PLYMOUTH Complaints

I HAD HIT THE SIDE OF A VAN WITH THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE, I WAS BRAKING WHEN I HIT HIM SO I COULD HAVE BEEN GOING BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *NM

NHTS CAMPAIGN 99V189000 CONCERNS A FAILURE OF WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGES ON 1993 PLYMOUTH VOYAGERS LEADING TO TOTAL LOSS OF WIPER FUNCTION. THIS HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER TODAY DURING A STORM, FORCING HER TO RETURN HOME VERY SLOWLY. NO ACCIDENT, NO ONE HURT. (NOTE THAT I AM A REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER.) UPON HER RETURN, I INSPECTED AND FOUND THAT: 1. THE WIPER MOTOR WAS RUNNING AND COULD BE AUDIBLY HEARD WHILE THE WIPERS SAT MOTIONLESS. 2. THE TWO WIPERS WERE LINKED TOGETHER AND COULD BE MOVED EASILY BY HAND. 3. THE RUNNING WIPER MOTOR WOULD NOT MOVE THE WIPERS. AT THAT POINT I REMOVED THE 3 BOLTS HOLDING THE WIPER MOTOR IN PLACE AND LOOKED INSIDE THE WIPER ARM CAVITY. I FOUND WIPER DRIVE ARM TO BE DETACHED FROM THE ROTATING ARM ON THE DRIVE MOTOR SHAFT. I HAVE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM. THE REASON FOR MY REPORT IS THIS: THE VAN WHICH THIS HAPPENED TO IS A 1994 GRAND VOYAGER, SAME BODY STYLE AS THE 1993. HOW DOES ONE SUGGEST THAT THE 1994 MODEL SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED? REGARDS, JEFF BOX [email protected]. *NM

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, P0700 & P0725 CODES. THERE ARE RELATED TO TRANSAXLE PROBLEMS. TRANSMISSION WILL, AFTER ABOUT 30 MILES OF FREEWAY DRIVING, JERK SLIGHTLY, THEN "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WILL COME ON. TRANSMISSION THEN SHIFTS POORLY, JERKS AND SLAMS ON DOWN AND UP SHIFTS. TRANS WILL THEN GO INTO LIMP MODE, LIMITING SPEED TO 45 MPH MAX. RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE, THERE ARE 1000'S OF SIMILAR TRANSAXLE PROBLEMS REPORTED. SO FAR, HAVE CHANGED TRANS FLUID, TWICE. LAST TIME COST WAS $150+. REPLACED INPUT AND OUTPUT TRANS SENSORS, INPUT REPLACED TWICE. CLEANED ALL UNDERHOOD GROUNDS, RESET COMPUTER BY BATTERY DISCONNECT. TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT SHOP, THEY SAID MAYBE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR TRANS CONTROL COMPUTER. TOOK TO DEALER, THEY CHECKED AND FOUND FAULTY INPUT TRANS SPEED SENSOR. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 63K MILES, IT SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS MUCH POWERTRAIN TROUBLE. SO FAR SPENT ABOUT $700, STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM, AS 1000'S OF OTHER PEOPLE. MANY REPORTS OF HIT AND MISS REPAIRS, INCLUDING SOLENOID PACKS, TCM REPLACEMENTS, AND TRANS OVERHAULS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED FOR YEARS BY 1000'S OF OWNERS. THIS IS A POORLY DESIGNED PRODUCT, AND CHRYSLER SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. *JB

THIS 2000 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER HAS REPEATED FAILURE OF POWER STEERING DUE TO THE SERPENTINE BELT SLIPPING OFF (MAINLY DURING RAINY DAYS). ON THE FIRST OCCASION, THE SHOP REPLACED THE BELT AND SPLASH GUARD. THE SECOND TIME, THE SHOP REPLACED THE BELT TENSIONER. THE THIRD TIME, THE SHOP REPLACED THE HARMONIC BALANCER PULLEY. THE FOURTH TIME, THE SHOP PUT THE BELT BACK ON THE VAN, BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING ELSE WRONG WITH THE BELT OR PULLEYS. LOSS OF POWER STEERING IS DANGEROUS! (BESIDES, WE DID NOT GET THIS CAR ONLY FOR DRIVING ON SUNNY DAYS.) *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PLASTIC HEADLIGHT COVER BECAME GRAYISH THROUGH TIME. THIS INTERFERED WITH THE AMOUNT OF ILLUMINATION. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE COVERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 10/20/2006 - *NM

I HAVE TRIED TO RESOLVE THE NUMBERS OF RECALLS THAT ARE STILL PENDING ON MY CAR. THE THREE PENDING RECALLS ARE 843, C45, AND E23. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER AND I WAS SERVED AND TOLD THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ORDER THE PARTS. THE DEALER NEVER CALL TO TELL ME ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE PARTS. I CALLED TO CHECK AND THE PARTS NEVER ARRIVED. THE DEALER HAVE NOT TAKE ANY ACTION TO REPAIR MY CAR. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL GAUGES FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. ADDITIONALLY, THE HEADLIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED IF THE HIGH BEAM WAS ENGAGED. ALSO, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS EXPOSED TO HURRICANE WEATHER PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH PRODUCED NO FAILURE CODES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED.

