1994 DODGE Grand Caravan

We bought the van used in April 2001 with 114,000 miles. The a/c was not functioning, but I fixed it myself. The bottom hinge on the driver\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s side door had caused metal fatigue to the body where it connects to the van. I welded it. The paint on the front plastic bumper cover was peeling, and the power lock motor on the sliding door was very noisy during unlocking the door. This year the transmission went out (a-604). It is now in the tranny shop having a $1500 repair to fix that.

Transmission will not shift gears and will not reverse at all. Chrysler stated”the power train warranty expired at 70,000 miles or 7 years. I bought the car “used” so I never received the benefit of the warranty.

See failures

I purchased this vehicle brand new in July 1994 from Dodge dealership In Burnsville, MN. May 1998 the AC evaporator had to be replaced as it was found to be leaking. (dye tested).On 06/28/2001 this same vehicle had to have the Ac compressor, both AC lines and AC drier replaced. It only had 53,950 for mileage.Today, 11-20-2002 again I had to have the AC evaporator replaced because it was leaking. I spoke to Chrysler Corp. today and of course they would not cover anything. They do not support their customers or there cars as they advertise. I went with the 7 year 70,000 mile warranty which does not cover AC components. I don\’t know who to turn to. Chrysler needs to be aware of this problem as not only their vehicles lack quality but so do their parts.I have owned three Dodges in the past 15-20 years, and this will be my last one due to lack of customer support and poor quality products.

Bought vehicle mid october 2004 from used dealer, found problems and attempted repairs myself. Had severe stalling and lurching problem so took to local Certified Dodge dealer in Tallahassee,FL and was charged around $100 for a diagnostic that contained no useful info but was verbally told it had too many problems”for them to want to deal with” and was returned to me. Told them wouldnt pay for an incomplete diagnostic report and was told would not get van back if I didnt pay. Now stuck trying to figure out on own how to fix problem to salvage van for use rather than get rid of.

Consumer cotnacted the dealer in reference to recall number 99v113000, dealer stated no parts were available. there was a nationwide back log. please provide any further details. *ak

Air bag light problems. mjs

The clock spring has been replaced because the air bag light continues to come on and off continuously. please describe details. *ak

My wife was closing the rear door when the anchor bolt holding the lift cylinder broke off, causing the door to fall. *ak

The hydraulic lift arm on passenger side of the vehicle p0pped out due to the lift support arm failure. yh

Bolt broken on one of the gas filled pistons that hold the rear liftgate open causing the liftgate support to fall down between the liftgate and the bumper and the glass to shatter.

Seat belt buckle sticks, requiring excessive force to disengage.

Rear liftgate latch failed after recall repair, causing luggage to fall out of vehicle onto highway.

Transmission locks into second gear/locks into neutral gear then fails.

The clock spring has been replaced because the air bag light continues to come on and off continuously. please describe details. *ak

Instrument cluster don't work

When i was trying to turn the wheel to get out of the driveway, my steering wheel came off. i was about to back up and if i did i would have lost control and crashed.

Tl* the contact owns a 1994 dodge grand caravan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 00v305000 (steering), 99v213000 (structure), 99v113000 (air bags), and 95i00100 (latches/locks/linkages); however, the parts to do the repairs were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 1994 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the serpentine belt would detach from the vehicle when it would rain or when the vehicle was driven through a puddle of water. the failure would cause the vehicle to loose power and overheat. the vehicle was repaired several times and the pulleys were replaced, but the failure continued to recur. the dealer and several mechanics were unable to determine what caused the consistent failure. the failure mileage was 230,426 and the current mileage was 241,625.

Air bags deployed on 1994 dodge grand caravan with braun handicapped modifications while idling in the driveway during loading of handicapped woman. attendant was injured due to proximity of head to passenger side airbag. *tr

Tl* - the contact owns a 1994 dodge chrysler grand caravan. while driving around a mountain the steering locked and lost power steering. the contact let the vehicle sit for approximately 1/2 hour and the vehicle was drivable. there were no warning indicators. the failure mileage was 66,000. the dealer didn't try to duplicate the failure. the current mileage was 165,000.*ak the consumer stated that he replaced the belt in 1996, but the mechanic stated the belt looked fine. update 05/10/07*tr

Tl* -the contact stated that the 1994 dodge grand caravan with 150000 failure mileage was leaking gas on the manifold. the contact a mechanic discovered that there was a fuel leak. there was a recall # 00268000 on the 1996-2000 dodge grand caravans. the vehicle was not drivable , and the vehicle had not been repaired. the current mileage was 150,000. *ak the fuel rail was leaking fuel at the end of the rail where a pipe joined the 2 rails together, fuel leaked on the manifold and a small fire was ignited. updated 04/30/07. *jb

Vehicle stalls while driving, usually when weather is very warm. no indication of overheating. let set for 10-15 minutes and vehicle starts and runs fine until next time. has happened 6 times in the last 3 years, usually on the interstate causing a potentially very dangerous situation. have not had to a dealer to check out but have seen other complaints on this site by people who have this same problem who have taken to dealer and dealer was not able to locate the source of the stalling.

1994 dodge grand caravan, drivers side seat back broken at the first weld on the vertical portion of the seat back. car was being driven normally, no accident or incident occurred. there was no warning, the seat just went to a reclined position while driving. further investigation revealed that in addition to the vertical frame weld failure, a casting failure occurred on the horizontal portion of the seat frame in the vicinity of recline lever. the frame casting was completing severed and would not have retained the seat in the event of a sudden deceleration. the seat was unsafe but did not reveal itself until the back frame weld failure. my state of residence is wisconsin, your program did not allow me to enter this state so i choose one at random. *nm

(1) no warning of failure.(2) serpentine belt tensioner bolt failed causing loss of power steering during a turn. no consequences resulted from this particular failure because the failure occurred in a parking lot at 5mph. under different circumstances (downhill on tight curve) the failure would have been extremely dangerous and probably result in total loss of control.(3) anticipate replacing the tensioner and returning vehicle to service.*ak

Air bag. i own a 1994 grand caravan. i have no other complaints about this vehicle. however, the air bag has had a problem since almost day one. the airbag panel light is always illuminated. i received a recall notice several years ago about this problem and had the van to the dealership for recall service to rectify the obviously widespread problem. i believe it was tied to a problem w/ the rear window wiper circuit. this is a problem that was fixed for all but a couple of months and to this day i don't have a working air bag or rear window wiper. i can live w/o the wiper, i'd like to have working safety equipment. *nm

Consumer stated the sliding door fell off track . the part had been repaired three times, however the problem recurred. *ak the consumer stated that the parts seem to wear to easy and rust when they should not. *tc

Transmisson failure. *la

Purchased on 5/2001 a used 1994 dodge grand caravan with 93,000 miles from carmichael auto exchange "as is". after 1,000 miles, transmission failed. replaced @ $1875.60 with new mopar rebuilt at 94,282. took vehicle in for trans service on 3/8/2002 at 109,252 to dealer. installed transmission cooler on 4/2002. now rebuilt transmission failed on 7/7/2003 at 150,325. this added expense will cost $2600.00 at my expense. *ak

Engine hesitates as if starving for fuel and stalls while traveling,check engine light stays on until you turn off engine and retstart. taken to dealer and no trouble codes found. fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel injector o-rings, replaced. has happened over last six years, some 20 times and dealer has no clue. 125,000 miles on engine.*ak

Consumer stated that when turning the vehicle on the passenger side air bag deployed. dealer notified . *ak

While driving 60 mph the automatic transmission failed and forced the consumer to pull off the road. *nlm. *ak

Gas gauge shows erratic fuel level - can end up empty because of false reading similar to nhtsa recall no. 97v194 chrysler campaign no. 755. *nlm

When the consumer closed the rear hatch the hinge on the upper right came off. upon further investigation it was discovered that the bolt had broken in half and one half of the bolt was still attached to the door while other half fell to the ground. the pressurized mechanism was locked in the open position and in order to close the door the consumer had no choice but to puncture the roof. *nlm *cb *nlm

I can't keep it running in cold weather, no matter what the speed of driving.**** dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****769757. *ak *jb

Transaxle on 1994 dodge grand caravan le failed causing damage to axles. the axles had to be replaced, one axle had to be replaced twice. they are now failing again. the front end wobbles and shakes, especially when accelerating and the transmission shifts very harshly, with a slam. the transmission has an internal leak so that we have to check the fluid constantly, but no fluid is draining onto the street. it will cost us $2,500 to repair. when we bought the car 2 years ago it had just had the transaxle replaced.

When we bought the van in april of 2001 the transaxle would not shift into reverse when cold. the vehicle has apparently been warmed up before we test drove it. the transmission filter and fluid were replaced and the transmission was fine until the next cold season . the fluid and filter were replaced and the transmission was fine until the next cold season. the fluid and filter were replaced again but it did not help. the transmission started out at the beginning of this year's cold season just not going into reverse while cold, then it quickly progressed to no first gear or reverse while cold. during the time when it had no first or reverse the transmission would go into limp mode. (chrysler a-604 ultradrive) during this time the transmission only functions in second gear (while the gear selector is in overdrive). the transmission repair shop acted very surprised that our transmission lasted 135k miles! unfortunately our warranty company is not aware of the problems with this transmission or just doesn't want to lose money because of it, but they only paid for the installation of a used transmission with 80k miles. i use the ultimate warranty company (1-800-576-5113). *jb ***dimsii ivoq entry after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*****770786

Nhtsa recall 99v213000 liftgate support bracket; she had this recall repaired two years ago. the owner states that she heard something, moved out the way and the liftgate slammed shut on its' own. please describe details. nlm

Van has problem with illumination of head lights, dealership has tried several attempts to rectify illumination failure. manufacturer has no more suggestions on how to correct problem. dealership is declining putting on fog lights, and is questioning next step.*ak. consumer's son adjusted the headlights and consumer can now see the road, consumer assumed it was the headlights themselves, but it seems they were juse misaligned.*jb

Recall 00-v-305; steering wheel armature stamping cracked and separated from center hub attachment. also, wheel nuts on both front sides are snapped. this vehicle was not included in recall due to vin. *ak *yd

Fuel injector is leaking gas onto exhaust manifold.*ak

While trying to open hatch gate up strut that holds hatch gate sheared off frame, and gate came down on consumer, causing some minor damages on shoulder, arm and back.*ak *yh

Transmission shifting problem. could not be fixed, and had to be replaced. please provide more information.*ak

Rear door is falling apart from the top hinge where it could separate like it had happen before. dealer had been contacted. please provide more information.*ak

Sliding door, had collapsed without a prior warning. had taken vehicle to a body shop for repairs, and they could not determine what had been the cause of sliding door falling out. please provide more information.*ak

Rear wipers stopped working. there was a recall for wipers, took to dealer, they corrected the problem. a year later, windshield wipers stopped working again. please provide any further information.*ak

