Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA01007 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 02/21/2001 | 11/22/2002 | AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING | 02V293000 | |
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 05/06/2003 | 80000 | 1 | |
| The van will start then immediately turn off. it does this more when it is hot outside. if you let the vehicle sit for about 4 hours in the shade it will start and get you to your next destination. if the weather is too hot it won't start until the weather changes to cooler. i have replaced the starter, two computers, got the circuit board cold soldered. replaced the battery and can't remember all the rest. it still has this problem. it seems to be very common. there is a web site topix.com that has a forum just for this problem. no one has been able to fix it completely. some one some where has got to know how to fix this problem. also the clock spring is under recall. once you get the recall done after a few years the spring breaks again and they don't fix it again. so i no longer have a horn or airbags that work. *tr | |||
| 02/23/2006 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle failed to start and also stalled while driving at various speeds. the failures gradually became worse and occurred without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop on multiple occasions. the mechanic replaced the wiring in an attempt to remedy the failures. the vehicle is currently awaiting a fuse box replacement. | |||
| 01/15/2005 | 171000 | 3 | 10/10/2000 |
| Motherboard has stopped working and has been replaced twice. it failed a third time a week ago; last time the motherboard was replaced was oct 2003. when motherboard fails, all display items cease to work - no speed indicator, no fuel gauge, no temp gauge, no mileage. this is a $700 repair and should not continue to happen. have not replaced part a third time, am considering replacing the vehicle. *nm | |||
| 09/20/2004 | 105500 | 1 | 03/07/1996 |
| While driving approximately 50 mph on major highway my 1996 dodge grand caravan shut down, and lost all power. same thing occurred 1 month later. i was almost involved in a major accident with 4 children aboard. mechanic has changed 2 relay switches. do not know if and when it will happen again.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 500 | 15 | 11/29/1995 |
| Serpentine belt or tensioner clip has had to be repaired 4 times (towed every time) electrical problems since the beginning; turn the key and the windshield wipers start going, turn the key off and the wipers keep going, take the key totally out of the ignition and the wipers go and the dinging alarm that tells you the lights are on or the key is in, starts.(i seriously thought the car was possessed) or turn the key and nothing comes on except the engine. i've replaced the battery 5 times at least - it's usually better w/ a new battery for a little while. have had to have the window motor and assembly replaced on drivers side twice and 5 times on the passenger side. most recent was 4/04, which was replaced 7/04 again. the side sliding doors on both side do not lock, if you push the button down, you can't get it back up. the rear hatch is damaged from closing the door, looks like i was hit in the rear, but have not been. check engine light was on for months in fall '03, no mechanic could say why. wanted to get the a/c charged but it wouldn't hold a charge. dealer couldn't figure it out. took it to another mechanic who said the a/c unit was totally melted. had it replaced and then the computer reset. replaced the transmission at 100000, the plantatary gears were cracked. check engine light is on again in 7/04, failed emisions, replaced o2 sensor, light still on, tack sticks and car won't accelerate at times - i can push it to the floor and it won't go?? feels like it's choking, no power. have a 3.8l, should have power. there is no panel/door for pass. airbag to come out. if i ever got in an accident, what would it do...just bust through my dash? over time, the dash on that side has gotten soft and mushy, what's that about? my dad bought the same year caravan i did, but he doesn't have the grand caravan le and he doesn't have the 3.8l and he hasn't had a single problem...i guess i got all of them.*ak | |||
| 01/02/2004 | 15 | ||
| I own a 1996 dodge grand caravan with several electical problems. first the check engine light is on and will not reset. all of the fans for the heater and a/c doesn't work. the rear wiper is continuously working. we have had the van to the mechanic several times(too many to count) and they can not find anything wrong. the company really needs to recall this issue.*ak | |||
| 04/25/2004 | 127500 | 5 | 09/22/1997 |
