2000 Dodge Caravan

WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING THE ENTIRE PULLEY THAT SUPPORTS THE SERPENTINE BELT SEPARATED FROM THE MOTOR AND FELL OUT FROM UNDER THE CAR WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD RENDERING THE CAR UNDRIVABLE. LUCKILY I WAS NOT TRAVELING FAST AND WAS ABLE COAST INTO MY DRIVEWAY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I FOUND THE PULLEY WHICH SHOWS WHERE THE ATTACHMENT BOLT SNAPPED IN HALF. IT CERTAINLY LOOKED LIKE A DEFECTIVE PART AND I WOULD HAVE LIKELY SUED IF AN INJURY HAD OCCURRED. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOTHING IN THE FORM OF ANY FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FOR WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE A DEFECTIVE PART OR POORLY DESIGNED SYSTEM. THERE ARE OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OUT THERE BUT NO RECALL. MY VAN HAD 56,242 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME.*AK

SERPENTINE BELT SHREDS AND COMES APART. WHILE DRIVING SUDDENLY THERE'S A NOISE LIKE THE BELT IS SLAPPING AROUND UNDER THE HOOD. SERPENTINE BELT WAS REPLACED 3 TIMES .THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURRED DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE PULLEY TENSIONER SPRING BROKE AND THE PULLEY LOCKED TO THE SIDE, WHICH ALLOWED THE BELT TO RIDE OFF THE SIDE. THE SECOND TIME THIS OCCURRED DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE PULLEY LOCKED UP AND BROKE, ALLOWING THE BELT TO SLIP OFF. THE THIRD TIME IT OCCURRED NO CAUSE WAS GIVEN. CURRENTLY VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERSHIP HAVING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST PERFORMED BECAUSE THE FAILURE RECURRED. *AK

ON FEB. 8, 2004, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW (ALSO AN OWNER OF THE CAR) EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM STARTING THE CAR. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES, THE CAR STARTED RUNNING BUT VERY ROUGHLY. IT WAS DECIDED TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME WHICH WAS ABOUT TWO MILES AWAY. ABOUT HALFWAY THERE, GOING UP A SLIGHT INCLINE, SMOKE CAME FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW PULLED THE CAR OFF THE ROAD AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD. A FIRE ERUPTED AS SOON AS THE HOOD WAS OPENED. A MINUTE OR SO LATER, ANOTHER FIRE EXPLOSION OCCURRED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE ARRIVED AND THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AWAY. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS SEVERLY DAMAGED, THE DASHBOARD WAS BADLY BURNED AND THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HAD A BIG HOLE IN IT. BOTH THE FIREMAN AND THE POLICEMAN COMMENTED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THE BATTERY MIGHT BE INVOLVED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY MEANT BY THAT AND I AM STILL WAITING FOR A COPY OF THE FIRE REPORT. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DODGE DEALER HERE IN HAWAII AND HE MADE THE SAME REMARK ABOUT THE BATTERY. THE DODGE DEALER SAID THE JOB WAS TOO BIG FOR THEM TO HANDLE AND THEY WERE GOING TO CALL ANOTHER JOBBER TO LOOK AT IT. I NEED SOME ADVICE ABOUT WHAT I SHOULD DO NEXT. THIS VAN WAS CONVERTED FOR HANDICAP USE WITH A HYDRAULIC RAMP INSTALLED AT THE FACTORY AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. THE VAN IS USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY SISTER WHO IS TOTALLY WHEELCHAIR AND BED BOUND, HAVING SUFFERED FOUR STROKES ON BOTH SIDES OF HER BODY ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. FORTUNATELY, SHE WAS NOT IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE. PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE ON WHAT I SHOULD DO TO DETERMINE HOW THE FIRE STARTED AND WHETHER OR NOT THE MANUFACTURER IS AT FAULT FOR THE DAMAGE TO THE VAN. WHO CAN CONDUCT A THOROUGH AND VALID INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT? THERE WAS NO PRIOR INDICATION OF ANY IMPENDING FAILURES. IN THIS DAY AND AGE, HOW CAN A CAR CATCH ON FIRE WITHOUT WARNING? THE CAR MAY BE A TOTAL WRECK.