2000 Dodge Grand Caravan

IN JANUARY 2003 I EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM GETTING MY VAN TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE AFTER I HAD BACKED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. ON FEBRUARY 17, 2003 MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VAN AND EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS GETTING IT TO SHIFT GEARS WHILE HE WAS DRIVING IT. HE ADDED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND LATER THAT EVENING I DROVE THE VAN TO A STORE TWO MILES FROM OUR HOUSE AND AT 35 MPH THE RPMS WOULD NOT GO BELOW 3 AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FIRST THING TUESDAY MORNING AND TOOK IT THE SHOP ON THURSDAY. THEY REPAIRED A LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION (WHICH WE HAD HAD REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY) AND REPLACED THE WATER PUMP. TWO DAYS LATER WHILE OUT RUNNING ERRANDS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I HAD TO EXIT THE FREEWAY BECAUSE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS AGAIN AND AT 50 MPH (IN A 60 MPH ZONE) THE ENGINE WAS AT 4 RPMS. BEFORE I COULD GET HOME THE ENGINE QUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY INTERSECTION WITH TRAFFIC COMING AT ME FROM BEHIND AT 55 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED BUT IT LURCHED FOR ABOUT A QUARTER MILE OR SO AND I JUST DROVE NO MORE THAN 30 MPH FOR THE NEXT 5 MILES TO MY HOME. MY HUSBAND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SOLENOID (SORRY IF I MISSPELLED IT) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE VAN HOME AND THEY WOULD CALL WHEN THE PART CAME IN. ON MONDAY, MARCH 3, HE CALLED AND SPOKE WITH THE PARTS DEPARTMENT AND THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THERE ARE 24,000 OF THIS PART ON BACKORDER NATIONWIDE. *NLM

MY CAR JUST DIED IN THE MIDDLE NOWHERE ON ROUTE 42 ON THE WAY TO WORK. ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CARAVAN I OWN HAS ONLY 42,000 MILES ON IT. I DO NOT EVEN OWN IT FOR 2 YEARS. IT WAS A BUY BACK FROM THE DEALER. THE WARRANTY WAS ONLY FOR 3 YEARS OF 36,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC FROM THE DEALER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM THAT THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. NOW I AM FORCED TO PAY OVER $1100 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAVE AGREED TO SPLIT THE BILL OF APPROXIMATELY $2200. I FEEL I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING AS THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED AND IS A DEFECT FROM THE CHRYSLER MANUFACTURER. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE COMPLAINING. THERE IS A WHOLE WEB SITE DEDICATED TO COMPLAINTS BY CONSUMERS WHICH I HAVE DOWN LOADED AND IS OVER 11 PAGES LONG. *JB

TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKS. FIRST IT APPEARED THAT IT WAS LEAKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION OIL PAN, 3 WEEKS LATER THE TRANSMISSION HOSES AND CLAMPS, TWO WEEKS LATER, ITS LEAKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION COOLANT PACKS. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY TWO AND A HALF YRS OLD, THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. BETWEEN EACH VISIT IT STOPPED LEAKING FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

@37,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH BOARD AND THE TRANSMISSION WENT INTO SAFETY MODE KEEPING IT FROM SHIFTING OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE MODULE AND THE VEHICLE WORKED OK FOR ANOTHER 2000 MILES BEFORE IT DID THE SAME THING. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED IT WAS A DIFFERENT MODULE HOWEVER (THEREFORE IT WOULDN'T BE COVERED UNDER THEIR REPAIR WARRANTY) THE FIRST REPAIR COST $160.00 AND THE SECOND ONE WAS ANOTHER $130.00. THE DEALERSHIP WAS VENICE DODGE IN VENICE, FLORIDA