Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
06/15/200365075
 The transmission failed in my 1999 dodge grand caravan sport with less than 66,000 miles on it. i was able to get it to the dealership where i bought it using the "limp home" mode! i contacted daimlerchrysler and asked them to pay for the repairs and they declined. i was aware of this problem when i bought it four years ago but was told that it had been resolved!
07/27/2002108/01/2001
 While in traffic traveling aprox.35mph vehicle suddenly dropped to lowest gear,rpms shot up,speedometer failed,service engine light came on.to shop immediately where mechanic said he has seen many dodge carvan transmission failures and to take it back to the dealer.i am the 2nd owner and don't know if the original owner had this problem and perhaps thats why he traded it with only about 40k miles on it?dealer says probably a sensor,can't fix today - come back monday.
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
01/03/20091825071
 Vehicle engine was running and transmission was in park, when it suddenly changed to reverse, knocking down and running over the driver. *tr
09/28/200438304107/15/1999
 Transmission broke from inside the vehicle. metal penetrated the case, vehicle only had 38,304 miles on it. it is a 1999 dodge grand caravan se. dodge would not cover it since they believe it was wear and tear. for me this was a safety hazard. this was an act of god that my husband was not killed while driving 55 miles per hour on the express way going to a weapons training site on the wisconsin/illinois boarder. we had aaa motor club but the next dealership was over 35 miles away and they would not cover the cost. our bill from gurnee dodge, 7255 grand avenue (route 132), gurnee, il 60031 was $3499.27. and our tow was $125.00. we not only baby the car, clean it and do preventive maintenance on it every 6 months, it shocked the hell out of me to know my husband was just driving and all of a sudden almost lost control of the car on an off ramp w/ nothing but a gally drop to look forward to. i was angry to see that daimler chrysler would not help us with this knowing that it has a 7 year 70,000 miles power train warranty (bumper to bumper). this was not my husband's fault and he could have been killed. thank god he's a cop and can maneuver even from the toughest situations. the average consumer is not my husband, so i write you this note to make companies like daimler chrysler honor their warranty and help the consumer when a faulty transmission blows from the inside of the mechanism up to the vehicle. the mechanic at gurnee said my husband was lucky it had not penetrated the floor of the vehicle. it could have killed him, cut him in half or even caused more damage. thank you in advance for hearing my voice. *nm
06/12/2006118000101/01/2005
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70 mph the pin came out of the differential causing the transmission to lock up. the vehicle was towed home. the dealership has not been alerted.
02/17/2006826091
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph, the wheels locked up. the vehicle slid off of the road into a snow bank and was towed to an independent repair shop. the repair shop determined a pin in the transmission came out, causing the wheels to lock up. the pin in the transmission was replaced. updated 03/15/06. *jb
04/14/2005700004
 While driving 60 mph vehicle shifted into low gears. consumer was concerned that vehicle will be rear ended if problem continued. *ak
08/03/20046
 While driving the transmission failed. contacted the dealer, and was told because of the age of the vehicle there was nothing they could do. *ak
12/19/200441000101/04/2000
 I have a 1999 dodge grand caravan, vin # 1b4gp44g9xb504017 with 47,300 miles. here lately it will shift rough sometimes and i would like to know if there is a service bullitten concerning this situation or if it needs to be serviced and what i should advise the service department to check. i am not sure they service the transmission at 25,000 miles. as a service and training manager for york i know the value of correct service. thanks. *ak
05/26/2004570001
 While driving on the highway at 65 mph there was a sudden grinding noise. a technician inspected the vehicle and determined that the transmission was falling apart and that the vehicle shouldn't be driven. the consumer spoke to the dealership who indicated that these transmissions have a high failure rate, but they didn't indicated what is causing the failure. *nm
03/02/2004102500103/04/2001
 I have a poorly manufactured transmission, 1999 dodge grand caravan. it was rebuilt once, now it needs to be totally rebuilt again this time 1600.00 dollars.maybe you all can do something about this problem . searching the internet many others have had problems with faullty chysler transmissions. thanks. *ak
03/02/2004550001
 While driving 35 mph, the vehicle jerked, the service engine soon light came on, speedometer went to zero and the vehicle won't shift out of 2nd gear. mileage = 55000. *ak
