2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

I HAVE CONTINUOUS PROBLEMS OUT OF THIS VEHICLE, SENSORS, AND THE VEHICLE DOWN SHIFTS REGULAR ON A STRAIT WAY, AND UP SLIGHT HILLS, LOSES SPEED ,EXTREME LOSS OF FUEL MILEAGE

STARTING SEPTEMBER 2016 WE NOTICED OUR LIGHTS WOULD GO ON FOR NO REASON AND OUR DOORS WOULD OPEN ON ITS OWN. WE INITIALLY CHALKED IT UP TO OUR KEY BEING FAULTY AND REPLACED THE BATTERIES, BUT EVERY SO OFTEN IT KEPT HAPPENING. IN OCTOBER OUR BATTERY DIED, WE FIGURED THE LAST TIME WE CHANGED IT WAS WHEN WE ORIGINALLY GOT THE VAN SO MAYBE IT WAS JUST TIME AND REPLACED IT. THEN IN NOVEMBER OUR CAR WOULD NOT START RIGHT AWAY. IT STARTED WITH HAVE TO CRANK ABOUT 2 TIMES. ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING AFTER IT SAT UNUSED FOR A COUPLE HOURS, BUT THEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY IT WAS FINE. SOON THOUGH IT TOOK 5 TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD START SO WE TOOK IT INTO TO OUR MECHANIC TO SEE IF THERE WAS AN ISSUE. NOTHING REGISTERED ON THE COMPUTER, WE FIGURED MAYBE OUR FUEL LINES WERE CLOGGED AND WE DID A FLUSH. IT FIXED THE STARTING PROBLEM FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. WE COULD HEAR OUR CAR CRANKING, BUT IT WOULD NOT START AND WE WOULD HAVE TO CRANK IT A COUPLE TIMES. THEN WHILE DRIVING OUR CAR JUST STOPPED. EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN, MIND YOU WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL AT ABOUT 45 MPH. THE WHEEL LOCKED AND LUCKILY MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING, HE WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE. WE TOWED OUR CAR TO THE MECHANIC WHO SAID NOW THE COMPUTER IS SAYING THE FUEL PUMP IS BAD. SO WE CHANGED THAT. OUR VAN WORKED PERFECTLY...FOR ONE DAY. THE NEXT MORNING IT WOULD CRANK, BUT NOT START. AFTER TOWING TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THE NEXT APPOINTMENT WAS IN JANUARY 2017 AND OUR VAN WOULD BE ON STANDBY. WE ARE FORTUNATE WE DID NOT HAVE TO WAIT THAT LONG TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT, BUT NOW THEY STATED WE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE BATTERY...AGAIN! THE PROBLEM WAS OUR TIPM. IT BASICALLY FRIED OUR BRAND NEW BATTERY. TOTAL COST FOR REPLACING JUST THE TIPM $1200!!!! THAT IS NOT INCLUDING $140 FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND $140 FOR A NEW BATTERY. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN TO A CAR THAT IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD? *TR

THE VEHICLE JUST STALLS WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS THE CASE YESTERDAY AND TODAY. I HAVE TO PUT IT BACK ON PARK IN ORDER TO RE-START THE ENGINE. THE LATEST INSTANCES ARE NOT THE FIRST TIME WE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. MY WIFE REPORTED IT AT LEAST A COUPLE OF TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP ONCE TOLD ME THAT WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE KEY RING AND WITH OTHER THINGS ATTACHED TO IT. SINCE THEN, I MAKE SURE TO DRIVE WITH ONLY THE DODGE KEY ON THE IGNITION, TAKING DOWN ALL EVERYTHING ELSE FROM THE KEY RING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED SMOKE AND NOTICED FLAMES EMANATING FROM THE VEHICLE DOOR. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V234000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE CONTACT CALLED 911 WHEN THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES. THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED ON THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL BODY SHOP THE FOLLOWING DAY, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000. UPDATED 05/10/17*LJ CAR WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE SHOP AND THE MECHANIC WAS CONVINCED THERE WAS DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN THE RECALL AND DOOR FIRE. UPDATED 9/5/18*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

SUSPECTED TIPM FAILURE CAUSING MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES. 1. 9/1/16 FUEL PUMP DIED THEREBY IMMOBILIZING VEHICLE. VERY UNUSUAL FOR A CAR WITH LESS THAN 60K MILES AND NOT YET 5 YRS OLD. REPLACED AT DEALERSHIP, NO REIMBURSEMENT FROM CHRYSLER CORP, TOTAL OUT OF POCKET COST $826. 2. 10/1/16 MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES OCCURRED SIMULTANEOUSLY A) POWER DOOR LOCKS NO LONGER FUNCTION. THEREFORE OVER 20MPH SELF LOCKING DOORS NOT FUNCTIONAL. B) FUEL GAUGE READS COMPLETELY EMPTY BUT TANK IS DEFINITELY FULL. C) PARKING BRAKE LIGHT IS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED ALTHOUGH NOT APPLIED. D) INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. E) SERVICE ENGINE SOON INDICATOR LIGHT ON. FOR ITEMS #1 & #2 VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY BOTH TIMES. CURRENTLY NOT BEING DRIVEN UNTIL FURTHER REPAIR RESEARCH IS DONE AS ELECTRICAL ISSUES OF THIS NATURE CREATE AN UNSAFE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, COMING TO A STOP, OR ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE BRAKES SEIZED. THE FRONT BRAKES MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS OFF FOR A WHILE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

MY DAUGHTER MADE AN ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE, ONE NIGHT AFTER COMMUNITY THEATER REHEARSAL, TO DRIVE HOME AND FOUND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND SHE HEARD RANDOM RELAYS CHATTERING THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE, HAD THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVE, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS FLICKERED ON/OFF ALONG WITH DISPLAYING ERROR CODES OF: "NO FUSE" AND "NO BUS". THE FUEL PUMP COULD BE HEARD RUNNING, EVEN WITH THE KEY OFF AND SHE SAID THE VAN ACTED LIKE IT WAS POSSESSED. BASED ON ONLINE INFORMATION, I REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, WHICH WAS LISTED AS A TOP CULPRIT IN THE PROBLEM AND THAT SOLVED NOTHING. FURTHER RESEARCH INDICATED THE TIPM UNIT IS MOST LIKELY THE CAUSE AND WE FOUND THAT HER MAKE/MODEL OF VEHICLE IS PART OF A LAWSUIT FOR THIS PROBLEM.

WE HAVE REPLACED THE ROTATORS AND PADS OUT OF POCKET 4 TIMES ON THIS VEHICLE. ANOTHER TWO WERE REPLACED IN WARRANTY BEFORE 36,000MILE. THE FIRST REPAIR MADE OUT SIDE OF WARRANTY WAS AT 37,000MILES. THE CALIPERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE BRAKES CLENCH DOWN AND WON'T RELEASE. WE HAVE REPLACE THE HOSES, CALIPERS, ROTATORS, PADS AND BLEED THE SYSTEM FOR ALL WHEELS IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THE BRAKES ARE CURRENTLY CLENCHED DOWN AND WON'T COME UP. THE MECHANIC NOW HAS TO GO INTO THE VEHICLE TO FIND WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG. BECAUSE HE HAS LOOKED AT THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM AND CAN'T FIND WHAT IS WRONG. FIRST DATE OF OCCURRENCE IS 12-2013 FOR OUT OF WARRANTY REPAIR ON A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN