2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

I WAS DRIVING FROM ONE DESTINATION TO THE OTHER AND WHEN I GOT TO MY OTHER DESTINATION I SMELLED SMOKE. I LOOKED DOWN AND NOTICE THE CIGARETTE PORT WHICH WAS EMPTY WAS SMOKING, I PULLED MY GERBER OUT AND PULLED THE PORT OUT AND THERE WAS A FIRE. I ALERTED A CO WORKER AND THEY GOT A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. WE MANAGED TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. BUT CONSOLE IS COMPLETELY GONE. THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHIN 15 MINUTES. *TR

THERE IS A LOUD "THUD" WHEN IT IS PUT INTO ANY GEAR, AND YOU CAN EVEN FEEL IT. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION BOGS DOWN A LOT AND DOESN'T LIKE TO SHIFT INTO GEAR WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING, IT'S VERY SLUGGISH. IT'S BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE WE FIRST TRIED IT OUT. WE EVEN HAD IT REPROGRAMMED BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME SORT OF SERVICE BULLETIN, AND THAT DIDN'T HELP AT ALL. *TR

CHRYSLER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM OF THE DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. I PURCHASED A NEW 2012 GRAND CARAVAN FROM A DEALERSHIP. ON JULY 31, 2013, QUIRK DEALERSHIP IN BRAINTREE, MA REPLACED REAR ROTORS ON THE VAN AT 17,000 MILES BECAUSE "REAR ROTORS WERE VERY MARKED UP AND HAD RUST RINGS." ON JANUARY 18, 2014, SAME DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT ROTORS WERE PITTED AGAIN AT 27,000 MILES AND HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR $502.00 (OUT OF POCKET). WHEN I PROTESTED THAT MOPAR PARTS SHOULD NOT FAIL IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS, THE SERVICE PERSON TOLD ME THAT "DODGES ARE KNOWN FOR THESE PROBLEMS." I CONTACTED CHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS AND HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE TOTAL RUN AROUND. CHRYSLER OFFERED ME $60.00 OFF THE PRICE OF THE BRAKE JOB BUT I DECLINED BECAUSE FACTORY PARTS SHOULD NOT FAIL SO QUICKLY. I CHECKED THE INTERNET (LEMON LAW BLOG, CAR COMPLAINTS, ETC.) AND FOUND HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE FOR PREMATURE BRAKE FAILURE IN 2006-2012 CARAVANS & TOWN AND COUNTRY'S. CHRYSLER IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND IS TRYING TO AVOID RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIRING THIS KNOWN DEFECT BY PASSING THE COST ON TO AMERICAN CONSUMERS. A RECALL SHOULD BE ORDERED FOR THESE VEHICLES BASED ON PREMATURE BRAKE FAILURE THAT CHRYSLER IS DELIBERATELY IGNORING. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE 08/18/12 WITH APPROXIMATELY 17,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD THE BRAKES HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE TO APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES, I WAS TOLD THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. NOW, AT 60,000 MILES, I'M BEING TOLD, ONCE AGAIN, THAT THE BRAKES NEED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER OWNING MULTIPLE VEHICLES THROUGHOUT MY DRIVING EXPERIENCE (28 YEARS), I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH ANY VEHICLE I'VE EVER OWNED. EXTENSIVE ONLINE RESEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THE MAJORITY OF DODGE GRAND CARAVAN, CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY AND VOLKSWAGEN OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED AS WELL, AND I WOULD IMAGINE THIS IS NOT THE FIRST COMPLAINT YOU'VE SEEN REGARDING THIS ISSUE? I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I SHOULD ALSO ADD THAT THE BRAKE WORK DONE AT APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES WAS DONE BY A FAMILY FRIEND WITH OVER 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR INDUSTRY, DUE TO AN EXTREMELY HIGH ESTIMATE FROM THE SHOP I CURRENTLY USE. (IN EXCESS OF $650.00). *TR

MY 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN BEEN IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS IT'S NO GOOD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS BUT, I DON'T WANT TO KEEP ON PAYING A CAR NOTE FOR A CAR THAT IS GOING TO GIVE OUT AND ANY GIVING TIME. IT'S NOT GOING TO LAST LONG. I WANT A NEW CAR FREE OF CHARGE. *TR

WIFE WAS MERGING ON TO HIGHWAY AND THE THROTTLE STUCK OPEN AND THE GAS PEDAL WAS ALSO STUCK. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UP TO 90 MPH AND WAS HITTING 5000 RPMS. SHE HAD TO STICK HER FOOT UNDER PEDAL TO LIFT IT AWAY FROM FLOOR AND GET THE CAR TO SLOW. THIS PROBLEM NEARLY RESULTED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT AS IT WAS A BUSY TIME OF MORNING. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT A DEALERSHIP IN SAN ANTONIO BEING LOOKED AT. *TR

THE REAR BRAKES ON THE DODGE MINIVANS WERE DESIGNED POORLY. THE CALIPERS DO NOT RELEASE PROPERLY, AND THE CLEARANCE ON THE BRAKE PADS IS TOO TIGHT AND CAUSES THE PADS TO GET STUCK. LAST NIGHT WE HAD THE BRAKE HANG ON ONE OF THE REAR BRAKES AFTER USING THE PARKING BRAKE. THE PADS STAYED CLOSE TO THE CALIPER AND CAUSED THE ENTIRE ROTOR TO HEAT UP FROM THE EXCESSIVE FRICTION. PADS, ROTORS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED LAST WEEK, FULL BRAKE FLUID REPLACEMENT DONE AT DODGE DEALERSHIP THIS WEEK. EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT, NOW CALIPER IS JAMMED. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS ARE ON THE INTERNET FOR THE 2008 - 2012 (AND SOME 2013+) MODEL GRAND CARAVANS DUE TO POORLY DESIGNED REAR BRAKE SYSTEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE ALSO BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED NOR WAS THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000. THE APPROXIMATE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,100.

PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR RATTLES AS IF OPEN DEALER REPLACE DOOR PANEL DID NOT FIX SAID LEFT SIDE TAILLIGHT WAS CAUSE REPLACE IT DID NOT FIX SAID MANUFACTURER LEFT BRAKE CLIPS OFF BRAKE PADS REPLACE STILL RATTLES TOLD KNOW ITS MY IMAGINATION ALSO TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS MASH GAS EASY TO MAINTAIN SPEED HAVE TO KEEP MASHING ALMOST TO FLOOR BEFORE ANY THING HAPPENS THEN IT DROPS DOWN INTO PASSING GEAR ALMOST MAKING YOU REAR END VEHICLE AHEAD OF YOU SOMETIMES ON TAKE OFF WILL START GOING THEN HESITATE CAUSING A POSSIBLE CRASH SITUATION DEALER SAID TRANSMISSION NEEDED COMPUTER UPDATE THIS MADE IT WORST PUT TWO MORE UPDATE STILL NOT SHIFTING RIGHT HAVE MADE MANUFACTURER AWARE HAVE OPEN STAR CASE WITH THEM STILL CAN NOT GET PROBLEMS RESOLVE HAVE PARKED VAN AT 15685 MILES I FEEL THAT ITS UNSAFE FOR MY WIFE AN GRAND KIDS TO BE IN ! I HAVE SEVERAL MECH DRIVE IT THEY SAY SOMETHING WRONG ALSO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR LIFTGATE INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED OPEN NUMEROUS TIMES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER THREE TIMES WHERE THE COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM WAS UPDATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000.