1997 Dodge Grand Caravan

THE POWER STEERING/POWER BRAKES HAVE BEEN LOCKING/FAILING INTERMITTENTLY FOR THE PAST YEAR. TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP IN JULY OF 2001 AND WAS TOLD THE STEERING WHEEL PROBLEM WAS DUE TO HUMIDITY AND LOOSE BELTS AND THE WEATHER WOULD IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE. NOTICED THAT WHEN THE STEERING LOCKED, I WAS DRIVING THE CAR BETWEEN 5 AND 10 MILES PER HOUR. ALSO, WHEN STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, POWER BRAKES WOULD FAIL. HAD TO LITERALLY STAND ON BRAKE PEDAL OR TURN OFF CAR IGNITION TO STOP CAR. THREW CAR IN PARK AND TURNED THE IGNITION IMMEDIATELY TO REGAIN STEERING AND BRAKES. HAD NO STEERING CAPABILITY AT ALL. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED ABOUT ONCE EVERY 2 MONTHS BUT SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE FREQUENT WITH 3 FAILURES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. TOOK CAR INTO DEALER ON 6/24/02 AND THEY WORKED ON IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE DECIDING THE PROBLEM WAS SOME PART OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THEY COULD REPLICATE THE PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING BUT NOT WITH THE BRAKES. THEY REPLACED SOME COMPONENT OF THE POWER STEERING AND RELEASED THE CAR 6/26/02. PICKED UP THE CAR ON 6/27/02. THE NEXT DAY, 6/28/02, BOTH STEERING LOCKED AND BRAKES FAILED. WILL HAVE CAR TOWED TO SHOP TODAY. BOTH SON AND HUSBAND HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING. SON NEARLY HIT A TREE WHEN STEERING LOCKED. SAID "CHECK OIL LIGHT " CAME ON DASH. SAID THE ONLY WAY HE COULD STOP THE CAR WAS THE TURN THE IGNITION OFF WHILE IN DRIVE. WE HAD NOTICED THE PROBLEM MORE WHEN MAKING A TURN. HUSBAND SAID THE PROBLEM HAPPENED TO HIM THIS PAST FRIDAY (6/28/02) AND HE WASN'T TURNING AT ALL. WE DO NOT SEE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT FLASHING ON WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS. WE ARE ALL SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID IT WILL STALL OR THE STEERING WHEEL AND POWER BRAKES WILL FAIL TO WORK AT HIGH SPEED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY HEARD A WHIRING NOISE. THEN, POWER STEERING WENT OUT, CONSUMER COULD NOT TURN WHEEL WITH OUT EXCESSIVE FORCE. *AK CONSUMER STATES NO PRIOR INDICATION OF A PROBLEM, NO LEAKS OF FLUID, WHICH IS CHECKED EVERY 3000 MILES, MECHANIC ADVISED CONSUMER THAT CABLES OR LINES WERE RUSTED AND ONE WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN. *JB

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

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP AND NOT MORE THAN TEN SECONDS LATER I LOST ALL POWER STEERING. I BARELY MANAGED TO STEER MY VAN INTO A PARKING LOT ON MY RIGHT. OURISMAN DODGE DEALERSHIP IN VIRGINIA STATES THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT TENSIONER WAS BROKEN AND SERPENTINE BELT BORKEN. ALSO FOUND POWER STEERING PUMP PULLY BROKEN. THEY REMOVED POWER STEERING PUMP AND REPLACED THE PULLY. INSTALLED NEW SERPENTINE BELT AND TENSIONER. THANK YOU.

PART 4612894AC TENSIONER CAUSED THE FAILURE OF PART 4861322 BELT-DRV WITH A/C. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE, 10/98, RESULTED IN THE CAR COMING TO A DEAD HALT. HAD THIS OCCURRED A FEW MINUTES EARLIER, WHILE ON THE TOLLWAY, I WOULD NOT BE HERE TO WRITE ABOUT THIS. SINCE THEN, THE BATTERY FAILED 1/10/2000 (POSSIBLY RELATED) AND THE TENSIONER/BELT FAILED SOON AFTER, RESULTING IN WATER PUMP FAILURE. THE TENSIONER, BELT AND PUMP WERE REPLACED. A COWORKER ADVISED ME THAT HIS TENSIONER HAS FAILED 4 TIMES - APPROX. EVERY 15,000 MILES. MY OCCURENCES HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN SIMILAR TIMESPANS. I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE, AS I DREAD THE FAILURE OF THE TENSIONER WHILE ON MY DAILY COMMUTE TO WORK AT EXPRESSWAY SPEEDS. A SUDDEN STOP WITH THE FAILURE OF THE BELT IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS.