Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 12/29/2011 | 75000 | 1 | |
| 2008 grand caravan having dangerous electrical / powertrain problems. van suddenly loses electrical control. horn blows, windshield wipers run, washer fluid sprays, doors latch (or fail to unlatch) transmission goes limp. several other reports of exactly the same issue are listed on this site. according to some posts on the web, there is an update for similar issues on the 2010s. also, i am finding these same reports on dodge weblogs for other dodge vehicles, not just the grand caravan. this may be the causing accidents since there are so many reports. | |||
| 12/29/2011 | 75000 | ||
| 2008 grand caravan having dangerous electrical / powertrain problems. van suddenly loses electrical control. horn blows, windshield wipers run, washer fluid sprays, doors latch (or fail to unlatch) transmission goes limp. several other reports of exactly the same issue are listed on this site. according to some posts on the web, there is an update for similar issues on the 2010s. also, i am finding these same reports on dodge weblogs for other dodge vehicles, not just the grand caravan. this may be the causing accidents since there are so many reports. | |||
| 08/13/2012 | 55000 | 1 | |
| There is a heater hose assembly leading from the top of the engine to the heater cores in the passenger compartment. a hose comes out of the engine and into a y-coupling, where it splits into two hoses. one hose leads into the firewall and the front heater core. the second goes under the vehicle to the back heater core. a coolant leak developed in the y-coupling, leaking coolant onto the exhaust. after leaking for some time, the check engine light came on to indicate low coolant. this appears to be a common problem, as a simple google search turns up many results like this: http://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-caravan/275625-2008-grand-caravan-coolant-leak-3.html either the y-couplings are defective, or are not designed to handle the stress and heating/cooling cycles inherent in carrying hot coolant. *tr | |||
| 08/13/2012 | 55000 | ||
| There is a heater hose assembly leading from the top of the engine to the heater cores in the passenger compartment. a hose comes out of the engine and into a y-coupling, where it splits into two hoses. one hose leads into the firewall and the front heater core. the second goes under the vehicle to the back heater core. a coolant leak developed in the y-coupling, leaking coolant onto the exhaust. after leaking for some time, the check engine light came on to indicate low coolant. this appears to be a common problem, as a simple google search turns up many results like this: http://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-caravan/275625-2008-grand-caravan-coolant-leak-3.html either the y-couplings are defective, or are not designed to handle the stress and heating/cooling cycles inherent in carrying hot coolant. | |||
| 09/10/2012 | 37000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the transmission failed. as a result, the transmission shifted hard and the check engine lightilluminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced due to the second gear failing. the failure mileage and the current mileage was 37000.pmb | |||
| 09/10/2012 | 37000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the transmission failed on the vehicle. the contact was driving the vehicle when it did a very hard shift and the check engine light came on. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the second gear failed on the vehicle and that caused the transmission to be replaced. the failure mileage and the current mileages were 37000.rl | |||
| 08/17/2012 | 47800 | 1 | |
| The transmission started slamming into gear when starting the vehicle from a stop (both forward and reverse). according to the technician at the dodge dealership, there was a significant amount of metal shavings in the transmission oil pan indicating the transmission was grinding itself apart. two repair options were given - replace the transmission entirely or have it rebuilt at the dealership. since there was the possibility of more significant damage internally, we opted to have the transmission replaced to ensure safe and reliable operation in the future. the vehicle has less than 50k miles, has not been driven roughly, and is not used for towing or hauling heavy loads. essentially, there is no reason the transmission should have self-destructed on this vehicle. *tr | |||
| 08/17/2012 | 47800 | ||
| The transmission started slamming into gear when starting the vehicle from a stop (both forward and reverse). according to the technician at the dodge dealership, there was a significant amount of metal shavings in the transmission oil pan indicating the transmission was grinding itself apart. two repair options were given - replace the transmission entirely or have it rebuilt at the dealership. since there was the possibility of more significant damage internally, we opted to have the transmission replaced to ensure safe and reliable operation in the future. the vehicle has less than 50k miles, has not been driven roughly, and is not used for towing or hauling heavy loads. essentially, there is no reason the transmission should have self-destructed on this vehicle. | |||
