLER VERIFIED THAT THIS WAS INDEED AN INCORRECT PART; AND A REPLACEMENT VENT ASSEMBLY WAS ORDERED AND REPLACED. THIS ALLEVIATED THE PREVOUS LEAK. SERVICE AGENT REPORTS HIS TECHNICIAN COULD NOT DISTINGUISH THE INCORRECT PART FROM THE REAL PART, AND FELT IT WAS SECURELY TIGHTENED, BUT THE APPARENT CLEARANCES AND SLIGHT SIZE DIFFERENCES ALLOWED THE GASOLINE LEAK TO DEVELOP. NO LEAK WAS FURTHER NOTED WITH THE COMPLETE FILL-UP OF THE GAS TANK BY THE OWNER. IT IS NOTED THAT THE SERVICE AGENT HAD NO "SPECIAL" PROCEDURE FOR TESTING THE GAS-TIGHTNESS OF THE GAS TANK AS HE HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY FILLED THE TANK TO OVERFLOW TO CHECK SAME. THIS APPEARS TO BE A "DEFICIENCY" IN TANK REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE, AS IT WAS ONLY WHEN THE OWNER SUBSEQUENTLY FILLED THE TANK THAT THE ORIGINAL LEAK WAS EVER DETECTED.*AK

THIS IS A FOLLOWUP ON ODI 757303 VOQ SUBMITTED 01/24/2002 BY OWNER FOR ORIGINAL GAS TANK VENT ASSEMBLY LEAK. A CERTIFIED DODGE SERVICE AGENT HAD REPLACED MY ORIGINAL GAS TANK AND VENT ASSEMBLY WITH NEW GAS TANK AND VENT ASSEMBLY, AS THE ORIGINAL VENT ASSEMBLY IS NO LONGER MANUFACTURED; HENCE A NEW GAS TANK WAS REQUIRED FOR A REPLACEMENT PART. THIS PART SYSTEM CONTAINED A REDESIGNED VENT ASSEMBLY AND GAS TANK. AFTER TANK/VENT ASSEMBLY REPLACMENT WAS COMPLETED ON 01/24/2002, CAR WAS RETURNED TO OWNER. ON 01/27/2002, THE OWNER'S WIFE PROCEEDED TO "FILL UP" THE GAS TANK. OWNER'S WIFE REPORTED STRONG RAW GASOLINE FUMES. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE NOTED VISIBLE GASOLINE LEAKING FROM THE NEWLY REPLACED GAS TANK AT THE VENT ASSEMBY. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, AS THE OWNER MEASURED A CLEARANCE DISTANCE OF ONLY NINE (9) INCHES FROM THE HOT SURFACE OF THE REAR MUFFLER ASSEMBLY WITH NO THERMAL SHIELDING. THE OWNER HAS IMMEDIATELY NOTIFED THE SERVICE AGENT. THE OWNER QUESTIONS THE APPROPRIATENESS, "DESIGN" AND LOCATION OF THE PRESENT VENT ASSEMBLY ON THE GAS TANK, IN LIGHT OF THIS LEAK. A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS OR EXPLOSIVE SITUATION COULD EXIST..*AK