Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 02/25/2012 | 195612 | ||
| Strut tower assembly corrosion (struts assembly could collapse) i am proud owner of dodge vehicles for many years and drive a 98 grand caravan. when the vehicle was taken for a strut repair the mechanic refused to replace the struts as he found the corrosion and said its a safety issue.to my suprise this is a very important safety issue for many american families who own a similar model minivan. i want the safety authorities to look into this matter immediately. all the vehicles with a similar problem should be recalled immediately before someone is injured or god forbidden looses their loved one in an accident. came to know that this has been a common issue in these minivans and suprise the inspite of knowing the issue there was never a recall ???. i am a family person and cannot purchase another car in these trouble time and request the authorities take this to the right people and get a recall out. hopefully this may save someone. i think have done my job and it is your turn now. | |||
| 05/07/2009 | 123000 | 1 | |
| Suspensions mounts are rusted all the way and making a squeaky noise and hits hard and makes noises when turning and going over bumps. water running in my floor board on passenger side when running the heater. this is when i bought the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 230000 | 1 | |
| The strut tower caps are rusting out. this can proceed to a point of the struts collapsing into the engine compartment. this is well documented. see example similar to what is happening on my vehicle at http://www.lumuc.com/frontstruttower/. chrysler has a repair kit for this. this structural problem is well documented. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2002 | 87000 | ||
| Almost all of the air conditioning components were replaced only to find that less than 1 year later, july 2003, the evaporater is leaking and needs to be replaced at a cost of $750.00. | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 95000 | ||
| The car is on it's third transmission. we like the caravan as a package, but quality is lacking and problematic. the most critical problem is body rust through. the drivers side shock mount tower is rusted through and chrysler owner relations refusing to fix it. never mind that the dealers say the problem is prevalent and chrysler used to fix it but recently stopped paying for (perhaps due to financial and market conditions). | |||
| 08/01/1998 | |||
| The problem with the air bag, cruise control & horn started approximately 1000 miles over warranty. at times, the horn will work, but not often and with no regularity. in regard to the windshield wipers, i have had them repaired at the dealership once. the problem continues to persist. i have also reported the suspension to the dealership, however, they were unable to locate a problem. nlm | |||
| 01/03/2002 | |||
| Unable to get a front wheels aligned because of a possible defective camber or strut that neededed to be replaced. dealer / manufacturer notified, and both refused to assist because there was no recall, and out of it warranty. please provide any further information concerning this matter.*ak | |||
| 02/16/2000 | |||
| Tires would wobble while driving. vehicle & steering wheel would shake & pulled to the right. vehicle was controllable, but use of constant pressure was needed to keep it straight. took vehicle to dealership. mechanic balanced wheels. took it back due to tires being defective. manufacturer & dealership not claiming fault. michlein 215/65416 mx4 all seasons. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 140000 | ||
| Strut tower housing on drivers side of vehicle under the hood is severely rusted. upon taking the vehicle to a mechanic to have it repaired, i was informed that this is a common problem with this type of vehicle and has to go to a body shop for repair. i took the vehicle to a body shop who informed me that there have been 4 other customers come in with the same issue in the same place on the same model of vehicle within the last year. this causes a huge safety concern as this housing is what holds the strut in place on the vehicle. if the weakened structure fails, the pressure of the strut will cause the strut to fly off and out of the vehicle with great force. this will not only cause the suspension to fail, but the velocity of the strut itself would be a safety concern. dodge has enacted recalls for the same situation on earlier models of the vehicle, but the recalls were enacted after my vehicle was manufactured. the cost to repair the vehicle into safe operating condition is $2000. | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 100000 | ||
| The strut tower is defective and fails causing loss of control and possible injury this happens on all new (1995 and newer) body style minivans made by chrysler/dodge and driven in climet where salt is used on the rodes in the winter. the strut tower requires patches welded to reinforce the coroded area. | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 157025 | 1 | |
| Front strut cone on passenger side is rusted, leaving a 3 x 3 inch gap besides the strut mount. had an estimate done for repair which is approximately 1.3k including labor on one side. car runs great at 157.7k miles, recently had to buy a new gas pump, water pump, abs sensor, and brake caliper on drivers side. all leading up to 1.2k in repairs including labor. chrysler/dodge should have a recall on this issue as this can be a potential risk on the road, specially on highway commutes. *tr | |||
| 01/19/2009 | 1 | ||