| 08/25/2012 | 71000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while turning at an intersection, the vehicle hesitated and stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who performed a diagnostic, which located the failure at the transmission. the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 71,000. kmj | |||
| 08/25/2012 | 71000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while turning at an intersection the vehicle hesitated and stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the transmission. the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 71,000. li | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 30000 | 1 | |
| We purchased vehicle with @ 15k miles in may 2010 - in january 2011 at @ 30k miles we had to replace the brakes and rotors the whole way around. i spoke with 3 mechanics who 1) said rotors at this low mileage was unheard of and 2) this was a known problem with dodge grand caravans. then, just 3 weeks ago, at 55513 miles, my left front axle / cv joint snapped. from (plenty of) online research, i learned 2 things - 1) this break should not occur in a vehicle so new and 2) all 2008 chrysler / dodge vehicles are known for this! in fact there was a recall in 08 for a lot of vehicles (not the caravan) for just this! when i called chrysler/dodge - they first said that this wasn't a part of the powertrain warranty (um, it's an axle!!! attached to the drive shaft) and second - if i was the original owner, it'd be covered, but since i'm not, it wasn't. this was a $500 repair job. 2 weeks later!!!!!!! at @ 56000 miles, i started having front end problems again - back to the garage - this time, i'm surprised with the fact that i need brakes and rotors the whole way around again. and, abs sensors, a new caliper and brake hoses. new brakes - again?!?!? here comes the online research again... i found a website (carcomplaints.com) that had 1027!!! entries from 08 grand caravan users that have had to repair or replace their brakes and rotors at an average of every 10000 miles - that is not normal! *tr | |||
| 05/27/2012 | 80000 | ||
| Upon start of vehicle, wipers turned on(switch pos off), washer fluid sprayed(button not pressed), horn sounded (not pressed), could not get it to stop. started vehicle, continued to do all three, vehicle placed in drive, would not shift out of 1st gear. shut vehicle off, started again, same things. in days prior to this incident, the vehicle would stall unexpectedly, fortunately while approaching stop sign, or stop light and not on highway, resulted in loss of power steering, and all engine/speed indication. dodge dealership in valdosta duplicated problems, replaced $500 electrical box. been two days since repair, no repeats yet. | |||
| 04/10/2012 | 67200 | ||
| Wipers/washer/horns operate on their own. transmission shifts erractically. lights blink. front a/c blower inoperable. has happened multiple times (most recently 4-10, 4-13, 4-17-12). sometimes occurs when vehicle is parked with no key in it. lasts from two minutes to ten minutes. research shows many other owners with same issues requiring total integrated power module (currently on factory back order with no release date available according to local dealer) to be replaced. | |||
| 02/01/2011 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving 40 mph, the contact stated the vehicle suddenly lost all power. she was able to restart the vehicle and drive normally. the dealer advised the contact that they would upgrade the computer; however, they were not sure that this repair would correct the failure. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was 90,000. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000. bw | |||
| 06/18/2009 | 1026 | 1 | |
| Driving on vacation in st. louis we were on highway going 65 miles/hour and we heard a rattling sound. thinking we had a flat tire, we moved toward exit and noticed the engine had died. we coasted to the side of the highway exit. we just bought this brand new vehicle 2 weeks ago!!! after having it towed to service station, we were informed the computer that tells the engine what to do has malfunctioned. we rented a van and drove home to milwaukee. we still don't have our new van and now the repair station said they won't get the part for 5 more days! they don't know when they will be able to work on it. when the vehicle is repaired, we will have to drive back to st. louis with a one-way rental to pick up our new, albeit, dangerous van. *tr | |||
| 10/19/2008 | 1258 | 1 | |
