Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| EA01007 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 02/21/2001 | 11/22/2002 | AIR BAG CLOCKSPRING | 02V293000 | |
| There is no summary currently available | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 03/20/2006 | 46000 | 1 | 01/01/1996 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while having a state inspection performed on the vehicle, the repair shop technician determined the vehicle did not have a check engine light. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 03/01/2003 | 120000 | 50 | 01/02/2001 |
| My 1996 plymouth grand voyager has had numerous, ongoing electrical problems. the wipers no longer work, the ignition frequently does not work. i have taken it in to a repair facility and they have replaced numerous parts and the problem still persists. they believe there is an electrical short in the steering column that they cannot locate. i have two other friends who also own chrysler product minivans and they are having the same problems. if this does not become the source of recall you can be sure that i and my friends will no longer be driving chrysler minivans in the future. timothy glesmann windsor, colorado | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 79255 | 1 | |
| The vehicles clock spring failed prior to recall notice. the consumer has requested reimbursement. the multi function switch also failed. the brake light illuminates on and off. the battery failed. *ph *nlm | |||
| 01/04/2003 | 101000 | 06/14/1997 | |
| Numerour repeated electrical problems. wipers, internal systems, radio, horn, windows, lights fail. have been to dealer, paid for over $250 of repairs. problem persists; dealer will not do anything unless the problem happens in front of them. fear safety problems. | |||
| 54000 | 9 | ||
| The transmission and belt tensioner failed, the axle had broken, the horn, wipers, and cruise control failed. the a/c had gone out along with the condenser. there was fluid leakage in the power steering rack & pinion, the vehicle had gone dead. as a result the computer was replaced. the consumer requested to be reimbursed for the repair costs. scc *jb | |||
| 07/31/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states the dealership told her it looks like some sort of fire damaged the electrical system in the car (claim # 13-7029-839). *yd | |||
| 07/16/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states short in wiring caused wires to smolder or melt (claim # 22-v362-496). *yd | |||
| 07/31/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states the dealership told her it looks like some sort of fire damaged the electrical system in the car (claim # 13-7029-839). *yd | |||
| 12/06/2001 | 1 | ||
| Light came on for the airbags and brakes. then, windshield wipers wouldn't work. dealership is aware of the problem.*ak *tt consumer states that other electrically related components like the windows failed as well, the dealer could not find what was causing the problem. *slc | |||
| 12/01/2000 | 4 | ||
| The vehicle stalls while driving and will not restart, the starter, ignition and ignition relay were replaced or repaired, the dealers have been unable to find the problem, the consumer refuses to drive the vehicle until the problem is found and corrected. nlm | |||
| 06/10/1996 | 4 | 10/01/1995 | |
| Possibly an electrical problem, interior lights flicker, power locks go up and down, door ajar light comes on, and windshield wipers come on intermittently, the battery has failed 6 times. *slc *yh | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Airbag light came on the dashboard, and horn stopped working due to an electrical open. it was the same electrical contact with horn and airbag. clock spring was defective.*ak | |||
| 01/10/1997 | 6 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Car leaks at drivers side during heavy rains. delaer been unable to correct the problem. the carpet has been replaced. car is now experiencing electrical defects as a result of a) the leak itself, or b) removing and reinstalling the dash on numerous occasions to try and find the leak. i am allso concerned about long term rust as a result of the continuing leaks. the car is not able to be sold now as a result of the leak and continuing problems. *ak | |||
| 07/01/1999 | 7 | 03/01/1996 | |
| When traveling at any speed vehicle stalled and cut off without prior warning. also, vehicle has cut off on the highway and at intersections. consumer has contacted dealer, dealer has linked the problem to an electrical malfunction, but cannot determine the exact cause. *ak *ml | |||
| Windshield wipers and the door locks come on by themselves, and the blinkers do not work due to an electrical malfunction in the vehicle. all these symptoms are intermittent. *ak | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1996 | ||
| Electrical system malfunctions causing windshield washers to go on for no reason and electric door locks that will not lock. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Electrical problems with vehicle: headlights intermittently go out when switching from high to low beams. the dome lights will flicker constantly, windshield wipers intermittently activate when using the turn signals. | |||
| 12/01/1996 | 1 | 11/01/1995 | |
| Electrical short. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 07/10/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Serpentine belt tensioner bolt sheared off, resulting in loss of power steering/ engine cooling/ and alternator function. very difficult to repair as to limited engine compartment clearance.*ak | |||
| 03/01/1999 | 3 | 04/01/1996 | |
| Engine shuts down repeatedly when decelerating; loss of power steering, brakes; may or may not restart immediately. o2 sensor, battery, ignition cables, belt drive & tensioner, 60k service, 3 service visits: problem still occurs, but less often. twice, nearly lost control as ps & pbs failed in a turn; engine shuts down particularly while decelerating or braking, as in turns and at traffic lights. worse when ac was on. sounds to me as if an ignition controller shuts down under low voltage (brown-out) conditions. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 09/10/2003 | 01/10/1996 | ||
| I received batteries in 1999, 2000, & 2001 for the same van from the dealer because they all lost power. now i need a new wiring harness for that van because acid from those batteries leaked into the current wiring harness which will cost me over $1000. the dealer has been doing the service on my van and i have not been informed of the problem of acid leaks into the wiring all of those years. in 2002 i bought a batery from kragen auto parts. i don't know why batteries in the van lose power and have to be replaced every year. van defect? possibly. now the dealer says that because there is so many miles on the van, they aren't responsible. but they must have know that there was something wrong since 1999. i have a 1996 plymouth grand voyager. i feel that the present milage has nothing to do with the battery problem that still exist with the van, and that the dealer was and still is well aware of this problem. | |||
| 07/12/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1999 | |
| Battery blew up when vehicle was stationary in process of starting. the vehicle was sitting in driveway and had been shut down for about 3 hours. the battery blew off part of the top with a large bang. if a person had been working on the engine they would have been injured. no fire occurred but smoke did appear. the vehicle was not abused or otherwise caused to be damaged by the driver prior to this happening. the battery has a chrysler p/n 4727258 and appears to be original. advise if there is a need to save the battery for further checks by anyone.*ak | |||
| 07/08/1998 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Battery failed. mjs | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 02/01/2002 | |||
| Turn signal intermittently works and smoke is coming from beneath the steering column when the turn signal is used. turn signal will delay up to 5 or more minutes before coming on. switch has been replaced 3-4 times, and problem still exists. the dealer was notified.*ak | |||
| Air bag light keeps coming on. would have electrical failure of horn, radio & windshield wipers. problem is intermittent. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 1 | 04/01/1996 | |
| Airbag light comes on, and horn fails at same time on an intermittent basis. mechanic has advised that he has seen the same failure on other chrysler products recently. mechanic claims that the wires for the airbag and horn are getting pinched somehow as they come up the steering wheel assembly, and through the device that allows the wires to turn with the steering wheel. since there is no current recall, we will have this part replaced as it is a safety hazard to drive without a horn and airbag. we have a high mileage vehicle and perhaps this is the start of a problem with this vehicle or maybe this vehicle is a fluke. in any case, i thought you should be aware of the problem. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 11/21/2001 | 8 | 10/01/1999 | |
| My car keeps cutting off when i am on the highway. i've had everything done to it but it continues to cut off. i've had the catalytic converter replaced, a new fuel filter put on, a fuel injection service, etc. the problem is not coming up on the diagnostic test and frankly i feel that the car is defective. i will never by car manufactured by plymouth or any of its sister companies. this is truly ridiculous, and i hope this problem will be looked into further.*ak | |||
| 10/23/2001 | 1 | 09/01/2001 | |
| Van quit running as i was driving down the road, had to pull off side of road. had lights and everything, it just won't kick over when you turn the key to start. trys to start but won't. *ak | |||
| Intermittently vehicle stalls and dies, and fumes enter into passenger's compartment. *ak | |||
| 08/04/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Ignition frequently failed to start my minivan. after a few tries, it starts. i took the car to my dealer today, and they told me that i needed a new starter motor. the dealer fixed the starter at a cost of approximately $350.00. this is a common problem in all 1996 grand voyager models. why was there no recall from your office to have this problem fixed by chrysler at their expense? we shouldn't have to pay for the manufacturer's defective parts. please advise me on how i could get my money back from chrysler. in addition, i have a fuel pump problem in the same car; the dealer said the fuel pump was leaking, and fixed this problem at my expense. the cost was $200.00. our minivan is only 4 years old, and already there are so many problems with this car. why can't your office have these problems fixed by chrysler at their expense? please contact me as soon as possible. (e-mail: mrana@mindspring.com. *ak | |||
| 09/01/1999 | |||
| While driving around town, picked children up from school and parked vehicle. when consumer returned vehicle would not start. was told by the dealer that the igition rod was broken. purchased the vehicle 17-jul-99. *ak | |||
| 01/07/1997 | 0 | ||
| While driving, vehicle would stall for no apparent reason, at various speeds, the gauges drop to zero, look like vehicle was turned off. taken vehicle to dealership several times & dealer can not locate problem on computer. *ak | |||
| 11/12/1996 | |||
| While driving car intermittently stalled, once resulting in an accident, when stalling occurs all operations are non-functional, including the brakes. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 04/26/2007 | 4 | 06/15/1995 | |
| While driving,vehicle would stall for no apparent reason, at various speeds, the gauges dropped to zero, looked like vehicle was turned off. taken vehicle to mechanic & he could not locate the problem.*ak | |||
| 01/07/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1995 | |
