Dodge Grand Caravan 2012
Model Grand Caravan made in 2012 by Dodge got 32 consumer complains as well as 3 recalls. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to engine and power train. There were some recalls concerningengine and engine cooling and equipment.
Model 2012
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||||||||||||
| 11V487000 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | V (Vehicle) | 667 | 12/28/2011 | MFR | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 09/29/2011 | 09/29/2011 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 chrysler vehicles, including 200 and town and country models, dodge vehicles, including charger, durango, grand caravan and journey models and jeep grand cherokee vehicles manufactured from august 31, 2011, through september 13, 2011, that are equipped with 3.6l engines. these engines may experience connecting rod bearing failure due to debris inside the engine block. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Connecting rod failure may lead to engine seizure which may increase the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Chrysler will notify owners and replace the engine free of charge. the safety recall is expected to begin on or about november 18, 2011. owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | This is chrysler safety recall number l33.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
| EQUIPMENT | ||||||||||||||||
| 12V191000 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | from 03/09/2012 to 03/12/2012 | V (Vehicle) | 471 | 05/18/2012 | MFR | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 05/02/2012 | 05/03/2012 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 town and country and dodge grand caravan vehicles, manufactured from march 9, 2012 through march 12, 2012. some vehicles may be equipped with a right side liftgate pinch sensor that does not function properly. as a result, increased force may be required in order to stop the power liftgate during final closing stages. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The power liftgate door may close on an appendage, increasing the risk of injury. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the right side liftgate pinch sensors, free of charge. the safety recall began on may 18, 2012. owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Chryslers recall number is m17. customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | ||||||||||||||||
| 12V141000 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | from 11/15/2011 to 11/21/2011 | V (Vehicle) | 289 | 04/27/2012 | MFR | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 04/03/2012 | 04/03/2012 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 town and country and dodge grand caravan vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2011, through november 21, 2011. some vehicles may be equipped with right rear hub and bearing assemblies that were not fully machined. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This could result in a decrease in durability, which may lead to wheel separation, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right rear hub and bearing assembly, free of charge. the safety recall began on april 27, 2012. owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Chrysler recall number is m13.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 01/05/2013 | 85463 | 1 | |
| Driving in a small town, my check engine light came on. i was on the lookout for this. i am a medical courier and we have 4, maybe 5, grand caravans operating out of our facility. two have had to have the heads replaced, both with the pentastar v-6. i have this engine in mine as well . i was told by the drivers of those to watch for the check engine light to come on, and last night it did. so now, it seems i may be number three. i would consider my driving habits in the dodge easy, probably 90% of the time i am driving rural two lane highways and interstate. the workday is about 380 miles driven. i drive very little stop and go. i can get 90k miles out of original brakes and tires. i do use a variety of brands of gas, but i would consider them all brand name. we service our vehicles at proper intervals, all caravans are ordered to the same spec, but this can differ slightly with model year. while searching the net, i've read where chrysler is quietly replacing heads with problems. one of my fellow couriers recently had the head work done at 80k+ on his dodge. you can see i am now at a similar mileage. our fleet man told me there was no invoice and the engine was fixed for free at a chrysler dealer. it should have been- a cylinder head should not need replacement at 80k+ on a properly maintained vehicle. i am submitting this because chrysler is stating this is some sort of rare (less than 1%) occurrence due to an odd combination of factors, including bad fuel. i beg to differ as we have had 2 pentastar caravans fixed at work, and it's likely mine will be number 3. this is quite remarkable, and can't be discounted as some sort of fluke. it's not coincidence, in my view. it's a flawed head design, or poor manufacturing. there should be correction beyond the factory warranty. *tr | |||
| 01/05/2013 | 85463 | ||
| Driving in a small town, my check engine light came on. i was on the lookout for this. i am a medical courier and we have 4, maybe 5, grand caravans operating out of our facility. two have had to have the heads replaced, both with the pentastar v-6. i have this engine in mine as well . i was told by the drivers of those to watch for the check engine light to come on, and last night it did. so now, it seems i may be number three. i would consider my driving habits in the dodge easy, probably 90% of the time i am driving rural two lane highways and interstates. the workday is about 380 miles driven. i drive very little stop and go. i can get 90k miles out of original brakes and tires. i do use a variety of brands of gas, but i would consider them all brand name. we service our vehicles at proper intervals, all caravans are ordered to the same spec, but this can differ slightly with model year. while searching the net, i've read where chrysler is quietly replacing heads with problems. one of my fellow couriers recently had the head work done at 80k+ on his dodge. you can see i am now at a similar mileage. our fleet man told me there was no invoice and the engine was fixed for free at a chrysler dealer. it should have been- a cylinder head should not need replacement at 80k+ on a properly maintained vehicle. i am submitting this because chrysler is stating this is some sort of rare (less than 1%) occurrence due to an odd combination of factors, including bad fuel. i beg to differ as we have had 2 pentastar caravans fixed at work, and it's likely mine will be number 3. this is quite remarkable, and can't be discounted as some sort of fluke. it's not coincidence, in my view. it's a flawed head design, or poor manufacturing. there should be correction beyond the factory warranty. | |||
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 13 | ||