Insured was in turning lane to make a left turn and turned in front of an oncoming van. air bag did not deploy. shop states that specific crunch/crimping in area, sensor should have gone off, there were two injuries in accident, claim 59-v722-082. *jg

A young child got in vehicle, put key in ignition, and was able to shift from park to neutral without applying brakes. vehicle rolled backwardm, and hit another vehicle. damage to that vehicle was $2000.00. *ak *jb

Vehicle was parked in driveway, consumer was awakened at 3am to vehicle being on fire. entire front end was on fire. consumer noted vehicle was a total loss. dealer stated they knew any why it would catch on fire. *ak

After having repair work performed for recall 99v113000 rear windshield wiper motor has failed 14 months after repair work was performed. consumer complained that air bag was not on a separate electrical fuse, which caused fuse for air bag to short when wiper motor failed. *ak *slc

While traveling at approximately 55 mph vehicle suddenly lost power. it felt like it was stuck in park. dealership stated that transmission, had been replaced by this dealership a year earlier at 120,000 miles, had to be replaced again. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

Defective fuel rail leaked, causing a fuel leakage which may result in a fire. dealer replaced fuel rail under warranty. currently,there is another fuel leak due to fuel rail, and possibly "o" rings. will be taking to dealer. please provide further information.*ak

Automobile lock has a rocker switch, and door switch does not work from inside. in order get automobile unlocked from inside consumer must cut vehicle off, and hand key out of window for someone to unlock it. *ak

Sliding door would intermittently fly open when making a turn or coming to a stop. manufacturer notified and informed of no recall and vehicle out of its warranty. *ak door flew open on one occasion during an accident when impact was to the front of the vehicle, the door popped open. *slc

Engine consumes a lot of oil. dealer has inspected vehicle several times and could not correct problem.*ak the vehicle has transmission problem and the rpm malfunctions. *yh

Vehicle stalls at any speed intermittently. *ak the vehicle stalling was accompanied by loss of control. power steering and power brakes failed and the dealer is unable to diagnose or repair. *yh

While driving transmission will lose power and gears. this more likely will happen during cold weather. when vehicle warms up it will work better. but sometimes not even reverse gear will work. *ak

Vehicle experiencing a fuel rail failure, causing fuel leakages upon engine. vehicle taken to independent repair shop for repairs. manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *ak fuel rail was repaired and resealed all injectors. *jb

Transmission prematurely failed due to a design flaw. please provide further information. *ak

Consumer took vehicle to gunn dodge in san antonio texas 210-599-5800 for recall 99v216000 repairs. consumer noticed fuel was leaking after two of recalls were done. vehicle was taken back to dealer, where a technician said that it had happened before, and tank had to be replaced. *ak

Battery cables began to melt, and the wire harness caught fire, this caused the vehicle to run, no stop the vehicle could not be turned off. fire department came to put the fire out. dealer has not been contacted.*ak

Driver's door has a stress crack at the welds and hinges of the door which won't shut the door properly, won't shut to the 2nd latch. please provide further information. *ak

Front suspension springs are very weak. suspensions would bottom out like metal to metal when going over bumps or cracks. shocks were replaced due to the problem with suspension springs. *ak

Transmission is hesitating & won't catch in 2nd gear. dealer put vehicle on the diagnostic machine & found failure of 2nd gear. warranty had expired. *ak

All door hinges have either come loose or have rusted, causing the doors not to shut correctly. manufacturer will be notified about the problem. *ak *ml

Consumer had to replace old serpentine belt because it was cracked. new one keeps slipping off. consumer replaced belt pinchner just in case that was the problem. however, consumer ended up putting the old cracked belt back on & it stayed on without any problem. *ak

Set cruise control on 55mph and vehicle acclerated upt 80 mph. driver pressed the brakes and the vehicle slowed down. but then driver took foot off the brakes and vehicle continued to speed. driver had to pull over and turn off the vehicle. this occurrence happened once. cruise has worked ok since. *ak *ml

There was a loud noise coming from the motor due to the sway bar breaking in half. dealer has not seen vehicle. *ak

Sliding door fell off while opening. dealer notified, and repairs are being made at consumer's cost. *ak

Reporting a spontaneous leaking of fuel from plastic fuel tanks, and unable to relace/repair due to national back orders. dealer/manufacturer notified. *ak

When driving 20-30 mph and coming to a stop, transmission shifts into second gear, decreasing driver's speed. also, the vehicle pauses momentarily between shifts from reverse to drive before engaging, and it does not always shift into high gear when it should. *ak *ml

Computer failed possibly due to transmission failing which happened prior. also, sliding door latch is stuck , which will not allow door to open or close. cause is unknown. *ak

Driver started to smell gas while vehicle was in motion. driver noticed about a pint of gas was leaking on top of engine, resulting in a fire hazard. cause unknown. after the last time the incident occured, driver shut vehicle off, and when turned back on, everything was normal. problem has bot occurred since. *ak *ml

Driver's and passenger's door hinges broke, causing the doors to fall off which may result in injuries. *ak

Consumer cotnacted the dealer in reference to recall number 99v113000, dealer stated no parts were available. there was a nationwide back log. please provide any further details. *ak

The hydraulic liftgate support piston on the right side broke, causing the lifegate to fall down and shatter the window. the problem was reported to a dealership. the piston has been replaced at owner's expense . please provide any further information. *ak

Engine check light came on, and there was oil leaking from the hood. consumetook car to dealership. *ak

While driving transmission was jerking the vehicle between gear changes. vehicle is stuck in second gear.dodge was contacted.please provide any futher information. *ak

The rod that holds right front tire straight broke, causing a potential safety hazard. vehicle taken to dealer for repairs. *ak *ml

Recall related: consumer took vehicle to the dealership for repair of mfr recall 818. dealership repaired the airbags, however the parts for the windshield wiper were not available, vehicle not allowed to leave dealership until parts came--2 months later. *ak

When applying the brakes pedal became stiff and vehicle did not stop. also, the abs warning light came on. dealer had to clear all the codes out of the abs system. problem occurred again. *ak

The liftgate bolt broke in half which could have caused injuries. *ak

Belt tensioner: pulley sheared off while parking, causing engine failure and loss of power steering, etc. vehicle towed to dealer for repair. *ak

Transmission will not shift into drive, it sits still for a couple of minutes before taking off. it's also hard to shift gears. dealer has not seen vehicle. *ak

Frontal seatbelt will not retract back into position ,causing a loss of protection. *ak

Consumer's seatbelt broke. she notified the dealer. *ak

Automatic transmission malfunctions. there is no reverse and transmission slipping into gear. dealer needs to have a rebuilt transmission installed. please provide further information.*ak

Experiencing abs brake failure while going approximately 60 mph on highway on normal road conditions. problem occurred 30 minutes after going over an overpass. abs sensor light came on and stayed on. brake continually graded to nothing. vehicle was involed in an accident because of this failure. dealer notified. *ak

While driving at 20 mph heard explosion. looked in rearview mirrow and rear window had blown out into little pieces. dealer not aware of the problem. impact was from inside to outside. glass corp. states cause may have been defroster. *ak

After turning the defroster on the rear window shattered and blew out. dealer can't find the reason. *ak

Vehicle just cuts off intermittently, happens more often now. problem getting worse. speed is not a factor, problem occurs at any speed. dealer has not been contacted. *ak

The front coil springs are too weak for the vehicle. dealer and manufacturer were notified. *ak

After driving a long period of time at highway speed and pulling off to a rest area, and then taking off again the transmission seems like it's locked in 1st gear and the rpm is very high. the vehicle will not travel over 40mph when this problem occurs. *ak

When the door is locked with the automatic door lock , there is no way that one can exit the vehicle through the sliding door. the dealer has not been notified. *ak

While sitting in the vehicle the driver's side air bag deployed in consumer's face,causing the consumer to be treated by the doctor. the air bag light is still on, and the vehicle has to be put in the shop. *ak *et

The airbag light stayed on which states that airbags system is inoperative, and will not protect the occupant in an accident. no prior problem with airbag system. cause unknown. please provide details. *ak

Consumer not able to open the side sliding door from the inside. the dealer has been notified. *ak

Hatchback does not work properly. the bolts attached to liftgate bracket broke off. this caused hatchback to collapse & close. *ak

While driving vehicle about 40 mph stalled on the high way, leaving vehicle without electrical power. but all the lights on the dashboard were on. two dealers were contacted, and neither of the dealers found any problem. manufacturer not contacted. *ak

While turning key in igniton driver's side airbag deployed for no reason.cause has not been determined.vehicle is currently at dealer. *ak dealer stated the problem occurred due to a short in the air bag control module, one person was injured. *slc

Sliding door released from the tracks which was caused by broken bolt. please give any further detail. *ak

The defective sliding door fell completely off the hinges due to the design of the door, almost injuring the occupant. *ak

Abs problem; intermittently, without warning, at low speeds, on any road surface when applying the brakes, the pedal vibrates and goes somewhat to the floor. makes a very loud noise, and for a second or 2 the brakes do not work at all. dealer is not able to duplicate problem. *ak

The driver's side seat belt will not retract into the retractor mechanism when releasing belt from the buckle. *ak

Owner rearended in opposite lane and the air bag didn't deploy. *ak

There is an electrical short when exiting the vehicle. the doors will lock, not allowing occupant to exit out the vehicle. please provide further details. *ak

While driving brakes did not work, causing the consumer to drive off the road. airbags did not work either. the consumer took the car to get repaired four times. in all of these visits the dealership could not find anything wrong. *ak

While driving applied brakes, they started smoking & overheating. pulled vehicle to side of road to cool down. has been to mechanic 3 times & had pads & rotors replaced; dealer said no problems w/brakes; problem still exists. another dealer stated that brakes were out of adjustment. *ak

While driving, upon braking, exp abs brakes malfunctioned, pedal traveled too far down, almost to floor; also, experienced pedal pulsation as though anti-lock brake system kicking, brake action seems inadequate to stop, dlr can't correct. *ak

An electrical short, caused the vehicle to catch on fire in the engine while driving the vehicle. also, replaced transmission three times. *ak

When driving at low speed or coming to a stop the truck shut off and the transmission has worn out for the third time . *ak

Owner states that his transmission dies out while vehicle is being driven which could result in a crash, he also received a recall notice for the rear liftgate latch, dealer fixed it but problem still exists. *ak

When shutting the sliding door, door came off the track. *ak

Lower ball joint on passenger's side snapped off, causing tirel to separate from vehicle, resulting in loss of control. *ak

Consumer was driving and went to apply the brakes, there were no brakes, causing an accident, rearended the vehicle in front . have abs anti-lock brakes . please describe .*ak

Transmission failure.

