Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V094000 | SOUTHERN COMFORT CONVERSIONS | from 08/01/2000 to 03/03/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 3674 | 03/07/2003 | MFR | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 03/07/2003 | 03/18/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Certain pickup truck, van, and mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. these units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. owner notification began march 7, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact southern comfort at 1-800-745-6096. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 01/10/2010 | 92682 | 1 | |
| While changing the front struts of my 2000 dodge grand caravan, i found the front left strut tower to be extremely rusted. it hasn't rusted through yet, but looks like it will only be a matter of weeks. i called my local dodge dealer and they said a recall had not been issued, but a tsb had been. this means i have to pay for it, even they know it's a problem. bad customer service on chrysler's part. i will not buy another product from them, as they don't stand behind their products. *tr | |||
| 02/27/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Dodge caravan has corrosion in front strut tower. this is a unibody frame. was told by a chrysler employee that this is a common problem and rarely does chrysler assist with repairs. on oct 14, 2002 chrysler issued a tsb report #23-044-02, stating issue with left and right strut towers and the correction of the condition. chrysler is aware of this potentially dangerous issue and chooses to ignore it. after phoning chrysler they will not assist me in the repair of the vehicle. i was told by chrysler customer service that until something happens or breaks they will not correct problem. if the strut tower completely breaks as it will, it will render the vehicle inoperable and poses a significant danger to persons. *tr | |||
| 11/04/2008 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2000 dodge grand caravan that i purchased new in 2000, i recently had new struts installed on the front and was told that the left front strut tower was severely rusted and should be fixed as soon as possible. i was also told that this was a serious safety issue that chrysler was aware of,i did some research and found that this is a common problem with 1996 to 2000 chrysler mini-vans due to a design defect. *tr | |||
| 11/21/2008 | 0 | 1 | |
| Corrosion of strut towers, this has been ongoing since the van was new. we it is cosmetic and is not covered by the warranty. for the warranty to cover it, it will need to fail within 5 years or 100,000 miles. well we are past that now and it has failed. what to do? the dealer can fix it but it costs me $1200 to $1400. for an ongoing problem this is not fair and reasonable. not to mention, more than half of the complaints on this site are of this exact issue. and it runs through many years. do we need to wait until someone is injured before this is corrected. dodge is aware they have even made up a kit to assist with this issue. is there a class action? this van was $33,000. new in 2000 when we purchased it. this is not fair or reasonable. who needs to be talked to get this fixed? is the scope so large that they can not all be fixed? do i need to junk the van because the repair is more than it's street value? *tr | |||
| 02/03/2008 | 80000 | 1 | 01/17/2001 |
| Corrosion of both front strut towers on late 1990's - early 2000 dodge caravans. dodge is aware of the problem as they address it in a tsb. the refer to it as a cosmetic problem when it is clearly a safety issue. if not repaired at high cost to many thousands of vehicles, control would be lost without warning. *tr | |||
| 08/24/2007 | 85000 | 1 | 07/25/2003 |
| My 2000 grand caravan (87000), has the dash board crack on the drivers side, from the windshield to the speaker grille, (and traveling). this is a common problem with chrysler vehicles due to news reports recently. chrysler should address this problem before people get hurt ect.. i have replaced the evaporater, a/c compressor, & belt $2300.00. the transmission is shifting badly and today check engine light came on. this is my 7th chrysler vehicle in the past 30 years, and will be the last if chrysler doesn't step up, on this dash problem this time. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 40000 | 1 | 08/01/2000 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge grand caravan. the contact noticed rust on the top of the strut tower. the rust has worsened over time. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. the dealer advised the contact to take the vehicle to a body shop so they could weld a piece of metal to the strut tower. the body shop stated that would not solve the failure and stated that the strut tower should be replaced. the current mileage is 73,500 and failure mileage was 40,000. updated 02/01/08. *lj | |||
| 08/05/2006 | 60000 | 1 | 02/24/2001 |
| The problem described herein is about my 2000 dodge grand caravan. over the past year i noticed some rusting at the left top strut tower. i questioned it at the time, but was told it was not serious. during the past week i was replacing the air filter and noticed that now over one half of the strut area was heavily rusted and had large cracks on one side. i took it to my local chrysler dealer to see if the rust through warranty would apply, or if it was a common problem. the manager looked at it, looked up my warranty and said even though the time period is good until 12/2006 the mileage of 69700 was over by 9750 miles. he would not admit that this is a common problem and said it could be very dangerous, take it to a body shop for repair. i since have investigated this complaint on nhtsa, and found that there are many identical problems, and chrysler has even developed a corrosion kit for this problem. see odi id: 10147504 can you advice me of my next step. we are not driving the van until it is repaired. this is a garaged vehicle. *jb | |||
| 12/15/1999 | 5 | 2 | 12/06/1999 |
