2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

PURCHASED 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN USED IN OCT, 2005. VEHICLE HAD APPROX. 9000 MILES ON ODOMETER. FOUR MONTHS LATER THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY. MILEAGE WAS APPROX 13,500 MILES. DEALER REPLACED DASHBOARD SWITCH UNDER WARRANTY. APPROX. ONE YEAR LATER HEADLIGHT PROBLEM RETURNED...VERY INTERMITTENT..SO CONTINUED DRIVING. ANOTHER YEAR LATER, DRIVING AT NIGHT, ON VACATION, 2000 MILES FROM HOME, HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. SWITCHING LIGHT SWITCH ON-OFF NUMEROUS TIMES FIXED LIGHTS TEMPORARILY. LOST LIGHTS SEVERAL TIMES THAT NIGHT. TEXAS DEALER DIAGNOSED BAD SWITCH. REPLACED AT APPROX 52800 MILES. PAID FOR THIS REPAIR. ONE YEAR LATER SWITCH AGAIN INOP. MILEAGE APPROX 67700 MILES. LIGHTS WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. CANNOT DRIVE CAR AT NIGHT. THIS MAKES THREE TIMES IN THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF OWNERSHIP THAT HEADLIGHTS BECOME INOPERATIVE. INTERNET SEARCH BRINGS UP HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WITH SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. DEALER SAYS NO REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH CARAVAN HEADLIGHTS AND CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. OWNER RESPONSIBILITY. THIS CAR HAS DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH HEADLIGHTS. SOMETHING NOT RIGHT HERE. *TR UPDATED 09/11/12*LJ THE CONSUMER SOLD THE VEHICLE ON JUNE 30, 2012. UPDATED 09/12/12. *JB

POWER DOORS AND LOCKS DON'T WORK, DESPITE FLASH OF HEADLIGHTS AND HORN BEEP INDICATING THAT THEY DO WORK. FOUND ON THE WEB THAT YOU CAN PULL ONE OF THE 20 AMP FUSES FOR A TEMPORARY FIX BUT THIS KEEPS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY. *TR

POWER STEERING MAKES GRINDING NOISE. THE NOISE DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME USUALLY WHEN DRIVEN ALOT. TOOK IT TO DEALER THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM. I LOOKED ONLINE AND READ THAT THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE DOOR LOCKS OPEN OR CLOSE FROM THE SWITCHES OR THE SMART KEY BUTTONS. THEY ALSO DO NOT LOCK AT TWENTY MPH AS DESIGNED. THIS DUE TO A KNOWN FAILURE OF THE BODY CONTROLLER IN THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE DEALERS I HAVE SPOKEN TO SAY 'YES', THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT CONSISTENTLY COMES UP AFTER WARRANTY PERIODS. THIS FAILURE PUTS THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE (MINI VAN) AT RISK WHEN LOCKS DON'T WORK AS DESIGNED, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT THE VAN ONLY CAN UNLOCKED WITH THE KEY AT THE DRIVER'S DOOR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE INDICATOR REMAINED LIT UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY CORROSION IN THE WIRE CONNECTOR AND THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE IMPACT SENSOR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V192000 (AIRBAGS,FRONTAL,SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71,800. UPDATED 05/05/09 *BF THE DRIVERS SIDE SLIDING DOOR WAS DIFFICULT TO OPEN MANUALLY AND THE PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR DID NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY. UPDATED 05/07/09. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHEN THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN RACK WAS LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID. THE DEALER ESTIMATED THAT IT WOULD COST $1,000 TO REPLACE THE RACK. THERE WERE NO RECALLS LISTED FOR THE FAILURE. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ONE MONTH OUT OF WARRANTY, THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIRS. THE VIN WAS NOT ACCEPTED BY THE SYSTEM. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 17,274.

AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE COVERED BY NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 04V480000 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA04013. BUT MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED AFTER THE END OF THE RECALL.THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL ISSUE IS. THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY RESOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE ON NEWER MODELS AS I HAVE SEEN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON OTHER WEBSITES ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE BY OTHER DODGE & CHRYSLER OWNERS. *TR

WE HAVE TAKEN OUR 2005 DODGE SXT GRAND CARAVAN IN NUMEROUS TIMES FOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHICH MOST OF THE TIME THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE. THEN ON MONDAY MARCH 23 AFTER LEAVING THE CITY AND BRINGING MY CHILDREN HOME FROM SCHOOL I WENT TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN AND MY STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP AND I COULD NOT COMPLETE THE TURN. WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND TRAFFIC BEHIND I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GUN THE ENGINE AND GO INTO THE FIELD. I STOPPED THE CAR WITH BRAKES THAT WORKED, AT LEAST, AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. I THEN RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS COMPLETE FREE PLAY IN THE WHEEL. I TURNED THE WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT AND THERE WAS A CLUNK AND THEN I AGAIN HAD REGULAR MOVEMENT OF TIRES WITH THE WHEEL. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED AND THAT I WAS BRINGING IT IN WITH MY DAD FOLLOWING BEHIND. TOMKINSON DODGE HAS HAD IT FOR 2 DAYS AND TOLD ME THAT THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT SINCE IT IS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY CAN'T PINPOINT THE PROBLEM, WARRANTY WON'T PAY UNTIL THEY KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. IT IS TOO EXPENSE TO LET A TECH GET INSIDE AND TAKE THINGS APART TO FIND THE ACTUALLY PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME I NEED TO DRIVE IT AGAIN AND IT WILL BE FINE, BUT IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN TO LET THEM COME AND TOW IT AND DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN! IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN MY CHILDREN AND I COULD BE DEAD. I WAS JUST LUCKY TO NOT BE IN TOO BUSY OF A PLACE UNLIKE I HAD BEEN A HALF HOUR BEFORE. SO THERE WAS A FAILURE BUT NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO FIX IT BECAUSE IT MAY BE TO EXPENSIVE FOR THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN AUTO LOCKS STOP WORKING. SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE ONLY DRIVER DOOR WORKS. WITH CHILDREN THIS IS A HAZARD. NOT SAFE IN PARKING LOTS AND CAN ONLY ENTER ON ONE SIDE OF VEHICLE. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS HASN'T BEEN RECALLED. *TR

MY 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN HAS BEEN STALLING AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE MID DEC. 2008. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG (NO CODES IN THE CAR COMPUTER). THEY INCREASED THE IDLE. IT ONLY HESITATED AFTER I FILLED IT UP AFTER THEY INCREASED THE IDLE, BUT IT HAS STALLED THE LAST 2 FILL UPS SINCE THEN. IT HAS STALLED WHILE TRYING TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND WHILE STOPPING OR SLOWING DOWN. *TR