| 1998 dodge grand caravan strut towers rust problem. the driver side strut tower is about 60% rusted out. what will happen when the rust can't hold the strut major safety problem. failure could lead to loss of control, and passenger injury or deaths. *tr | |||
| 02/14/2009 | 131000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge grand caravan. when the vehicle was taken in for tire maintenance, the mechanic noticed that the front driver's side strut tower mount was rusted. the dealer stated that the repair would cost $1,000. the manufacturer would not assist with the repair because the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 131,000. | |||
| 02/14/2009 | 120015 | 1 | 02/01/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge grand caravan. the driver drove the vehicle to a local repair shop to have all four tires replaced. after replacing the tires, the mechanic stated that the front driver's side shock tower was corroded. the dealer stated that there were no recalls; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was unavailable. the current mileage was 120,400 and failure mileage was 120,015. updated 03/23/09. *lj updated 03/24/09.*jb | |||
| 03/11/2008 | 152000 | 1 | |
| I was told by several people i could report an issue here. i have a 1998 dodge grand caravan. although, the vehicle has 185k miles and runs awesome, the strut tower on the drivers side as almost disintegrated., the passenger side iis still solid as a rock. come to find out, this has been an ongoing issue for about 6 model years. my question is why has chrysler not made and attempt to assist owners with this fix. the cause is a dumb one and has been addressed on 2003 and newer models. the cost to fix one side is about $400 for one side and nearly $650 for both sides. this is a lot of money to spend on someonelses mistake. metal on metal will not remain solid for ever, myself as a chef knows this. when i asked around for estimates,. every single place knew the issue and they all knew what year my car was and they could tell me how severe the towers were before they even looked under my hood!!!!can someone please tell me if chrysler has made an attempt to assist paying for this blatant mistake they made in manufacturing? *tr | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 98000 | 1 | |
| Driver's side strut sheet metal rusted completely through. *tr | |||
| 04/18/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a 98 grand caravan when i bought it the back hatch would not open then i noticed a loud humming in the tires when i bought it had the bearing replaced fixed that problem then when checking oil noticed strut towers rusted driver side about 5 to 6 inch total separation passenger about 3 inch,next my air bag light came on at the same time as my cruise control and horn quit working,now my instrument panel don't work all of it don't know how many miles or how much gas nor how fast im going have not had nothing fixed trying to get a hold of dodge will some one have to die from the strut towers before they recall them? also when i put gas in i have to open windows a really strong smell of gas fills the van. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 1 | 03/15/2002 | |
| Rusted out shock towers. shock coming out of tower and up to bottom of wiper cowl. scared to drive both left and right but left side is the worst. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2007 | 110000 | 1 | 10/17/1997 |
| 1998 dodge grand caravan - corrosion in driver side strut tower resulted in a cracked strut tower and insecure strut mount. *jb | |||
| 07/23/2007 | 1 | ||
| 1. normal driving 2. rusting driver side strut tower 3. has not been fixed yet, but have been quoted $600 - $1000 *jb | |||
| 10/27/2006 | 170000 | 2 | 10/20/1999 |
| Strut towers failing due to corrosion. *nm | |||
| 07/21/2006 | 119000 | 0 | 12/22/1997 |
| Dt*: the contact stated, while the vehicle was at an independent service station for normal maintenance, the mechanic discovered the strut towers, on both sides of the engine compartment, were rusted. the contact was provided a service bulletin, describing how to treat the rusted parts. updated 8/30/2006 - *nm | |||
| 02/01/2005 | 25000 | 4 | 01/20/2005 |
| Dt: consumer complained about a rack and pinion steering and other problems. consumer drove over a rough pothole with a metal flatbed on top at a low speed. while driving at a street at 25 mph consumer made a right turn and there was popping noise in the steering wheel. the noise was evident only when turning to the left or right. took vehicle back to dealer, who said there was a problem with front alignment , but that was all. however, insurance company noted there were problems with rack and pinion steering /front alignment/ radiator, and the transmission pan. also, consumer noted the engine light was constantly on and it smoked after driving a long period of time. oil was changed regularly. vehicle has had a recent front end alignment but no other repairs. *ak | |||
| 04/09/2005 | 158822 | 1 | 08/17/1998 |
| A body shop technician indicated that the strut towers were so seriously rusted as to present a safety hazard. he recommended either replacing the vehicle or repairing the damage immediately, as all it would take is for us to hit a pothole and have the suspension fail completely easily causing loss of control of the vehicle. chrysler has issued a technical service bulletin (#23-044-02) regarding this issue and although there are a large number of reports of this defect in your database, chrysler are unwilling to reimburse me to fix the problem as the vehicle is now out of warranty.*ak | |||
| 06/25/2004 | 1 | 12/30/1998 | |
| Same issue as odi complaint 10074411 - metal at top of well housing strut/spring components, driver front, rusting. could cause suspension failure. *jb | |||
| 05/28/2004 | 1 | ||