| I own a 1996 dodge grand caravan with the mileage around 128,000 miles. starting in april , we smelled and saw smoke coming from under the hood . we took it to aamco and they checked it out and could find nothing wrong with the car at that time using the diagnostics. a few weeks later, the service engine soon light came on and stayed on steadily and they could find nothing wrong with the van at that time either . the *code* they found said *oxygen sensor* but they reset it . four days later, we were heading back to charleston (100 miles) and had made it around 40 miles on interstate going around 65-70 miles an hour when, without notice, the service engine soon light started blinking and the car completely lost power . we had to pull over on the side of the emergency lane and wait until a tow truck could tow us back to lexington ... the van was taken again to nasco where they thought the problem could be the spark plugs and wiring so they changed all that out to the tune of $400.00 plus the $80.00 for towing... then....two days later the van was driving again to charleston on interstate and at almost the exact same spot --it cut off again !! the van had to get towed yet again to orangeburg ( closer to where it cut off ) and the mechanics there could find absolutely nothing wrong with the van !!! in town, the van does fine ...but when you are on interstate and going a high rate of speed for a prolonged period of time ...and it cuts off ---something is definitely wrong with the van !! it is very dangerous to be driving at such a high rate of speed and then losing power ..and must be addressed before a death occurs !! last weekend , my husband took the van on the interstate again to try it out and sure enough around 50 miles out it cut off yet again with the service engine soon light on .i notice there are several other instances of this happening to the grand caravans and think it should definitely be investigated and a recall issued. *jb | |||
| 03/04/2004 | 120000 | 4 | 08/01/2002 |
| When driving on the highway and going 65 to 70 mph, the car loses rpm's, backfires, jerks, loses speed. i am unable to give it gas. i have to pull off into the emergency lane and it slows to a stop and stalls. i cannot start it back, however if i set for a few minutes, open and slam the hood, it will start back. my service engine light comes on and the code that was found said that a misfire was found in cylinder 6. it has happened since fixing that problem, but the service engine light went off. i have been told to try to fix many different problems but no one, not even the chrysler dealership can tell me for sure what is wrong and needs to be fixed. this is amazing to me, because i can find many people who have the same problem, and not only with 1996 grand caravans. this is a very dangerous problem because of the sudden stalling at such high rates of speed. if should be required to be recalled and found what the problem is. i would like to know for sure what to do to fix it because i cannot afford to purchase another one and i love this van (less this major problem). please help.*ak | |||
| 02/10/2004 | 9 | 06/15/2001 | |
| Had the 1696 dodge grand caravan for almost 3 years , electrical problems i think. the speedometer, odometer, gear selector, water coolant gauge, fuel gauge stops working while driving and when i shut car off the gear selector and odometer stays illuminated even with the car off and lights off , or on.. also the tachometer freezes up on a certain rpm . depending what the rpm was when everything stoped working right.. windshield wipers turn on automatically but 99.9% of the time they wont shut off even if i select it to shut off , they keep going and going even on dry days and no rain .took it to mechanic and they cant find what is wrong with it and they charge me 60 to 90 dollars just to test it and they never come up with a solution unless they disconnect the battery and let it sit for a few minutes so the computer or something resets, but this happens about every 3 to 6 months and also before this happens the car runs rough at idle or sitting at a red light or at a stop . the driver seat buckle sometimes dont unlatch, i have to use extra force to unlatch them, sometimes i dont even wear a seat belt cause i am scared that if something happens and i need to get out of the car quickly that i wont be able to. the middle bench seat seems loose , everythime i come to a stop or i take off a clucking sound comes from the middle row seats, i checked it and it seemed like its all locked in but i dont trust it.. i would never purchase a chrysler product ever again even if it is given to me for free or even give it to my worst enemy.. thank you .. jz.*ak | |||
| 11/04/2002 | 27900 | 02/10/1996 | |
| Re:dodge grand caravan se, l996 continual problems with electrical system. sudden lack of power when driving on freeway, narrowly avoiding serious accidents. in researching on various web sites, this seems to be a recurring problem for other owners as well. the dealer has kept the car twice so they could 'duplicate the problem', they replace one sensor or another. last replacement seems to have worked but still don't trust the car and won't drive on freeway or far from home. now have trouble starting the car, the dealer said it's probably the crank sensor. they say since i only have 33,000 miles on the car, it shouldn't be the starter. also, i have history of the wipers turning on and off whenever they feel like it. they also establish their own rhythm when working. the wiper sensor has been replaced 3 times. the computer never shows an error code so obviously, it isn't working either. the speedometer will float and sometimes will show 0 miles an hour when i'm moving. they replaced the speedometer sensor twice and now it seems to be working. i have seen all of these complaints listed on various web sites. the dealer acts like i'm crazy and they have never heard of these problems before. my main concern is the sudden lack of power, the engine just turns off, no power steering either when this happens. i wonder how many accidents have been a result of this obvious defect... as soon as i can afford it, i will be replacing this van with a non-dodge vehicle. *nlm | |||
| 04/14/2003 | |||
| Steering column electrical problems; turning the steering wheel causes various electrical inputs such as turning on windshield wipers, honking horn, causing the abs failure light to come on and causing all electrical systems to short out including all gauges and even causing the engine to turn off. *nlm | |||
| 01/15/2003 | 100000 | ||
| Dodge '96 minivan stalling problem while in operation. start up time 5-10 minutes later (very dangerous). transmission slipped out of gear; problem escalated to full replacement. not satisfied with replacement -bumps on second and third gears up and down. these have been costly repairs. service engine soon light would not go out no matter what repairs were performed - full fuel and electrical systems. rps raced to 15k. replaced cam sensor, harness, hoses etc. *nlm | |||
| 12/13/2002 | |||
| Consumer states while driving the vehicle the vehicle caught on fire. dealer notified. ts | |||
| 01/10/2001 | 6 | ||
| The consumer believes that the failure of turn signals, the coming on of wipers by themselves and shorting out the battery and the vehicle stalling were a fault of the electrical system which the dealer was unable to locate the problem. *yh | |||
| 10/06/1997 | 2 | 05/28/1996 | |
| Intermittently when left turn signal is activated windshield wipers come on. dealer has inspected and repaired vehicle, however problem has reoccurred. *ak the vehicle would not start due to battery failure. the sliding door does not shut properly. passenger door does not lock due to door lock motor failure. drivers window makes noise due to regulator failure. *yh | |||
| 1 | 02/01/1996 | ||
| Vehicle experiencing electrical problems with malfunctioning of the dashboard, speedometer, rpm, fuel gauge, and temperature gauge. *slc | |||
| 02/01/2001 | 1 | 07/01/1996 | |
| Electrical problems with the airbag light coming on/ horn failure and cruise control failure. *ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | |||
| Electrical system malfunctioned, causing windshield wipers to activate while on off position/ tail lights to fail, and problems with air conditioner. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 12/10/1995 | 3 | 10/28/1995 | |
| Electrical system failure, causing the windshield wipers, radio and door locks to activate themselves on and off intermittently. the car is also having trouble starting because of electrical failures. | |||
| 12/01/1996 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Front/rear windshield wipers failed due to an electrical short. | |||
| 10/01/1996 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Electrical failed. | |||
| 01/01/1997 | 1 | 06/01/1995 | |
| Electrical system fails when vehicle is not warmed up sufficiently, causing lights/turn signal/power windows/radio/ air conditioner to become inoperative. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 08/01/1996 | |||
| No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 500 | 15 | 11/29/1995 |
| Serpentine belt or tensioner clip has had to be repaired 4 times (towed every time) electrical problems since the beginning; turn the key and the windshield wipers start going, turn the key off and the wipers keep going, take the key totally out of the ignition and the wipers go and the dinging alarm that tells you the lights are on or the key is in, starts.(i seriously thought the car was possessed) or turn the key and nothing comes on except the engine. i've replaced the battery 5 times at least - it's usually better w/ a new battery for a little while. have had to have the window motor and assembly replaced on drivers side twice and 5 times on the passenger side. most recent was 4/04, which was replaced 7/04 again. the side sliding doors on both side do not lock, if you push the button down, you can't get it back up. the rear hatch is damaged from closing the door, looks like i was hit in the rear, but have not been. check engine light was on for months in fall '03, no mechanic could say why. wanted to get the a/c charged but it wouldn't hold a charge. dealer couldn't figure it out. took it to another mechanic who said the a/c unit was totally melted. had it replaced and then the computer reset. replaced the transmission at 100000, the plantatary gears were cracked. check engine light is on again in 7/04, failed emisions, replaced o2 sensor, light still on, tack sticks and car won't accelerate at times - i can push it to the floor and it won't go?? feels like it's choking, no power. have a 3.8l, should have power. there is no panel/door for pass. airbag to come out. if i ever got in an accident, what would it do...just bust through my dash? over time, the dash on that side has gotten soft and mushy, what's that about? my dad bought the same year caravan i did, but he doesn't have the grand caravan le and he doesn't have the 3.8l and he hasn't had a single problem...i guess i got all of them.*ak | |||
| 10/06/1997 | 2 | 05/28/1996 | |
| Intermittently when left turn signal is activated windshield wipers come on. dealer has inspected and repaired vehicle, however problem has reoccurred. *ak the vehicle would not start due to battery failure. the sliding door does not shut properly. passenger door does not lock due to door lock motor failure. drivers window makes noise due to regulator failure. *yh | |||
| 06/22/2002 | |||
| Battery exploded at first start, original part.*ak | |||
