Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 1900303 | 08/29/2003 | 1900801 | 10003545 | Pop/tick sound in steering wheel area. *tt | 10/23/2003 |
| 190999 | 02/11/2000 | 610018 | A condition where a click / rattle sound may be heard coming from the area of the steering wheel while the vhicle is in motion. *tt | 04/14/2000 | |
| 190598 | 08/28/1998 | 602189 | A honk or squeal noise during parking lot maneuvers. *yc | 11/12/1999 | |
| 190197 | 10/03/1997 | 54222 | Some vehicles experience a momentary loss of power assist for the steering when turning corners with the a/c or defroster | 03/30/1998 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 190797 | 05/09/1997 | 6088944 | Concerns with honk noise during parking lot maneuvers. *nlm | 01/11/2000 | |
| 191197 | 12/05/1997 | 6088966 | Concerns with honk noise during parking lot maneuvers. *nlm | 01/11/2000 | |
| 190197A | 01/24/1997 | 51282 | During high humidity climate conditions, some vehicles may experience a momentary loss of power assist for the steering when turning corners with the a/c or defrost | 06/27/1997 | |
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK | |||||
| 191497 | 12/19/1997 | 6088974 | This bulletin involves intermittent popping on front end. *nlm | 01/11/2000 | |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| 1900801 | 11/23/2001 | 628194 | Experiencing a pop/tick sound heard coming from the steering wheel area while the vehicle is in motion. *tt | 03/06/2002 | |
| 190497 | 03/21/1997 | 52078 | 35 mph cyclic vibration. *tw | 07/17/1997 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 07/09/2012 | 114000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge caravan. the contact stated while driving 25 mph, the power steering failed and the windows became foggy, causing very dangerous conditions for the driver. the vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the serpentine belt needed to be replaced; however the contact had just replaced the serpinitine belt 2,000 miles prior. the manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 114,000. | |||
| 07/09/2012 | 114000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 dodge caravan. the contact stated while driving 25 mph, the power steering failed and the windows became foggy, causing very dangerous conditions for the driver. the vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the serpentine belt needed to be replaced; however the contact had just replaced the serpinitine belt 2,000 miles prior. the manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 114,000. sm. | |||
| 07/09/2012 | 114000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1997 dodge caravan. the contact stated while driving 25 mph the power steering failed and the the windows became foggy causing very dangerous conditions for the driver. the vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic for diagnosis and was informed the serpentine belt needed to be replaced. however the contact had just replaced the serpinitine belt 2000 miles prior. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 114,000. dt | |||
| 3 | 10/31/1996 | ||
| While driving serpentine belt would become loose. would have no prior warning. it caused problem with steering.*ak the loose serpentine belt caused power steering loss as well as power brakes and cooling fan. *yh | |||
| 05/26/1999 | 2 | 06/18/1997 | |
| Steering wheel locks up on occasions several repair attempts however continues. mjs | |||
| Accident. vehicle pulls to right, steering wheel off center. tires leaking air. bent oil pan. | |||
| 02/02/1999 | |||
| Intermittently, right in the beginning of making a left turn, steering wheel becomes a little stiff. after a popping nosie is heard steering becomes normal. the problem was reported to the dealership. the dealer was not able to duplicate this problem. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| While backing up and turning right or left steering makes noise, sounds like a horn. problem has occurred 5 times. cause unknown. *ak | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 11/02/2002 | |||
| Consumer state while vehicle is in park it automatically jumps into reverse gear. ts | |||
| 09/15/2002 | 0 | ||
| Consumer states clock spring does not work in her truck which prevent her air bag, and the horn from working. consumer states she was told by a mechanic they can fix the problem, but that it might be a recall coming up on this problem, and was told that she could not bring the vehicle in for repair. ts | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | |||
| 02/23/2003 | 2 | ||
| When the vehicle hit a minor bump in the road, the vehicle lost power steering.*jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 10/01/1998 | |||
| While driving 15 mph lost steering. dealer replaced tensioner belt that had fallen off. this had happened in december 2000, at 30000 miles. during routine inspection on 15 november, 2001 dealer noticed tensioner belt needed to be replaced a third time. *ak | |||
| 11/16/1999 | 1 | 11/01/1997 | |
| Power steering pump leaked. nlm | |||
| 1 | 04/01/1997 | ||
| Had just turned on air conditioner when condensation started to build up & dripped on belt controlling steering. this caused belt to slip & loss of power steering. took to dealer & informed by mechanic a technical service bulletin #19-01-97 revised a was sent on the problem. replacing air conditioner. *ak the loss of power steering was due to design flaw by the manufacturer, according to the consumer. the manufacturer should be responsible for repair. *yh | |||
| 07/29/2000 | 2 | 11/07/1997 | |
| While driving less than 30 mph serpentine belt tensioner pulley broke, causing all power steering to be lost. van was towed to the dealership, where the belt tensioner assembly and power steering pulley was replaced at owner's expense. dealership stated that this was a common problem,and happened all the time. owner very concerned for the safety of himself and others. *ak transmission jerks while taking off from stop. a/c does not cool enough. *yh | |||
| Steering belt tension bar broke, causing a loss of vehicle control and power steering. *ak | |||
| 07/10/1998 | 11/16/1996 | ||
| While driving through standing water at right front wheel, water spashes onto power steering belt, resulting in temporary loss of power assist steering. tsb service bulletin number: 19-01-97. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 02/02/2008 | 141562 | 4 | 06/12/2002 |
