2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

OUR VAN HAS HAD ELECTRICAL ISSUES OVER THE PAST 3-4 WEEKS. FIRST, CERTAIN LIGHTS IN THE CABIN WOULD FLICKER INTERMITTENTLY. STARTING LAST WEEK, THE DASH LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE CAR THEN STARTED TO LOSE POWER WHILE IDLING. THEN ONE DAY THE CAR BRIEFLY LOST POWER WHILE GOING 75 MPH ON I-70. IT RESTORED INSTANTLY BUT DISPLAYED A BATTERY WARNING LIGHT. I PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, WHERE IT OPERATED NORMALLY AGAIN. WITHIN THE LAST FEW DAYS, HOWEVER, THE CAR CONTINUES TO LOSE POWER WHILE IDLING, EVEN IF IN GEAR. *JS

PREMATURE BRAKE PAD WEAR, BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS. ROTORS WARPING PREMATURELY. THESE ISSUES REQUIRE YEARLY REPLACEMENT AT SIGNIFICANT COST. I HAD TO PURCHASE HIGH END, VENTED ROTORS AND CERAMIC PADS, AT SIGNIFICANT COST, TO PREVENT THE OEM PART FAILURES.

AIR CONDITIONING FAILED DUE TO CORRODED AC LINES. REPAIR COSTS TOTALED $687.00. MECHANIC ADVISED THAT A POOR DESIGN CONTRIBUTED TO PREMATURE CORROSION.

BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING KIDS TO SCHOOL. DROVE A SHORT DISTANCE HOME(5MI). TESTED BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR. VOLTAGE ON BOTH APPEARED WITHIN NORMAL RANGES. LET VEHICLE IDLE WITHIN MY DRIVEWAY WITH THE LIGHTS/RADIO/HEATER ON. BATTERY WAS DEAD WITHIN 20MIN.

3 INSTANCES OF ENGINE ELECTRICAL ISSUES, SUSPECT POWER CONTROL MODULE BOX. FIRST INSTANCE ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY, AND HEADLIGHTS AND DASHBOARD BEGIN TO FLICKER UNCONTROLLABLY. I PULLED NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE, RE-CONNECTED AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES, AND ALL NORMALITY RETURNS. 2ND ISSUE, SOME YEAR AGO OR LESS, CAR SHUTS DOWN IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, LUCKILY, RIGHT NEXT TO A PARKING LOT AND RED LIGHT. AS ENGINE SHUT DOWN, I SUSPECTED THIS ISSUE ONCE AGAIN. I USED MOMENTUM TO TURN INTO PARKING LOT. (JUST ROLLED IN.) WIFE ASKED ME WHAT I WAS DOING, DIDN'T EXPLAIN UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO SECURE INTO PARKING LOT AND STOP VEHICLE. ONCE AGAIN, PULLED OFF CABLE ON BATTERY, AND WAS ABLE TO RE-SET COMPUTER GLITCH. THIRD ISSUE EVENT. WAS PARKED IN PARKING LOT, COULDN'T GET KEY CONTROL TO OPEN DOOR. USED EMERGENCY KEY TO OPEN DOOR, ONCE AGAIN, PULLED OFF BATTERY CABLE AND RE-SET COMPUTER. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS COMPUTER WITHOUT A DOUBT.

PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN SEPT 2013, IMMEDIATELY THE SECOND ROW, PASSENGER-SIDE SEATBEALT DOES NOT PROPEL BACK. THE SELLER OF THE VEHICLE, DIRECTED ME TO A MECHANIC TO REPAIR IT BUT SHORTLY AFTER IT OCCURED AGAIN. LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER PURCHASE, THE FUSE/MOTOR ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT JUST STOPPED AND THE SEAT IS UNABLE TO BE ADJUSTED. LAST WEEK, WENT FOR REPAIRS TO FRONT WHEEL BEARING (TIRE POPPED DIRECTLY OFF) AND WAS ADVISED THE REAR WHEEL BEARING WILL ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED. CANNOT TELL IF ANY OF THESE ARE NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE ONLY HAD IT FOR 2 YEARS.

MY VAN IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY IN SEPT 2015. IT'S MID NOVEMBER AND NOW I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE BATTERY DYING FREQUENTLY. I WENT TO WHERE I PURCHASED THE BATTERY FROM AND THEY CHECKED THE BATTERY AND SAID IT'S FINE. THE MOTOR RANKS WITHOUT STARTING 2-3 TIMES BEFORE FINALLY STARTING. I BELIEVE THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE FUEL PUMP OR FUEL PUMP RELAY. THE RELAYS CHATTER A LOT AND THE FUEL PUMP SOUNDS MUCH DIFFERENT NOW THAN IT DID WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. IT'S AS IF THE BATTERY IS BEING G DRAINED SLOWLY BECAUSE OF EITHER THE FUEL PUMP OR FUEL PUMP RELAY OR BOTH. I AM A CERTIFIED AIRCRAFT AND AUTO MECHANIC WITH ELECTRICAL TROUBLESHOOTING CAPABILITIES. I HAVE YET TO APPROACH THE DODGE DEALER WITH THIS BECAUSE IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED TWICE SO FAR WITH ME BEING AT WORK WHILE MY WIFE HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE BOTH TIMES SO FAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT RECEIVED RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V234000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, THE TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, AND AIR BAG LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE RPMS FLUCTUATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS NOT ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WOULD NEED BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

THE VAN FOR A FEW WEEKS WOULD OCCASIONALLY NOT START ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT, IT WOULD CRANK, JUST NOT START. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I JUST DIDN'T TURN THE KEY LONG ENOUGH TO START, BUT IN THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER IT STARTED GETTING WORSE AND I KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC ON OCT 7TH AND THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE NO START ISSUE AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING, SO I WAS ASKED TO BRING IT BACK WHEN THEIR MOPAR GUY WAS BACK. WE THOUGHT IT WAS A FUEL PUMP ISSUE SO WE TRIED TO RUN A CLEANER THROUGH IT, BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS IT ONLY GO WORSE. ON OCT 19TH I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC (STILL THINKING IT WAS A FUEL PUMP ISSUE) AND THEY SAID THE CRANK SENOR WAS NOT RESPONDING. THEY REPLACED THAT TWICE BUT IT STILL WOULDN'T RESPOND TO THE PROGRAMMING. HAD TO PAY $150+ FOR THE CRANK SENSOR... THEY FINALLY SAID THAT I WOULD NEED TO BRING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT MOST LIKELY WAS THE MAIN COMPUTER AND SINCE THAT PART WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY THEY COULD REPLACE IT WITHOUT ANY OUT OF POCKET. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS THE TIPM AND THAT IT WOULD COST OVER $1,000 TO FIX. THE GUY AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT'S "NOT A COMMON PROBLEM" SO THEY COULDN'T GET THE PART FROM THEIR WAREHOUSE, THEY HAD TO ORDER IT FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND IT WOULD BE IN AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK (OCT 26TH OR 27TH). I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING SO I WENT INTO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE PART HAD TO BE MADE BECAUSE "IT'S NOT COMMON" AND WOULD HOPEFULLY BE IN AROUND FRIDAY (OCT 30TH). STILL NO WORD. AND TODAY I FOUND OUT THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR THIS VERY ISSUE!!!! THEY WILL NOT GIVE ME A LOANER AND I HAVE 3 KIDS THAT I HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING AROUND IN A LITTLE KIA FORTE.