1996 Dodge Grand Caravan

THERE ARE TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH MY 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. FIRST THERE IS A SERIOUS VIBRATION IN THE FRONT WHEEL/TIRES. I HAVE REPLACED 8 TIRES (IN 30000 MILES!), BOTH FRONT AXLES, ALL THREE MOTOR MOUNTS, AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION OVERHAULED, AS WELL AS HAVING THREE ALIGNMENT CHECKS. THE VIBRATION IS STILL THERE. THE SECOND PROBLEM INVOLVES THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE FRONT WIPERS WERE, FOR A TIME, COMING ON ANY TIME THEY FELT LIKE IT; THIS WAS REMEDIED BY REPLACING THE MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH ON 09/21/01. SINCE THEN, THE REAR WIPER WILL OCCASIONALLY COME ON FOR ONE SWIPE WHEN I FIRST START THE VEHICLE - ANNOYING, BUT NOT AN IMMEDIATE HAZARD. BUT TODAY, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING AT ALL. THEY WILL ONLY WORK IF I PUT THE WIPERS ON INTERVAL - IN WHICH CASE THEY DO NOTHING FOR A TIME, THEN MAKE TWO TO FOUR SWIPES, THEN WAIT A WHILE, MAKE ONE OR TWO SWIPES, WAIT A WHILE, ETC. THEY WILL MAKE ONE HIGH SPEED SWIPE ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD IF I PRESS THE WASHER BUTTON IN. I SPENT $80 TODAY SO THE DODGE DEALER COULD TELL ME THIS WAS CAUSED BY A BODY CONTROL MODULE FAILURE. THIS REPAIR COSTS OVER $400...AND RESEARCHING A USED PART ONLINE, I LEARNED THAT BOTH THE WHEEL SHIMMY PROBLEM AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER PROBLEMS ARE NOT UNIQUE TO MY CAR BUT ARE VERY COMMON ISSUES WITH THE DODGE CARAVAN/CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY/PLYMOUTH VOYAGER FAMILY. LOSING YOUR WIPERS, HAVING THEM COME ON AT RANDOM WHEN THEY TAKE A NOTION TO, AND A NON-STOP SHIMMY IN THE FRONT ARE EACH, BY THEMSELVES, SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES WARRANTING A RECALL. COLLECTIVELY, THEY SPELL OUT A LACK OF CONCERN THAT DAIMLER CHRYSLER HAS FOR THE SAFETY OF THOSE WHO DRIVE THEIR PRODUCTS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM MY ONLINE RESEARCH THAT CHRYSLER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS LONG AGO AS 1998 BUT DELIBERATELY IGNORED ITS OWN INFORMATION. IT IS APPARENT THAT THE ONLY WAY THESE SAFETY ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE ADDRESSED IS IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKES THEM TO TASK.*AK

SERPENTINE BELT OR TENSIONER CLIP HAS HAD TO BE REPAIRED 4 TIMES (TOWED EVERY TIME) ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SINCE THE BEGINNING; TURN THE KEY AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS START GOING, TURN THE KEY OFF AND THE WIPERS "KEEP" GOING, TAKE THE KEY TOTALLY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND THE WIPERS GO AND THE "DINGING" ALARM THAT TELLS YOU THE LIGHTS ARE ON OR THE KEY IS IN, STARTS.(I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THE CAR WAS POSSESSED) OR TURN THE KEY AND "NOTHING" COMES ON EXCEPT THE ENGINE. I'VE REPLACED THE BATTERY 5 TIMES AT LEAST - IT'S USUALLY BETTER W/ A NEW BATTERY FOR A LITTLE WHILE. HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE WINDOW MOTOR AND ASSEMBLY REPLACED ON DRIVERS SIDE TWICE AND 5 TIMES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. MOST RECENT WAS 4/04, WHICH WAS REPLACED 7/04 AGAIN. THE SIDE SLIDING DOORS ON BOTH SIDE DO NOT LOCK, IF YOU PUSH THE BUTTON DOWN, YOU CAN'T GET IT BACK UP. THE REAR HATCH IS DAMAGED FROM CLOSING THE DOOR, LOOKS LIKE I WAS HIT IN THE REAR, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON FOR MONTHS IN FALL '03, NO MECHANIC COULD SAY WHY. WANTED TO GET THE A/C CHARGED BUT IT WOULDN'T HOLD A CHARGE. DEALER COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO SAID THE A/C UNIT WAS TOTALLY MELTED. HAD IT REPLACED AND THEN THE COMPUTER RESET. REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AT 100000, THE "PLANTATARY GEARS" WERE CRACKED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AGAIN IN 7/04, FAILED EMISIONS, REPLACED O2 SENSOR, LIGHT STILL ON, TACK STICKS AND CAR WON'T ACCELERATE AT TIMES - I CAN PUSH IT TO THE FLOOR AND IT WON'T GO?? FEELS LIKE IT'S CHOKING, NO POWER. HAVE A 3.8L, SHOULD HAVE POWER. THERE IS NO PANEL/DOOR FOR PASS. AIRBAG TO COME OUT. IF I EVER GOT IN AN ACCIDENT, WHAT WOULD IT DO...JUST BUST THROUGH MY DASH? OVER TIME, THE DASH ON THAT SIDE HAS GOTTEN SOFT AND MUSHY, WHAT'S THAT ABOUT? MY DAD BOUGHT THE SAME YEAR CARAVAN I DID, BUT HE DOESN'T HAVE THE GRAND CARAVAN LE AND HE DOESN'T HAVE THE 3.8L AND HE HASN'T HAD A SINGLE PROBLEM...I GUESS I GOT ALL OF THEM.*AK

I OWN A 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WITH THE MILEAGE AROUND 128,000 MILES. STARTING IN APRIL , WE SMELLED AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD . WE TOOK IT TO AAMCO AND THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AT THAT TIME USING THE DIAGNOSTICS. A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON STEADILY AND THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VAN AT THAT TIME EITHER . THE *CODE* THEY FOUND SAID *OXYGEN SENSOR* BUT THEY RESET IT . FOUR DAYS LATER, WE WERE HEADING BACK TO CHARLESTON (100 MILES) AND HAD MADE IT AROUND 40 MILES ON INTERSTATE GOING AROUND 65-70 MILES AN HOUR WHEN, WITHOUT NOTICE, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER . WE HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE EMERGENCY LANE AND WAIT UNTIL A TOW TRUCK COULD TOW US BACK TO LEXINGTON ... THE VAN WAS TAKEN AGAIN TO NASCO WHERE THEY THOUGHT THE PROBLEM COULD BE THE SPARK PLUGS AND WIRING SO THEY CHANGED ALL THAT OUT TO THE TUNE OF $400.00 PLUS THE $80.00 FOR TOWING... THEN....TWO DAYS LATER THE VAN WAS DRIVING AGAIN TO CHARLESTON ON INTERSTATE AND AT ALMOST THE EXACT SAME SPOT --IT CUT OFF AGAIN !! THE VAN HAD TO GET TOWED YET AGAIN TO ORANGEBURG ( CLOSER TO WHERE IT CUT OFF ) AND THE MECHANICS THERE COULD FIND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VAN !!! IN TOWN, THE VAN DOES FINE ...BUT WHEN YOU ARE ON INTERSTATE AND GOING A HIGH RATE OF SPEED FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME ...AND IT CUTS OFF ---SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY WRONG WITH THE VAN !! IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVING AT SUCH A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND THEN LOSING POWER ..AND MUST BE ADDRESSED BEFORE A DEATH OCCURS !! LAST WEEKEND , MY HUSBAND TOOK THE VAN ON THE INTERSTATE AGAIN TO TRY IT OUT AND SURE ENOUGH AROUND 50 MILES OUT IT CUT OFF YET AGAIN WITH THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON .I NOTICE THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING TO THE GRAND CARAVANS AND THINK IT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL ISSUED. *JB

FOR 3 SUMMERS IN A ROW, WE HAVE HAD TO RECHARGE THE AIR CONDITION SYSTEM FOR IT TO ONLY WORK 3-4 WEEKS AT A TIME. OUR MECHANIC SAYS THAT IT ISN'T THAT THE AIR CONDITING UNIT HAS FAILED IT SEEMS TO BE LOOSING THE FREON SOME WHERE.THE LOCKS ON THE VAN TO THE TAIL GATE DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK CORRECTLY, 90% OF THE TIME YOU HAVE TO BEAT ON THE LOCK FROM THE OUT SIDE FOR IT TO UNLOCK. WE HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKE PAD APPROX 3 TIMES AND THEY STILL SQUEAK AND SEEM TO GRAB AT TIMES.