01/12/20041050003
 While driving at 45 mph and without any warning automatic transmission failed. towed vehicle to the dealer, technician indicated the need for a new transmission, also tie rod and steering wheel problems. *ak
06/29/200381110/15/1998
 Automatic transmission locked up in low range while driving on highway. mechanic found that tranmission was shot after 80,000 miles.*ak
11/17/2003720001
 While driving gear can be easily moved from drive to neutral. vehicle would lose power while driving.*ak
11/05/200341000109/25/1999
 1999 dodge grand caravan, blown transmission, 41000 miles. dealer says transaxel assembly pin broke? unknown why? factory won't standby product its outside the 3yr, 36000 miles. factory claims there are no problems with transmission. it appears to be a safety issue.*ak
06/06/200335475103/17/1999
 Without warning vehicle lunged forward and lost speed and speedometer went to 0mph. veh would not shift out of 1st or 2d gear. we are military stationed in germany and this is our own veh. veh taken to a local shop that honors u.s. warranty and we were told that 27 other vans had the same problem at this time and were also waiting for a new transmission. it took 6 weeks for a transmission to become available...obviously a problem if that many other vehicles had the same problem and took that long to get a tranmission. *ak
06/07/200365075105/21/1999
 I own a 1999 dodge grand caravan sport. the transmission has failed with less than 66,000 miles on the vehicle. from my research, daimlerchrysler has known about the premature transmission failure for over 15 years but have refused to remedy the situation while continuing to install the same transmissions in all dodge, chrysler and plymouth vans. in 1992, chrysler renamed the a604 ultradrive as the 41te transmission to escape bad publicity! why is the government letting this continue? do we have to wait until someone gets killed? *ak
05/29/20031
 While traveling on the highway and without prior warning transmission started slipping and making a loud streaking noise. dealer is aware of problem, please fill in additional information. *ak
02/13/20031
 While driving, the consumer heard a loud noise and found the transmission fluid running out. the service dealer stated that the problem was the differential pin had worn loose, and four holes were in the housing. (model/sport). *mr *scc *nlm
03/06/200349000110/01/2002
 The transmission failed while driving. *jb the consumer felt and heard a loud bang under the vehicle. when the consumer checked under the hood, transmission fluid was flowing out. the mechanic found a pin that had flown through the transmission and ripped apart. *scc
 Consumer states that while driving vehicle up hills vehicle loses power and sometimes cuts off. dealer has been notified. mr
07/30/2002112/01/2098
 We were on the way to our vacation destination on 7/30/02 and pulled off the freeway for gas. the service engine soon light came on as soon as we pulled into the gas station. once we were on the road again, the van would not come out of second gear. we were then forced to stop in a parking lot and got directions to the closest full service repair shop. (this all took place at 8:15pm in barstow, ca) the mechanic ran diagnostics on the van and thought it might be the sensor but would have to run more tests the following morning. we were, at that point forced to stay in barstow for the night. we called the mechanic in the morning and got the unbelievable news. after running more diagnostics he found two additional errors in the transmission related to a pressure problem and informed us our transmission was the problem and needed to be replaced. the mechanic was able to order a factory rebuilt transmission and we were charged a mere $2,750.00 for parts and labor. in the mean time we had to rent 2 cars to get to our destination (no vehicles were available to fit 6 people). we had to stay an additional night in a hotel, as our van would not be ready until friday night. our van has less than 43,000 miles on it and should have been more reliable than what it was. we now have the factory rebuilt transmission, probably from someone else van and therefore cannot be trusted. we do not feel the rebuilt transmission is reliable and now will not drive this vehicle unless absolutely necessary. it is unsafe!! we feel fortunate that we had exited the freeway at apparently the right time, who knows what would have happened had the van shifted in to second gear at 70mph. the story would have been much different.*ak
07/27/2002108/01/2001
 While in traffic traveling aprox.35mph vehicle suddenly dropped to lowest gear,rpms shot up,speedometer failed,service engine light came on.to shop immediately where mechanic said he has seen many dodge carvan transmission failures and to take it back to the dealer.i am the 2nd owner and don't know if the original owner had this problem and perhaps thats why he traded it with only about 40k miles on it?dealer says probably a sensor,can't fix today - come back monday.
