1999 Dodge Grand Caravan

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE SERPENTINE BELT DETACHES. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE BELT EIGHT TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON JANUARY 25, 2008. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE DEALER SHOULD PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC. THE DEALER REPLACED THE PULLEY BRACKET, THE BOLTS, AND THE SERPENTINE BELT ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON JANUARY 27, 2008. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 160,669 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 605. UPDATED 02/14/08. *LJ UPDATED

THE SERPENTINE BELT ON OUR 1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN HAS SLIPPED OFF SEVERAL TIMES. VISIT CARSURVEY.ORG AND YOU'LL SEE THAT MANY OTHER DODGE OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM REGULARLY. SOME ARE GETTING STUCK IN THE FREEZING SNOW AS A RESULT. WE'VE HAD OTHER PROBLEMS, SUCH AS A BURNED OUT COMPUTER BOARD OWED TO A SHORT IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT. AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER WINDOW WILL NOT FUNCTION. WE WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER CHRYSLER VEHICLE. FURTHERMORE, AS A JOURNALIST, IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT DODGE HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THE GLITCHES IN THE CARAVAN AND ISSUED ADDITIONAL RECALLS. I'D HAVE MUCH MORE RESPECT FOR THE COMPANY IF THEY DID. WE'VE ONLY HAD ONE RECALL, AND THAT WAS FOR A CLOCK SPRING IN THE STEERING WHEEL. *TR

IN FEB 2007, A NEW MOPAR SERPENTINE BELT WAS INSTALLED ON MY 1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN (89,000 MILES) BY A LOCAL DODGE DEALER. AFTER ONE WEEK BELT STARTED A LOUD SQUEAL. AT THE SUGGESTION OF MECHANICS I TRIED BELT DRESSINGS, SPRAYS AND WIRE BRUSH, ALL WITH NO HELP TO THE PROBLEM. ONE MECHANIC SUGGESTED I REPLACE THE PLASTIC PULLEY ON MY PROPERLY WORKING TENSIONER WITH A METAL PULLEY. THIS I DID WITH NO HELP. ALL PULLEYS WERE CHECKED AND FOUND O.K. DEALER INSTALLED ANOTHER BELT IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR. SAME PROBLEM AFTER ONE WEEK. ENDED UP GOING TO LOCAL INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP (NOT DEALER) AND THEY INSTALLED "KIT", WHICH CORRECTED PROBLEM. "KIT' CONSISTED OF BELT WITH GROOVES ON BOTH SIDES AND IDLER PULLEY AND TENSIONER PULLEY WITH GROOVES. PROBLEM SOLVED. THE DODGE DEALER NEVER HEARD OF THIS "KIT"....COME ON DODGE BOYS, GET WITH IT!!!! *JB

CONTINUAL SERPENTINE BELT ISSUES WITH DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW IN 1999, IT HAS LESS THAN 100,000 MILES AND HAS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE SERPENTINE BELT AT LEAST 4 TIMES. ADDITIONALLY, THE BELT HAS COME OFF ON 2 OCCASIONS WHEN VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN THROUGH A PUDDLE. THIS SEEMS EXTREMELY EXCESSIVE. *TR

1999 GRAND CARAVAN - SERPENTINE BELT COMES OFF WHEN IT RAINS OR VEHICLE IS DRIVEN THROUGH WATER, EVEN MINOR AMOUNTS. CAUSES SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING ABILITY, ESPECIALLY IF IT OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING DURING A TURN. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 6 YEARS AND 125,000+ MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT. DURING THE LAST 25,000 MILES BELT HAS COME OFF UNPREDICTABLY 6-8 TIMES IN WET WEATHER. OCCURRENCES STARTED FOLLOWING REPLACEMENT OF FRONT TIRES AND A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. DEALERS AND SERVICE STATIONS HAVE BLAMED THE TENSIONEER, A PULLEY, THE BELT ITSELF, AND WATER. REPLACEMENT OF THESE PARTS DOES NOTHING TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM WHICH OCCURS AGAIN WITH THE NEXT RAIN STORM. SOMETHING CHANGED AT 125,000 MILES THAT CAUSES THE BELT TO DISENGAGE THE PULLEYS AND /OR TENSIONER WHEN WATER IS SPRAYED UP BY THE TIRES IN WET WEATHER. I CHANGED TIRES TO A DIFFERENT TREAD DESIGN AND THIS HELPED FOR A TIME, BUT WITH WEAR THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *JB

THE SERPENTINE BELT ON MY 1999 DODGE CARAVAN KEEPS COMING OFF. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT RAINS. THE BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. THE IDLER PULLEY HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE BELT TENSIONER HAS BEEN REPLACED. AN ENGINE BRACKET FOR THE IDLER PULLEY HAS BEEN REPLACED. WHEN THE BELT COMES OFF , POWER STEERING IS LOST WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO CONTROL THE VAN. IF I WAS NOT A FAIRLY STRONG PERSON I WOULD HAVE HIT A SEMI-TRUCK AT THE LAST INCIDENT. MY WIFE COULD NOT HAVE CONTROLLED IT. THERE IS AN AFTER MARKET FIX FOR THE PROBLEM THROUGH GOODYEAR OR GATES. CHRYSLER DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR IT. BELOW IS THE LATEST INCIDENT. IT HAS HAPPENED FIVE TIMES IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. *NM

1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN,3.3 LITER ENGINE, STARTED OUT ABOUT ONCE A YEAR THE SERPENTINE BELT WOULD SLIP OFF AND HAVE TO BE REINSTALLED. THEN STARTED EVERY 6 MONTHS, USUALLY DURING WET WEATHER, CAME OFF WITH MY WIFE, SHE WOULD LOSE STEERING ALMOST CAUSING A WRECK. I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE WORK AND GO WHERE EVER SHE WAS AND PUT BELT BACK ON. FINALLY NOTICED THE TENSIONER PULLEY LEANING TO THE LEFT ALLOWING BELT TO SLIP OFF. REPLACED PULLEY THINKING PROBLEM SOLVED, BUT ONCE AGAIN BELT WOULD SLIP OFF DURING A RAIN AND WIPERS ON. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MY WIFE AGAIN, NO STEERING. TRIED A BETTER QUALITY BELT, SAME THING, BELT WOULD SLIP OFF DURING RAIN. 2 WEEKS AGO IT SLIPPED OFF WITH MY WIFE ON MAJOR FREEWAY IN BIRMINGHAM, AL , I HAD TO GO ABOUT 50 MILES AND PUT BELT BACK ON WITH TRAFFIC SPEEDING BY AND ALL DURING A RAIN STORM OF COURSE. YESTERDAY I DROVE THE VAN TO MY JOB AND ON THE WAY HOME RAN INTO A RAIN STORM AND GUESS WHAT, IT CAME OFF AGAIN, LUCKILY ON THE STREET I LIVE ON. I'VE READ ABOUT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF VAN. I'VE OWNED THE VAN SINCE THE BEGINNING, LOVED IT EXCEPT FOR THIS PROBLEM, EVEN BOUGHT A NEW 05 GRAND CARAVAN BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD VANS. I JUST WISH DODGE WOULD ADMIT THE 99 AND SIMILAR YEARS HAD A RECALL ISSUE ON THIS SERPENTINE BELT. OR WHY CAN'T THEY TELL US, THE OWNERS HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM? *JB

DESPITE REGULAR (3,000-MILE OR LESS) OIL CHANGES AT DEALER OR CERTIFIED INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, 1999 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WITH 3.3 LITER ENGINE DEVELOPED SEVERE OIL SLUDGE PROBLEMS. FIRST INDICATION OF PROBLEM WAS A SOFT CLICKING ENGINE NOISE. CERTIFIED INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS OIL SLUDGE, SHOWED US CAKED ENGINE COMPONENTS. REPLACED ROCKERS ARMS AND SOME VALVES AND BEARINGS AND FLUSHED ENGINE. REPAIRS NOT SUCCESSFUL, NOISE CONTINUED. RETURNED TO MECHANIC WHO KEPT THE VAN FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND DID SEVERAL MORE ENGINE FLUSHES AND OIL CHANGES. THIS DID NOT SOLVE PROBLEM AND MECHANIC WARNED ME THAT DRIVING WOULD SOON LEAD TO MASSIVE ENGINE FAILURE. THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS AN EXPENSIVE OVERHAUL ($7,000-$8,000) OR A NEW/REBUILT ENGINE ($5,000-$6,000) THAT MIGHT STILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. AFTER INTERNET RESEARCH, I REALIZED THIS WAS CHRYSLER PROBLEM WITH ENGINE. NOW MY VAN IS AN EXPENSIVE YARD ORNAMENT--AT LEAST UNTIL I DRIVE IT ONE LAST TIME TO TRADE IT IN. I DO NOT CONSIDER IT SAFE TO DRIVE AS MASSIVE FAILURE COULD LEAD TO FIRE OR ACCIDENT. *JB