ON JULY 17, 2006 MY BELT TENSIONER BROKE ON MY 97 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER SE. I HAD IT TOWED TO AN AUTO SHOP THE NEXT DAY WHERE THEY REPLACED THE TENSIONER AND PUT ON A NEW BELT. ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2006, (THE FIRST DAY DRIVING CAR IN THE RAIN SINCE REPLACING BELT & TENSIONER), WHILE DRIVING CAR IN THE RAIN 5 MINUTES, THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST AND THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON - THE BELT HAD COME OFF. RETURNED CAR TO REPAIR CENTER. THEY PUT BELT BACK ON AND COULD NOT FIND ANY REASON WHY THIS HAPPENED, OTHER THAN TO SAY THAT BELTS CAN FALL OFF MORE EASILY IN WET WEATHER. ON SEPT. 17, IT WAS NOT RAINING WHEN I WAS DRIVING CAR AT THE TIME, HOWEVER, THERE WAS AN AVERAGE SIZE PUDDLE THAT I DID DRIVE INTO AND AS SOON AS I DID I LOST MY POWER STEERING AND THE BATTER LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER AND HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED. THIS TIME I TOOK IT TO A DEALER. THEY PUT THE BELT BACK ON AND COULD NOT FIND ANY REASON WHY IT WOULD HAVE COME OFF, OTHER THAN IT GETTING WET. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD HEARD THROUGH A FRIEND THAT CHRYSLER VANS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM OF THE BELT COMING OFF IN WET WEATHER BUT THEY SAID THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF IT. THE ONLY 2 TIMES I HAVE DRIVEN MY CAR IN WET WEATHER AFTER REPLACING THE BELT TENSIONER, THE BELT HAS COME OFF. AFTER LOOKING UP SOME INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET (WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG), I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH PLYMOUTH AND DODGE CARAVANS. ALL IT TAKES IS GETTING IT WET AND THE BELT COMES OFF VERY EASILY. THERE ARE OVER 100 EMAILS ON THE WEBSITE WITH COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS ON THIS VERY ISSUE. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FLAW IN THE CAR DESIGN. I WOULD APPRECIATE SOMEONE LOOKING INTO THIS AND CONSIDERING A RECALL. OUR FAMILY HAS 2 PLYMOUTH VOYAGERS AND HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH THEM UNTIL NOW. WE WERE CONSIDERING REPLACING THEM IN THE NEAR FUTURE BUT WILL DEFINITELY NOT BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER AFTER FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND REALIZING CHRYSLER HAS NOT TAKEN ANY STEPS TO SOLVE THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *NM

OPENED THE REAR HATCH ON THE VEHICLE, LET GO, AND THE HYDRAULIC STRUT FAILED -- INSTEAD OF OPENING FULLY, THE HATCH SLAMMED SHUT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BOLT HOLDING THE RIGHT STRUT ON SHEARED OFF. APPARENTLY, THE OTHER STRUT WAS NO LONGER WORKING, AND THE STRESS OF THE WEIGHT OF THE HATCH ON THE RIGHT STRUT CAUSED THE BOLT TO FAIL. FORTUNATELY. NO ONE WAS UNDER THE HATCH OR WAS INJURED. REPLACED BOTH STRUTS. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE BOLT -- THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THE REAR HATCH WOULD SLAM SHUT, AS IT APPEARED TO OPERATING PERFECTLY UNTIL THE FAILURE. IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS INJURY, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN. *JB

I TOOK MY 1996 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER TO MY MECHANIC TO HELP ME LOCATE A CREAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT OF THE VAN. WE FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT IT WAS THE SWAY BAR. BUT WHAT WE ALSO DISCOVERED WAS THE TOWER MOUNT (THAT CONNECTS THE STRUT TO THE BODY FRAME) WAS SEVERELY RUSTED. THE REST OF THE BODY HAS VERY LITTLE RUST. MY MECHANIC CONTACTED SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS TO FIND OUT ABOUT A REPAIR KIT FOR THIS PROBLEM, LEARNED THAT THESE DEALERSHIPS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR COURTESY VANS. BECAUSE THE TOWER MOUNT IS SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE WORKING OF THE VEHICLE, I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THERE SHOULD BE NO WAY THAT WATER CAN GET UP AND STAY IN THE TOWER MOUNT AND CAUSE THE MOUNT TO RUST OUT. *JB