1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

THE 1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WEAR OUT NEARLY EVERY MONTH. THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO SWAY WHILE DRIVING 55MPH ON FREEWAY OR WHEN CHANGING LANES. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT IS ON DUE TO A LEAKAGE IN THE BRAKES. THE EGR VALVE KEEPS GOING OUT AND THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON.

TERRIBLE SQUEALING NOISE IN BELT AREA. DEALER CHARGED ~$250 FOR BELT AND TENSIONER REPLACEMENT AND NOISE WAS GREATLY REDUCED. SEVERAL YEARS LATER THE NOISE RETURNED AND GREW EVEN WORSE. REPLACED THE WORN BELT AND NOISE WAS GREATLY REDUCED FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. AFTER THE NOISE RETURNED, REMOVED THE BELT AND CHECKED ALL PULLEYS - FOUND NO PROBLEMS. REPLACED TENSIONER AND IDLER PULLEYS ANYWAY (~$20 EACH FROM DEALER) AND REINSTALLED BELT. NOISE WAS REDUCED FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS. TOOK VAN TO DEALER WHO SAID THAT IT WAS THE TENSIONER AND WERE SURPISED THAT IT HAD LASTED AS LONG AS IT DID. I PURCHASED AND INSTALLED A NEW ALTERNATOR, POWER STEERING PUMP AND TENSIONER. THE NOISE WAS GREATLY REDUCED, BUT RETURNED FULL FORCE WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS. IN DESPERATION I TURNED TO BELT DRESSING AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION SINCE I HAD CLEANED ALL OF THE PULLEYS PRIOR TO BELT REINSTALLATION. WHEN THE BELT DRESSING WAS SPRAYED ON THE TENSIONER PULLEY THE SOUND DISAPPEARED FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN RETURNED. BELT DRESSING HAD SMALL OR NO EFFECT WHEN SPRAYED AT OTHER LOCATIONS ALONG THE SERPENTINE BELT.

ON MARCH 3RD, OF 2005, WHILE RETURNING HOME FROM AN OUTING WITH MY FOUR CHILDREN, I NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT IN OUR 1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN AS I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. WITHIN MOMENTS AFTER GETTING THE KIDS OUT OF THE VEHICLE, THE FRONT OF OUR MINIVAN WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. BEFORE THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE ENTIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, ALONG WITH THE WINDSHIELD AND HOOD WAS DESTROYED AND THE VEHICLE IS NOW A COMPLETE LOSS. SINCE WE DID NOT CARRY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE ON THIS VEHICLE DUE TO ITS AGE, I CONTACTED DAIMLER-CHRYSLER TO MAKE A CLAIM FOR DAMAGES, WHICH CAME TO JUST AROUND $5,300. DAIMLER-CHRYSLER SENT AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR TO OUR RESIDENCE TO INVESTIGATE THE INCIDENT. THE RESULTS WERE TURNED OVER TO THEIR CLAIM BOARD AND WE WERE ADVISED ON 3-18-05 THAT THEIR COMPANY REFUSED TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FIRE THAT NOT ONLY DESTROYED OUR VEHICLE BUT COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED INJURY OR DEATH TO MYSELF OR OUR FOUR CHILDREN. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WEBSITE THAT THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS FIRE-RELATED RECALLS ON THE 1997 DODGE MINIVANS. SPECIFICALLY, AN ARTICLE SHOWED THAT A RECALL EXISTED ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE AFTER SEVERAL DEATHS WERE REPORTED AS A RESULT OF FUEL RAIL AND O-RING DEFECTS (DAIMLER CHRYSLER RECALL #895). AT NO TIME SINCE OUR PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE, WAS THERE ANY NOTIFICATION CONCERNING SAFETY RECALLS AND AFTER SPECIFICALLY ASKING A DODGE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOT. AFTER RECEIVING THE DENIAL LETTER FROM DAIMLER-CHRYSLER, I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THEIR CLAIMS RESOLUTION GROUP, WHO WOULD NOT GIVE ME A REASON WHY THE CLAIM WAS DENIED AND REFUSED TO SEND ME A COPY OF THEIR INVESTIGATOR'S REPORT.

OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE STRUTS MULTIPLE TIMES. WE HAVE NOW BEEN TOLD THAT THE STRUT MOUNT HOUSING THAT HOLDS THE STRUT MOUNT PLATE HAS BECOME OVAL AND NOT ROUND AND THEREFORE IT SOUNDS LIKE A BAD CLUNKING NOISE WHENEVER GOING OVER LARGER BUMPS....WHAT DO WE DO NOW? I AM A MECHANIC AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO BY ANOTHER AUTO REPAIR. WE ALSO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING SINCE BASICALLY WHEN WE BOUGHT IT ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO AND WOULD LIIKE TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH OTHER 97 GRAND CARAVANS. PLEASE HELP. WE HAVE 4 CHILDREN AND CAN NOT BE WITHOUT A VAN. THANKS.

1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 3.0 6 CYL BELT CAME OFF IN RAIN STORM LEFT ME STRANDED AND MISSED WORK THE BELT WAS IN ONE PIECE AND GOT IT HOME AND HAD A NEW BELT INSTALLED AND PULLEY UPPER FRONT NON GROOVED. AGAIN BELT CAME OFF BRAN NEW BELT NEW BELT PUT ON AGAIN BELT NOW SQUEALING IN THE BACK BELT TENSION ARM NOR SQUEALING BELT RIDES THE PULLEY L/R ABOUT 1/4 INCH THAN BACK. IT SEEMS TO ME. *NM

SERPENTINE BELT SLIPS OFF IDLER PULLY WHEN DRIVING THROUGH STANDING WATER RESULTING IN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. *AK

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL IT WENT THE FLOOR. THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE COMPLETELY. HOWEVER, DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO A GARAGE FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME.*AK

VAN WAS SLIPPING NOT GOING INTO GEAR WHEN IT WAS COLD AND NOW JUST WILL NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT HAS TO BE REBUILT WILL COST ANYWHERE FROM $2300 TO $2800 TO FIX. *JB

THE STRUT TOWER THAT HOLDS THE UPPER PART OF BOTH FRONT STRUTS WAS RUST OUT. IF I HADN'T HAD THIS REPAIRED, THE FRONT STRUT COULD HAVE BROKEN THROUGH THE STRUT TOWER. CHANCES ARE THIS WOULD HAVE BROKEN THROUGH WHILE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY (BECAUSE THE FORCES ON THE STRUT TOWERS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST THEN). THIS COULD VERY PROBABLY HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT. I FEAR THAT MOST CARAVAN OWNERS ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WILL EVENTUALLY BE INVOLVED IN A POTENTIALLY VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I HAD THIS REPAIRED AT MY EXPENSE IN NOVEMBER 2004.*AK

HEAVY FUEL VAPORS IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, AND UNDER HOOD. OCCURRED DURING NORMAL DRIVING. HAS OCCURRED IN THE PAST BUT THEN WENT AWAY THE NEXT DAY. ALL OCCURRENCES WERE DURING COLD WEATHER (20-30F). DRIVER AND PASSENGERS EXPERIENCED NAUSEA. MECHANIC SAID THAT THE FUEL TANK ROLLOVER VALVE IS MALFUNCTIONING ALLOWING FUEL INTO THE VAPOR CANISTER. THIS SOUNDS ALOT LIKE THE RECALL FOR 1996 MODELS OF THIS VAN. *NM