Experiencing sliding door misalignment when door fails to line up right when closed and part detachment from door frame.**ak

While driving experiences front suspension malfunctioning when vehicle veers to right. *ak

While driving experienced abs failure, when upon applying brakes the pedal drops with no prior warning.*ak

When driving the vehicle stalls/hesitates/stumbles. *ak

Engine sporadically dies when slowing down for stop or turns. can't find a pattern - happens in all seasons, temperatures and road conditions.*ak

No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak

Transmission fails to downshift when stopping causing handling problems and component failure. this is the 2nd time for this type of failure which comes with no warning. the 1st time was dec. 1997 with only 35000 miles on the vehicle.*ak

I have had consistant problems with the 94 caravan. as soon as i get one problem fixed, another one pops up. i have been informed by the transmission shop that there is a high failure rate for dodge caravan transmissions. this has me highly concerned as i do not want to have to worry about another transmission failure. this is the 2nd time i am having the a/c system fixed. as for the door latch for the sliding door not working correctly, there is nothing i or my husband am aware of that would cause it to work and then not to work on and off. this is of great concern since this is the family car and i have no idea of when the latch may fail. so far this has not happened with my children in car, just myself . egr valve was affecting engine performance and milage.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

First failure happened on highway. dangerous getting off. second failure occurred on a winding hill going up. cars came up from behind and almost collided with rear of car. chrysler should not be allowed to get away with such transmission problems has it has had on these minivans.*ak

Every caravan owner i talk to tells me about their transmission failing. why hasn't nhtsa investigated this huge problem? my transmission failed while traveling 70 mph on the freeway. the shop told me the number one complaint has been the transmission on these vans. *ak

I really feel dodge/chrysler has a probelm with their automatic tranmissions in their mini-vans, everyone i know has had trouble and had to replace them. my turn came last week, reprtedly the new transmission that was installed is re-designed and has a longer warranty. there is something wrong here and it needs to be addressed.*ak

The tire did not "fail" because i noticed the separation of the tread before it had a chance to come off completely. this tire has approximately 30,000 miles on it. i would like to be compensated for the replacement of all 4 of my fr680 tires because i am no longer confident that my family is safe.*ak (dot number: w2m0f6l tiresize: p205/70r15)

Serpentine belt and tensioner was previously replace on 05/27/1999 (mileage:63959) by dealer at a cost of $163. the tensioner had broken and the vehcle had to be towed.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Had classic symptoms for over a year: stuck 2nd gear, acceleration shudder, delayed engagement, finally failed completely with no reverse gear. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

I will be contacting chrysler. refer to 97v201000 campaign report from nhtsa. *ak

While attemping to stop, the brake pedal goes to the floor without warning. grinding noises in the brakes and unable to stop before impact. report problem to dealership at least 4 times and they always say "no problems found".*ak

I read an article regarding school buses having problems with their brakes, the same is happening with my 94 dodge caravan le 3.3 when the vehicle is moving slowly usually less than 20mph and i go to brake , they temporarily lose their braking ability for a few seconds as if the abs kicks in for a few seconds on its own.

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Paint is peeling off the top of the van, as well as the hood and the tailgate. no safety defect mentioned. *ak

1. automatic transmissions locks up in second gear, rpm's will double, speed becomes limited. 2. window on rear hatch is oozing glue and the window is buckeling.

The rear door latch fails to operate correctly now. dealership service writer said it was due to the rear door latch being bent. we have not done anything that we know of that would have caused this to occur. suspect too weak a component being used in the manufacture of the vehicle. we have had other min-vans where the side door was used more freguently than on our current vehicle without any of the same problems ocurring. strongly feel that this is a manufacturing defect and we should not have to pay for any repairs.3 4rrone

The sliding door has been an issue since we first got our minivan. at first the dealer claimed that the hinge was bad - it was only a few months old. the next time that i took it in for this they said that we were experiencing normal wear and tear. i refused to pay stating that a new vehicle with less than 20,000 miles doors hindges and latches wearing out is not normal. the next time the door would not close it was the latch, the next time it was the upper hindge then the lower and back and forth. for over six years we have had latches and hindges replaced. half the time the door wont open, the other half it wont close. oh, then theres those times the door just flys open as we accelarate or turn a corner. the dealer has stated that we need to buy a new door and then have the frame rebent. as i have spoke with other owners of this same make and model minivan they have had the same type of problems. or the door has just fallen off. in addition to this all of our paint is peeling off. we had intended to keep this through till the year 2004. however i am becoming increasingly concered since our daughter almost fell out as we turned a corner and the sliding door flew open then as she is fastened in leaned as the door slammed closed. thank you in advance for your carefull and full investigation into this matter. given that this is only six years old i feel that the manufature should not claim that this is normal wear and tear.

The air conditioning system is a real problem. i have had seven failures. one of the compressor failures resulted in a the compressor locking up and making the car inoperable in traffic and heated to the point of burning internal parts. this car is made to carry children and has no adequate ventilation since rear windows only crack open. when air conditioning fails in this type of vehicle, it presents a real problem with small children riding in high heat as we had to when traveling in summer. this is more than a driver comfort- expensive repetative repair issue. *ak

I believe that this van was a "lemon" from the start. it was purchased with 60,000 miles on it less than 2 years ago. the dealership, "aurora chrysler-plymouth" did what they called a safety check on it. somehow they failed to find that both tie rod ends needed replaced. that was within 1 month of purchase. we took it to a more local dealer for the service. then before we had 84,000 miles on it, the transmission had to be completely rebuilt. now the engine has failed e-check with major problems. after reading all the consumer complaints on failed transmissions, i am very surprised that there has never been a "forced" recall on these. i also wonder how many other engine failures are out there, not being reported.