06/14/2002207/01/2000
 Transmission doesn't shift properly, engine light comes on. *ak
03/05/2002107/01/1999
 While driving 25 mph a loud noise came from underneath vehicle, and then vehicle stopped moving while engine was still running. dealer was notified. *ak dealer found broken pin possibly with the transmission.*tt
02/06/2002109/01/1998
 Stopped at intersection car would not engage forward or reverse. had to tow to dealership. dealer service manager knew problem before i had car towed to his shop. differential pin hadcome through the casecausing internal damage and case is broken. problem diagnosed before van was at the dealership. thats hard to believe. transmission expert knows that engines are too powerful for transmission and service manager claims that pin disengages because it spins faster than it should and come free or breaks. chrysler immediately admitted to be at fault but only covered half of the cost to replace with a rebuilt transmission with the same faulty pin. not acceptable. *ak
12/11/2001104/01/1999
 While driving on the highway, i noticed my van sounding like it wasn't shifting out of 1st or 2nd gear. i made a left turn as required to make an exit off the highway ensurining oncoming traffic was safely at a distance. as i made the turn, my transmission slipped out of gear and the car didn't go anywhere for a moment, and then finally slipped back in gear. i almost was hit by an oncoming car who probably didn't slow down assuming i'd finish my exit. *ak
01/01/19994001/01/1999
 Vehicle can be put into gear without engine running and no safety feature like brake depression before care can be put into gear a small child can easily do this as my 2 1/2 yo did much to my surprise. *ak
07/27/2001103/01/1999
 Speed sensor malfunctioned, and transmission not able to shift gears, was told to drive to shop for repairs. very low miles for a transmission to start failing. *ak
12/10/2000106/01/2000
 Design defect as per certified transmission repair shop: vertical pin breaks off which causes a slippage for the main rotating mechanism causing it to puncture the transmission. *ak
 A drift pin in front axle will come loose and slide out, knocking a hole in transmission case, which can cause fluid to leak, and possibly front wheels to lock up. dealer replaced transmission with same manufacturer's defective design. *ak
04/05/20011
 The transfer pin in the transmission broke causing total failure of the transmission. it would not even stay in park. at first we thought we had hit something because of the jolt that this caused. after the insurance company's investigation it discovered that the damage was from the pin. i contacted daimler/ chrysler after having the vehicle repaired at a local shop. they seemed willing to help with the repairs through a local dealer. when i informed them that i had already had it fixed through a local shop they were completely unwilling to even discuss the matter. a mechanic that we know only works on these transmissions. he was not shocked that this happened. he has seen it many times. *ak
03/23/2001101/01/2000
 Without warning, while driving 55mp, heard clunking, grinding, felt jerking. pulled over to find transmission fluid pouring out. found large pieces of transmission on highway. thankful we weren't going faster or on a freeway. car continued to roll easily while in park. had to use emergency brake to park vehicle. had daimler extended warranty, but extremely dissatisfied with them now. been 1 week now, still being repaired. warranty only gave a too small replacement vehicle for 5 days(we needed all the van's 7 seats to transport our family). it is expected to take a total of 11 or more days to repair. we have also had trouble with the key in this van. we will probably never buy another dodge vehicle, as we have multiple problems with our last van too. we thought that was because it had been previously wrecked, before we bought it. we would be glad to discuss this with anyone. thank you.*ak
12/17/1999509/01/1999
 Transmission rebuilt once, but problem persists. vehicle stutters when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. after dealer investigates complains the vanruns smoothly for about 3 months; then problem starts again. dealer says they can't find anything wrong when they run diagnostics. *ak
01/12/2001107/01/1999
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
05/25/19993
 Transmission is not working properly. while consumer was pulling out of drive way, and putting transmission in gear it felt like it was in neutral. consumer had to play with it before it caught a gear. contacted dealer,and dealer replaced transmission three times, and problem was still occurring. *ak *slc
108/14/1999
 Transmission failed. nlm
09/07/2000103/01/2000
 Complete transmission failure while on highway. would not move in any gear after coming to a stop. had to call tow truck. day before jumped in and out of gear while coming to a stop and nearly caused collision with vehicle in front of mine.
 Transmission does not go into second gear. dealer has inspected and replaced transmission sensor, and problem has reoccurred. *ak
08/05/2000109/01/1999
 We have been complaining that there is something wrong with the transmisson since september 1999. the dealer said that the computer shows in spec. the speed sensor went and the van could not shift gears. replaced and failed again taking out the speedometer. told it was just a lose wire this time. the dealer told me that all 1998-99 vehicles have the same rev of sensor and chrysler will not replace them until the fail. at the same time the airconditioner failed -told that the condenser failed due to leaves rotting the system. a vacuum hose failed and another one came lose. now the trans shudders when shifting. told that the tran is built like this and most people don't notice it. chrysler is aware of the problem but won't fix it. dealer suggested that i not keep this vehicle past warranty as it will continue to fail and become costly to me. they also told me my expectations were too high and i should have purchased a foreign vehicle if i wanted reliability. i contacted chrysler. their cust service said that they are only concerned with fixing the vehicle and not building customer relations. i was told that managers will not speak to customers. my wife was almost rear ended when the transmission failed and is afraid to drive the vehicle.