| Gear shift interlock does not disengage properly when putting gear shift into the park position causing key fob from not releasing from ignition switch. in order to release key properly the gear shift handle must be pushed up with force until a click is audible then interlock engages and key then can be removed from ignition. this problem occurs quite often and is more of a nuisance and headache. took vehicle to dealer but they stated that gear shift mechanism needed replaced after adjusting gear shift cable. part was labeled as restricted by chrysler and did not have a eat for part availability. called back dealer after a few days and the service tech stated that part was to ship on or after 11/1/08. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/29/2011 | 29000 | ||
| Powetrain-automatic transmission. 1. made grinding noise when in drive or reverse gears 2. occured all the time up until the transmission finally gave out. 3. teardown of automatic transmission and rebuild/replacement of thrust bearings and other parts determined by the dealerships service department. | |||
| 05/31/2011 | 64000 | ||
| Transmission is going out at 64,000 miles | |||
| 01/13/2009 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that when she started the vehicle, the speedometer was non-functional and the engine, esc and abs lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the transmission also had to be replaced in january 2009 and the vehicle would jerk intermittently. the brakes were defective and were replaced by a local mechanic. in 2010, the instrument panel suddenly stopped working; the windshield wipers and turn signals also did not function. the dealer repaired the failure. the contact called the manufacturer who offered assistance with the other issues aside from the speedometer and lights on the instrument panel. the vehicle was not repaired for the speedometer and light failure. the current mileage was approximately 57,000. the failure mileage was unknown. | |||
| 01/13/2009 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that when she started the vehicle, the speedometer was non-functional and the engine, esc and abs lights illuminated on the instrument panel. also, the transmission had to be replaced january 2009 and it would intermittently jerk. the brakes were defective and were replaced by a local mechanic. in 2010, all the instrument panel suddenly stopped working; the windshield wipers and turn signals also did not function. the dealer repaired the failure. the contact called the manufacturer who offered assistance with the other issues aside from the speedometer and lights on the instrument panel. the vehicle had not been repaired for the speedometer and lights failure. the current mileage was approximately 57,000. the failure mileage was unknown-bk | |||
| 10/22/2010 | 2 | ||
| 2008 dodge grand caravan. consumer states rapid deceleration *tgw the consumer stated while driving with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly down shifted to what he believed was third gear. the braking effect of the lower gear caused a substantial increase in the engine speed to around the red line area. the rapid acceleration lasted about five seconds and the cruise control was disengaged as quickly as possible. the consumer stated the same incident happened three weeks prior. according to the dealer, it was a normal operation of the vehicle called interactive cruise control and it was more noticeable due to the vehicle having a 6 speed transmission and the vehicle would up and down shift more to keep the vehicle at its set speed. *jb | |||
| 10/21/2010 | 64740 | ||
| Tl -the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the vehicle was parked in the residence driveway. when the ignition was started the gear was shifted into the park position. the contact exited the vehicle and unexpectedly the vehicle began to roll approximately twenty feet at 3 mph, and then crashed into the front of the garage. the vehicle | |||
| 09/07/2010 | 50000 | ||
| There was no warning signs as to the following happening. my husband & 2 year old daughter were in the car and about to get on high way 101 ventura ca., in our 2008 dodge minivan. miles on vehicle: 50,000. the van was running but would not accelerate & he had to coast to the side of the road. i am the mother of the 2 year old that was in the van, i am also a nurse who has worked in a level one trauma hospital & have seen the results of terrible accidents. my concern is that if my husband & daughter were on the highway & trapped in a lane that they could not get over in this could of been a fatality. dealership tells us that there is a crack in the transmission that caused the above situation. we had our van at a the local dealership in june 2010 for a different recall & they did a diagnostic test, so they said.... and now this. 2. my enlaws just bought a 2008 dodge minivan 43,000 miles & one week after they bought it the same thing happened to them on vacation. | |||
| 08/26/2009 | 15000 | 1 | |
| Brakes, transmission, doors. *tr | |||
| 05/08/2009 | 7000 | 1 | |