| 10/07/1997 | 4 | 04/11/1996 | |
| Battery cracked and leaked acid into wiring cover and air cleaner housing causing vehicle not to start, battery was replaced and began to leak again approximately four months later, seven months later the battery had to be boosted to start vehicle, again dealer replaced the battery, battery was replaced a fourth time along with a faulty starter. *slc | |||
| 08/04/1997 | 4 | 07/01/1996 | |
| Daimlerchrysler reference # 08756857 - battery has failed 4 times chrysler has reimb. twice and still refused to send me known service bulletins #082995 &08195 relating to problems with dead batteries. also requested info on fluid bubbling over onto engine from june 97 and sept. 99. i have written to chrysler and have been told that the information you are seeking is either unavailable from daimlerchrysler motors corporation or considered proprietary and was signed by glenn s. cameron, senior staff.*ak | |||
| 09/08/2000 | 1 | 09/25/1995 | |
| Battery failure. *slc | |||
| 08/12/1999 | |||
| The battery exploded unexpectedly which caused acid to spray onto the engine and burned a hole. this could have a caused a fire. common problem. *ak | |||
| 07/20/1998 | 3 | 02/01/1996 | |
| Fan relay continued to activate the fan after the ignition was turned off causing the need to replace 3 batteries stranding the family each time. dealer assurred me that this diagnosis was hard to pin down due to the intermittent nature of the power drain. numerous other electrical problems have occurred with this vehicle, including wiper motors and switches, automatic door lock soleniods and vent window motors. | |||
| 07/31/1999 | 1 | 10/27/1995 | |
| While turnning the key to start vehicle the battery exploded under the hood. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| 11/01/1996 | 1 | 03/16/1996 | |
| Battery failed. | |||
| 10/30/1996 | |||
| Transmission/steering column/horn/struts/brakes/sway bars/battery/windshield wiper switch and a/c condensor failed. | |||
| 09/06/1998 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| When the ignition was turned on the battery exploded. the dealer has replaced the battery. *ak | |||
| 08/30/1998 | 03/16/1996 | ||
| The original equipment battery exploded when i turned on the ignition. | |||
| 05/02/1997 | 15 | 05/18/1996 | |
| While driving vehicle about 45 mph vehicle stalled on the road, causing lack of acceleration or power. dealer and manufacturer were contacted. *ak windshield wipers come on by themselves, dealer replaced multifunction switch. vehicle would not start up and run, dealer replaced battery. steering wheel shakes while braking, dealer machined rotors. *slc | |||
| 08/14/1998 | |||
| While starting the vehicle the battery exploded, causing fumes and acid all over the vehicle. dealer said it was a defective battery. cause unknown. dealer replaced battery. *ak | |||
| 04/11/1997 | 1 | 05/01/1995 | |
| Wiring harness routed under battery, causing battery acid to eat through wires. | |||
| 05/01/1995 | |||
| Defective electronic charging system caused over charging of the battery. this caused sulfuric acid to spew from the battery spilling onto the main electrical wiring harness that is routed under the battery. there was a complete failure of electrical items. | |||
| 07/06/1995 | |||
| Battery blew up, resulting in an accident. also fuel tank leak. *ak | |||
| 12/16/1996 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| Battery failed. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 03/01/2000 | 09/01/2099 | ||
| Horn will not work, airbag light is on and no electrical components on the steering column function. dodge is aware of the problem but will not replace the clock.*ak | |||
| 02/06/2002 | 1 | 04/01/1996 | |
| The clockspring acts as an electrical conduit for the driver's air bag, horn and cruise control. when it breaks one or more of these systems fails without warning. i feel that it is a very dangerous defect. i have never had a clockspring fail on any other car that i have owned, several of which have gone well beyond 100,000 miles.*ak | |||
| 04/01/2001 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| An electrical short was causing airbag light to stay on. dealer has replaced clock spring assembly, and not horn. however horn touch pad had a short causing the horn not to function. dealer was looking into the problem.*ak dealer had to disconnect the horn to make it inoperative because the cost was 649 dollars, consumer feels this failure is because of the faulty clockspring assembly that shorted. *slc | |||
| 06/18/2001 | |||
| Air bag light has come on, and horn has failed to function. dealership has not examined vehicle. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak | |||
| 05/10/2000 | 1 | 03/01/1996 | |
| Drivers air bag, horn and speed control shorted out and inoperable | |||
| 09/22/1997 | 1 | 10/01/1995 | |
| I purchased this vehicle october of 1995, in march of 96 the fuse block had to be replaced along with a multi function switch because the wipers would come on by themselves while i was driving, a contact and plunger kit because the right sliding door would not always unlock when using the unlock button, the fuel tank was replaced because it only held 12 gallons of gas when it was supposed to hold 18 - 20, the tank was installed so that the tank was bowed in the middle and the front door panel was reattached to the door and the left sliding door was repaired because it would not unlock with the key. in august of 1997 the switch for the interior lights was replaced because the lights would flicker, the left side sliding door lock was replaced again along with the rear door latch. in sept. 0f 97 a gear was replaced for the power steering, the left sliding door had moulding replaced because the clips were broken. in august of 98 the stereo was replaced because the treble would fade, the vehicle shut off while i was driving no one could explain this phenomenon, the relay switch was replaced and the rack and pinion was replaced also the multi-function switch was replaced again. in sept. of 98 the car was back in the shop because the air bag light came on. evidently when they replaced the relay switch just 7 days earlier things in the dash started working that had not worked up til that point for instance i was not aware that the chime would go off if the blinker was left on for over a mile. it took 7 days to get my car back because they found out that there were never any screws holding the air bag in the module so as far as i know for the two years that my husband and i were driving this car there was no protection by and air bag. this past week july 1, we were on vacation and we had to replace the transmission to the tune of $l771. the car is back in the shop today (7/6) because it appears that the transmission continues to slip and run at high rpm.please help!! | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 07/01/2004 | 500 | 15 | 11/29/1995 |
| Serpentine belt or tensioner clip has had to be repaired 4 times (towed every time) electrical problems since the beginning; turn the key and the windshield wipers start going, turn the key off and the wipers keep going, take the key totally out of the ignition and the wipers go and the dinging alarm that tells you the lights are on or the key is in, starts.(i seriously thought the car was possessed) or turn the key and nothing comes on except the engine. i've replaced the battery 5 times at least - it's usually better w/ a new battery for a little while. have had to have the window motor and assembly replaced on drivers side twice and 5 times on the passenger side. most recent was 4/04, which was replaced 7/04 again. the side sliding doors on both side do not lock, if you push the button down, you can't get it back up. the rear hatch is damaged from closing the door, looks like i was hit in the rear, but have not been. check engine light was on for months in fall '03, no mechanic could say why. wanted to get the a/c charged but it wouldn't hold a charge. dealer couldn't figure it out. took it to another mechanic who said the a/c unit was totally melted. had it replaced and then the computer reset. replaced the transmission at 100000, the plantatary gears were cracked. check engine light is on again in 7/04, failed emisions, replaced o2 sensor, light still on, tack sticks and car won't accelerate at times - i can push it to the floor and it won't go?? feels like it's choking, no power. have a 3.8l, should have power. there is no panel/door for pass. airbag to come out. if i ever got in an accident, what would it do...just bust through my dash? over time, the dash on that side has gotten soft and mushy, what's that about? my dad bought the same year caravan i did, but he doesn't have the grand caravan le and he doesn't have the 3.8l and he hasn't had a single problem...i guess i got all of them.*ak | |||
| 08/08/1999 | 3 | 08/01/1998 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| Engine will die suddendly at any speeds and without warning possibly due to bad computer, after waiting 15-20 minutes vehicle will restart. dealer cannot dtermine cause.*ak | |||
| 12/01/1997 | |||
| We purchased a used 1996 dodge grand caravan in december of 1997. it has an intermittent failure. during cold weather, occasionally the engine quits running. sometimes failures occur every few days; sometimes they are more than a month a part. failures occur following a cold start as the engines gets close to or reaches normal operating temperature. the failure usually happens from 9 to 31 minutes after the vehicle is started. failures occur when the outdoor temperature is below about 400f. failures most commonly occur when the minivan has been parked in a garage that is warmer than the ambient outdoor temperature. the engine quits running. this has happened while at a stop, while driving on local streets, and while driving on the interstate. sometimes it recovers and sometimes it must be manually restarted. it appears that if the throttle is closed, the engine must be restarted manually and if the throttle is open, the engine recovers. when this failure occurs, the speedometer drops rapidly toward zero. it does not reflect the speed of the vehicle. schaumburg dodge has made at least seven unsuccessful attempts to diagnose and repair this problem. | |||
| 10/19/2000 | 2 | 04/01/1996 | |
| In first incident, engine suddenly stopped running while van was stopped in traffic. immediatly tried to restart engine but engine would not crank. after this attempt ,electrical power to all other components (lights, radio/ etc.) was lost. after app. 1/2 hour without power ,engine restarted when again attempted. in second incident, while traveling app. 50 mph,again, engine suddenly stopped running.engine would not restart (no crank) . after 15-20 minutes, engine would restart. taken to dealer, where they could not find the cause of this problem as van was now running ok. dealer could not explain why engine would suddenly and completely lose power.euly | |||