02/20/2000208/01/1999
 Speed control module failed, transmission stuck in 2nd gear, dealer replaced, brakes gridded when stopping, two different dealers unable to correct problem,
05/21/1999410/01/1998
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
05/21/1999410/01/1998
 My first incident happened on 5/21/99; dealer service said there was nothing wrong. second incident was 6/1/99, this time the dealer service said they repaired the problem. again, i reported to dealer service the same problem on 9/9/99; dealer service said there was no problem found. again, i reported the same problem to dealer service on 1/18/2000; again, they said there was no problem found. the day i took the van to dealer to possibly trade for a new car, the salesman drove the van and immediately said it had a transmission problem, and within an hour the transmission wouldn't even shift gears. the warranty had expired; however, chrysler said they would cover the repair since i had had the van in so many times before for the same problem. this was 5/20/00. they kept the van all week, and finally said it was repaired. i picked up the van on 5/27/00, and before i got 5 (five) miles from the dealership, as i was driving on the expressway at 65 mph, the transmission went out again, and it was like someone slammed on the brakes. the speedodemeter went to zero and it kicked back down into first gear and wouldn't shift back. when this happened all four of my children and my husband were in the van, and one of my children's head was slung forward and then back. she has been complaining with a headache ever since. i took the van back to the dealership, (in 1st gear), and they said they would try again. my child is hurt, and my vehicle is a lemon! what can i do?*ak
05/21/1999410/01/1998
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
04/09/2000
 While making a stop vehicle surged forward because the transmission case blew out. dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak
09/01/1999403/01/1999
 When the transmission is in overdrive, there is a whistle sound when the trottle is pressed. releasing the trottle stops the whistle. this happens when cruise control is on as well as with out, can be reproduced very easily at various speeds. at higher speeds it is louder, i.e. it is louder on the highway than on surface streets.
03/07/2000106/01/1999
 Approximatel;y an hour after mva (damage to front drivers side), i left to accident scene. transmission would not shift, so pulled over at first avaliable area. the engine caught on fire. insurance estimates in excess of $6000 of structural damage form accident in addition to fire. vehicle is total loss. i don't believe the crumble zones properly protected to frame. i don't think the vehicle should have caught on fire. investigation of nhtsa web site produced nhtsa action number ea99013 which prompted contact. *ak
12/05/1999111/01/1998
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
05/08/199911/23/1998
 When the vehicle was in drive on a slight incline it did not engage. the dealer repalaced the transmission. manufacturer will be notified. *ak
01/03/1999109/01/1998
 Transmission got stuck between park and reverse, then jumped back into reverse, backed up and hit a tree. it is very easy to put the shifter in a position that looks like park but is not fully engaged. *ak *ml
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)
05/01/20051
 1999 dodge grand caravan has excessive rust eating away at the inner strut plate on the driver's side of the vehicle.*mr the dealer's technician was replacing the transmission control module when he noticed that there was excessive rust on strut plate. *bf *nm
12/18/20001
 Consumer was driving at 60-65mph on freeway and switching lanes when transmission slipped , rpm's went over 3000, transmission was stuck in 1st gear. dealer told consumer that sensor needed to be replaced. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES
10/14/2004690001
 The planetary set from the automatic transmission'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>automatic transmission'; return true; onmouseout=window.status=''; return true;>automatic transmission was discovered broken by the dealer after the vehicle would not start. *ak headlights were to dim on the vehicle. *tc
03/18/2002103/01/1999
 Molded transmission cooling lines leaking at left front. had to repair at local garage due to excessive leakage and long mileage to dealer. was informed of large back order on molded lines, so bulk lines were used. mechanic has seen same problem on dodge minvans on other occurrences.*ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
 While driving at highway speeds vehicle will just jump out of gear on its on and go into the neutral gear. the dealer has not been contacted. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH
03/30/2008149895106/22/2007
 My 10 year old daughter accidentally knocked the shifting lever out of park with out her foot on the brake. the van went in to neutral and came down our drive way and hit a snowbank coming close to a foot from hitting my home. the door hit my husband's truck and crushed the drivers side door on the van into the fender. the lift gate on the back caved in. luckily my daughter was able to get out from between the door and the van before it rolled. it never should have shifted with out the brake being pressed. *tr
108/01/1999
 Driver had turned vehicle on, but left it in park, shift lever was bumped slightly and jumped from park into reverse. had contacted both manufacturers, was informed that problem was normal for that vehicle.*ak consumer was informed that the vehicle was designed without the interlock system. *slc
01/26/20021