| The driver side, upper metal portion that hold the shock absorber is rusted to the point that the metal is not holding any more. thus making vehicle unsafe to drive. dealer was notified. *la | |||
| 07/15/1998 | 1 | ||
| Consumer has had problems with vehicle 3 months after vehicle was purchased. a valve had to be changed at 24,000 miles later while vehicle was brand new. currently, vehicle emitts black smoke. there has been no remedy thus far for problems. sliding door rattles, dealer made an adjustment, front passenger door rattles when closing. engine hesitates, misses, and squeals, dealer replaced belts for the squealing. while turning steering wheel, there is a grinding noise in the front end, dealer performed tsb 19-05-98. spark plugs were replaced due to being worn. gear level was hard to get out of park. the left visor would not stay up, delaer found a broken clip. *slc | |||
| When traveling consumer noticed play within the steering. also, vibration within the steering column. consumer unsure if the problem is linked to michelin tires 215/65r16 which are wearing excessively. consumer has contacted both manufacturers, dodge and michelin. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| 09/21/1998 | 3 | 02/15/1998 | |
| Experienced front end noise, two tsb's performed #19-14-97 and 23-001-97 (tie rod ends and cradle bolts replaced), however continued noise due to loose left front axle nut. yh | |||
| Tires go out of round under 30,000 miles due tomanufacturing design flaw, causin vehicle to wobble or bounce while driving at highway speeds. the dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 04/11/1998 | 12/20/1997 | ||
| Vehicle is popping in the front end/ little brake control/ power steering is poor also makes loud noises. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 08/21/2005 | 133000 | 1 | 12/10/1997 |
| Lower ball joint of drivers side wheel failed while traveling in straight line on expressway. the vehicle suffered major damage to steering, drive train and body. failure occurred 450 miles from home. decided not to repair vehicle because of parts availability and cost. *jb | |||
| 03/04/2005 | 85000 | 2 | |
| While driving at approximately 70 mph, the differential came apart,resulting in vehicle shut down. driver had to have vehicle towed to a transmission shop. also, the ball joints on the front left wheel broke apart. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 03/04/2005 | 85000 | 2 | |
| While driving at approximately 70 mph, the differential came apart,resulting in vehicle shut down. driver had to have vehicle towed to a transmission shop. also, the ball joints on the front left wheel broke apart. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||
| 10/04/2007 | 129000 | 1 | 02/14/1998 |
| My car failed its state inspection due to excessive corrosion on the strut towers. when informed i asked the shop if they knew of this problem. they referred me to a technical service bulletin tsb 23-044-02 issued in oct of 2002 which affected my minivan which i was never informed of stating that minvans built between 1996-2000 have this problem and need to be immediately corrected. i went to a chrysler dealer who informed me that the repair would be in excess of 1300 dollars and that since no recall had ever been issued that they wouldn't cover the repair even though they had issued the bulletin. if the repair isn't made the car will not be able to pass the pa state inspection as the inspector has deemed the car unsafe to drive in its current condition. i have looked at your data base and seen multiple examples of this complaint registered as well as on multiple car boards discussing this and nhtsa's refusal to issue a recall. this is a dangerous situation that could result in physical injury and in my case has lead to an unsafe car that cant be driven in pa. i am part of the sae corrosion council looking into corrosion practices in the heavy trucking industry and i know that if this happened in the heavy trucking industry there would be an immediate safety recall. why hasn't this happened here when there is an obvious problem that the manufacturer knows about that affects hundreds of thousands of vehicles? *tr *updated 12/12/07 *bf updated *jb | |||
| 07/17/2006 | 100800 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle travels rough at any speed. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who determined that the top of the macpherson strut towers were completely rusted and corroded. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the problem, but replaced the struts. | |||
| 07/25/2006 | 1 | ||
| Strut tower corrosion-driver side-rust and metal breaking up-1998 grand caravan-purchased new-has 83,500 miles- have had belt problems several times-also windshield wipers intermit failure -rusted out power steering mech. totally replaced-many brake jobs-and also headlight interior switch seems to fail at times. i need to make a decission to buy a new van with hand controls or have this van hand controls installed. me thinks i need to buy a new van and be looking at another manufactor. as it seems like chrysler/dodge is not stepping up to all these failures that are seen by too many other van owners;of this 1998 model caravan. saw on line a new repair for the strut rusting called fusor #112b/mopar 05083855aa. can be used to fix this problemthe tsb #23-044-02 thru a company called lord corp. listed under their oem bulletins and repair recommendations using fusor adhesives. think i may use this on mine. hope others can use this also. thanks. *nm | |||
| 08/03/2004 | 110000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle experienced a problem with the struts. the strut towers rusted, causing the struts to push through the frame of the vehicle. the front suspension eventually will drop down. *ak | |||
