2000 Dodge Caravan

I AM HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH MY VEHICLE BEING ON A RECALL LIST. CAN A CAR DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO FIX A PART ON A NATIONWIDE RECALL LIST? I HAVE A 2000 DODGE CARAVAN. FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE HORN, TURN SIGNALS, DASH LIGHTS WOULD BECOME INOP BUT THE CAR WOULD START UP. USUALLY I WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE ENGINE COMPLETELY OFF AND JOLT THE TILT WHEEL UP AND DOWN FOR IT TO OVERCOME THIS DEFECT. IT DOES THIS INTERMITTENTLY - WOULD BE FINE FOR WEEKS AND THEN ACT UP. NOW, A NEW PROBLEM IS OCCURRING - TURNING THE IGNITION KEY IS NOT STARTING THE VAN. AGAIN, IF I PLAY WITH THE TILT WHEEL AND KEEP ON TURNING THE KEY, IT WILL THEN START. I TOOK IT TO A AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR PLACE AND THEY TOLD ME ITS THE 'CLOCKSPRING'. THEY TOLD ME IT IS ON A NATIONWIDE RECALL SINCE 2004. I NEVER GOT A NOTICE ABOUT THIS RECALL. I'VE OWNED THE CAR SINCE 2002. SO, I TOOK IT TO JEFF WYLER'S CAR DEALERSHIP (SPRINGIFIELD, OHIO) AND THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING. "THE DEFECT IS INTERMITTENT AND THIS RECALL MUST BE FOR THE COMPONENT TO BE A TOTAL FAILURE BEFORE REPLACING", ACCORDING TO THEM. I AM NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR THE CAR'S CLOCKSPRING TO FAIL AND ALSO, THEY CAN'T FIND OUT WHY IT IS NOT TURNING ON - BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM IS NOT RELATED TO THE CLOCKSPRING. ARE THEY PERMITTED TO REFUSE TO REPLACE A RECALL PART? I THINK THE TWO PROBLEMS ARE RELATED. I DO NOT WANT THE CLOCKSPRING PROBLEM TO BE PUT OH HOLD UNTIL THERE IS A 'TOTAL FAILURE." MY WIFE IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER. *TR

MY 2000 DODGE CARAVAN SE INSTRUMENT GAUGES/INSTRUMENT DISPLAY SOMETIMES GO DEAD AND THEN OPERATING AGAIN, EVERYTHING FROM THE GAUGES TO THE ELECTRONICS DISPLAY JUST STOP OPERATING BUT THE VEHICLE STILL DRIVES NORMAL. ON VERY HOT DAYS THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE OFTEN THAN USUAL, COULD IT BE A GROUND WIRE PERHAPS OR SOMETHING,THERE ARE NO FUSES BLOWN......PLEASE ADVISE. THANKS MUCH. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 DODGE CARAVAN. SHE TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP LAST WEEK FOR MAINTENANCE. HER HUSBAND JUST PUT NEW BRAKES ON THE VEHICLE AND THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THEM AND EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. SHE LEFT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND NOW THE MASTER CYLINDER MALFUNCTIONED. THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT SUGGEST HER TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, BUT SHE HAD TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN ON HER VEHICLE FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF IT HAS BEEN COMING ON RANDOMLY. DEALERSHIP SAID THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE THE LIGHT WOULD NOT COME ON WHILE THEY WERE TEST DRIVING IT AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE. THE BRAKE FAILURE HAPPENED THE DAY AFTER SHE PICKED THE VEHICLE UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP WHICH WAS JULY 8 AND THAT THE SOONEST THEY COULD GET HER VEHICLE IN WAS JULY 15, 2005. SHE HAD A RECALL ON ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , AND THEY WOULD NEVER CHECK THIS. BUT SHE WAS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE INSIDE LIGHT, STEREO, WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO UP OR DOWN, AND HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT RECALLED. WHEN SHE WENT BACK ON JULY 15TH THEY DID NOT EVEN TEST DRIVE VEHICLE BECAUSE MILEAGE WAS THE SAME WHEN SHE LEFT AS IT WAS WHEN SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP.*AK

SEPT. 7, 2001, THE BATTERY IN MY ONE YEAR OLD DODGE CARAVAN DIED. I ASKED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE BE INVESTIGATED. I WAS BLOWN OFF. APRIL 29, 2003, THE SECOND BATTERY DIED. I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AT THIS TIME AND AGAIN I ASKED THAT THIS ISSUE BE INVESTIGATED. NOTHING WAS DONE. EACH TIME BEFORE THE BATTERY DIED, THE ALARM SYSTEM ON MY CAR WOULD ACT FLAKEY. WHEN THIS STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN, I ASKED LANDERS CHRYSLER TO LOOK AT IT. THEY FOUND NOTHING. A FEW WEEKS LATER, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HILL WITH A CURVE WHEN THE ENGINE DIED WITHOUT WARNING. I LOST MY POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND NEARLY HIT A MAIL BOX. I WAS ABLE TO START MY CAR AND CONTINUED BUT NEARLY HIT A CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN BECAUSE I WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN SHARP ENOUGH. I WAS LUCKY IN BOTH CASES THAT I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING OR ANY ONE. LANDERS EVENTUALLY LOCATED THE PROBLEM, A FAULTY EVS MODULE. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO REPAIR THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT BECAUSE I NOW HAVE 63,800 MILES ON MY CAR EVEN THOUGH EVIDENCE INDICATES THE PROBLEM EXISTED WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. LANDERS TOLD ME I COULD DISABLE THE DEVICE BY PUSHING A BUTTON ON THE DASH THAT DEACTIVATES THE ANTI-THEFT DEVICE. I WAS LUCKY THAT I DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT, CERTAINLY THE POTENTIAL WAS THERE. I DID A SEARCH ON SOME AUTO FORUMS AND FOUND SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO DESCRIBE VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS TO MINE AND OTHERS WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT SUDDENLY STALLING. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WIDESPREAD THIS PROBLEM IS. I DO KNOW THAT IT TOOK SOME TIME TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. I THINK THIS MATTER SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BECAUSE ANYTIME A DRIVER LOSES CONTROL BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT STEER OR STOP, OTHER DRIVERS, PROPERTY AND PEDESTRIANS ARE IN DAMAGES. *NM

WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. *AK WHILE DRIVING A RED LIGHT AND THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER. THE CONSUMER ADDED COOLANT THINKING THE VEHICLE MAY HAVE BEEN OVERHEATING. WHILE THE HOOD WAS OPEN THE CONSUMER SAW SMOKE THE HEARD TWO EXPLOSIONS PRIOR TO SEEING THE FIRE. AN INSPECTOR WAS HIRED BY DAIMLER CHRYSLER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE INSPECTOR DETERMINED THAT THE FIRST EXPLOSION WAS CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE SECOND EXPLOSION WAS THE GAS OR FUEL LINE. NTHE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *NM *SC