Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 12/19/2011 | 180000 | ||
| After going through water puddles, the car became difficult to steer. the wheel turned but as if the engine was off. the car also hesitates as if the engine will stall | |||
| 01/19/2012 | 121000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge grand caravan. the contact was driving 15mph when the smell of burned rubber emitted inside of the vehicle and flames were visible from under the hood. the contact also mentioned the head lights failed to illuminate intermittently. the vehicle was not destroyed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired and the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 121,000. rds | |||
| 06/05/2011 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated the vehicle stalls without warning. the contact stated that no warning signs illuminate on the instrument panel. the vehicle however will start right back up after it stalls. the vehicle seems to have the failure whenever the fuel tank is full. the contact planned to have the vehicle inspected. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 72,000.rl | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 1 | 10/31/2006 | |
| 2004 dodge grand caravan customer has concerns with the timing belt**nar**cc the crank was undersized on the bearings and the bearings were undersized creating a large gap between the bearings and the crank which was causing the noise knocking noise in the engine. a foreign piece of metal was found under the main bearing cap which caused extra clearance. and the crack was only touching two-thirds of the bearing surface. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 75000 | 1 | |
| 1. metal coolant lines going to rear heater failed ,massive corrosion where the heater hose attaches to the pipe completely rotted/rusted out, the vehicle had 75k miles on it. 2. if the coolant level gets too low of course my engine will overheat and seize. 3. the steel pipes need to be replaced for aluminum pipes or corrosion protection from the factory that's needed to withstand harsh climes, especially ones where salt is used to deice roadways. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 10/24/2007 | 1 | 11/03/2003 | |
| We have had our van in for service and oil changes in the past. the engine had less than 40,000 miles and was using almost 4 quarts of oil in less than three months. the last time it was serviced, the dealer could not find any reason why it was using oil. they said to keep an eye on it by checking it frequently, and they could try to monitor it to see why we were loosing oil. we could always find small spots of oil in our driveway and on parking areas/garage floor. the dealer did check the vehicle and said they could not find any oil leaks. they did however find a leak in the transmission line, which did not explain why we were having to replace oil on a regular basis. we had just placed 4 quarts of oil in the van two days prior to the service appointment. the van was totaled in an automobile accident the next month, so we were not able to follow up on the oil leak problem but felt that we should report this problem since other dodge caravan owners have had the same problem where they have low mileage on their vehicle, and oil loss for no known reason. *tr | |||
| 08/05/2007 | 38000 | 1 | 12/28/2004 |
| I had continually added oil every month starting after about 10,000 miles. i changed oil every 3-5,000 miles. driving back from up north and i heard a ticking noise. i had checked the oil level before our trip on 8-3-07 and added 2 quarts of oil to bring it up to full. as we had the windows closed as the temp had fallen to chilly, i could no longer hear the noise until we were within mile of our home. it became louder and as we pulled into the driveway, it was very loud. i was going to bring it to a dealership to get it checked out the next day, but the van would not start. i had it towed to the closest dealer and they looked at it the next day and told me that the engine had blown. they told me to contact chrysler as they would too. i did and they told me it was not going to be covered due to lack of maintenance. they wanted oil change records and i did some myself but had 3 from a local repair shop. they wanted 2 more and i could not supply these as i had done them myself. i did have a receipt for the oil i added in last july, but that was it. i have about 37,000-38,000 miles on the van. the dealership wants me to pay for the tear down of the engine even though i was told the first week that chrysler had ok'd the tear down to find the problem. now the dealership called me and wants me to pay for a tear down so they can look into why it broke. i told them , you already told me that you had the ok to do this and it should be already done. i went to the dealership and the van was on the hoist and was particularly disassembled. the dealership wants me to pay for the tear down and a new engine that will cost almost $5,000. i have it documented on at least one oil change that it had used 2 quarts of oil between changes. i had no leaks below my van so i was unaware that this engine was eating oil. other than having to add some every month. more if you need it. *jb | |||
| 10/07/2005 | 43825 | 1 | 04/03/2004 |
| We have had numerous and repeat problems with our 2004 dodge grand caravan and we get no help from the dealer or the manufacturer. the main complaint that is most concerning is our brakes as we have had to replace them 3 times in less than a year. we have terrible shaking, vibration and grinding. the vehicle has pulled to the right from the moment we purchased it, i thought it was out of alignment but they have not been able to correct the problem although it has been in several times. coincidentally it is the right side that wears more than then left. upon taking it to an aaa approved auto center and ase it was found that the calipers have been binding and the rotors were too thin to machine. we have kept the parts that the repair shop removed so that the condition and wear can be documented physically should a representative of dodge wish to see the actual parts. we paid over 32,000 for this vehicle 18 months ago and it consistently under performs and as mentioned above has had several mechanical problems but the reliability of the braking system is more than inconvenient and expensive, it is a safety concern. i do not trust the dealership to correctly diagnose and the dealership and manufacturer maintain that this is vehicle is performing as intended. therefore we must conclude that the 2004 dodge grand caravan is designed to perform poorly and be in the shop regularly. *nm updated 11/4/2005 - the rear windshield wipes have been repaired on two separate occasion but they still don't work. the ses light illuminated and the vehiclewas taken tot he dealer. they diagnosed the problem and found fault codes for cylinder #3 misfire and multiple cylinder misfire. the dealer installed spark plugs, replaced pluf wires and flashed the pcm. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 10/29/2003 | 100 | 1 | 10/14/2003 |
| When in drive and sitting at stop light or still the motor runs rough. it feels like the engine will shut off.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 04/04/2004 | 745 | 2 | 03/01/2004 |
| Dt: consumer's wife was driving near home and lost power steering and power brakes. she was able to stop the vehicle by standing on the brakes. the dealership was called and they pick up the vehicle. they replaced the serpentine belt and pulley. a year later while driving on the interstate the serpentine belt fell off again in the middle of heavy traffic. the consumer had to pull to the side of road. the dealer was called and they determined that the serpentine belt and pulley had broken again. it was repaired. called the manufacturer to report the problem. the manufacturer said that there was nothing they could do about it. no more problems as of yet. *ak *nm | |||
| 03/20/2005 | 3 | 09/20/2003 | |
| Van felt like it was going to stall when at a stop light or stop sign or if idling. also battery died twice within first year. high pitched squealing developed about 6 months after purchase. the van vibrates, especially steering wheel once speed exceeds 50 mph. the dealership replaced the battery and also the alternater due to a defective mechanism. the squealing has stopped. adjustments were also made to reduce the rough ride of the vehicle. the vibrating still occurs and it is not smooth when on the highway going at speeds in excess of 50 mph. *ak | |||