2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

WE HAD OUR IGNITION REPAIRED 2 TIMES ALREADY. ONCE BECAUSE THE IGNITION SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AT 60 MILES PER HOUR. THEN AGAIN FOR THE RECALL FOR THE IGNITION MODULAR THAT WAS WHY THE ENGINE WAS GETTING SHUT OFF BY THE IGNITION AND NOW THE KEY WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. WE TOOK THE VAN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAINED THAT THE KEY WILL NOT COME OUT UNLESS WE PLAY WITH TURNING ON AND OFF THE VAN, PUTTING IT IN REVERSE THEN FORWARD, OUT OF PARK INTO DRIVE AND WASTING A LOT OF TIME AND GAS JUST TO GET IT TO COME OUT. THE SERVICE TECH SAID FIRST THE KEY WAS INTO TOO LOOSE BEFORE THE RECALL AND NOW IT IS IN TOO TIGHT AFTER THE RECALL PART WAS PUT IN. SO AFTER DRIVING 100 MILES FOR SERVICE WE ARE TOLD MAKE SURE TO PUT THE VAN IN PARK AND THE KEY SHOULD COME OUT. WELL IT DOES NOT. NOTHING SHOWS UP ON THEIR COMPUTERS SO THEY WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE KEY WILL NOT TURN OFF THE ENGINE SO IF THE KEY IS LEFT IN THE BATTERY COULD GO DEAD. I HAVE TO GO THROUGH OFF AND ON, DRIVE, REVERSE TO GET THE KEY OUT. I AM AFRAID THAT THE IGNITION PROBLEM COULD TURN THE ENGINE OFF AGAIN AT 60 MILES AN HOUR. NO ONE IS HELPING US BECAUSE, IN MY OPINION, THIS IS THE THIRD REPAIR ON THE IGNITION, MAKING THE VAN A LEMON. SO THIS IS WHY WE GOT NO RECEIPT OF SERVICE FOR THE TECH TELLING US TO PUT THE VAN IN PARK. MY HUSBAND WAS A STATE TROOPER AND TAUGHT DEFENSIVE DRIVING CLASSES AT THE POLICE ACADEMY. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 45 YEARS. SO WE BOTH KNOW HOW TO PUT THE VAN IN PARK AND HOW TO REMOVE A KEY FROM AN IGNITION. CHRYSLER HAS NOT RESPONDED TO OUR COMPLAINT. *TR

TWICE IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS THE ALUMINUM VALVE STEMS THAT HOLD THE TPMS SENSORS ON OUR GRAND CARAVAN HAVE BROKEN OFF. 1ST INCIDENT IN APRIL WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY AND SECOND WHILE MY WIFE AND CHILDREN, AGE 5 AND 4 YEARS, WERE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE SECOND INCIDENT STRANDED MY WIFE AND CHILDREN IN 100+ DEGREE F HEAT FOR CLOSE TO AN HOUR WHILE THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR AAA TO ARRIVE AND CHANGE THE SPARE FOR THEM. THANKFULLY IT WAS A REAR TIRE THAT BLEW OUT AND NOT A FRONT. COULD HAVE ENDED MUCH WORSE. UPON INSPECTION NOTICED THAT TIRE SIDEWALL HAD EXCESSIVE WEAR FROM LOOSING AIR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND BEING DRIVEN TO SAFE STOPPING POSITION. DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE FOUR NEW TIRES BECAUSE WIFE AND CHILDREN WILL BE TAKING AN EXTENDED DRIVING TRIP SOON. NOTICED THAT THE 2011 AND 2012 MODELS NOW HAVE THE MUCH MORE RELIABLE RUBBER VALVE STEMS AND SENSORS INSTEAD OF THE FAILING ALUMINUM STEMS. A LITTLE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THEY WILL INTERCHANGE DIRECTLY. ASKED DEALER IF THEY WOULD REPLACE ALL FOUR WITH MORE RELIABLE STEM AT TIME OF TIRE CHANGE. SAID YES, BUT ONLY IF I PAY FOR THEM. AMOUNT? CLOSE TO $400.00 WHY SHOULD THE CUSTOMER PAY FOR A PART THAT IS POORLY DESIGNED AND KNOWN FOR FAILURE. A LITTLE RESEARCH OF THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR MULTIPLE MODEL YEARS OF DODGE AND CHRYSLER VEHICLE SHOWS THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW AND HAS AMASSED A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. ARE WE JUST WAITING UNTIL SOME PERSON GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED BEFORE THIS GETS ADDRESSED? LUCKILY MY WIFE AND CHILDREN WERE NOT INJURED, I JUST HOPE EVERYONE ELSE IS JUST AS LUCKY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND THE REAR BRAKES SEIZED. I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND THEY WERE BURNING. I HAD COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER 2 MONTHS PRIOR THAT I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. I HAD A LOT OF PULSING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I COULD STOP QUICK ENOUGH. THEY SAID EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. AFTER THE BRAKES SEIZED ON 6/28/12, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE REAR BRAKES WERE ALL CORRODED. THE ROTORS, BRAKE PADS AND CLIPS HAD TO BE ALL REPLACED. MONTHS AGO, DODGE HAD PUT AN ADDITIONAL WARRANTY ON THE FRONT BRAKES FOR THIS VERY REASON (PRE-MATURE CORROSION) INSTEAD OF DOING A RECALL. BUT THE BACK BRAKES WERE NOT COVERED. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH CORRODED REAR BRAKES SEIZING AT LOW MILEAGE. PLEASE LOOK IT IN THIS. I DIDN'T EXPECT SOMETHING LIKE TO HAPPEN ON A VEHICLE WITH RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKE DISTANCE HAD INCREASED AND THE TIRES WERE NOT STABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THE BRAKE PAD AND ROTORS WERE WORN PREMATURELY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BECAUSE THE PARTS NEEDED FOR REPAIR WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE AN ESTIMATED DATE OF WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,447.