 Vehicle was parked/ engine running/ emergency brake not applied, consumer was outside of vehicle when her 3 year old shifted lever from park to drive and vehicle took off. consumer was able to stop vehicle. no injuries.*ak *slc
08/06/2001101/14/1999
 Gear shift can be moved out of park and shifted into any gears without applying brakes or without having key in ignition, causing vehicle to roll and hit neighbors parked vehicle. *ak estimated property damage was $3,000.*yd
10/01/1998
 Vehicle not equipped with shift interlock device whereby allowing our children the potential to shift vehicle out of park and creating a runaway condition. our two year old son has watched us enought that he knows how to put the keys in the ignition and pull the gear selector arm down. concerned about families and others safety.*ak
102/01/1999
 In light snow plastic gear that controls windshield wiper arm has stripped off, causing it to become inoperative. 2. also there is no safety lock for gear shift that prevents vehicle from rolling in case someone moves gear shift without applying brakes.*ak *slc
06/01/2000106/01/2000
 2 year old child was able to shift vehicle out of gear without applying brakes . consumer stated all chrysler vehicles do not have a safety feature to prevent this from happening. vehicle rolled over a hill into woods/ hitting trees, and going into a ditch. caused $6000 damage. child had a large bump on head. *ak *slc
03/05/200007/06/1999
 In the driveway was able to move gear shift lever without stepping on the brakes. contacted dealer, and was told that they changed the design in the 99 models. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
11/26/200374480102/01/2003
 While driving 25 mph the vehicle went over a pot hole and both front air bags deployed. the front passenger's side axle also broke. *nlm *sc
05/21/2001107/01/1999
 Since purchase of vehicle we have had an ongoing noise from the rear axles of the van. we have reported this at every service and the vehicle has had one of the rear axles replaced. dealer states this is a common problem with 4 wheel drive mini-vans and that reduced milage on rear brakes is common. we had less than 30k miles on a set of rear disc brakes and pad failure resulted in damage to one rotor. we have owned many different vehicles and have never had such poor performance of rear brakes.*ak
 A drift pin in front axle will come loose and slide out, knocking a hole in transmission case, which can cause fluid to leak, and possibly front wheels to lock up. dealer replaced transmission with same manufacturer's defective design. *ak
12/07/2000303/04/1999
 The vehicle has had continued problems with the trans axle assembly, several repairs however the trans axle assembly continues to leak. *mjs
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE
06/30/20071770001
 The fuel line is not secured to the undercarriage. it came out of its open u shaped hanger and fell against the driveline. the drive line then wore a hole in the gas line shutting down the vehicle and spewing fuel all over. stranding everyone. luckily it did not start a fire from the muffler. it has been repaired and tied to the hanger so that it will not come out again.*ak
09/01/20031
 Universal belt has completely fallen off and had to be replaced three times in the last eight months i have had this auto. it has fallen off the pully and had to be put back on two other additinal times. *ak
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT
08/01/2000110/12/1999
 While driving the cv joints completely came apart without warning. nlm
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
11/27/20041860001
 Dodge grand caravan differential failure causing loss of control. *jb
09/22/200310500107/15/2001
 At approximately 80,000 miles axle pin come loose and breaks through the transmission case. need new transmission. have to replace transmission but this is a common problem with these transmissions. i think it should be under warranty no matter what the miles because it is a common problem. they do not sell the vehicle as a 80,000 mile then replace vehicle and if it is common, i think they should replace the transmission and repay everyone who has had to get there transmission replaced. *la
03/29/20031
 The differential pin came through the side of the transmission, which caused the transmission to fail. *jb
02/06/2002109/01/1998
 Stopped at intersection car would not engage forward or reverse. had to tow to dealership. dealer service manager knew problem before i had car towed to his shop. differential pin hadcome through the casecausing internal damage and case is broken. problem diagnosed before van was at the dealership. thats hard to believe. transmission expert knows that engines are too powerful for transmission and service manager claims that pin disengages because it spins faster than it should and come free or breaks. chrysler immediately admitted to be at fault but only covered half of the cost to replace with a rebuilt transmission with the same faulty pin. not acceptable. *ak
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
04/26/200009/01/1999
 Tire problem started upon receiving new vehicle and i first reported at mileage1,898 and found there was a techinical service bulliten for the low speed tire wobble (number 22-02-99 dated 04-16-1999) and had the dealership replace the tires at mileage 21,522. the transmission shifted from over drive to second gear while crusing at 55 mph and had to have the vehicle towed because the tran was stuck in second gear. the input speed sensor was replaced but has not corrected the irratic shifting that i have brought the vehicle back and complained about.( dot number: tire size: 215/65r16 )