1998 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER Complaints

DEAR SIR: TO WHO IT MAY CONCERN. I HAVE A 1998 PLYMOUTH CARAVAN VAN (THEY CALL IT A TRUCK) WITH A 3.3 LITER ENGINE. WITH ABOUT 54,000 MILES ON IT . LAST WEEK I MADE A SHORT TRIP TO LOWES ABOUT 3 MILES FROM HOME. WHEN I RETURNED HOME I PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND WENT INTO MY GARAGE. AFTER ABOUT 2 MIN I SAW FIRE DRIPPING FROM MY ENGINE, I GOT MY FIRE EXT. AND USED IT UNDER THE CAR. THEN I OPENED THE HOOD AND PUT OUT THE REST OF THE FIRE. I THEN DISCONNECTED BOTH BATTERY TERMINALS AND CALLED THE WRECKER TO TOW MY CAR TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR (AUTOWEST DODGE IN ROSEVILLE AUTO MALL--- ROSEVILLE CA) . I FOLLOWED THE WRECKER TO AUTOWEST AND TOLD THE DEALER TO REPAIR MY CAR. THEY CALLED & THE NEXT DAY I PICKED UP MY CAR . THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A SHORT IN MY STARTER AND THEY HAD PUT IN A NEW STARTER AND REPAIRED THE BURNED UP WIRING HARNESS. MY CAR SEEMS TO BE WORKING OK NOW. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED ALL BUT $50.00 . I AM WRITING THIS REPORT BECAUSE WHAT IF---I HAD DRIVEN INTO THE GARAGE CLOSED THE DOOR AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE ? IT WOULD HAVE BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE OR WORSE. I ASKED THE DEALER IF THEY HAD ANY OTHER CASES OF THIS AND HE SAID NO. I DO NOT TRUST AUTO DEALERS TO TELL THE TRUTH. SO I WILL LET YOU GUYS TAKE IT FROM HERE. *JB

WE PURCHASED OUR GRAND VOYAGER WITH ABOUT 14,000 MILES ON IT. IT NOW HAS ABOUT 67,000 MILES ON IT AND WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 6 SERPENTINE BELTS AND 4 BELT TENSIONERS. WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH 1 BELT PER YEAR AT LEAST SINCE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE ENGINE THAT KEPT CAUSING THE BELT TO BECOME MIS-ALIGNED, START SQUEAKING, AND EVENTUALLY RIP APART. THE PROBLEM IS MORE SEVERE IN HOT WEATHER AND WE HAVE ABOUT 5 MONTHS OF 90 DEGREE WEATHER WHERE WE ARE. OUR OWN MECHANIC HAS STARTED SHIMMING THE BELT TENSIONER, WHICH SEEMS TO PROLONG BELT REPLACEMENT TIME BUT DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HE BELIEVES THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE HOLE THAT WAS DRILLED TO INSTALL THE TENSIONER AND/OR PULLEY IS DRILLED AT THE WRONG ANGLE OR NOT LINED UP CORRECTLY. OUR ONLY CONSOLATION IS THAT THE SQUEAKING GIVES US WARNING ABOUT THE STATE OF THE BELT. *NLM

WHILE CHILD WAS IN REAR SEATBELT, IT CAME LOOSE WHEN DRIVING AND MAKING LEFT TURN. THIS OCCURRED ON THREE (3) SEPARATE OCCASIONS.

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION. THE VEHICLES AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *NLM

WHEN A LEFT TURN WAS MADE, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. *JB CONSUMER HAD TO JERK TO THE RIGHT TO BREAK LOOSE THEN THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD NOT CANCEL. BROKEN MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH REPLACED. AIR CONDITIONER INOPERATIVE. DEALER REPLACED LEAKING EVAPORATOR. FASCIAS AND REAR SLIDING DOOR DAMAGED, DIRTY. *TT

THE STEERING WHEEL CLOCK SPRING FAILED, WHICH CAUSED MY AIRBAG, HORN, AND CRUISE CONTROL TO BECOME INOPERATIVE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. HOWEVER, MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT ON THE LIST TO RECEIVE THE FREE REPLACEMENT. THE DEALER WANTS ME TO PAY $300 TO FIX A KNOWN SAFETY DEFECT.*JB

WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION "FELL APART" WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSED LOSS OF FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. A BROKEN TRANSMISSION PIN CAUSED THIS PROBLEM. *NLM THE TECHNICIANS SAID THAT THIS IS DESIGN FLAW AND CHRYSLER WAS AWARE. SCC

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A PLYMOUTH VOYAGER. AFTER A REPORT LAST NIGHT ON HOUSTON'S KHWB39 NEWS, I WAS VERY CONCERNED TO NOTE, THE VEHICLE IS FITTED WITH A "GENERATION 3" SEAT BELT SYSTEM. VISITING THE WEBSITE "WWW.UNSAFEBELTS.COM", I SEE THIS BELT/LATCH DESIGN HAS BEEN SHOWN TO FAIL ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. SPECIFICALLY, I READ THAT A CHRYSLER ENGINEER TESTIFIED THAT CHRYSLER WAS AWARE OF FOUR OR FIVE CRASH TESTS WHERE GENERATION 3 BUCKLES ACCIDENTALLY UNLATCHED. THIS CONCERNS ME GREATLY. WE HAVE A YOUNG DAUGHTER WHO TRAVELS IN A CHILD SEAT, AND THIS IS A SPECIFIC CONCERN BASED ON REPORTS OF THESE SEATS CAUSING THE BUCKLE TO UNLATCH. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY, WHEN THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, THAT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. I ACCEPT THIS WILL HAVE SERIOUS FINANCIAL IMPACT ON THEM, BUT THEY HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE FUNCTIONING SAFETY EQUIPMENT IN THEIR VEHICLES. *JB

THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE, THERE WERE BURN LIKE SMELLS, AND NOISES, THE CLOCK SPRING WAS INOPERATIVE AND CAUSED OTHER PROBLEMS, AND THE SQUEAKING SERPENTINE BELT HAD GONE BAD. SCC *JB *TS

WE OWN A 1998 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. WE HAD RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THE FRONT AIR BAG (CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY). THIS NOTICE WAS FOR VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS (FREE REPAIR). OUR VEHICLE HAS 75,000+ MILES AND YESTERDAY OUR AIR BAG LIGHT IS STAYING ON... I DO NOT THINK THAT IT IS RESPONSIBILE FOR DIAMLER CHRYSLER TO SET MILAGE LIMITS FOR REPAIRS. WE HAVE A LARGE FAMILY AND US OUR VAN ALOT... DIAMLER CHRYSLER SHOULD NOT BE ALOUD TO SET MILAGE LIMITS. BECAUSE OF THIS DECISION, I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER DIAMLER CHRYSLER PRODUCT. THANK YOU.