The internet is chock full of consumers reporting problems with chrysler corporations automatic transmissions. why is it taking you so long to do something about this? *ak

The sliding side door exterior support track in the body panel is worn out. this causes mis-alignment of door latch and stationary latch pin while closing the door. the latch jams on the head of the latch pin. door appears to be closed but is not secure and comes open while driving.

Evaporator broke twice: at 37k and 62k miles. both times this resulted in all freon being released into cabin. dealer and chrysler refused to pay for both failures. *ak

Transmission started acting-up approx. ten months ago. vehicle developed a shudder around 40 mph when transmission was shifting from drive into over-drive. recently, when cold, the vehicle would not move when put into reverse. upon contacting a recommended transmission repair shop, i was told that these were common problems with chrysler produced mini vans. they explained to me that the shudder was most likely caused by a broken snap-ring that the manufacturer made too thin and the reason the vehicle would not move when put into reverse was that the internal seals were failing because the manufacturer made them out of the wrong material. i understand that chrysler has repair kits to take care of these defects. my question is: if this is such a common problem, why hasn't there been a recall? we are facing a repair bill of well over $1000 because of the amount of labor involved to correct problem. is chrysler doing anything for customers regarding this situation? *ak

Wife was going to her second job on grant ave this morning at 8:30am,very sunny with sun glare,black ice on road,wife hit the car in front of her,that hit someone else.my wae wearing her seat belt at that time of the accident.sir the driver-side air bag in steering wheel did not open,nor did the passener - side open either thie the 3rd time this as happen. even after the recall the problem was still there and we did not know it. what it going to take the death of my wife to get to the bottom of this on going problem with her mimi-van sir. we need help, since chrysler can fix this problem. it is not fair to let this stone be over looked.please help us.my wife did get hurt in this accident today thank you very much the cason family. *ak

Evaporator core and associated parts were replaced. *ak

Transmission failure in my minivan at 38,000 miles. transmission has been replaced, since problem at a cost of $1461.50. i feel that a major component as a transmission should not fail at 38,000 miles. the transmission fluid was changed on 04/01/1999, at 35,262 miles. it wasn't because of the fluid.

An article released by the associated press on 12/31/98 indicated that chrysler was aware of a problem with the o-rings installed on the fuel injectors of the v-6 (3.3l) engines manufactured in 1993. they indicated that there have been some occurrances of fire due to fuel leaks caused by this hardened o-ring. my vehicle is having this same problem. fuel is leaking from around the base of the fuel injector causing fuel to pool up on top of the engine which is a definite fire hazard and also a health hazard caused by the amount of fumes. i would like this researched to see if the recall should have been extended to include 1994 3.3l v-6 engines as well. this is the second occurrence of this problem in the last two months. it has been fortunate that no fire resulted from this failure. please advise me if there is more information i can supply in reference to this request. *ak

On 12/23/98 i took my van to service dept.@ kamaaina motors after my airbag lite stayed on. also my rear windshield wiper was not working.on 5 jan. 99 they fixed the fuse and i was told the car was fine.on 16 aug. 99 i received a recall from manufacturer .they then installed a patch(mastic) my mileage at this time was 64940.on dec.20 99 my air bag stayed on again and shorted my rear windshield wiper motor. this is the 3rd time iam having this fixed please help me because im worried that it happen again.thw2my mil

In jan 1998, i noticed surface damage that looked like spots. over the months after repeated washes and waxes, the spots grew in size. the spots started etching below the top surface. a couple of months afterward i started to see a gray surfaces appear where the spots were. during a service visit in mid 1998 to my local chrysler/dodge dealer in fort collins, co., i then asked them what causes this and whether touchup paint would work to fix the surface. they said the cause was enivormental effects on paint. i took their word on it and purchased the touchup paint. since that time, the paint on the top roof is coming off in large flakes. a gray surface now comprises about 15% of the total area. at the present rate of flaking, the entire top will be bare within two months. estimates for sanding and repainting the top with be $1500.00 and chrysler will participate $220.91 towards repainting the roof as a goodwill gesture. this is not enough compensation. i fear that other areas on my vehicle will soon start to show the same problem. many other family, friends and owners nationwide are reporting similiar problems. information that i obtained through sources indicates that chrysler is aware of the incompatability of the water based clear coat and the dry based primer and how the sun caused the primer to oxidize and caused the paint not to adhere. information has been provided by a chrysler employee on the internet on paints used by chrysler and some of the related problems. the problem seems to stem from chrysler not acknowledging a peeling problem related to the elimination of spray primer on their assembly lines. they are presently being sued in several states over this problem, but the lawsuits are not specific about the affected models or years. there have also been numerous complaints about cars and trucks manufactured with spray primer, as well as vehicles newer than model year 1993. i would be willing to send photo's to backup my complaint. *ak

Transmission failed in middle of busy intersection

No summary

Premature transmission failure seems problematic; needs nhtsa investigation & recall. hatch latch failed after recalled part repaired. *ak

While braking, the instant the brake pedal is depressed the antilock brake light comes on- at the same time it feels like the front brakes release, the pedal feels hard, amount of braking force is greatly reduced resulting in near accident due to increase in stopping distance. estimated occurrence is four times over a few weeks. occurs without warning. otherwise braking is normal. local dealer advised no recall for this year model but there is a recall on prior year models with same problem. thanks

Bushings on sliding door failed and door fell off when opened. dealer claimed normal wear and tear.

No summary.

