2001 Dodge Grand Caravan

WE WERE ON OUR WAY FROM FLORIDA TO PENNSYLVANIA WHEN WE WERE TOLD THAT ONE OF OUR HEADLIGHTS WERE OUT. WE PURCHASED NEW BULBS AND REPLACED THEM, THEN AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION REALIZED THAT WHEN THE DAYLIGHTS WERE ON, ONE LIGHT WAS ON AND ONE OFF, WHEN WE TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS THE OPPOSITE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ONE THAT WAS ON FOR DAYLIGHTS WENT OUT, THEN WHEN THE HIGH BEAMS WERE TURNED ON THE LIGHT THAT WORKED SWITCHED SIDES AGAIN. THE NEW BULBS DID NOT FIX IT, SO WE HAD TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE HOME WITH ONE LIGHT, ONCE IN AWHILE BOTH LIGHTS WOULD COME ON FOR A FEW MINUTES. WHEN WE ARRIVED HOME WE TOOK IT TO THE DODGE DEALER AND FOUND OUT THAT THE CONTROL MODULE NEEDED REPLACED. THE WORST PART WAS THAT THE CONTROL MODULE HAD BEEN REPLACED 14 MONTHS PRIOR BECAUSE OF A SIMILAR PROBLEM (WORSE, THE WHOLE DASHBOARD WENT OUT AND THE WIPERS DIDN'T WORK ALONG WITH THE HEADLIGHTS!)! THEY COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE TO WHY THE CONTROL MODULE WENT AGAIN. I'M HOPING IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN IN ANOTHER 14 MONTHS (THERE IS ONLY A 12 MONTH WARRANTY ON THE PART)! *JB

MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. BOTH POWER WINDOWS HAVE STUCK DOWN OVER THE PAST 2 1/2 YEARS. DEALERSHIP LOOKED AT WINDOWS SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE DRIVERS SIDE AND REPLACED THE REGULATOR IN THE PASSENGER WINDOW BUT IT DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME STILL AND THEY CHARGED ME OVER $500 TO FIX. SLIDING DOORS SEALS HAVE BUCKLED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE AIR CONDITIONER HAS HAD 2 FAILURES AND A FUSE REPLACEMENT. *JB

ON APRIL 22, 2006, MY 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WAS EN ROUTE FROM WILMINGTON, NC TO WARREN, MI. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING OPERATED WITH THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS AND ALSO THE FOG LAMPS BOTH IN OPERATION. WITHOUT WARNING OR ANY OPERATOR ERROR, ALL FRONTAL LIGHTING WAS TURNED OFF. BOTH THE LOW BEAMS AND FOG LAMPS FAILED TO OPERATE. NORMALLY, THIS WOULD NOT BE SO MUCH OF A CONCERN, BUT I HAPPENED TO BE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH ON A VERY DARK LOCATION OF THE INTERSTATE. I QUICKLY (WITHIN 2 SECONDS) CYCLED THE HEADLAMP SWITCH FROM THE FULL ON POSITION TO THE FULL OFF POSITION AND BACK AGAIN TO THE FULL ON POSITION. THE LOW BEAM AND FOG LAMP FAILURE REMAINED. DURING THE CYCLING OF THE SWITCH, I NOTICED THERE WAS A FLASH OF LIGHT IN THE SECONDARY POSITION (PARKING LAMP ONLY POSITION). I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE SWITCH TO THIS SECONDARY POSITION AND PULLED OUT THE SWITCH TO ENABLE THE FOG LAMPS (THE FOG LAMPS ARE OPERATED BY EXTENDING THE SWITCH TOWARDS THE DRIVER AND ARE RESET TO THE OFF POSITION WHEN THE SWITCH IS ROTATED TO THE OFF POSITION). THE PARKING AND FOG LAMPS DID OPERATE CORRECTLY IN THIS POSITION. I THEN NAVIGATED THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO A LOWER SPEED AND OUT OF THE WAY OF ANY OTHER SURROUNDING VEHICLES. IN THE RIGHT LANE AT A SLOWER SPEED, I ONCE AGAIN TRIED TO TOGGLE THE SWITCH TO THE LOW BEAM POSITION. AGAIN, ALL LIGHTING FAILED TO OPERATE IN THE FULL ON POSITION. I THEN SWITCHED BACK TO THE PARKING (AND FOG) POSITION. I TESTED THE HI-LO BEAM SWITCH. THE FLASH TO PASS FEATURE WORKED AND THE HIGH-BEAM LIGHTS WERE BRIEFLY TURNED ON WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER WAS PULLED BACK. ONCE AGAIN I TOGGLED THE LIGHT SWITCH TO SEE IF THE LOW OR HIGH BEAMS WOULD WORK IN THE FULL ON POSITION. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE HEADLAMPS, BUT THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER DID CAUSE THE HIGH BEAM LAMPS TO FLASH ON WHEN IT WAS HELD BACK. THE HEADLAMPS RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. *JB

