2007 Dodge Grand Caravan

MY 2007 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE CAN BE EASILY SHIFTED INTO GEAR WHILE IN AUXILIARY POWER, AND IT SOMETIMES LOCKS OUT MY BRAKES, AS THERE IS A LOCKED STEERING WHEEL YOU CAN'T STEER IT AND CAN'T TURN IT ON WITHOUT SHIFTING BACK TO PARK WHICH CAN BE DIFFICULT IF THE BRAKES LOCK. A CHILD COULD EASILY SET IT IN GEAR IF YOU ARE RUNNING THE AIR AND YOU LEAVE THE CAR BRIEFLY, I DO NOT HAVE KIDS BUT I DO RUN SOME TAXI WORK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT COULD BE DONE ANYWHERE AS LONG AS IT'S IN AUXILIARY POWER TO RADIO AND ELECTRICS BUT NOT FULLY ON

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINED DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OF AND THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION. MY DAUGHTER PULLED THE COLUMN SHIFTER WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND ROLLED BACKWARDS DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WAS OPEN. THE DOOR STRUCK A TREE AND STOPPED THE ROLLING VEHICLE.

MY STEPDAUGHTER WAS DRIVING MY VAN AFTER WE WERE RETURNING FROM A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA. WE GOT TO HER HOUSE TO DROP HER OFF WHERE SHE PUT THE VAN IN PARK . I THEN WALKED (BEHIND) FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE TO THE DRIVERS SIDE WHILE SHE WENT TO HER MAIL BOX TO GET HER MAIL. I OPENED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, THAT'S WHEN THE VAN STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN HER DRIVEWAY. I COULDN'T SEE HER SO I SCREAMED HER NAME SO IT DIDN'T RUN OVER HER, SHE WAS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE VAN LOOKING DOWN AT HER MAIL. SHE GOT OUT OF THE WAY IN TIME TO SEE THAT THE VAN DOOR HAD CAUGHT ME, WAS ABLE TO REACH ME, LUCKILY, TO GRAB AND YANK ME FROM BEHIND IT. THEN WE WATCHED AS IT ROLLED DOWN HER DRIVEWAY INTO THE STREET. LUCKILY WHEN IT HIT THE BOTTOM OF HER DRIVEWAY THE WHEELS TURNED OR IT WOULD HAVE GONE DOWN HER STREET AND CROSSED A SIDE ROAD. THE DOOR CAUGHT A LARGE RECYCLE BIN CAUSING FRONT END DAMAGE AND BENT THE DOOR BACKWARDS ENDING UP WITH THE REAR END HITTING A LARGE SNOW BANK WHERE IT CAME TO REST. THIS WAS A FRIGHTENING INCIDENT, ONE OR BOTH OF US COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! EVEN WORSE OTHERS COULD HAVE BEEN IF THE VAN HAD GONE INTO THE STREET(S). THE VAN WENT INTO NEUTRAL, I PHYSICALLY SAW IT AND HAD TO SHIFT IT INTO DRIVE TO GET IT OFF THE CURB. SINCE THEN, NUMEROUS TIMES, WHEN I HAVE BEEN BACKING UP OR JUST STARTING TO DRIVE, IT WILL POP INTO NEUTRAL. EACH TIME I HAVE TO PUT IT BACK INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. THIS IS DANGEROUS!!! WHAT IF IT HAPPENS WHEN I AM DRIVING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY OR PULLING OUT ONTO A STREET ETC? MY HUSBAND HEARD A STORY TODAY THAT OTHER CHRYSLER VEHICLES ARE HAVING THE VERY SAME ISSUE. I THINK THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE HAD FOR MANY MANY . IT NEEDS TO CHANGE. WHO ELSE CAN I COMPLAIN TO? I INFORMED CHRYSLER/DODGE WHEN IT HAPPENED AND HEARD NOTHING BACK.

1ST OCCURRENCE: WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY ON A HOT DAY THE CAR STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. ON ATTEMPTED RESTARTS CAR WOULD FIRE FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS AND QUIT. TRIED OTHER KEY: NO HELP. AFTER ABOUT 7 OR 8 ATTEMPTS THE CAR WOULD NOT CRANK AND SOLENOID CLICKED. TOWED HOME. CAR SET CODES P0339 AND P0344(INTERMITTENT CRANK AND CAM SENSOR). CHARGED BATTERY . REPLACED BOTH SENSORS CAR INITIALLY WOULD NOT START, THEN MYSTERIOUSLY FIRED UP AND RAN FINE. OK FOR ABOUT A MONTH. BATTERY TESTED OK CHARGING VOLTAGE GOOD WHEN RUNNING. NOT RELATED TO HAVING JUST (OVER)FILLED GAS TANK. (MUCH ON INTERNET ABOUT THIS: BAD VALVE IN TANK ALLOWS EVAP TO FLOOD) 2ND OCCURRENCE. ONCE AGAIN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY HOT DAY. ONCE AGAIN STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. SAME SYMPTOMS ON ATTEMPTED RESTART. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 15 MINUTES, CAR RESTARTED, RAN ABOUT 4 MILES AND STALLED AGAIN. ATTEMPTED FOUR OR FIVE RESTARTS, THEN BATTERY APPEARED TO RUN DOWN. HEADLIGHTS WOULD DIM ON START ATTEMPT. AFTER A WHILE THE CAR STARTED AGAIN BUT RAN ROUGHLY ON ACCELERATION. ONCE AGAIN SET SAME CODES. AT THIS POINT I NOTICED SOME ELECTRICAL ANOMALIES. UPON KEY ON, THE TEMP, FUEL, AND TACH GAUGES WOULD PEG HIGH AND THEN FALL BACK TO NORMAL. THE POWER WINDOWS BEGAN TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE KEY ON. TOW TRUCK ARRIVED AND GOT IT HOME. CAR RESTARTED IN GARAGE. REPLACED BOTH SENSORS AGAIN AND BATTERY (SUSPECTED INTERMITTENT OPEN). 3RD OCCURRENCE ON TEST DRIVE GOT ABOUT 5 MILES AND ONTO HIGHWAY. ONCE AGAIN STALLED. THIS TIME RESTARTED, TURNED AROUND AND GOT ABOUT 2 MILES THEN QUIT AGAIN. THIS TIME NO RESTART( SAME 2-3 SECONDS). THIS TIME SET CODE P0344 ONLY(CAM SENSOR INTERMITTENT). CAR RESTARTED LATER BACK IN SHOP. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET HAS GOT ME THINKING ABOUT THE TIPM (TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE)

I JUST COMPLETED FILLING UP MY VEHICLE WITH REGULAR GASOLINE. ABOUT 100 YARDS FROM THE FILLING STATION, MY VAN STUTTERED AND STALLED. IT DOES THIS EVERY TIME I FILL IT UP. IT STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS THE RESULT OF A FAILED COMPONENT OF THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM AND A PRETTY COMMON PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER/DODGE VANS. HTTP://COMMUNITY.CARTALK.COM/DISCUSSION/2137227/ENGINE-DIES-AFTER-GASOLINE-FILL-UP. *TR

MY 2007 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY AND MY 4 YR OLD WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE VAN OUT OF PARK INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE OR STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE VAN COASTED DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, ACROSS THE STREET AND CAME TO REST IN THE NEIGHBOR'S YARD ALL THE WHILE WITH MY 4 YR OLD IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I WOULD ESTIMATE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING UP TO 10MPH DOWN THE SLOPED DRIVEWAY. NO INJURY OR DAMAGE LUCKILY OCCURRED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE DODGE DEALERSHIP STATES THE SHIFT INTERLOCK SOLENOID FAILED. THE DEALERSHIP WILL NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A RECALL ISSUE SINCE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND HAS BEEN THE PREVIOUS SUBJECT OF NHTSA INTERVENTION WITH THE AUTOMAKERS. *TR