| 02/03/2003 | 2 | ||
| We have replaced our struts 2 times already in the 4 years we have owned the vehicle, and they are getting ready to fail again. this is ridiculous. *jb | |||
| 07/15/2004 | 64000 | 1 | 08/08/1998 |
| The strut tower rusted. vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs. *ak | |||
| 07/22/2004 | 85000 | 1 | 09/25/2000 |
| I have a 1998 grand caravan se with 85000 miles on it. i noticed rusting and cracked metal in the area of the upper strut mount. i contacted the local dealer, and was told this was common, but there was nothing they could do. also contacted chrysler customer service in detroit, and was also told there was nothing they would as the vehicle was out of the 3 year/36000 miles warranty. i sincerely hope this situation is looked into before someone gets hurt. i can't imagine what would happen if one of the struts goes launching through the hood!*ak | |||
| 03/17/2004 | 1 | 06/30/1998 | |
| The strut tower for my 1998 grand caravan is rusting through. after speaking with a mechanic, he stated it is a problem on most of the caravans. we also cautioned me that the strut will cause the wheel assembly to buckle. he said in about a year there will be many crashes caused by this failure.*ak | |||
| 103000 | 1 | ||
| Driver side front strut is rusted. vehicle is pulling hard to the left, making turns to the left very difficult. also, turns to the right are equally tough. *ak | |||
| 12/29/2003 | 1 | 06/01/1999 | |
| Although there is no rust anywhere else on this vehicle, the front suspension tower on the driver's side is severely rusted around the strut mount. the rust is coming through from underneath. if it rusts through completely the strut will come up through the hood of the vehicle. there will probably be an accident and someone will probably get hurt. in my investigation of this defect, i have found numerous incidences of the same rust failure in the same location on chrysler minivans built from 1996 to 1999. this includes the caravan, voyager, and town & country models, as well as the grand version of each. these six models should be considered together when investigating this problem. they each exhibit the same defect in the same location. i refer to it as a defect because chrysler is aware of the problem and their mechanics refer to it as a design flaw. they have a warranty part#05086513aa for repairing this defect; yet they offer no compensation to owners outside of warranty coverage. if you investigate this defect you will see it clearly warrants recall status. | |||
| 12/17/2003 | 1 | ||
| My 1998 dodge grand caravan failed a state vehicle inspection due to safety risks caused by significant rusting of the driver's side strut support tower. top of strut support tower was approximately 75% rusted through. mechanic stated that this problem had been observed in other similarly aged dodge vans. mechanic also stated that the level of rusting was highly excessive and not normal since strut tower located in engine compartment and is normally protected from elements. possible that excessive rusting due to design or structural defect. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| The consumer noticed rust around the engine. the vehicle was service and the technician noticed that the strut tower was rusted. *nlm the consumer noticed rust around the engine. the vehicle was service and the technician noticed that the strut tower was rusted. the strut towers are rusted through. these support the macpherson struts/suspension/axles and steering. the dodge dealer i went to see said he is seeing this show on vans. the loss of the strut support. *mr | |||
| 1 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| Strut made popping noise, replaced due to noise. yh | |||
| 03/25/1999 | 4 | 08/01/1998 | |
| We have had the strut mount changed 4 times,now somthing is wrong with the left front side. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 03/23/2007 | 90000 | 1 | 04/11/1998 |
| Shock absorber tower on drivers side of vehicle is seriously deteriorating. rust is penetrating inner and outer portions of tower causing serious safety concerns about stability and integrity of vehicle suspension. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2006 | 1 | ||
| Strut tower corrosion-driver side-rust and metal breaking up-1998 grand caravan-purchased new-has 83,500 miles- have had belt problems several times-also windshield wipers intermit failure -rusted out power steering mech. totally replaced-many brake jobs-and also headlight interior switch seems to fail at times. i need to make a decission to buy a new van with hand controls or have this van hand controls installed. me thinks i need to buy a new van and be looking at another manufactor. as it seems like chrysler/dodge is not stepping up to all these failures that are seen by too many other van owners;of this 1998 model caravan. saw on line a new repair for the strut rusting called fusor #112b/mopar 05083855aa. can be used to fix this problemthe tsb #23-044-02 thru a company called lord corp. listed under their oem bulletins and repair recommendations using fusor adhesives. think i may use this on mine. hope others can use this also. thanks. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 2 | 10/01/2097 | |
| Clock spring defective. dealer is aware but not concerned. dt | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 10/20/2004 | 5 | ||
| While driving at any speed power steering failed. driver had difficulty maintaining control of the vehicle. took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the wheel bearing and the power steering belt needed to be replaced. *ak | |||