| Dt: the contact stated there have been numerous electrical problems which resulted in the dashboard panel lights flashing on and off while driving. she took the vehicle to a dealer for multiple attempts to correct this problem. also, there was a leak within the roof, resulting in damage to the carpeting. there is a slashing sound within the roof compartment after a heavy rain. the carpet has been replaced five times, and the television was replaced once as a result of the leak. *ak. updated 11/30/2005 - glazed serpentine belt caused grinding noise when turning. the left middle seat head rest came loose from the guide rod. the door sticks and the siding door makes noise when opening. the rear window rattles when opened. the fog lihjt are ionpertive. the horn spunded weak because the keyless entry remote needed to be reprogrammed. the tail light had moisture in it. the locking gas cap was hard to open. the rear tire had a slow leak. *nm | |||
| 10/07/2005 | 60000 | 5 | 02/26/2001 |
| 2000 grand caravan has multiple rust points. the most dangerous of which is the rusting and deterioration of the front left strut. the top portion of the strut cover is rusted and falling apart, with a crack in it. other parts of the car that are showing many rust areas include: passenger door (can put finger through rust), hood (bubbling paint and cracking), paint peeling from antenna housing, rear hatch rust, left rear wheel basin. my largest concern is the strut rust for safety issues, but this vehicle should not be rusting so poorly being only 5 years old! *nm | |||
| 02/01/2001 | 1 | 11/01/2000 | |
| Disfunctional front end height causing front bumper to grab when parking at parking bumpers, which tore loose the bumper/fender. also makes it so that it bottoms out at normal driving conditions. | |||
| 05/18/2000 | 10/01/1999 | ||
| Five days in dealer's body shop and one day in service shop, unable to stop the water leak into front driver-side cabin. the water leaks into vehicle when it rains. vehicle is always parked when water comes into cabin. it comes in with heavy or light rains. body shop manager remembers two other vehicles with water leak problems. | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 90000 | ||
| Strut towers rotted out at 90000 miles, replacement caps were purchased from dodge dealer and installed as per factory tsb .... strut towers are rotted below repair caps again.... approx. 150000 miles now on van, struts are also in need of replacement however this can not be done due to severity of rust damage....this is obviously a factory defect... resulting in an unsafe condition... chrysler is well aware of this issue and should be held responsible ... this is a serious safety issue affecting tens of thousands of vehicles...not just a few here or there - the question should be how many are not affected??? i'm actually considering searching for a lawyer to start a class action lawsuit against chrysler ...something needs to be done! | |||
| 11/14/2011 | 48000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that condensation was building up in the headlights, causing difficulty in seeing the roadway when driving at night. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that there was nothing they could do to repair the failure. the contact stated the condensation on the headlights would not allow the vehicle to pass the state safety inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 48,000. kmj | |||
| 09/23/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Took my van in to the shop because i was hearing a noise in the front end when i drive it. they told me that the front strut housing cover had rusted and that the strut could now go through the hood and windshield while driving. that this is not the first time that they have seen this and that a kit has been made to repair it. however it has to be welded to the frame of the van and it could cost up to $500.00 just to fix this problem and i can not even fix the strut until this is taken care of. making other parts needing to be fixed because of it. i noticed some time ago that this was rusting but thought nothing of it not being a mechanic and all. i didnt think that this was an important part since it was under the hood i couldn't figure out why it would rust. i was told that it was a defect that dodge has known about and that is why they came up with the repair kit. that unless someone dies dodge is not going to do anything about it. i sure hope that nothing happens to anyone before dodge decides to do something. i can not believe that there are already complains on this site and the nhtsa has not done anything about it. i did call the consumer center at dodge and opened a complaint there someone should call me tomorrow. i just hope that they are willing to fix this at no cost or no injury to me, my family or anyone else that could be effected do to this problem. i hope if anyone else has this problem they report it also that is the only way we can get anyone to resolve this issue. i sure do not want to get rid of my van nor can i afford to right now. my van has been great and very dependable until this problem. i sure hope dodge or nhysa stands by me and fixes this problem!!!!!!!!!!!! | |||
| 10/21/2008 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Rusting strut towers 2000 grand caravan. i noticed rust on the strut tower about a year ago. i sprayed undercoating on the top of both towers to prevent further rust. i inspected the tops of the towers this week. both the driver | |||
| 09/03/2008 | 120000 | 1 | |
| My 2000 dodge caravan van has a rusted shock tower on driver side due to faulty design. this issues has been reported on many dodge blog sites.*tr | |||
| 11/18/2006 | 20 | ||
| Water leaks onto the passenger side floor from the hvac during ac use and in heavy rain. *nm | |||
| 04/10/2002 | 100 | 3 | 06/08/2000 |
| Dodge grand caravan 2000 - front passenger door area leak continues despite having had it repaired at the dealer twice. most noticeable is that the leak occurs when the van sits in the drive with the windows rolled up. no evidence of where the water comes from, just the puddle at the passenger front door sill.*ak | |||
