2000 Dodge Caravan

DT: CALLER HAD TO HAVE THE MAIN BELT ON THE ENGINE FIXED 6 TIMES. WHEN THE BELT CAME OFF SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING, AND THE ENGINE BECAME RED HOT. CALLER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE BELT CAME OFF THE STEERING AND FROZE. THE CONSUMER COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL. DEALER SAID EVERY TIME CALLER BROUGHT IN THE VAN, THE BELT WAS REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER DID NOT KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING SO MANY TIMES. MANUFACTURER SAID DEALER WAS DOING ALL THEY COULD, AND THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THE MANUFACTURER COULD DO. CALLER HAD IT TOWED 5 TIMES. A FEW TIMES THE BELT WAS JUST SLIPPED BACK ON UNTIL THEY GOT TO DEALER. DATES OF TOWING ERE: 11-19-02, 2-19-03, 4-15-04, 6-19-04, AND 6-30-05. DEALER SAID THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY VAN THEY SAW WITH THIS PROBLEM. CALLER STATED THE SPEED VARIED WHEN THE BELT CAME OFF.*AK

PURCHASED A DODGE CARAVAN NEW, DELIVERED 03/19/00. 12/21/00 LEAKING TRANS SOLENOID PACK (NOT SURE IF THAT WAS RELATED TO CONSEQUENT FAILURES OF THE SERPENTINE BELT). THE SERPENTINE BELT, WHICH, ACCORDING TO DODGE MECHANICS SHOULD LAST 70,000 MILES, HAS FAILED FOUR TIMES ALREADY; MILEAGE AT LAST FAILURE: 68,145 MILES. THE BELT BREAKS WITH VERY LITTLE WARNING AT ALL, AND ALL POWER IS LOST, BRAKES, STEERING - WHICH COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, CAUSING MY DEATH OR THE DEATH OF OTHERS. FORTUNATELY, AFTER THE FIRST TIME, I RECOGNIZE THE SOUNDS - LIKE A TWIG BEING CAUGHT IN THE ENGINE - AS THE BELT SUDDENLY FRAYS, AND PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY.THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS FAULT. DATES AND MILEAGE OF FAILURES: 04/19/01 18,456 - I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP REPAIRING THE VEHICLE THAT I "HAD A BETTER CHANCE OF WINING THE LOTTERY THAN THIS HAPPENING AGAIN!" 05/18/02 32,229 MILES 02/17/03 40,349 A SHIELD, WHICH HAD NOT BEEN PUT ON THIS YEAR'S MODEL, WAS PUT ON BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE SHIELD WAS ON MODEL YEARS BEFORE AND AFTER 2000, BUT WAS OMITTED FROM THE 2000 LINE. THE SHIELD STOPPED RAIN AND SNOW FROM GOING INTO THE ENGINE, FREEZING THE BLOCK, AND/OR MIXING WITH THE OIL WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE BELT TO SLIDE ON THE PULLEYS AND THE BELT TO BRAKE. IF THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THIS FAULT, SURELY THE MANUFACTURER IS. WHILE THERE IS A LONGER TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THE BELT BRAKING AFTER THE SHIELD WAS PUT ON, IT STILL BROKE AGAIN IN UNDER 20,000 MILES. 05/21/05 68,149 INTERNET SEARCHES HAVE REVEALED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON ALL 1997-2000 CARAVANS/GRAND CARAVANS FOR ALL AC COMPRESSOR REPAIRS, PUT OUT BY CHRYLSER IN OCTOBER OF 2003. (HTTP://ALLPAR.COM/DEALERS/WARRANTY.HTML) CAN THIS CAR BE DECLARED DANGEROUS AND A LEMON?

WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS A LOT OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RUN. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY THE MECHANIC NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, BECAUSE ALL THE FLUIDS HAD LEAKED OUT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB THE TRANSMISSION FAILED IN THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE. FLUID LEAKED OUT A HOLE BLOWN IN THE CASING BUT THE CONSUMER WAS STILL ABLE TO DRIVE SERVERAL MILES. *TC

THE BOLT THAT HOLDS THE IDLE PULLEY TO THE ENGINE SHEARED OFF THE ENGINE IN MY 2000 3.3 LITER GRAND CARAVAN SPORT. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 48000 MILES ON IT AND LEFT ME WITH NO POWER STEERING. IF MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THERE WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY BEEN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY SHE COULD HAVE STEERED THE VAN DUE TO THE TOTAL LACK OF ANY POWER STEERING. EVEN MORE FRIGHTENING IS THAT WE JUST CAME BACK FROM A TRIP TO FLORIDA,IF THAT HAPPENED ON I-95 TRAVELING AT 70 MPH THE CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC IT HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AT ONLY 7 MPH. *JB