Second transmission to go bad. first transmission went bad at 85k. this latest around 50k.

The brake pedal goes to the floor without warning. grinding noises in the brakes. the dealership (service department) has inspected the brakes 3-4 times. they have told me that they can do nothing until the brakes fail. i intend to contact chrysler corporation asap, but cannot get through on their 800#.

I bought my grand caravan in april 94.may 96 replaced rear evaporator line gasket leak. cost to me $ 141 ( not under warranty). july 1996 still had problem replaced evaporator cost $ 508 ( warranty)june 1997 no ac: compressor seized, belt started to burn,replaced compressor , gaskets. cost $538.(warranty)may 98: replaced condenser $486 (warranty)august 99:no ac

While driving we experenced a loud explosive sound which was the failure of the bolt holding the right gate lift strut on the gate and blowing the strut off. the gate was closed but had it been open it would have caused injury to the person under it.

Transmission failed in may 1998. transmission was repaired once and then returned 2 weeks later for further repairs for same problem. transmission operated well until july 1999 when it failed while driving which resulted in towing of vehicle. we returned the vehicle to the same transmission repair service. he didn't understand what went wrong with the transmission. he agreed to repair the transmission once again, charging us over $800 (but no labor charge). he further stated that there would be no warranty on this work. what is wrong with the transmissions in these vehicles???? we previously owned a 1988 dodge grand caravan which also had transmission problems.... causing us to replace it. so many people are having transmission problems.... but the dodge dealer keeps telling us there is no recall... only lots of complaints.

Problem with car shaking (swaying, wobble) left and right at 40 mph. have changed front struts, rear shocks, rack and pinion, lug nuts, and had two mechanics try to find problem to no avail. if there is any information as to a problem with these vehicles i would aprreciate knowing about it and what the cure is. thank you ja cullen

Failure of bolt attaching the right liftgate strut rod to vehicle. the bolt broke off when lifting the liftgate. this caused the lift rod (hydraulically pressurized) to extend, punching a hole in the headliner of the minivan. there is no secondary 'catcher' mechanism to restrain the strut rod if this bolt breaks. also, the liftgate is too heavy for the other liftgate to support it alone, or to slowly let the liftgate down. therefore, if the bolt failure had occured when the liftgate was raised up, the liftgate would have slammed down uncontrollably. had i been under the liftgate, i could have been seriously injured. had my toddler been there, he could have been fatally injured. it is amazing to me that this design is allowed since one failure of one bolt could cause serious or fatal injuries.

My wife was closing the rear door when the anchor bolt holding the lift cylinder broke off, causing the door to fall. *ak

The van, without warning, lost power and eventually stopped on the interstate 75. after letting the van sit for 15-20 minutes we were able to start the van again and have driven it since that time without a reoccurence of that problem. we have explained the incident to our local dodge dealer and have had the van checked out. they didn't find any problem. this is the third time that this has happened. the incidents have been a couple of years apart but two of them have occurred while driving at high speeds on the interstate and we have had bearly enough power to make it to the side of the road. other than these three incidents the van has performed well. i had not filed a report before now because i didn't know about this web site and only found it through consumer reports web site while looking for a new van. *ak

While passing another vehicle the transmission slipped out of gear then immediately shifted into 2nd gear causing rapid deceleration, almost throwing vehicle out of control. after shutting the engine off the transmission reset itself, but continued going into 2nd gear several times until we could get to a dealer. repair order states transmission overhaul, replace front pump and torque converter. after doing research on the internet, the transmission appears to be a major problem for dodge minivans. if the road would have been wet or snow covered, this problem could have caused a major accident.

The problem with the transmission was in the "snap rings". our mechanic said he sees this quite frequently. in looking at all the complaints on the internet, i'd say this is an understatement. people who have had problems with transmissions going out should be compensated for their repairs. this does not only seem to be a problem with the originial transmissions,but also with the ones that are being sold as replacements. it is really amazing that with all the complaints that have been posted on the internet that there hasn't been any information in the news about this. i intend to get every penny back from chrysler,and would greatly appreciate it if you could give me some advice as to how i can. i also believe you should issue some statement about this to the news. people deserve to know about this. *ak

The evaporater core went up. according to 2 different mechancis at two seperate places said they have been replacing this part. they said they thought there was a recall but chrysler denied it. there is know way this piece of equipment should be going up this soon

Air bag connection became loose causing air bag light to go off and on intermittently. nlm

Air bag connection loose causing the air bag warning light to come on. nlm

Wheel sensor for abs system failed 5 times.

Power window motor failed.

On several occasions latch on the rear door hatch failed. *tt

Consumer had to stop the vehicle suddenly to avoid an accident. consumers wife who was seated in the front passenger seat felt a very large jolt to the vehicle. thinking they had been hit from behind, the wife turns to check on their 2 year old son who was seated in back of the passenger seat. the safety belt belonging to the vehicle had come unbuckled and the son had been thrown into the back of the seat head first. someone from the carseat safety coalition came to consumers home to inspect the seats. they were installed correctly. crysler claims it is impossible for a sfety belt to become unbuckled by itself. *jg

Consumer states the right front window is at times inoperative, the dealer replaced the power window switch and later replaced a bad connector at the window switch. *slc

The vehicle stalled.the dealer serviced the throttle body, replaced the check valve, serviced the transmission, replaced the oxygen sensor, replaced the idle speed motor, but the problem continued. *slc the power window switch was replaced. ph *jb *cb

The vehicle stalls suddenly while driving, the dealer could not determine the cause. *yh