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON BUT WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE WINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK, THE CONTROL PANEL WOULD NOT REGISTER. ALL WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP. THE POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS ARE MULTIPLE. THE VEHICLE IS CONSIDERED UNSAFE TO OPERATE BY THE OWNERS. *TR

REAR PASSENGER WHEEL GETS EXTREMELY HOT WHILE DRIVING. IT APPEARS THAT THE CALIPER MAY BE LOCKING UP. THE REAR WHEEL ON THE DRIVER SIDE ALSO MAKES A HIGH PITCHED WHINE, WHICH IS INTERMITTENT AND USUALLY GOES AWAY BY TAPPING THE BRAKE PEDAL. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID WE NEEDED A REAR BRAKE JOB. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THIS IS DUE TO DEFECTIVE CALIPERS WHICH ARE NOT RELEASING THE PADS FROM THE ROTORS. THE REAR BRAKES ON EVERY CAR I HAVE OWNED ALWAYS LAST SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER THAN THE FRONT. THE FACT THAT THE REAR PADS ARE WORN EXCESSIVELY WHILE FRONT ARE NOT INDICATES A DEFECT IN THE REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY. THE IGNITION WAS REPAIRED AS PART OF A RECALL. HOWEVER, AFTER STARTING THE CAR, THE KEY DOES NOT RETURN TO THE "ON" POSITION. THIS ALLOWS THE CAR TO RUN AND BE DRIVEN, HOWEVER NONE OF MY LIGHTS OR DIRECTIONALS WORK. I CAN WIGGLE THE KEY TO GET IT INTO THE CORRECT POSITION, BUT SOMETIMES IT IS NOT OBVIOUS THAT THE KEY IS IN THE WRONG POSITION. THIS RESULTS IN ME DRIVING WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS IN THE RAIN AND THINKING THAT I AM SIGNALING PROPERLY IN TURNS WHEN IN FACT EVERYTHING IS OFF. *JS

VEHICLE HAS AN ELDORADO AMERIVAN 14" LOWERED FLOOR CONVERSION. THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS INCLUDING LOWERED FLOOR SEAT BASES WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED TO THE FLOOR SECUREMENT SYSTEM. SLIGHT PRESSURE APPLIED TO BOTH WOULD CAUSE THEM TO BECOME UNLOCKED FROM THE VEHICLE FLOOR. FAMILY DROVE AROUND WITH THIS DEFICIENCY IN THE DRIVER SEAT FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH BEFORE NOTICING. FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HAD BEEN REMOVED TO ALLOW FOR AN OCCUPIED WHEELCHAIR POSITION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 11V139000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION); HOWEVER, AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED THE IGNITION KEY FRACTURED WHEN INSERTED INTO THE IGNITION CYLINDER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SIX TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 07/06/12 *BF UPDATED 07/12/12.*JB

AFTER GETTING A FLAT TIRE, TOOK CAR TO A TIRE SHOP. FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE. THE SHOP SHOWED ME THE WHEEL SENSOR TRANSMITTER THAT WAS COMPLETELY CORRODED. THE NUT HOLDING IT IN PLACE HAD DISINTEGRATED, CAUSING THE TIRE TO ABRUPTLY LOSE ALL AIR. CAR HAS ONLY 23,500 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN IN USE FOR 2 YEARS AND 4 MONTHS. I ALSO BELIEVE SOMETHING SIMILAR HAPPENED TO ONE OF THE FRONT TIRES AT 17,000 MILES, DUE TO CONSTANT LOW TIRE PRESSURE, EVEN AFTER REPLACING THE TIRES. BUT THAT WAS HANDLED AT THE DEALERSHIP AND I WAS NOT GIVEN THE PART. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED AND WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE FAILURE WAS LOCATED AT THE HEADLIGHT MODULE. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT THE HEADLIGHT MODULE WAS ON BACK ORDER.THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 08-30-12 *BF THE CONSUMER CAN NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT OR IN THE RAIN. UPDATED 08/31/2012 *JS