| 1 | 10/09/2000 | ||
| Consumer has wind turbulant noise inside of vehicle when windows are up. turbulance is so high where passengers have to talk loud, and radio has to have a high volume to hear. vehicle is in arbitration.*ak consumer states the noise is also heard in the rear, dealer states they will try to remedy the problem by adjusting the luggage bars on luggage rack. *slc | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||
| 03/15/2001 | |||
| Electric locks/ doors would lock and unlock on their own. also, that if consumer applied brakes suddenly locks would be triggered sometimes. this happens on a random basis. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak | |||
| 09/15/2000 | |||
| Dashboard lights go out constantly. also, door locks don't work intermittently. took vehicle to dealer 5 times, cannot remedy problem. dashlights lights went out 18 times within 10 days.*ak | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE | |||
| 07/01/2003 | 27000 | 1 | 09/20/2000 |
| There has been a leak into passenger compartment from top of hatch opening. leak was hidden by plastic covering and not detected until noticeable smell, possible caused by mold. water is entering through a faulty weld on each side of the upper hatch opening. leak was additionally obscured because carpet is rubber backed. the underlying padding was soaked from the rear up to the middle row of seats. this has obviously been ongoing for a considerable time, but was undetectable due to it's location. the van is 3 1/2 years old but has only 31,300 miles. the welds should not fail in this short time. this is either a design flaw or a mfg defect. many people may have this problem and not know about it. i have photos of the area where the water is entering. there is no specific date of incident, but i first noticed a small amount of wetness sometime last year. i thought it had dripped off the open hatch. i would like to know if this is an ongoing problem with these vehicles.*ak | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 02/16/2011 | 100000 | ||
| The drivers side shock tower has completely rusted out. i had a 1996 caravan that did the same thing. there are many repair caps that will help structural support if the rust has not spread too far. unfortunately, this will not help me. the rust was hidden under the paint and extends 4-5 inches down the strut tower. with the vehicle under weight and from driving it, there is now a tear in the metal on the side if the strut tower from front to back at a downward angle. this makes the vehicle undriveable and a major safety issue. | |||
| 01/18/2006 | 40000 | ||
| I purchased a used 2000 dodge grand caravan in 2005. at time of purchase the left front strut tower had no visible signs of decay. as time went on, the strut tower has began to rust completely through while the right tower is perfectly fine. i have found this is a common problem with dodge caravans of this model year and if the tower fails, the strut can punch through causing catastrophic loss of control. i have a family of 5 and i am very concerned for their well-being. there is nothing wrong this vehicle other than the described issue i have mentioned here. for me personally, this a huge lawsuit in the making, especially if any member of my family is endangered. i am the second owner of this vehicle. regardless, if something happens to any member of my family due to this known defect which i just found out about, i can guarantee you with 100% percent certainty that i will fight this in court. i would like to be contacted regarding this issue as soon as possible. i am very concerned over this, and my decision to take legal action and whether or not i ever purchase another dodge product again hinges on any assistance that i may or may not receive. i will provide vin # and any other information needed once i am contacted. | |||
| 11/14/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Upper strut towers on our 2000 dodge grand caravan are rusting out structurally with only 96,000 miles. it looks important to get fixed (which i will) before the front end collapses! *tr | |||
| 07/10/2008 | 120000 | 1 | |
| 1. normal vehicle operation 2. the failure of structure securing and retaining the front suspension (strut tower) do to excessive corrosion. upon failure the entire front suspension falls apart resulting in catastrophic lose of vehicle control and support. vehicle will swerve resulting in collision or roll over. 3. what needs to be done is a recall to replace the defective strut tower. *tr | |||
| 05/19/2006 | 79400 | 1 | 10/05/1999 |
| A rattling noise when car in use, especially when power used from air conditioning and defroster. diagnosis from dodge dealer was a cracked flex plate. transmission will have to be removed to replace part. 2 weeks prior to bringing the car in for repair the front end began to shake upon acceleration (especially up hill), felt very unsafe driving. brought back to dealer they diagnosed the shaking problem to be the flex plate. dealer replaced the flex plate at my cost, because it is no longer under warranty. very expensive work because transmission had to be lifted. after repair the mechanic took it for a test drive. remarked the rattling noise is gone, but front end shake remained. re-examined car and said the frame was bent on the left side and that the car must have been hit and to call a body shop for repair. the car has never been in an accident. there are absolutely no visible signs of any damage to the exterior. the van is garaged and at most driven approx 75-100 miles p/wk. i drive safely with children in the car and have not hit even so much as a curb or jack rabbit. how can the frame of a car be damaged in such a way, without any misuse or accident. it is not a safe vehicle to drive and is susceptible to losing control at any time and causing an accident. *jb | |||
| 12/09/2005 | 148000 | 1 | |
| I had an oil change done at a chrysler dealer the service advisor noted on the repair order and told my wife that the front strut towers were rusting out and that the strut could break though the tower causing a loss of control of the van. *jb | |||