Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 03/10/2011 | 170000 | ||
| Serpentine belt came off pulleys while driving in heavy rain. lost ability to steer van. van headed directly for another car and collision narrowly avoided. belt coming off when wet appears to be a common problem with this series van, and would seem to be a very serious hazard. it is beyond me why dodge is not required to retrofit a better belt/pulley system (which does exist and is on the market). | |||
| 01/10/2009 | 1 | ||
| The serpentine belt came off several times in the rain , on our 1999 dodge grand caravan, resulting in loss of power steering. i had gone through a puddle and as i turned a corner i lost power steering. i made it onto the side grass as i was unable to complete the turn. i was only a couple feet away from hitting a brick building. this was a very unsettling experience. i should not have to be terrified to drive in the rain. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Three times in six weeks, the serpentine belt (which powers the power steering, alternator and water pump) has slipped off the pulleys. in one of the three instances, the drive belt was shredded. after a quick search of the internet, literally hundreds of complaints about this were found. fortunately, in our case, there has not been an injury to date, however a loss of power steering at the wrong moment could easily cause an accident. likewise, loss of accessories such as the alternator and water pump could leave someone stranded. on this vehicle, the belt tensioner has been replaced and the belt has been replaced three times in less than 1,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 07/30/2008 | 85000 | 1 | |
| 1- noise serpentine belt. 2- sudden temporary loss of power steering while driving in rain. occurs everytime it rains. resulting in temporary extremely dangerous situation as i am unable to steer even though i am a strong 350lbs. 3- have changed serpentine belt several times but problem persists. *tr | |||
| 03/03/2007 | 125000 | 8 | |
| 1999 grand caravan - serpentine belt comes off when it rains or vehicle is driven through water, even minor amounts. causes sudden loss of steering ability, especially if it occurs without warning during a turn. i have owned this vehicle for 6 years and 125,000+ miles without incident. during the last 25,000 miles belt has come off unpredictably 6-8 times in wet weather. occurrences started following replacement of front tires and a wheel alignment. dealers and service stations have blamed the tensioneer, a pulley, the belt itself, and water. replacement of these parts does nothing to resolve the problem which occurs again with the next rain storm. something changed at 125,000 miles that causes the belt to disengage the pulleys and /or tensioner when water is sprayed up by the tires in wet weather. i changed tires to a different tread design and this helped for a time, but with wear the problem recurred. *jb | |||
| 10/24/2003 | 51230 | 2 | 06/01/1999 |
| I own a 1999 dodge grand caravan, sport edition. yesterday while my wife was making a right turn on the street, the steering froze and the brakes failed. she went straight on the other side of the cross street and the van went dead. upon starting the van again, the service engine soon light came up. the speedometer was unresponsive and somehow we brought the van home. this is probably the speed sensor that has gone bad again. three months ago when i was driving the van on the freeway, the van went unresponsive and i had to pullover. upon starting the van, it showed the service engine soon light and would not catch up highway speed. i had to drive at 35 mph speed on freeway at very high engine revolutions and come home. the dealer replaced the speed sensor to fix the problem. the serious thing of the problem in this van is that the problem occurs suddenly while the van is in motion. yesterday and three months ago it could have resulted in a fatal accident. *la | |||
| 05/05/2003 | 1 | 04/01/2001 | |
| Nhtsa #02-v-293-000. on certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process. consumer has the same problem. a recall has been issues on similar makes and models. however this vehicle is not include due the vin#. *mm *scc | |||
| 06/01/2002 | 1 | 12/01/1998 | |
| While turning into the driveway, the consumer heard a clunk and the steering went completely around. consumer feels this is very unsafe. *ak the consumer states that the steering wheel had no control over the tires. injuries or fatalities could have occured. the dealer had replaced the lower steering shaft. it had been stripped out from the lack of full/appropriate connection. the material engineer stated that the part appeared to have been engaged only 1/3 of the way, instead of the whole way. *scc | |||
| While pulling into a parking lot the steering broke, steering wheel then was able to spin freely with no control over the vehicle. dealer has been contacted.*ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 11/21/2004 | 1 | ||
| While consumer was driving approximately 30 mph vehicle had trouble shifting gears. vehicle was then pulled over alongside the road. when attempting to resart the engine steering wheel locked. it was determined to be the steering sensor.*ak | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 10/11/2002 | |||
| Consumer states that her child was able to take car out of gear without pressing the brake. ts | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 12/03/1999 | 5 | 11/01/1998 | |
| This vehicle has had problems with a rubbing and knocking noise in the steering components. the dealership has replaced steering hoses, the steering column, the intermediate coupler shaft, and 3 rack and pinions in trying to repair the problem. they've contacted the manufacturer and had their star technician supervise the last repair, but the problem still exists. on 12/3/1999 the technician test drove with the customer to diagnose noise in steering column. on 12/17/99, the steering column was replaced. on 12/23/99 a noise in the steering was fixed with the replacement of the power steering lines. on 2/3/00, vehicle was checked for rubbing noise in steering. the technician could not duplicate the problem. on 1/18/01, rack and pinion was ordered to fix rubbing noise in steering column. on 3/29/01 customer returned to complain about noisy steering. on 4/23/01, dealer replaced intermediate steering coupler shaft. on 5/3/01 the rack and pinion was replaced to repair a noisy steering rack. on 7/27/01, vehicle was returned to dealer for noisy steering and repairs supervised by star technician. rack and pinion was replace and vehicle was returned to customer on 8/3/01. some noise appears intermittently still and repair does not seem complete. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 09/06/2002 | |||
| While traveling on highway and without prior warning power steering went out. also, vehicle started to overheat. dealership was aware of problem.*ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 1 | |||
| Power steering failed, consumer loss control of vehicle which resulted in a collision and injuries. *ak *jb | |||
| 12/21/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1999 | |
| A worn bushing/bearing in the tensioner pulley allowed the drive belt to slip off while cornering. the loss of power steering assist nearly caused the vehicle to drive off the road. the vehicle then quickly overheated leaving my wife and children stranded on a county road in a potentially life threatening situation. the actual temp was +5 f with a wind chill of -30 f. they were thankfully rescued within about 20 minutes thanks to her cellphone. i understand chrysler has issued a tsb for belts that slip off when driving through snow or water due to pulley failure. this is an extremely dangerous situation and should be subject to a recall. thank you. roger stites. *ak | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 2 | 09/01/1998 | |
| I am very concerned about the safety of my 1999 dodge grand caravan in rain storms. twice now the serpentine belt came off when water in the road sprayed onto the belt. when this happens, the power steering, alternator, water pump, and all other components powered by the belt stop functioning. the loss of power steering is very dangerous because it can happen at high speeds. service bulletin 07-02-99, serpentine belt slips off idler pulley installs a bracket to prevent this. my concern is that no one knows about this service bulletin until the belt comes off. there is undue risk to owners of these vans. this needs to be a vehicle recall not a service bulletin. i have contacted chrysler via the internet (reference number: 7904321) and written to james holden's office, chrysler president . i was informed to contact nhtsa as the information was proprietary. i have friends with the same van that have had the same problem in rain storms. it is very dangerous to allow this to continue. do people have to be killed before chrysler takes a proactive approach to solving this on all vehicles effected? a vehicle recall is needed immediately to prevent injuries. i am very dissappointed in chrysler for allowing me and my family to be exposed to this design flaw for the past couple of years. just today a friend has had the same problem with her chrysler mini van. | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 2 | 11/01/1999 | |
| Consumer was traveling about 45mph on highway when power steering/coolant system malfunctioned and battery light came on. vehicle had to be towed to dealership, serpentine belt came off.*ak serpentine has fallen off twice. *slc | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||
| 06/08/2007 | 140000 | 3 | 10/09/2003 |
| The serpentine belt on the pulley system came off on several occasions, then on 6-8-07 the belt not only came off again, but the p/s wheel {not sure if that's the correct name for it} or pulley metal bracket, broke completely off. so now i can't even replace the belt this time, as their is nothing there for the belt to meld/adhere to. this does not seem to be an isolated incident or problem, many consumers are complaining of the same types of problems with the belts coming off. before i invest anymore money with belts and kits and such, i need to know if there is any recalls regarding the tensioner pulley system. please email me regarding the above mentioned. thanks, r.jonak hartofusa@yahoo.com | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 105000 | 3 | |
| 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 | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 11/15/2005 | 47230 | 1 | 01/10/1999 |
| I have a 1999 dodge grand caravan with 57000 at present. when we had 47000 miles on the vehicle, we were having problems with the steering. upon taking the van to the dealer we were told we would need to replace the rack and pinion to the tune of $1350.00 dollars with out assistance from chrysler. at present we are still experiencing problem such as the van wonders and hard to steer. in addition to this problem another problem is the serpentine belt has come off and had to be replace 5 times after or during a rain storm since purchasing this vehicle. it appears a large number of people are experiencing these problems, and although my van is a 1999 model i should not be experiencing all of these problems with only 57000 miles, and chrysler should conduct a massive recall to repair and correct these problems. *nm | |||
| 03/02/2005 | 48000 | 1 | 12/06/1998 |
| I have a 1999 dodge grand caravan, at 48,000 miles i had to have the rack & pinion replaced in the vehicle at the cost of $1300.00 dollars. chrysler would not stand behind the product. i have heard of another case in point with the same problem. it is hard to believe i should have been responsible for replacing this in such a short amount of miles since the vehicle is driven by my wife to and from work only on street surface. i think this should be checked to see how many others have had the same problem and require chrysler to address the issue. *jb | |||
| 06/15/2004 | 1 | ||
| I have a 1999 dodge grand caravan. a bolt that is in the rack and pinion steering bar came out while driving on the highway. we stopped at a gas station driving south on 95. when we started driving on the highway again, i noticed that the steering wheel was not in its normal position when driving straight down the road. i was driving straight, but the steering wheel, which normally has the remote controls directly in front of the driver (controls are to be at 3:00 on the right and 9:00 on the left), had shifted to about almost 6:00 for the right and 12:00 for the left. i could still control the van, so i pulled off on the next exit. the garage mechanic checked and realized the bolt underneath had come off. he found another bolt the same size and put it back in. i arrived at my destination in florida the next day and took the van to a ntb store. they checked out the new bolt and the alignment of the van and said everything looked okay. *ak | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 105000 | 3 | |
| 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 | |||
| 12/03/1999 | 5 | 11/01/1998 | |
| This vehicle has had problems with a rubbing and knocking noise in the steering components. the dealership has replaced steering hoses, the steering column, the intermediate coupler shaft, and 3 rack and pinions in trying to repair the problem. they've contacted the manufacturer and had their star technician supervise the last repair, but the problem still exists. on 12/3/1999 the technician test drove with the customer to diagnose noise in steering column. on 12/17/99, the steering column was replaced. on 12/23/99 a noise in the steering was fixed with the replacement of the power steering lines. on 2/3/00, vehicle was checked for rubbing noise in steering. the technician could not duplicate the problem. on 1/18/01, rack and pinion was ordered to fix rubbing noise in steering column. on 3/29/01 customer returned to complain about noisy steering. on 4/23/01, dealer replaced intermediate steering coupler shaft. on 5/3/01 the rack and pinion was replaced to repair a noisy steering rack. on 7/27/01, vehicle was returned to dealer for noisy steering and repairs supervised by star technician. rack and pinion was replace and vehicle was returned to customer on 8/3/01. some noise appears intermittently still and repair does not seem complete. | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 12/03/1999 | 5 | 11/01/1998 | |
| This vehicle has had problems with a rubbing and knocking noise in the steering components. the dealership has replaced steering hoses, the steering column, the intermediate coupler shaft, and 3 rack and pinions in trying to repair the problem. they've contacted the manufacturer and had their star technician supervise the last repair, but the problem still exists. on 12/3/1999 the technician test drove with the customer to diagnose noise in steering column. on 12/17/99, the steering column was replaced. on 12/23/99 a noise in the steering was fixed with the replacement of the power steering lines. on 2/3/00, vehicle was checked for rubbing noise in steering. the technician could not duplicate the problem. on 1/18/01, rack and pinion was ordered to fix rubbing noise in steering column. on 3/29/01 customer returned to complain about noisy steering. on 4/23/01, dealer replaced intermediate steering coupler shaft. on 5/3/01 the rack and pinion was replaced to repair a noisy steering rack. on 7/27/01, vehicle was returned to dealer for noisy steering and repairs supervised by star technician. rack and pinion was replace and vehicle was returned to customer on 8/3/01. some noise appears intermittently still and repair does not seem complete. | |||
| 11/30/2000 | 1 | 09/03/1999 | |
| There is a popping or clunking noise that comes from within steering column while vehicle is in operation or stopping. noise occurs on a random basis and dealership cannot not determine cause of noise. there is a tsb, bulletin number: 190999 for this problem. *ak | |||
| Ea01007-consumer took vehicle to dealer for a sound in steering column. dealer has replaced steering column twice, and clock spring twice but defect still occurs. *ak | |||
| 01/19/1999 | 1 | 11/30/1998 | |
| Steering wheel wanders and is stiff. yh | |||