| On rainy days when making sharp left turn, the 97 dodge caravan (3.0 v6) looses power steering and goes out of control. the serpentine drive belt slipped out of the tensioner pulley causing the power steering loss leading to this hazardous condition while driving in addition to the road being wet and slippery. there is a potential for a crash or deadly accident if this condition happens. this condition happened four times in the past two months. *tr | |||
| 11475 | 7 | 12/01/1996 | |
| While driving over water puddles consumer noticed the serpentine belt froze, causing steering wheel to lock up. *ak the power steering had become inoperative, the gears would slip when shifted, the water pump leaked, the belt tensioner fell apart, the consumer would lose the steering when driving through a puddle of water,the a/c did not blow cool air due to a leaking evaporator, and the belt tensioner would stick and make noises when driving through water. *sc *jb | |||
| 04/29/2002 | 2 | 04/01/2002 | |
| No summary. dt | |||
| 11/17/2000 | 2 | ||
| Consumer states power steering turns hard to left and when backing up. dealer found power steering gear binding and replaced power steering gear assembly. *tt | |||
| 05/02/2002 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| Heard a click when turning wheel to the right. then, later on steering wheel would not turn at all. took vehicle to dealership, they sad it might be the rack and pinon or power steering that was causing the problem.*ak *yd | |||
| 09/21/1997 | 1 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 10/12/2000 | 3 | 08/01/1997 | |
| Electrical component failures have resulted in five visits, four repairs - counting this current incident. warranty issues have prevented immediate repair, even though we hold an extended gold warranty. dealer claims clockspring involvement - customer claims operation perfect without for several months. customer left clockspring unrepaired due to warranty issue, since, a possible recall is under review. customer refuses payment for repair. dodge is unresponsive. dealer is unresponsive. lawsuit will be pursued. *ak | |||
| 10/13/1998 | 1 | 07/01/1997 | |
| The power steering failed during emergency causing the vehicle to crash. yh | |||
| 09/05/1999 | 1 | 09/01/1997 | |
| On a slow turn, the power steering pump shaft sheared, causing complete loss of power assist on the vehicle | |||
| 6 | |||
| Loss of steering after hitting puddle causing belt to slip. | |||
| 06/01/1997 | |||
| While driving over water puddles or if water accumulates underneath of the vehicle, the power steering becomes inoperative which may result an accident. dealer said that's the way the vehicle was made and supposed to do. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 09/21/1997 | 1 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 10/21/2003 | 70502 | 2 | 09/15/1999 |
| We have had our vehicle since 1999 and have been disappointed with its performance. this is our third chrysler/dodge van and this is the second of the three to have transmission problems. the first had them at 37,000 miles and this one is having them at 71,000 miles. we were smart enough to have an extended warranty for both vehicles, unfortunately, on the current van the warranty ran out last month...besides the poor engineering of the transmissions this van has had several problems with the tie rod and front end noise as well as going through front brakes relatively quickly (we do not drive it roughly and it is mainly used to transport our kids around our community approximately. 12000 miles or less a year since we have owned it. *la | |||
| 07/22/2001 | 1 | ||
| Tie rod end became disassembled while backing out of a parking stall. the knuckle came out of the cup resulting in loss of steering control, lucky we were not on freeway. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 190000 | ||
| The vehicles rack and pinion assembly failed. the dealer was notified. *nlm | |||
| 05/02/2002 | 1 | 10/01/2000 | |
| Heard a click when turning wheel to the right. then, later on steering wheel would not turn at all. took vehicle to dealership, they sad it might be the rack and pinon or power steering that was causing the problem.*ak *yd | |||
| 01/02/2001 | 1 | 10/01/1996 | |
| Rack and pinion was locking up on turns causing difficulty turning steering wheel. *slc | |||
| 03/24/1999 | 3 | 01/01/1999 | |
| Steering: steering wheel vibrations, difficult to control, especially when breaking, and popping noises. had to replace rack and pinion at 37,100 miles. replaced lower control arm bushings at 54,354 miles. replaced lower control arm joints at 59,421 miles. tires: tires loose air pressure and go flat for no apparent reason intermitantly, resulting in the replacement of two tires. tire burst while driving, resulting in replacement of a third tire. door locks: intermittent failure of right side sliding door power lock. will not lock/unlock with power control. radio tape deck: tape player activated without tape in the deck. unable to stop tape player. required replacement.( dot number: tire size: p215/65r15 ) | |||
| 05/20/1997 | |||
| Steering rack pinion. | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 12/24/2003 | 137000 | 02/03/2003 | |
| I own a 1997 dodge caravan, with approx 139,000 miles on it. i just read in the birmingham news about the nhtsa investigating daimler-chrysler's 1998-1999 dodge caravans/chrysler town & countrys/plymouth voyagers. the article states the vans had a defect with the steering wheel/airbag. mine is doing this exact thing. about a month ago, the airbag warning light came on, and the horn and cruise control quit working. please include the 1997 model years in the investigation.*ak | |||
| 02/01/2000 | |||
| Dealership repaired defect of airbag/steering column/electrical problems last february. consumer states that these defects have occurred again. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak | |||
| 05/01/1998 | |||
| Steering wheel seems to lock up when van turns corners and the van becomes hard to handle | |||
| 05/28/1997 | 2 | 05/01/1997 | |
| Steering wheel locked during a turn across traffic, driver could not straighten the vehicle and ended up in the grass. driver believes something broke in the steering column. | |||
| 12/09/1996 | |||
| Traveling short distances driver begins to accelerate. steering column begins to vibrate and automatic transmission jerks. this constitutes poor handling. *ak | |||