1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT HAD TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN THE HOOD WAS OPENED, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVING BELT WAS OUT OF THE PULLEY. THE BELT WAS PLACED BACK INTO POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000.

I PURCHASED VEHICLE USED AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A SQUEAKY SERPENTINE BELT. PUT A LITTLE BELT DRESSING ON IT AND THAT WAS AS FAR AS THE ISSUE WENT. THEN ON A DARK RAINY NIGHT, WENT THROUGH A RAIN PUDDLE-VERY SLOWLY, AND INSTANTLY, STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT. THE WORST PART OF THIS EXPERIENCE THIS NIGHT WAS TRYING TO PUT BELT BACK ON PULLEYS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE IN THE DARK AND NO IDEA HOW TO ROUTE IT. THANK GOODNESS THERE WAS A DIAGRAM IN ENGINE. WITH NO KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS WAS A VERY WELL KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES IT WAS QUITE A SURPRISE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE, AND READING ALL OF THE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR!! FATAL ACCIDENTS!! THERE HAS BEEN MORE THAN ENOUGH INFO SUBMITTED AND DOCUMENTED TO WARRANT A RECALL AND HAVE THE MANUFACTURER TAKE CARE OF THIS. OH-BUT GUESS WHAT? ANOTHER COMPANY 'GATES" HAS COME UP WITH A SOLUTION THAT APPARENTLY HAS HAD POSITIVE REVIEWS. MY ORDER IS IN AND I AM AWAITING MY RETROFITTED TENSIONER BELT COMPONENT KIT SO THAT I WILL FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO BE OUT ON THE ROADS AND THAT I WILL NOT BECOME A HAZARD TO OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD WITH ME. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMES TO THE AID OF A BIG COMPANY LIKE CHRYSLER (PLYMOUTH) EVEN WHEN IT IS MORE THAN OBVIOUS THAT THEY ARE BUILDING SUBSTANDARD CARS. THIS IS NOT A MAJOR REPAIR, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY A PROBLEM THAT COULD VERY EASILY CAUSE SERIOUS BODILY INJURIES TO MANY PEOPLE FROM JUST ONE INCIDENT! IT HAS NOW BEEN FOURTEEN YEARS SINCE THIS CAR WAS MANUFACTURED. HOW MANY YEARS OF COMPLAINTS DOES IT TAKE TO GET SOMEONE TO NOTICE AND TAKE ACTION? IS THERE SOMEONE ABOVE YOU THAT WE HAVE TO BEG, PLEASE HELP US! THE LITTLE GUYS. WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO BEG, "PLEASE DON'T LET MY CAR BE THE ONE THAT IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE."MAKE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE-BE RESPONSIBLE! THANK YOU (I THINK). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT WOULD DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE WHENEVER IT WOULD RAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TENSION PULLEY NEEDED REPLACING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 219,000.

WE OWN A 1998 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER WITH A 3.3 LITER ENGINE. ON FRIDAY,OCTOBER 1,2010, MY WIFE DROVE SLOWLY THROUGH A PUDDLE AND THE SERPENTINE BELT CAME OFF CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND OTHER SYSTEM POWERED BY THE SERPENTINE BELT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO HER ONCE BEFORE AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. MY WIFE USUALLY ENJOYS DRIVING HER VAN BUT NOW HAS LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN IT. SHE STATES IT'S A VERY SCARY SITUATION, NOT TO MENTION DANGEROUS. WITH ALL I HAVE READ IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL TO HAVE THIS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION CORRECTED. *TR

MY VAN IS A LEMON. ALL KINDS OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS - DEFOGGER SOMETIMES WORK AND SOMETIMES NOT, WINDOWS WON'T ROLL DOWN, STEREO SPEAKERS SOMETIMES WORKS, INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS GO OFF AND ON, DIM YELLOW HEADLIGHTS, ETC. FOUND PIN HOLE IN HEAD...DEFECT IN METAL. VAN OVER HEATED AND GAUGE DID NOT SAY IT WAS HOT. FAN WENT OUT. NOW SOMETHING GOING WRONG WITH FRONT END. OCCASIONALLY SMELL GAS. THE LIFTER HEAD GASKET NOW LEAKS OIL. VAN SOMETIMES JUMPS IN PARK AND ROLLS. I CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX THIS STUFF... BAIL ME OUT NOT CHRYSLER.... *TR

WE OWN A 1998 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER SE, FOR THE PAST YEAR WE HAVE HAD CONTINUAL PROBLEMS WITH THE SERPENTINE BELT COMING OFF AND HAVE REPLACED IT SO MANY TIME IT IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT THAT HIGH. T BELT IS ESPECIALLY SUBJECT TO COME OFF WHEN IT RAINS OR THERE IS WATER ON THE ROAD. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND YET CHRYSLER WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS WHEN THE BELT COMES OFF THE VEHICLE LOSE THE POWER STEERING, BRAKES & ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. YOU PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSE TO MAKE THE ROAD WAYS SAFE AND OUR TAX DOLLARS BAILED CHRYSLER OUT WHEN THEY WERE GOING UNDER. THEIRS NO TELLING HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE DUE TO THE NEGLIGENCE OF CHRYSLER AND THIS DESIGN FLAW AND THE NHTSA COMPLIANCE IN THIS MATTER. HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWMORECOMMENTS_REVIEW_30931_6.HTML THE ABOVE LINK WILL DOCUMENT THE SAME PROBLEM THAT OTHER CHRYSLER MINI-VAN OWNERS HAVE ENCOUNTERED. *TR

THE SERPENTINE BELT COMES OFF THIS VEHICLE, LEADING TO A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. SO FAR, THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP TO A FREEWAY, WHILE DRIING IN LIGHT CITY TRAFFIC, AND WHILE IDLING AT A BANK (PRIOR TO TAKING A HIGHWAY TRIP WHICH HAD TO BE CANCELLED). IN ALL CASES THE DRIVER WAS FEMALE AND HAD GREAT DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE. IN ALL CASES THIS WAS DURING WET WEATHER. AFTER THE SECOND CASE, WE HAD THE DEALE INSTALL A GUIDE PLATE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO KEEP THE BELT ON, BUT IT CAME OFF ANYWAY. WE HAVE NOW LEARNED THAT THERE APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT IN THE MOUNTING BRACKET FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP, LEADING THIS PART TO BEND UNDER NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR SUCH THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT WILL JUMP OFF IN WET WEATHER. IN OUR VEHICLE, THERE WAS ANOTHER WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IN AT THE SAME TIME, AND THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS ON BACKORDER WITH 18 CUSTOMERS WAITING. THIS CLEARLY SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW AS THIS VEHICLE IS BECOMING NOTORIOUS FOR THIS PROBLEM AMONG MECHANICS, WITH SEVERAL DISCUSSION THEADS TO BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES POWER STEERING AT A CRITICAL TIME, THEREBY LOSING COTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND LEADING TO A FATAL ACCIDENT. INDEED, I WOULD BE SURPRSIED IF THIS HASN'T ALREADY AHPPENED. A RECALL MUST BE ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM.