2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

THERE IS A HEATER HOSE ASSEMBLY LEADING FROM THE TOP OF THE ENGINE TO THE HEATER CORES IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. A HOSE COMES OUT OF THE ENGINE AND INTO A Y-COUPLING, WHERE IT SPLITS INTO TWO HOSES. ONE HOSE LEADS INTO THE FIREWALL AND THE FRONT HEATER CORE. THE SECOND GOES UNDER THE VEHICLE TO THE BACK HEATER CORE. A COOLANT LEAK DEVELOPED IN THE Y-COUPLING, LEAKING COOLANT ONTO THE EXHAUST. AFTER LEAKING FOR SOME TIME, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TO INDICATE LOW COOLANT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, AS A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH TURNS UP MANY RESULTS LIKE THIS: HTTP://DODGEFORUM.COM/FORUM/DODGE-CARAVAN/275625-2008-GRAND-CARAVAN-COOLANT-LEAK-3.HTML EITHER THE Y-COUPLINGS ARE DEFECTIVE, OR ARE NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE THE STRESS AND HEATING/COOLING CYCLES INHERENT IN CARRYING HOT COOLANT. *TR

PURCHASED USED 2008 GRAND CARAVAN 2/12/10 WITH 29,695 MILES, ALL FOUR ROTORS AND PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BY 39,471 MILES ON 03/23/11. NOW AT 52,500 MILES AND 10/10/12 ALL ROTORS AND PADS NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. BRAKES SHOULD NOT WEAR LIKE THIS. DODGE IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND DOES NOTHING. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN XLT ON FEBRUARY 3 OF 2012 FROM A LOCAL DEALER IN MILWAUKEE, WI. ON THAT TIME THE MILEAGE OF THE CAR WAS APPROXIMATELY 60000 MILES. TWO MONTHS AFTER I HAVE THE CAR WE SAW THE OIL CHANGE LIGHT COMING OUT ON THE SCREEN WHICH WAS UNUSUAL FOR US WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY FIXED THE LIGHT. TWO MONTHS AFTER I SAW THE ENGINE LIGHT ON THE SCREEN, WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY KEEP THE CAR FOR 3 DAYS WHILE THEY MADE A REPAIR THAT COST ME $850.0, I MADE THIS PAYMENT BECAUSE I TRUST THEM WHEN THEY TOLD ME THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE ONLY REPAIR. WEEKS AFTER I WAS ON THE HIGH WAY WITH MY WHOLE FAMILY AND I SAY SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND WE PERCEIVED A STRONG BURN SMELL, THE MILEAGE ON THAT TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 67,000, WE JUST MADE IT TO ARRIVE TO THE DEALER SERVICE AND THEY FOUND A VERY LOW COOLANT LEVEL WHICH MEANS THAT THE OVERHEATING WAS RELATED TO THE COOLANT LINE. NEXT DAY I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SERVICE, THE CAR WAS THERE FOR 7 DAYS AFTER I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR NEEDS AN ENGINE CHANGE WHICH I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY. THE DEALER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER BUT ALL I RECEIVED FROM THEM WERE 8 OIL CHANGES. I RECEIVED AND OFFER TO HAVE ANOTHER CAR BUT THE TRADE VALUE FOR MY CAR IS VERY LOW COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL PRICE I PAID AND THE NEW MONTHLY PAYMENT IS OUT OF MY POSSIBILITIES. I'M DRIVING THIS CAR TAKING THE RISK FOR MY FAMILY WITH THE WINTER COMING. AFTER READING THE COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA I WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT I'M NOT THE FIRST OWNER OF A 2008 GRAND CARAVAN WITH A POTENTIAL PROBLEM OF OVERHEATING AND FIRE ON MY CAR. I NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THIS CASE. THANKS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED HARD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE SECOND GEAR FAILING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 37000.