Engine cuts out periodically, consumer was advised by mechanic transmission needed to be replaced, vehicle only has 12,000 on an already previously rebuilt transmission and was advised, that transmission would out last the vehicle. *jb

Vehicle would periodically vibrate at certain speeds 35-80 mph was adv by mechanic could find nothing wrong, except for the front struts and wheel alignment and that would solve problem. *jb

The rear hinge which supports the sliding passenger side door failed and came out of it's track, consumer was unable to keep the side door closed. nlm

While driving on snow covered or slushy roads, the antilock brakes caused the vehicle to skid when braking, this has almost resulted in a couple different accidents. *slc

Rear heater lines ruptured causing vehicle to over heat. yh

The hydraulic lift arm on passenger side of the vehicle p0pped out due to the lift support arm failure. yh

The vehicle's gear malfunctioned due to electronic transaxle computer device failure. yh

Transmission failed. yh

Passenger side sliding door goes off track and is hard to open. yh

The failure of transmission twice indicates inherent factory defect not normal wear and tear.

Rear windshield wiper recall not able to be performed due to lack of parts. mjs

Air conditioner in for repairs on four occasions, unable to be rectified. mjs

Transmission in for repair on two occasions. mjs

Tensioner in for repair on two occasions. mjs

Window on the right side does not work. mjs

Air bag light problems. mjs

Fuel gauge failed. mjs

Bolt broken on one of the gas filled pistons that hold the rear liftgate open causing the liftgate support to fall down between the liftgate and the bumper and the glass to shatter.

Rear door hydraulic system failure. owner's 1992 grand caravan was recalled for same problem.

Air bag warning light intermittently comes on, especially in wet conditions or around sharp turns. (qcaw)

The air conditioner evaporator failed.

Vehicle has had numerous problems with transmission. failure included, while at low speed and in drive, vehicle would not go forward. vehicle had to be restarted before proceeding. appears not to shift into second. while increasing spead, engine revs as car slows down then lurches forward.

Transmission failed twice due to planetary gear failure, car locked and skidded to a stop.

Driver noticed smoke in vehicle after turning rear window wiper on. later found that smoke was coming from rear door. when opened, it was very and the plastic was beginning to melt. driver opened interior panel and found the insulation and wiring on fire. months later the wiper stopped working and the air bag caution light came on simultaneously - fuse had burned out.

Automatic transmission failed.

The jack locator pins are not accessible when tire is flat, due to design flaw.

Transmission sticks after vehicle warms up

Transmission failed

Metal bracket that holds the driver's seat broke, causing the seat to tilt back severely.

Driver's seat belt failed.

Jack locator pins are not accessible when tire is flat, due to design.

Rear view mirror in the interior fell off.

Transmission failed.

While driving vehicle stalls, causing loss of control due to brakes and steering failure.

The head rest for the integrated child safety seat will not lock in upright position. manufacturer claims it is not a safety problem. *ak

The rack and pinion steering failed, causing complete loss of steering.

Brakes failed, causing burning odor when braking.

Driver's window did not roll up.

Horn inoperative.

Antilock brake warning light illuminated.

Brake noise, followed by brakes fading.

Due to bad rear defroster rear window on tailgate exploded with a loud bang and glas flew every where even up front by the driver(me) i had kids in the car was a lucky thing that no one was hurt. *ak

There is no summary currently available

Liftgate latches in the subject vehicles have failed in low and moderate speed impacts resulting in occupant ejections, injuries, and fatalities.there are two failure modes associated with latch failure: fork bolt-detent lever bypass, and inertial unlatching.nhtsa analyses of chrysler and peer minivans took the form of static and dynamic crash testing, engineering evaluations, complaint and field analyses, and real world data analyses.a technical report discussing these analyses can be found in the engineering analysis technical report in the public viewing file.chrysler has advised nhtsa that it will conduct a campaign to replace the latches on all the subject vehicles.the chrysler campaign will consist of notification letters to all owners; free replacement of all latches with stronger, safer latches regardless of the age of the minivans; national advertising to promote customer awareness of the campaign; quarterly reports regarding campaign completion rates; as well as additional measures to ensure a high completion rate, above and beyond the actions that normally would be taken in a formal safety recall.these include follow up written and telephonic notifications to owners who do not bring their vehicles in for corrective action.nhtsa firmly believes that the crash performance of the latches on these minivans raises serious safety concerns, and that the campaign addresses these concerns.the chrysler corrective action will increase the strength of the liftgate latches and decrease the potential for inertial unlatching, thereby reducing the risk of crash-related openings of the liftgate and possible occupant ejection through the liftgate opening.owners of chrysler minivans will get a stronger, safer latch free of charge at the earliest possible time, without the need for further technical investigation and complex and time-consuming litigation with an uncertain outcome.based on the above, odi is closing this investigation.

Mr. larry a. sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) by letter dated april 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the "defective collapsible steering shaft system" on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr § 30120(g), nhtsa has decided to limit the scope of the petition vehicles to 1993-1995 models, excluding the 1993 jeep grand cherokee and 1994-1995 dodge ram series trucks that were recalled (93v210 & 96v230) for steering column failure.if the analysis of these vehicles had identified a potential problem, the scope could have been expanded in an investigation.a review of odi's data base shows no recent complaints and a lack of a complaint trend concerning the subject issue on the subject vehicles as a whole or by individual models.therefore, the petition is denied.for details, see federal register notice volume 68, no. 130, july 8, 2003.

There is no summary currently available

There is no summary currently available