THIS COMPLAINT IS IN REGARDS TO THE POWER WINDOWS ON MY 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SPORT. IN EARLY 2005, MY POWER WINDOW ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WOULD PERIODICALLY GO DOWN AND NOT GO BACK UP UNTIL YOU WAITED FOR 5-10 MINUTES. AFTER TIME WENT BY WITH THIS CONTINUING TO DO THIS, I TOOK IT TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP ON WILLIAM FLYNN HIGHWAY IN GIBSONIA, PA. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER AND THERE WAS NO DOCUMENTED CASES IN THE CHIP THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING AND SINCE IT WAS WORKING, I WOULD BASICALLY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL IT TOTALLY DID NOT WORK UNTIL I COULD GET IT FIXED. THEY CHARGED ME A $35 +TAX DIAGNOSTIC FEE AND NOTHING WAS DON. NOW, ON 3/1/06, IT IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY, BUT IT IS NOT STAYING DOWN COMPLETELY. SINCE THEY BLEW ME OFF THE 1ST TIME AND THIS IS THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALER TO MY WORK, I AM AFRAID THEY WILL DO THE SAME AND CHARGE ME TO DO NOTHING. I FEEL THAT THIS DEALERSHIP DISCRIMINATED AGAINST ME BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN AND "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT". PLEASE RESPOND TO ME IF THERE HAS BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS DEALERSHIP. I HAD ANOTHER EXPERIENCE REGARDING A ROUGH "GRINDING" SOUND WHEN MY VEHICLE STARTED. I TOOK IT UP AND ASKED THEM TO LISTEN TO IT. THEY SAID, "OH, THAT ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN IT IS COLD OUT." I WAS NOT CHARGED A FEE, BUT THE SOUND IS STILL HAPPENING AND 2 EXPERIENCE MECHANICS, WHO LIVE TOTALLY DIFFERENT PARTS OF PA, WHO DON'T EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER, TOLD ME THE SAME THING FROM THE SOUND. THAT IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR STICKING. I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THIS "NOISE" EVERY TIME MY ENGINE IS COLD AND I START THE VAN TO WARM UP. ONCE IT IS RUNNING, YOU STOP AND START AGAIN, THE SOUND IS NOT THERE. I DO NOT HAVE AN ACCURATE DATE OF INCIDENTS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED. THE VEHICLE IMPACTED THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE ONLY RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMPER. THE POLICE WERE NOT CONTACTED AND NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AWAY FROM THE SCENE; HOWEVER THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED AND NO REPAIRS MADE.

I HAVE HAD TWO FLAT TIRES ON MY MINI VAN IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. THE VAN IS 4.5 YEARS OLD AND I REPLACED THE TIRES WITH THE MANUFACTURES RECOMMENDED TIRES A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO. IN BOTH OF THE CASES MY TIRES HAD RIM LEAKS WHICH I HAVE NOW DISCOVERED OCCUR ON MANY CHRYSLER/DODGE VEHICLES. THESE LEAKS ARE A RESULT OF CORROSION ON THE RIM (AND IN THIS LAST CASE MY RIM WAS CRACKED) THIS DEFECT IN THE RIM DESIGN IS SERIOUS AS IT LEADS TO UNDER INFLATED TIRES WHICH THE DRIVER MAY BE UNAWARE OF. BECAUSE THE LEAKAGE IS SLOW IN NATURE AND THERE IS NO WARNING IN THE HANDBOOK THAT RIMS NEED TO BE REPLACED/INSPECTED REGULARLY THERE MAY BE LITTLE OR NO WARNING. MANY OF THESE VEHICLES ARE MINI VANS AND CARRY MANY CHILDREN TO AND FROM PLACES. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS TO CHRYSLERS ATTENTION THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS. THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WITH THE ISSUE OTHER THAN TO SELL ME A NEW SET OF RIMS FOR OVER $2000. THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 5 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD NOT NEED NEW RIMS...AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THERE ARE THOUSAND/MILLIONS OF THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROADS THAT MAY HAVE CORRODING RIMS AND UNDER INFLATED TIRES. CAN YOU HELP? GIVEN WHAT WE LEARNED IN THE FORD EXPLORER INVESTIGATION I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE WISE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. *NM

WENT TO DEALER TO HAVE THE BRAKES FIXED AND MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE LOWER CONTROL ARM PIVOT BOLT, AND IF I DIDN'T HAVE IT FIXED I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HE SAID IT WAS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. THIS AFFECTED THE ENTIRE ENGINE CRADLE. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS ON THE 2001 MODEL. BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. AFTER CONTACTING DAIMER CHRYSLER TOLD ME THE SAME THING ,AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO ABOUT IT AND SUGGESTED I SHOULD HOLD ON TO MY RECEIPT BECAUSE ONE NEVER KNOWS WHEN THERE MAY BE A RECALL IN THE FUTURE? THEY REFERRED ME TO JONATHAN SANDERS, SENIOR STAFF OF GLOBAL RELATIONS AND HE SAID THERE IS NOTHING DAIMER CHRYSLER WOULD DO BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WASN'T IN THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE IS A 2001 AND IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE OTHER VEHICLES THAT WERE RECALLED. I OF COURSE AM HAVING THE MECHANIC FIX THE VEHICLE FOR OBVIOUS SAFETY REASONS.*AK