| 04/15/2000 | 5 | ||
| At 48,000 miles vehicle been experiencing ongoing / intermittent problem with engine stalling while driving or at a stop position. been in dealer shop on five occasions, and dealer was unable to duplicate the problem.*ak *jb | |||
| 07/04/1996 | 12 | ||
| Engine stalls on freeway without warning, caused crash, rearended by another vehicle. dealer has not duplicated problem after seven times, no repairs. *ak | |||
| 01/24/1997 | 4 | 05/29/1996 | |
| Intermittent stalling. *ak | |||
| Vehicle stalls out while driving with no warning. when this occurs no steering/instrument controls are operative. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 05/01/2001 | 3 | ||
| Body control computer went out at 64000 and this controlled windshield wipers. at 69000 miles it went out again.*ak now at 71000 miles it has failed again. *slc | |||
| 03/30/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1999 | |
| Dear nhtsa, please look into this problem. we have had this van only 7 months!!! we have a 1996 dodge grand caravan se that has 97,000 miles on the odometer. we took a trip in the last week to california to see our daughter when the engine check light came on. even though we could not see or hear any problems, we took it to a dealer in reno, nevada - (3223 mill st, reno, nv 89502 -- #(775)-323-3106). they said that the spark plugs needed replacing. at a cost of 300 dollars, we agreed in hopes that the light problem would be cured even though nothing seemed wrong. after picking up the vehicle the next morning, we noticed that the van was running terribly and would die when stopped. frustrated that no problem with our van progressed to worse we returned to the dealer and asked them to check it again. after testing it again, they said the camshaft had to be replaced. since we had to return home for work, we could not wait to get it fix. on returning home we took it into our trusted mechanic immediately. he checked the vehicle and said that we will need a new engine. our complaint is that our engine should not of failed only after only 97,000 miles - it is ludicrous.*ak | |||
| 2 | 09/01/1996 | ||
| This is an intermittent problem that has occurred twice. each time the vehicle lost power while in motion at approx. 25-30mph. the first time, the vehicle lost all power while slowing to make a turn onto an adjacent street. the second time occurred when starting to slow down for an intersection. during this occurrence the vehicle stopped running, then seemed to restart resulting in an engine racing condition. during each occurrence (no power or stall then race codition) the vehicle has been difficult to handle and could have resluted in an accident. after the first occurace the vehicle was brought to the dealer. the tps sensor was replaced at that time. after the second occurrence the vehicle was brought back to the dealer and after much diagnosis, they have proposed to replace and 5v wire in a power harness and/or replace the computer control module. although this seems like a costly trial and error process we have been notified that there are no other alternatives to solving this problem so we have elected to do both. *ak | |||
| Driving at approximately 15-20, engine will die due to the electronic control module. this is a intermittent problem. dealer replaced electronic control module. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 12/07/2000 | 4 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Intermittently windshield wipers become inoperable and sometimes come on by themselves, obstructing view of driver. vehicle at dealer's for repair. *ak o2 sensor, ignition switch, key cylinder, and a/c blower resistor and wiring kit all replaced. *slc | |||
| 12/10/1999 | 08/01/1996 | ||
| I have had several problems, the automatic door locks have had to be replaced, even though in the 3 year time framed i paid for the new ones, there is a knocking sound that the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong although he could hear the sound, and now the car won't start and after several days of trying they can't figure it out. i obviously want the car fixed, but i would also like to know if other owners are experiencing these problems. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 10/07/1997 | 4 | 04/11/1996 | |
| Battery cracked and leaked acid into wiring cover and air cleaner housing causing vehicle not to start, battery was replaced and began to leak again approximately four months later, seven months later the battery had to be boosted to start vehicle, again dealer replaced the battery, battery was replaced a fourth time along with a faulty starter. *slc | |||
| 11/17/1999 | 1 | ||
| Starter failed.*mjs | |||
| Went to start vehicle & the starter failed to connect. managed to get vehicle to shop. informed by mechanic started burned out. also, shocks/struts were leaking fluid & needed to be changed. in addition, water pump was leaking due to corrosion. *ak | |||
| 08/27/1999 | |||
| Transmission is leaking and the van does not back up. starter, air conditioner, and brake pads all had to be repaired. dealer contacted. *ak *ml | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 07/07/2001 | 1 | ||
| Consumer parked vehicle in parking lot, it caught on fire due to a wire in the wiring harness, claim 35-w700-085. *slc | |||