| I have a transmission manufacturing defect that should be afforded the same consumer protection as the 2012 grand caravans with engine sludge. my pump and axle seals began leaking while i was driving at 45 mph. i didn't notice until 20 miles were on the odometer. the dealership refused to examine it before i had to release it to ams vans for wheelchair conversion. it was returned to me with 36 miles on the odometer and it was leaking during the additional 16 miles. unless chrysler is willing to provide documentation that this transmission cannot be damaged by running it without fluid it should have been replaced under the 5 year 50,000 mile drive train warranty. but chrysler and the dealership have refused to do so, replacing only the fluid and seals and leaving me with a damaged transmission on my new vehicle. this leak was documented by more than one technician not working for chrysler or the dealership where it was purchased. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 20 | ||
| I noticed a fluid leak in my driveway and based on the red color i eliminated the possibility that it was from the power steering because the reservoir was at the max level. i was later informed that the transmission side cover was leaking. i sent the vehicle to the dealer where dye was added and was informed that fluid was leaking in the area of the bell housing and the transmission would require disassembly to ascertain what the cause is. | |||
| SEATS | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 1200 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that as she attempted to position the rear passenger's seat upright, the head rest slammed down and injured a child passenger. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and but they provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 1,200. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 1200 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that she was attempting to put the rear passenger seat up and when she did, the head rest slammed down and injured her child. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and but they provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 1,200. the vin was unavailable. ap | |||
| STEERING | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 11083 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the vehicle would exhibit a loud noised when the gear was in reverse. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the computer, transmission and the reverse gear failed. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 11,083 and the current mileage was 12,000. kmj | |||
| 07/01/2012 | 11083 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2012 dodge gran caravan. the contact stated that the vehicle makes a loud noised when the gear is on reversed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the failure the dealer stated that failure was the computer programmer and the transmission, and the reverse gear. the dealer stated that the failures were repair. the vehicle continued with the failures. the manufacturer was notified and stated that is not the manufacturer problem and offered no assistance. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 11,083 and the current mileage was 12,000. lg | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 07/04/2012 | 900 | 1 | |
| Driver and passenger doors misaligned to the point that the gaps outward made the door appear ajar, water enters excessively around frame, however does not enter inside the van. the first attempt on 7/5/2012 by the dealer was to adjust the strike plate which caused the bottom of the doors to be excessively inward. i have been scheduled to have all 4 doors realigned next week. what is my recourse if this problem is not fixed properly ? purchase date 6/15/2012 currently has 935 miles. dealer states it is a manufacture defect and that they assure me the vehicle was not damaged during transport. *tr | |||
| 07/04/2012 | 900 | ||
| Driver and passenger doors misaligned to the point that the gaps outward made the door appear ajar, water enters excessively around frame, however does not enter inside the van. the first attempt on 7/5/2012 by the dealer was to adjust the strike plate which caused the bottom of the doors to be excessively inward. i have been scheduled to have all 4 doors realigned next week. what is my recourse if this problem is not fixed properly ? purchase date 6/15/2012 currently has 935 miles. dealer states it is a manufacture defect and that they assure me the vehicle was not damaged during transport. | |||
| TIRES | |||
| 01/14/2013 | 39000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan equipped with kumho kh25 tires, size 235/60r/16. the contact stated that the driver front and rear tires flattened within a week. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician inspected the tires and stated that air was escaping from the seams on the sides. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to have the dealer return the tires in order to receive a credit. the tires were replaced. the failure and current mileage was 39,000. the dot was not available. | |||
| 01/14/2013 | 39000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan equipped with kumho kh25 tires, size 235/60r/16. the contact stated that the driver front and rear tires flattened within a week. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician inspected the tires and stated that air was escaping from the seams on the sides. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to have the dealer return the tires in order to receive a credit. the tires were replaced. the failure and current mileage was 39,000. the dot was not available. mah | |||
| 01/14/2013 | 39000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan equipped with kumho kh25 tires, line size 235/60r/16. the contact stated that the driver front and rear tires flatten within a week. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician inspected the tires and stated that air was escaping from the seams on the sides. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised to have the dealer return the tires in order to received a credit for them. the tires were replaced. the failure and current mileage was 39,000. pm | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 03/01/2013 | 20900 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck in open throttle position. the contact stated that the vehicle began to accelerate and she had to utilize the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle from accelerating any farther. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they advised that they could not diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the failure mileage was 20,900. | |||
| 03/01/2013 | 20900 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck in open throttle position. the contact stated that the vehicle began to accelerate and she had to utilize the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle from accelerating any farther. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they advised that they could not diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the failure mileage was 20,900. kmj | |||
| 03/01/2013 | 20900 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, accelerator pedal got stuck in the down position. the contact stated that the vehicle began to accelerate and she had to pull the emergency brake in order to get the vehicle to stop. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection and they stated they could not diagnose the failure. the vehicle as not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 20,900. ap | |||