| There weren't any signs leading up to the device failure. drove into a store parking lot and into a parking spot where i attempted to shift into park with the automatic transmission shifter knob when the whole knob popped of into several pieces leaving me stuck in drive and forced to apply the emergency brake. the vehicle was then turned off and i was able to get it into park. vehicle has since been to the dealer for repairs, but the part is unavailable at the moment. vehicle is drivable, but tricky when dealing with the shifter knob. i consider this a safety issue with the vehicle and have read elsewhere of the same problem occurring with the same year, make, and model of vehicle. *tr | |||
| 02/09/2009 | 1583 | 1 | |
| I am writing to chrysler canada because we are very unhappy with our 2008 dodge grand caravan, one that i would classify as a runaway vehicle creating a potential safety hazard. current odometer reading 25347 this vehicle went for its first service february 9, 2009 to a vehicle check-up peace of mind inspection. primarily with an inquiry to check the brake system since the brake pedal felt somewhat spongy when applied. the inspection indicated the brakes pulsated because of a warped disk. the warped disk is most likely caused by high heat generated from prolonged braking. this appears to be in contradiction with the instruction in the 2008 dodge owner's manual page 334 under note: to select the proper gear position for maximum deceleration (engine breaking), simply press and hold the gear selector lever to the left (-). the transmission will shift to the range from which the vehicle can best be slowed down. this is clearly not providing the desired result. to assist the vehicle in maintaining control downhill, shifting the automatic transmission into 3rd gear (at 60 kph.) should enable the vehicle to maintain control without having to | |||
| 10/09/2008 | 10 | 1 | |
| Poor transmission design robert c hodgkiss gentlemen: i recently bought a 2008 dodge grand caravan and while going down a long steep section of roadway i down shifted the transmission to slow the van down but being such a steep grade the van increased speed causing the transmission to automatically shift to the next higher gear, ending up free wheeling, leaving only the breaks to slow the van down. (if you are going to fast to start with it won?t even down shift). now i asked the mechanic, what happens if i loose my brakes, the answer he had was it?s a design feature, so i concluded that if i would push on the emergency break, which locks, that would put me into an uncontrolled slide which makes no sense at all. i strongly believe that this is a very serious problem that must be addressed. what if you are coming down a mountain road while towing a trailer, you would have to apply the breaks to keep the transmission in a lower gear. what happens if your breaks fail, that?s right the van shift up to freewheeling? leaving you to do what, use the emergency break which locks you into a skid. because the emergency brake pedal has to be pushed the second time to unlock. now i ?am sure everybody can remain calm and remember to do all this while towing a trailer with your wife and six children in the back of the van, screaming what is the matter? *tr | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 14154 | 1 | |
| 2008 dodge grand caravan the car dies while driving,occasionally won't shift after dying and restarting. all warning lights go on and sometimes stay on or flash on and off. have returned to dealership several times and they can't find anything wrong with it. also had sliding doors open on their own had that fixed then they wouldn't close with back access button, apparently caused by a loose wire had that repaired, then rear bumper warped so back door wouldn't open, had to take it in to have that fixed, basically my car is in for repair most of the time and i have a small rental of which this time i had to pay for a cracked windshield and it costs me 50.00 every time i have to rent one. i have 4 special needs children who have appointments up to 300 miles away from home. i am a single mom and traveling alone with my children and no longer feel safe driving with them for these distances. the las time the car died i also had two foster children with me, six kids and the car died while driving it and they can't find anything wrong with it so i bring it home sometimes with 200 miles added on it and an empty gas tank. i think it's time chrysler corp. take the vehicle off my hands so i can purchase a reliable vehicle. *tr | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 4433 | 1 | |
| The transmission of our 2008 grand caravan was having issues when going into reverse. when the vehicle was in neutral or park the indicator showed the vehicle to be in all gears at the same time. also the back doors and hatch would not open due to the fact that the vehicle thought that it was in motion. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and was found that the pcm had internal failures. dealer had to replace pcm. *tr | |||
| 05/03/2008 | 4164 | 1 | |
| 2008 dodge grand caravan engine light came on while driving. transmission started back into limp mode. took to back to dealer on 05/03/08 for evaluation. dealer kept vehicle for one week and finally tore transmission down and replaced internal parts. *tr | |||
| 05/02/2008 | 4085 | 1 | |
| 2008 dodge grand caravan transmission went into limp mode and was stuck in gear and would not shift. i had to exit to side of road, shut vehicle off and then restart. vehicle started shifting but then engine light came on along with a burning smell. dealership looked at vehicle and cleared codes and reprogrammed pcm. dealer stated codes were related to transmission. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 10/21/2010 | 64740 | ||
| Tl -the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the vehicle was parked in the residence driveway. when the ignition was started the gear was shifted into the park position. the contact exited the vehicle and unexpectedly the vehicle began to roll approximately twenty feet at 3 mph, and then crashed into the front of the garage. the vehicle | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 52000 | ||
| When took vehicle in for a replacement wheel bearing hub assembly, was informed by mechanic that an additional wheel bearing was also bad and needed to be replaced as well. the vehicle was making low pitched noise at about 40 mph+ and shaking upon braking. mechanic said that it was unusual to see wheel bearings go at less than about 80,000 miles. called chrysler, said even with full powertrain warranty, these wheel bearings would not be covered, should have purchased extended warranties. | |||
| 08/13/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Car was making noise and shaking when braking, or acceleration around 40 mph. i thought brakes were the problem, when i took car in to brake and alignment center, they diagnosed problem as need to replace wheel bearing/frt hub assembly at 50k miles. mechanic said usually they don't see this problem until 80,000 miles if at all. called chrysler, said not part of power train warranty, should have purchase extended warranty. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 52000 | ||
| When took vehicle in for a replacement wheel bearing hub assembly, was informed by mechanic that an additional wheel bearing was also bad and needed to be replaced as well. the vehicle was making low pitched noise at about 40 mph+ and shaking upon braking. mechanic said that it was unusual to see wheel bearings go at less than about 80,000 miles. called chrysler, said even with full powertrain warranty, these wheel bearings would not be covered, should have purchased extended warranties. | |||
| 08/13/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Car was making noise and shaking when braking, or acceleration around 40 mph. i thought brakes were the problem, when i took car in to brake and alignment center, they diagnosed problem as need to replace wheel bearing/frt hub assembly at 50k miles. mechanic said usually they don't see this problem until 80,000 miles if at all. called chrysler, said not part of power train warranty, should have purchase extended warranty. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 52000 | ||
| When took vehicle in for a replacement wheel bearing hub assembly, was informed by mechanic that an additional wheel bearing was also bad and needed to be replaced as well. the vehicle was making low pitched noise at about 40 mph+ and shaking upon braking. mechanic said that it was unusual to see wheel bearings go at less than about 80,000 miles. called chrysler, said even with full powertrain warranty, these wheel bearings would not be covered, should have purchased extended warranties. | |||
| 08/13/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Car was making noise and shaking when braking, or acceleration around 40 mph. i thought brakes were the problem, when i took car in to brake and alignment center, they diagnosed problem as need to replace wheel bearing/frt hub assembly at 50k miles. mechanic said usually they don't see this problem until 80,000 miles if at all. called chrysler, said not part of power train warranty, should have purchase extended warranty. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 52000 | ||
| When took vehicle in for a replacement wheel bearing hub assembly, was informed by mechanic that an additional wheel bearing was also bad and needed to be replaced as well. the vehicle was making low pitched noise at about 40 mph+ and shaking upon braking. mechanic said that it was unusual to see wheel bearings go at less than about 80,000 miles. called chrysler, said even with full powertrain warranty, these wheel bearings would not be covered, should have purchased extended warranties. | |||
| 08/13/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Car was making noise and shaking when braking, or acceleration around 40 mph. i thought brakes were the problem, when i took car in to brake and alignment center, they diagnosed problem as need to replace wheel bearing/frt hub assembly at 50k miles. mechanic said usually they don't see this problem until 80,000 miles if at all. called chrysler, said not part of power train warranty, should have purchase extended warranty. | |||