| Airbag light cam on, i no longer have working horn or cruise control. | |||
| 04/01/2000 | 07/01/1996 | ||
| Wiring system is suspect, airbag light seems to be symptom but not sure is car is safe. | |||
| 03/03/2000 | 2 | 05/04/1999 | |
| Owner took vehicle to dealer after airbag light flashed on and the horn stopped working. said that entire airbag system had to be replaced. owner contacted chrysler but they provided no help in paying for repairs. *ml | |||
| 08/18/1998 | 2 | ||
| Vehicle's electrical gauges failed intermittently due to loose ground wiring.*mjs | |||
| 08/20/1996 | 1 | 08/16/1996 | |
| Design location of electrical wires caused them to be cut by the fan blade causing the car not to start. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 01/02/2004 | 109000 | 1 | 05/01/1999 |
| Smoke appeared from under the hood, then burst into flames. this occurred while the vehicle was parked and turned off. the vehicle was totaled. *ak *sc | |||
| 07/07/2001 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle was parked when it caught fire, fire was caused by a wire in the wiring harness, claim 35-w700-085. *slc | |||
| 05/13/2000 | 1 | ||
| While leaving home, consumer heard a poff, when looking under the hood, it was smoking in the engine compartment, the main harness is melted, there was no sign of a fire, claim 25-5394-275. *slc | |||
| 05/13/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer was leaving home and heard a poff, consumer lifted the hood and the vehicle was smoking in the engine compartment, main wiring harness is melted, no sign of fire, claim 25-5394-275. *slc | |||
| 05/13/2000 | 1 | ||
| While leaving home, consumer heard a poff, when looking under the hood, it was smoking in the engine compartment, the main harness is melted, there was no sign of a fire, claim 25-5394-275. *slc | |||
| 07/07/2001 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle was parked when it caught fire, fire was caused by a wire in the wiring harness, claim 35-w700-085. *slc | |||
| 05/13/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer was leaving home and heard a poff, consumer lifted the hood and the vehicle was smoking in the engine compartment, main wiring harness is melted, no sign of fire, claim 25-5394-275. *slc | |||
| 04/01/2001 | 04/01/2000 | ||
| Wire harness shorting out in steering assy poss. setting off airbags while driving.*ak | |||
| 08/12/1996 | |||
| When driving at any speed vehicle stalled out due to a short in wiring harness. vehicle has been at dealer four times for repairs, and dealer couldn't determine the cause of the problem. *ak | |||
| 10/29/1998 | 1 | 08/01/1997 | |
| The location of the wiring harness which is too close to the exhaust manifold caused the wiring harness to melt, resulting in the computer malfunctioning, etc.*ak.et. | |||
| 05/01/1995 | |||
| Defective electronic charging system caused over charging of the battery. this caused sulfuric acid to spew from the battery spilling onto the main electrical wiring harness that is routed under the battery. there was a complete failure of electrical items. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 04/04/2002 | 3 | 03/01/2001 | |
| My husband would be driving and out of nowhere the vehicle shuts off. everything on the dash went out. about 2 to 3 seconds later it came back on but barely working. the car behind us almost hit us. when the car re-started the dash lights were flickering and the instruments were not reading right. ontop of that we could not turn the air or radio or anything else because it made the problem worse. prior to this it happen to my husband twice on the same day. in march we took it to the dealership and told them the problem we have been having on top of other issues. we only had this mini van for a year and we already had to repair the air conditioner 2x , fuel pump because it was leaking, the first time they could not find the prombem and said it was an overfill of gas, second time they found the problem and fixed it. also out of pocket for brakes, and rotor. we were hoping for some kind of exchange for this. during the year we had this mini van the dealership change hands again. now the current owner is getting complaints from customers who purchase a vehicle from there last year, per our conversation with the sales manager. they had to re-run our credit and take all our personal information all over again. next morning i was told that the bank /lender wants $2500.00 upfront as good faith, because we still owe on the vehicle. like i said earlier the car is finace for 5 years. also the part that is needed cost anywhere between $385 to 209 approx. and labor $300.00 or so. so we would be paying close to $685 or more. also this part is not under warranty nor under extended warranty. i can not understand that since it is an electrical componet. if anyone can help please, we really would like to get rid if it or somehow get it fix.*ak | |||
| 09/19/2001 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| Consumer states that instrument panel did not operate after vehicle was started, consumer had to turn iginition off then on again, it completely quit working and dealer made repairs, however vehicle was out of its warranty. *tt | |||
| 04/16/2002 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states vehicles engine was turned off, consumer was getting gas, after entering the vehicle consumer smelled smoke, and saw smoke coming out of dash. consumer drove car to a mechanic. nlm *yh | |||
