2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Complaints

THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLAMMING INTO GEAR WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE FROM A STOP (BOTH FORWARD AND REVERSE). ACCORDING TO THE TECHNICIAN AT THE DODGE DEALERSHIP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF METAL SHAVINGS IN THE TRANSMISSION OIL PAN INDICATING THE TRANSMISSION WAS GRINDING ITSELF APART. TWO REPAIR OPTIONS WERE GIVEN - REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ENTIRELY OR HAVE IT REBUILT AT THE DEALERSHIP. SINCE THERE WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE INTERNALLY, WE OPTED TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED TO ENSURE SAFE AND RELIABLE OPERATION IN THE FUTURE. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 50K MILES, HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN ROUGHLY, AND IS NOT USED FOR TOWING OR HAULING HEAVY LOADS. ESSENTIALLY, THERE IS NO REASON THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD HAVE SELF-DESTRUCTED ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR

MY 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN HAS INTERMITTENT TROUBLE STARTING. THE STARTER HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, AND THE WIN MODULE (AND KEY) HAVE BEEN REPLACED. THE SAME ISSUE HAS BEEN OCCURRING, BUT NEVER DUPLICATES FOR THE DEALERSHIP. THEIR COMPUTER SCAN BRINGS UP NO ISSUES. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN TESTED AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION. IT DOESN'T MATTER THE TIME OF DAY, OR DRIVING CIRCUMSTANCES, THE VAN WILL NOT ALWAYS START. IT WILL HAVE ONE CLICK (AND I CAN CLOSE THE WINDOWS, TURN ON RADIO) BUT THE VAN WILL NOT START. *TR

WE ARE A USED CAR DEALERSHIP THAT RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WITH 118,000 MILES ON IT. A CUSTOMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AND PLACED IN THEIR GARAGE, THE CUSTOMER NOTICED SOME SMOKE/STEAM COMING FROM THE VENTS. THE CUSTOMER ASSUMED IT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE ONLY TO RETURN A MOMENT LATER TO CHECK ON THE VAN AND AT THAT TIME NOTICED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CUSTOMER QUICKLY BACKED THE VAN OUT OF THE GARAGE, TURNED IT OFF AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT MADE THE BRIEF TRIP TO THE CUSTOMERS' HOUSE, THE VAN WAS COMPLETELY BURNT. THERE IS SOME DAMAGE TO THE SIDING ON THE HOUSE AS WELL. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THE CUSTOMER WAS ABLE TO GET THE VAN OUT OF THE GARAGE. EVERYTHING IS COMPLETELY BURNT IN THE VAN-EVEN THE GLASS CURLED AND MELTED BECAUSE OF THE HEAT. CHRYSLER HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER CONTROL COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC, WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE ATTEMPTED TO UNLOCK THE VEHICLE WITH A NEW KEY FOB HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT UNLOCK. AFTER THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO ENTER THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STARTED. THE CONTACT HAD TO TAP THE FUSE BOX TO TURN ON THE VEHICLE. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS THEN ENGAGED INDEPENDENTLY WITH WIPER FLUID GUSHING OUT. THE FAILURE RECURRED FREQUENTLY AS THE HORN SOUNDED INDEPENDENTLY AS WELL. THE CONTACT STOPPED AND TURNED OFF VEHICLE BUT THE FAILURES PERSISTED. THE CONTACT HAD TO TAP ON THE FUSE BOX TO HAVE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND HORN STOP. THE FUSE BOX WAS LOCATED UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE NEAR THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,496.

WENT TO TURN MY LIGHTS ON AND THEY TURNED ON THEN OFF THEN ON AGAIN AND THEN OFF. AND NOW THEY WILL NOT TURN ON. EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS, PARKING LIGHTS, DIMMER ETC. I HAD A DIAGNOSTIC RUN AND IT SHOWED THE FOLLOWING TROUBLE CODES: B162F,B,C ; B1633, B1634, B1637. WHICH ALL POINTS TO THE TIPM CONTROL MODULE. SO I CALLED THE SHOP, THEY CALLED TO FIND THE PART AND THERE IS NONE AVAILABLE. THERE ARE ON BACKORDER, ABOUT 800 OF THEM TO BE EXACT. SO THAT MEANS THAT I HAVE NO HEADLIGHTS UNTIL 800 OTHER PEOPLE GET THERES. NEXT THING TO GO IS THE WIPERS, HORN AND THEN THE CAR TO SHUT OFF AS I'M DRIVING. OBVIOUSLY IF 800 OF THESE ARE ON BACK ORDER THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT NO WARNING LAMPS WERE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE HORN AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS ACTIVATED, AND WIPER FLUID STARTED SPRAYING BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER WHERE HE REMOVED THE BATTERY CABLE AND FUSES THAT GOVERNED THE HORN AND WIPERS IN ORDER FOR THE FAILURE TO STOP. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT AND THERE WERE MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL POPPING NOISES THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRELESS MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND AS A RESULT, THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE REMEDY FAILED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

WE PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH @ 15K MILES IN MAY 2010 - IN JANUARY 2011 AT @ 30K MILES WE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKES AND ROTORS THE WHOLE WAY AROUND. I SPOKE WITH 3 MECHANICS WHO 1) SAID ROTORS AT THIS LOW MILEAGE WAS UNHEARD OF AND 2) THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. THEN, JUST 3 WEEKS AGO, AT 55513 MILES, MY LEFT FRONT AXLE / CV JOINT SNAPPED. FROM (PLENTY OF) ONLINE RESEARCH, I LEARNED 2 THINGS - 1) THIS BREAK SHOULD NOT OCCUR IN A VEHICLE SO NEW AND 2) ALL 2008 CHRYSLER / DODGE VEHICLES ARE KNOWN FOR THIS! IN FACT THERE WAS A RECALL IN 08 FOR A LOT OF VEHICLES (NOT THE CARAVAN) FOR JUST THIS! WHEN I CALLED CHRYSLER/DODGE - THEY FIRST SAID THAT THIS WASN'T A PART OF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY (UM, IT'S AN AXLE!!! ATTACHED TO THE DRIVE SHAFT) AND SECOND - IF I WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER, IT'D BE COVERED, BUT SINCE I'M NOT, IT WASN'T. THIS WAS A $500 REPAIR JOB. 2 WEEKS LATER!!!!!!! AT @ 56000 MILES, I STARTED HAVING FRONT END PROBLEMS AGAIN - BACK TO THE GARAGE - THIS TIME, I'M SURPRISED WITH THE FACT THAT I NEED BRAKES AND ROTORS THE WHOLE WAY AROUND AGAIN. AND, ABS SENSORS, A NEW CALIPER AND BRAKE HOSES. NEW BRAKES - AGAIN?!?!? HERE COMES THE ONLINE RESEARCH AGAIN... I FOUND A WEBSITE (CARCOMPLAINTS.COM) THAT HAD 1027!!! ENTRIES FROM 08 GRAND CARAVAN USERS THAT HAVE HAD TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THEIR BRAKES AND ROTORS AT AN AVERAGE OF EVERY 10000 MILES - THAT IS NOT NORMAL! *TR

THE HEADLAMPS ON MY VAN TURN THEMSELVES OFF AT RANDOM TIMES. THEY WILL TURN OFF WHILE THE VAN IS GOING DOWN THE STREET, PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, ANYWHERE. SOMETIMES THEY DON'T TURN ON AT ALL, INSTEAD THEY JUST FLASH SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN STAY OFF. *TR