FOUR SEPARATE INSTANCES OF AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCURRED WITHIN 5 MINUTES WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW SPEEDS (5 - 15 MPH). EACH OF THESE INSTANCES IS DESCRIBED BELOW: 1. WHILE TURNING RIGHT OUT OF A GAS STATION AT ABOUT 5-10 MPH, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM SEEMED TO FAIL (I.E., THE CAR WAS STEERING RIGHT AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP FROM CONTINUING RIGHT INTO A CURB). THE BRAKES WORKED FINE AND PREVENTED A COLLISION WITH THE CURB. I HEADED FOR A FRIEND'S HOUSE LOCATED NEARBY. 2. APPROXIMATELY 500 - 1000 FEET LATER, WHILE TURNING LEFT AT 15 MPH ONTO A SIDE STREET, THERE WAS ANOTHER UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS 'LOCKED' LEFT (I.E., THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM AGAIN SEEMED TO FAIL). THE BRAKES ON AND THE CAR COLLIDED WITH THE CURB AT A LOW SPEED (1-3 MPH). HAD TRAFFIC BEEN COMING DOWN THE ROAD, A CAR HEADING TOWARD ME WOULD HAVE HIT THE SIDE OF MY CAR. 3. APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET DOWN THAT STREET, WHILE TURNING LEFT ONTO ANOTHER SIDE STREET, THE ENGINE REVVED AGAIN FOR A SECOND, AND RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE STEERING AND BRAKES WERE NOT ADVERSELY AFFECTED. 4. I PROCEEDED SLOWLY DOWN THAT STREET FOR A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 200 FEET AND WAS SLOWING DOWN TO PARK ALONG THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE STREET. WHILE GOING ONLY ABOUT 2 MPH, THE CAR REVVED HARD AGAIN, AND LURCHED FORWARD ABOUT 3 FEET UNTIL I COULD STOP THE CAR. I STAYED AT THE FRIEND'S HOUSE FOR 3 HOURS. 5. A SERVICE STATION WAS NEARBY AND I DROVE SLOWLY TOWARD IT. THE CAR MADE A TOTAL OF 3 RIGHT TURNS AND 2 LEFT TURNS WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER, WHEN JUST STARTING TO MAKE A 4TH RIGHT TURN, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE POWER STEERING SEEMED TO FAIL AGAIN. I STOPPED THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. I PROCEEDED A HALF MILE TO THE REPAIR STATION (WITH 3 LEFT TURNS AND 1 RIGHT TURN), WITHOUT INCIDENT. *TR

THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED AROUND 20 TIMES SINCE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING THE VAN AND STOPPING IN TRAFFIC (TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE), WHEN PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL (FOOT OFF THE BRAKE) THE RPM GAUGE WILL RESPOND BUT THE VAN WILL NOT MOVE. THE VAN BEHAVES LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS IN PARK DESPITE THE TRANSMISSION BEING IN DRIVE. IN ORDER FOR THE VAN TO MOVE AGAIN YOU MUST PUT THE VAN IN PARK AND THEN BACK TO DRIVE. AT THIS POINT THE TRANSMISSION WORKS AS IT SHOULD. AT LEAST TWICE I HAVE HAD TO TURN THE VAN OFF AND BACK ON BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD WORK CORRECTLY. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER BUT THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE AND THERE WERE NO CODES TO PULL. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS IT COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. *TR

PARKED FACING DOWNHILL WITH VEHICLE IN PARK AND PARKING BRAKE ON. CAR WOULD NOT CHANGE GEAR USING COLUMN LEVER. GOT OUT OF VEHICLE TO CHECK UNDER HOOD FOR A PROBLEM. NOTICE CABLE DISCONNECTED FROM LEVER ON TRANSMISSION. WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO REACH IN TO GET THE CABLE, THE VEHICLE POPPED OUT OF GEAR AND ROLLED DOWN HILL, THE HOOD SLAMMED MY ARM TRAPPING IT AS THE VEHICLE ROLLED DOWNHILL. I BECAME TRAPPED BETWEEN ANOTHER CAR AS IT PUSHED ME 20 FEET DOWNHILL. ANOTHER PASSER BY WAS ABLE TO GET IN THE VEHICLE AND PUT THE BRAKE WHILE I PRIED MY ARM OUT CAUSING NERVE DAMAGE. THE HOOD WOULD NOT RELEASE WHILE MY ARM WAS STUCK. *TR

2007 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 6 DAYS WHILE WE WERE AWAY ON VACATION. RETURNED TO AIRPORT AND DROVE VEHICLE HOME (30 MILES). NEXT MORNING DROVE VEHICLE INTO TOWN (15 MILES) WITH NO PROBLEMS. PARKED FOR 1 HOUR THEN WENT TO RETURN HOME. WITHIN A FEW MILES THE VEHICLE MOVED ITSELF INTO A NEUTRAL STATE (DISPLAY SHOWED "D" STILL) WHILE MOVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS WAS IMMEDIATELY MADE AWARE AS THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW AND THE ENGINE QUICKLY REVVED HIGH. WAS BARELY ABLE TO COAST SAFELY INTO A PARKING AREA. TURNED VEHICLE OFF FOR 5 MINUTES, THEN RESTARTED AND IT DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. ISSUE IS THAT THE VEHICLE MOVED ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT REASON AND ALSO DID NOT UPDATE DISPLAY. WE LIVE IN MICHIGAN AND TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN 35 DEGREES OR LESS RECENTLY. *TR