WHILE DRIVING TO THE MARKET MY WIFE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN SHUDDER IN THE STEERING/BRAKES PULLING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE DRIVING LANE TOWARDS THE SHOULDER. SHE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A STOP OF THE SHOULDER. SHE NOTICED THE ESP/BAS WARNING LIGHT AND THE SLIPPERY ROAD/TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT HAD BOTH ACTIVATED ON THE DASH/INSTRUMENT PANEL. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED US THE STEERING ANGLE/CLOCKSPRING SENSOR WHICH ACTIVATES THE DRIVERS AIRBAG HAD FAILED AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THE ITEM IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND REPAIR WOULD COST A TOTAL OF $508. DODGE RECALLED CARAVANS 1996-2000 FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TO REPLACE ALL THE BRAKES, FOR WHAT WAS TERMED PREMATURE WHEREOUT, AT APPROX 22,000 MILES. WE HAD TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC KEYS WHICH BOTH CRUMBLED AFTER THE 3RD YEAR. WHAT'S NEXT???? ANY HELP IN THIS SITUATION WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. *TR

VAN WOULD INTERMITTENTLY NOT START. WOULD TURN KEY AND VAN WOULD CLICK ONCE LIKE SOLENOID WAS ACTIVATING BUT STARTER WOULD NOT TURN ON. TURN KEY A SECOND TIME AND VAN MIGHT START. ON ONE OCCASION, VAN WOULD NOT START ON SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. JUMP STARTING WOULD NOT WORK. BATTERY TESTED OK. REPLACED STARTER, AFTER COUPLE DAYS VAN AGAIN WOULD NOT START. TOOK TO DEALER, DEALER REPLACED STARTER. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS, VAN IS AGAIN INTERMITTENTLY NOT STARTING. WE HAVE DISCOVERED IF SHIFT LEVER IS MOVED INTO NEUTRAL, VAN WILL START. THIS EVENING (9/25/12), MY WIFE WENT TO TURN ON THE HIGH-BEAMS AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON AND WOULD NOT CUT OFF. THE LOW-BEAMS REMAINED ON, BUT HIGH-BEAMS AND THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT TURN ON. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY FOR TEN MINUTES AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO WORK FINE WHEN I RECONNECTED IT. *TR

MY FAMILY WAS DRIVING BACK HOME FROM A FAMILY TRIP WHEN MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY THERE WAS ENOUGH TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD THAT ONLY ALLOWED US TO TRAVEL AROUND 25 MPH AT THE TIME THE VAN STALLED. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS, PUT THE VAN IN PARK AND RESTARTED THE VAN. I AM NOT SURE IF THIS IS A COINCIDENCE BUT THE VAN STALLED AS SOON AS MY WIFE UNPLUGGED THE IPHONE FROM THE AUXILIARY PLUG OF THE VAN. *TR

THERE WAS A SMELL OF HOT COOLANT ANYTIME WE WERE DRIVING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THERE WAS BAD CONNECTION ON THE HEATER HOSE ASSEMBLY AND IT WOULD BE $525 TO FIX. UPON INVESTIGATION IN THE DODGE FORUMS, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS HAPPENING ON A REGULAR BASIS DUE TO THE HEATER HOSES BEING DIRECTLY ABOVE THE EXHAUST COLLECTOR AND IS CAUSING THE RUBBER TO FAIL AND THUS CAUSING COOLANT LEAKS. BEST CASE IS IT SMELLS WHEN THE COOLANT IS LEAKING ON THE EXHAUST, WORST CASE IS PEOPLE ARE GETTING STRANDED DUE TO OVERHEATING. DODGE CLAIMS THIS IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 60 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

WHEN WE WERE GOING 50 MPH THE ACCELERATOR STUCK DOWN TO THE GROUND WOULD NOT STOP AND WE ALMOST CRASHED IN AN INTERSECTION. WE HAD TO TURN OFF THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN. SOMETHING NEED TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS! *TR