| 5 | 08/01/1998 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 05/08/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Defect clockspring leads to airbag light is on, and propely mailfunction. the instrument panel started burning in the switch contacts and smoke came out of the dashboard. the car was parked with two small kids sitting in their baby seats. one of the kids, 3 years old manged to knock on the window for getting help. the fire stopped without making additional damages and nobody were injured. the fuses did not blow.*ak | |||
| 10/25/2001 | 0 | ||
| Consumer smelled something electrical burning. noticed flames inside dashboard. consumer pulled over and shut car off. consumer took vehicle to dealer. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1998 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Body control module failure occurred during a move from maryland to georgia, resulting in failure of windshield wipers during rainstorm. arrived at dealer only 451 miles after expiration of 75k warranty. however, neither the dealer nor chrysler would assist in repair costs. have submitted two lengthy voq's today as i am finally fed up with this chrysler product and the failure of chrysler and the nhtsa to enact additional forced recalls of these vehicles. the transmission, fuel tank, body control module, clock spring (which resulted in inoperative airbags), and suspension parts all failed long before they should have. additionally, a cursory search of both nhtsa and other web sites reveals that these parts have a high failure rate. despite being replaced by a dealer only two years ago, the steering rack on my minivan is already failing again. i am extremely unimpressed with both the quality of this vehicle and the lack of support from chrysler in addressing repeated failures. | |||
| 07/28/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| Can this cause a fire ? it melted the relay . they had a tsb on this lots of problems. *ak | |||
| Intermittently while driving lighting on the dash will go out. when this happens, consumer does not know how fast vehicle is going. delaer has replaced control panel module, however , problem has not been corrected.*ak | |||
| 05/10/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| I've read about investigation on the air clock springs .... these should be recalled. *ak | |||
| 03/29/1996 | 8 | 09/25/1995 | |
| Electrical computer failure, windows roll up and down, wipers go on, all instrument lights flash on and off, and all power is lost, with no key in ignition or anyone in vehicle the wipers will come on. *slc | |||
| 05/20/2000 | 03/01/1996 | ||
| Coolant gauge, tach,and speedometer all flatline at same time and return intermittently, air bag warning light stays on and horn and cruise control stopped working at same time. drivers side sliding door lock works when it wants to. windshield wipers work when they want to when it is cold outside. no fuel leaks until recall repair made then leak developed when tank filled ( dealer fixed). radio does not switch from am to fm unless button pushed 3 or 4 times. just one big electrical lemon. *ak | |||
| 11/28/1999 | 10/01/1997 | ||
| This vehicle has been the worst vehicle i have ever owned because of continuous ongoing problems ,the biggest of which was the engine head failure which cost me about a $1,000.00 thats with dodge paying an additonal $800.00 for the parts. now a year later, my transmission is failing and does not change gears. please help i promise not to buy a chrysler product again, i swear. all the other problems have been nagging, but tolerable. but this is too much. *ak | |||
| 04/01/1999 | 4 | 06/01/1996 | |
| Transmission switch also failed this year | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 50 | 05/01/1996 | |
| Windshield wipers come on by themselves at random while driving | |||
| 09/08/1995 | 11 | 06/01/1995 | |
| Two letters dated 05/23/98 and 06/08/98 addressed to mr. robert eaton, ceo of chrysler corp. was sent with a repair history schedule containing 24 itemized occurences depicting the associated repair order number, nature of repair, mileage, date-in and date-out, remarks as to results, warranted repair or not, location of repair and cost if applicable. also depicted was the number of times we repeatedly returned the vehicle for brake repair which was six times within first six months and six times regarding electrical within the first six months of possession which all is evidenced by the given information on the repair history schedule i provided with the letters. i received a response back from customer service to no avail. i would be delighted to provide you at your request a copy of both letters which includes the repair history schedule i eluded to earlier. | |||
| 1 | 08/05/1995 | ||
| Wiring harness failed due to short. | |||
| 4 | 07/15/1997 | ||
| Vehicle purchased with 24,000 miles and we have owned it for less than a year. at first repair the entire computer system was replaced: problems reoccurred in less than 2 weeks; second repair, reattached fuse panel and computer: problems reoccurred in approx. 2 weeks; third repair, replaced starter switch: problems reoccurred within 2 days. | |||
| 10/01/1996 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Computer failed. | |||
| Vehicle stalls out while driving with no warning. when this occurs no steering/instrument controls are operative. *ak | |||