1997 Dodge Grand Caravan

I PURCHASED THE 1997 GRAND CARAVAN IN JANUARY 1998 AT THE MARLOW HEIGHTS DEALERSHIP IN MARLOW HEIGHTS, MARYLAND. THE FIRST TIME I STARTED EXPERIENCING ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE WAS 5/1999 AT 24,006 MILES VEHICLE HAD LITTLE POWER WHEN ACCELERATING, TRANSMISSION NOT ENGAGING, TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE RECONDITIONED. IN 12/1999, THERE WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CAUSING A VERY STRONG NASTY ODOR. CARPET HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS CAUSED A HAZARDOUS CONDITION TO MY FAMILY ESPECIALLY MY KIDS HAVING TO BREATH IN THIS FLUID. 3 /2000 SAME FLUID LEAKED AGAIN IN AUTO BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE HEATING COIL. THEN AGAIN IN 8/2001 THE LEAK HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I CONTACTED DAIMLER CHRYSLER IN NORTH CAROLINA AND COMPLAINED DAIMLER CHRYSLER AGREED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WHAT THEY CALLED ONE CONSUMER REPAIR PER CUSTOMER PER VEHICLE. IN 11/2001, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 3 TIMES. AT THIS POINT, THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO DUE FOR EMISSIONS TESTING AND DID NOT PASS THE TEST BECAUSE OF A CYLINDER MISFIRE CODE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN THE FUNDS FOR REPAIR, IN 5/2004 @ 118,668 MILES, I DECIDED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE REPAIRS. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE SPARK PLUGS REPLACED AND THAT WOULD SOLVE THE ISSUE. SO I PAID $114.24 TO REPLACE THE 6 .SPARK PLUGS, PROBLEM NOT SOLVED I ENDED UP PAYING $3,758.82 IN 7/2005 TO REPLACE CYLINDER HEADS, TIMING BELT, AND WATER PUMP . THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME I HAD THE TIMING BELT REPLACED. RECENTLY, IN 3/2006, OIL LIGHT CAME ON. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH VC GASKETS, CAM PLUGS, BOTH FT CAM SEALS AND REAR CAM SEALS AND TIMING BELT ONCE AGAIN FOR THIRD TIME. THIS COST TO ME WAS $2,677.50. NOW THE OIL LIGHT IS BACK ON AGAIN. *NM

TERRIBLE SQUEALING NOISE IN BELT AREA. DEALER CHARGED ~$250 FOR BELT AND TENSIONER REPLACEMENT AND NOISE WAS GREATLY REDUCED. SEVERAL YEARS LATER THE NOISE RETURNED AND GREW EVEN WORSE. REPLACED THE WORN BELT AND NOISE WAS GREATLY REDUCED FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. AFTER THE NOISE RETURNED, REMOVED THE BELT AND CHECKED ALL PULLEYS - FOUND NO PROBLEMS. REPLACED TENSIONER AND IDLER PULLEYS ANYWAY (~$20 EACH FROM DEALER) AND REINSTALLED BELT. NOISE WAS REDUCED FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS. TOOK VAN TO DEALER WHO SAID THAT IT WAS THE TENSIONER AND WERE SURPISED THAT IT HAD LASTED AS LONG AS IT DID. I PURCHASED AND INSTALLED A NEW ALTERNATOR, POWER STEERING PUMP AND TENSIONER. THE NOISE WAS GREATLY REDUCED, BUT RETURNED FULL FORCE WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS. IN DESPERATION I TURNED TO BELT DRESSING AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION SINCE I HAD CLEANED ALL OF THE PULLEYS PRIOR TO BELT REINSTALLATION. WHEN THE BELT DRESSING WAS SPRAYED ON THE TENSIONER PULLEY THE SOUND DISAPPEARED FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN RETURNED. BELT DRESSING HAD SMALL OR NO EFFECT WHEN SPRAYED AT OTHER LOCATIONS ALONG THE SERPENTINE BELT.

I OWN 8 MX4 MICHELIN TIRES I ROTATE AND USE 4 IN THE WINTER AND FOUR IN THE SUMMER. WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH I EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC BLOW-OUT ON MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE IM A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER AND HAVE LOGGED OVER 1.5 MILLION MILES IN COMMERCIAL AND PERSONAL VEHICLES AND I UTILIZE THE SMITH SYSTEM .THE ROAD WAS CLEAR WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC AND NO ROAD HAZARDS PRESENT. TWO WEEKS LATER ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH. ANOTHER MASSIVE BLOW-OUT LEFT REAR BOTH TIMES LARGE HOLES IN THE SIDEWALLS ONE TIER MANUFACTURED IN 2000 THE OTHER IN 1999 MILES ON BOTH TIRES 17K TIERS INSPECTED AND CONFIRMED BLOWOUT ORIGINATED FROM THE INSIDE .SIMILAR OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. MY REMAINING SIX TIRES HAVE BEEN INSPECTED FOR SIDE WALL DAMAGE OR UNUSUAL WEAR AND NONE FOUND VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED AND NO DEFECTS FOUND.*AK

I HAVE HAD THE BELT TENSIONER REPLACED 3 TIMES SINCE I OWEND THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF WARPPING.THE THIRD TIME I WROTE TO CUSTOMER SERVICE THAY TOLD US THAT THE PART HAS MEET DODGES WARRENTY REQUIREMENTS.THAY WAS SORRY BUT NOTHING THAY COULD DO.I THANK THE IS A SERIOUS SAFTEY PROBLEM BECAUSE WHEN THE BELT COMES OFF YOU LOSE YOUR POWER STEERING.WHICH COULD CAUSE A ACCIDENT. PLUS THE WIPPERS COME ON BY THEM SELF OR WHEN YOU PUT ON THE TURNLIGHT ON.THIS HAS BE GOING ON SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN NEW.

STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT LOCK WHEN MOTOR IS SHUT OFF AND IN PARK. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHEN TRYING TO START THE ENGINE, I TURN THE KEY AND NOTHING HAPPENS. THE LIGHTS AND RADIO DO NOT WORK. EVENTUALLY, IT WILL START AND THE CLOCK HAS RESET TO 12:00 AND RADIO POWER IS OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON AT LEAST 10 OCCASIONS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED MORE DETAILS. THANK YOU! *AK

TRANSMISSION IS LOCKED UP. VEHICLE WOULD NOT EVEN ROLL WHEN PLACED INTO NEUTRAL. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED THE TRANSMISSION DIFFERENTIAL CAME APART CAUSING THE TRANY TO BECOME LOCKED UP. TRANSMISSION WOULDN'T MOVE IN ANY GEAR AND IT WOULD MAKE A GRINDING NOISE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED UP AN PUT INTO A GEAR. REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AND FLUSHED THE COOLER. SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED WITH A 3 SPEED TRANSMISSION THERE IS NO TRANSMISSION COMPUTER TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON IT - THIS WAS A MECHANICAL FAILURE. COST TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION WITH A FACTORY REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION $1600.54. AIR CONDITIONING UNIT FAILED. SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED THE EVAPORATOR HAD CORRODED AND COST TO REPLACE APPROX. $740.00. HAVE NOT REPLACED THE EVAPORATOR YET (GOING INTO COOLER WEATHER).

OEM PART WORN WHILE IN CONTACT WITH COMPRESSOR; CREATING LEAK OF REFRIGERANT. COST OF PART 75$ PLUS NEW REFRIGERANT AND LABOR (ROUGHLY 300$). REPLACEMENT PART FROM OEM MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO PREVENT RUBBING AGAINST COMPRESSOR. DODGE (DAIMLER-CHRYSLER) HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM (AS EVIDENCED BY THE REDESIGNED PART), BUT HAS NOT PUBLISHED ANY TECHNICAL BULLETINS OR GENERAL RECALLS FOR THIS PART. THE FAILURE OF THIS PART IS A GUARANTEED LOSS OF AIR CONDITIONING REFRIGERANT (R-134 ON NEWER MODELS, R-12 ON THE OLDER MODELS). THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR MOST DRIVERS, AND IS EASILY RECTIFIED WITH THE REDESIGNED PART, WITHOUT LOSS OF ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING REFRIGERANTS. OBVIOUSLY, I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR COST OF THE REPAIRS I PAID OUT OF POCKET, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE IF THIS WAS ADDRESSED FOR MILLIONS OF CHRYSLER/DODGE/PLYMOUTH MINI-VAN OWNERS. SINCERELY, MICHAEL M. MILLAR