1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AGAIN FOR THE SAME FAILURE. CURRENTLY, THE VEHICLE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 152,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

STEEL HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE TO REAR BRAKES RUPTURED WHILE DRIVING (BRAKING), RESULTING IN COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND BRAKING ABILITY. INSPECTION SHOWED BRAKE LINE WAS CORRODED THROUGH. RUPTURE WAS LOCATED IN SOLID TUBING UNDER VEHICLE, BELOW DRIVER'S SEAT, WHERE THE BRAKE LINE TURNED AND HEADED TOWARDS REAR OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS SAFELY BROUGHT TO A STOP USING PARKING BRAKE. CHRYSLER DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED 4 REAR BRAKE LINES, 2 FLEX LINES, BOOSTER AND MASTER CYLINDER. THE CORRODED TUBING WAS REPLACED WITH FLEXIBLE STEEL WRAPPED LINES. FROM THE INVOICE THE PARTS REPLACED WERE: ITEM DESCRIPTION (FOLLOWED BY FP NUMBER) MASTER CYL 5039003 (4683264); BOOSTER 5100002 (4797614); LINE TAND 5062001 (4683291); TUBE JUNC 5062001 (4683696); TUBE JUNC 5062001 (4683697); BRACKET B 5057002 (4683441); FLUID BRA 1081006 (4318080-AB); LINE VALV 5062001 (4683320); LINE VALV 5062001 (4683321); LOCK BRAK 5057002 (2208893, QUANTITY 2). TOTAL CHARGE FOR PARTS, LABOR, TAX = $1,547.31. *TR

SAFETY HAZARD!!! SERPENTINE BELT COMES REPEATEDLY OFF OF OUR 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER... WHEN DRIVING IN RAIN, SNOW OR STANDING WATER. THIS RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF STEERING, ENGINE COOLING AND ELECTRICAL CHARGING. IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THIS HAS RESULTED IN PREVIOUS INJURIES OR DEATHS, BUT THAT THIS WAS NOT KNOWN BECAUSE AFTER CRASHES HAVE OCCURRED, IT WOULD NOT BE KNOWN THAT THE BELT HAD SLIPPED OFF OF THE PULLEYS PRIOR TO THE CRASHES OCCURRING. TURNS OUT THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT 2 COMPANIES HAVE ACTUALLY PRODUCED KITS TO FIX THE PROBLEM, GATES AND GOODYEAR. THE GATES PART # IS 38342K, AND IT IS FOR 1996-2000 CHRYSLER MINI-VANS WITH 3.0 LITER ENGINES. THE WEBSIGHT HTTP://WWW.DODGEFORUM.COM/ARCHIVE/THREADS/SERPENTINE-BELT-591826-1.HTML SHOWS SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE. THERE ARE VARIOUS SIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE INTERNET THAT DESCRIBE THIS SIMILAR SITUATION. WHEN SOMEONE DRIVES THROUGH EVEN A SMALL PUDDLE OR A SMALL SNOWDRIFT, THE SERPENTINE BELT IS HIGHLY PRONE TO SLIP OFF... CAUSING THE LACK OF STEERING. SINCE MANY OF THESE VANS ARE OWNED BY PEOPLE LIKE MY FAMILY, WHO HAVE SMALL CHILDREN WHO COULD EITHER BE INJURED OR KILLED BY SUCH INSTANCES... I BELIEVE IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT CHRYSLER ORDER A SAFETY DRIVEN RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES TO INSTALL THE GATES OR GOODYEAR FIX KITS. *TR

SERPENTINE BELT HAS REPEATEDLY FALLEN OFF OF OUR 1999 PLYMOUTH GRAND VOYAGER. THIS CONDITION HAS OCCURRED DRIVING THROUGH VERY SMALL STANDING WATER AND/OR A SNOW DRIFT. THE BELT HAS COME OFF 5 TIMES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS, CAUSING THE LOSS OF CONTROL AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING, ALTERNATOR DRIVE AND COOLING SYSTEM. THIS HAS LEFT MY WIFE AND 3 SMALL CHILDREN STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES. UPON RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, THIS IS A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW WITH THE VAN. IN FACT, THERE ARE SEVERAL WEB SIGHTS THAT I FOUND WHERE DOZENS OF OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. BOTH GATES AND GOODYEAR HAVE EVEN DESIGNED KITS TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM FROM RECURRING, THAT IS HOW COMMON THIS PROBLEM IS. THIS IS NOT ONLY A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW, BUT IT IS POTENTIALLY A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD, AS ALL POWER ACCESSORIES DRIVEN BY THE SERPENTINE BELT INCLUDING THE POWER STEERING - POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL, COOLING - POTENTIALLY CAUSING A FIRE, AND THE ALTERNATOR - RESULTING IN THE EVENTUAL DRAIN OF THE ELECTRIC POWER. CHRYSLER HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE ISSUE, AND EVEN HAS A FIX, BUT IN REVIEWING THE WEB SIGHTS THE CHRYSLER FIX DOES NOT WORK. ONLY THE GATES AND GOODYEAR FIXES WORK. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND PUT THE GATES AND GOODYEAR KITS ON THESE PRODUCTS IN THE NAME OF SAFETY, BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED AS A RESULT OF LOSING THERE STEERING. *TR

METAL FATIGUE-8 INCH CRACK HAS BEEN FOUND BY ME ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WHERE THE MCPHERSON STRUT IS CONNECTED TO THE BODY FENDER MOUNTING AREA. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN A FRONT ACCIDENT AND IS GARAGE KEPT. I HAVE BEEN THE SOLE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. IF THIS CRACK CONTINUES THIS CAR WILL NO LONGER FUNCTION AND HAVE TO BE JUNKED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A CHRYSLER MANUFACTURING DEFECT. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS REPAIR OR ALTERNATE SOLUTION PROVIDED TO ME. *TR