| I have received a recall notice for a radiator fan relay, which is not mentioned on your site. today, i found a new leak of transmission fluid, the red lights are again flashing on and off, there are power surges in the control panels, the engine chokes and shudders. oh, and the a/c is out again. we won't even mention the windhield wipers which have continually gone on and off since we have owned this car, or the airbag alarms, or the incredible amount of money we have put into this maintained car. my 20,000 car has become a 40,000 lemon. there is simply no excuse for this, mileage or not. i have attempted to keep this car because i wanted a safe car for my teenagers to drive. now, it appears i have them driving the pinto of the 1990's. i thought i was keeping my kids safe!! when the engine failed, i had the car taken to an non dealer becuase i am fed up with their attitudes...what do you expect at 100,000 miles, etc. when the first diagnostic was ran on the car, a bewildering array of codes came up. after changing the spark plugs, all of the codes dissapeared. however, the electrical problems increased in intensity, and now i'm afraid my daugher will go up in a fireball. i already assume there will be no response from the manufacturer....i am going to consider a suit as i consider these cars dangerous! fuel leaks, static charge buildups? come on! | |||
| 6 | 01/01/1996 | ||
| Engine stalled numerous times without warning after slowing from high speed. in each incident, stalling occurred while slowing after driving at highway speeds for extended periods (1 hr or more) during hot weather (80deg of higher). one incident involved stalling on i-95 during rush hour. traffic slowdown caused speed decrease from approx 60mph to approx 40mph when engine stalled suddenly and without warning. van was immediately put into neutral in attempt to restart while coasting.engine started right up but then stalled again immediately. had to coast across two lanes of heavy traffic to get van off road. waited several minutes to restart. engine restarted ok. kept foot on gas to prevent restalling. after 2-3 minutes, engine ran fine again. latest incident involved engine stalled just after entering turn at approx 15-20mph. van had been driven at high speeds (50-70 mph) for approx 2hrs prior to incident. engine stalled suddenly and without warning, resulting in loss of steering.lack of steering nearly caused accident.allowed van to coast off road. restarted and kept foot on gas pedal to prevent restalling. after several minutes, engine ran ok. other incidents involved engine stalling while driving into parking lots after driving at highway speeds continuously for several hours. three dealers have attempted to fix problem by replacing computer,fuel pump,battery, and fuel tank.also tried using premium unleaded gas,yet stalling still persists.incidents occurred approx 3-4 times/year.usually no fault codes indicated by computer when checked by dealer. | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1996 | ||
| Engine shuts down installation of new pcm module did not rectify shut downs. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/05/1996 | 3 | 10/09/1996 | |
| After being parked vehicle failed to restart. while driving vehicle stalled, did restart after waiting a few minutes. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 07/16/2000 | 1 | ||
| Short in wiring caused wiring to smolder or melt claim # 22-v3620-496. nlm | |||
| 04/26/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states the wiring harness is completely melted down, consumer wants to know if similar cases on this make and type of vehicle has caught on fire (claim # 59-v461-637). *yd | |||
| 07/16/2000 | 1 | ||
| Short in wiring caused wiring to smolder or melt claim # 22-v3620-496. nlm | |||
| 07/01/1999 | |||
| Vehicle caught on fire due to a short in electrical wiring. vehicle was totaled. the dealer and manufacturer have been notified. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 03/01/2099 | ||
| About 5-6 weeks ago, the air bag warning light on the dashboard display went on, and it has been on continuously since then. 2 weeks ago we noticed that the cruise control wasn't working, and in the past week, the horn stopped working. we saw a notice of recall in the business section of the washington post, but we did not receive anything from daimler-chrysler. we contacted darcars of silver spring, md, and they told us that there was no recall for our model and year, and that the repair would cost about $225-$250. today, we did an internet search and learned of the widespread nature of the problem, and of daimler-chrysler's refusal to reimburse owners of vehicles such as ours for this acknowledged failure of a critical part. we do not have working air bags, horn or cruise control, and we urge you to expedite your investigation of this defect and widen the recall, requiring the manufacturer to reimburse us. dt | |||
| 08/22/2002 | 2 | 06/01/2096 | |
| Wiring harness was replaced previously while under warranty. second failure was beyond extended warranty.*ak | |||
| 06/20/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1996 | |
| No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak | |||
| 06/02/1997 | 2 | 04/01/1996 | |
| Minivan lost all power (first noticed power steering) while driving down highway. occurred first in june 1997 and they replaced the master switch (three days earlier they had replaced the multifunction switch because the windshield wipers came on on their own). the windshield wipers are coming on on their own again (intermittently) and we lost all power driving down the road again (9/20/99). was able to turn off into a parking lot however, without power steering - if this occurred on a busy highway or in the middle of a turn it could result in someone crashing into us. two months after they replaced the master switch they replaced the rack n pinion and steering shaft & coupling (8/4/97). we haven't had any more problems with the steering except when we lost all power. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 06/02/2005 | 20 | ||
| Dt: when starting vehicle the radio did not come on , but the air bag light came on and stayed on. however, and the dash board lights did not come on. had to restart the vehicle in order to get the radio to work, the air bag light to go off, and the dashboard lights to register. this happened on june 2, 2005. *ak | |||
| Consumer is having problems with lights on the dashboard. dealer was not contacted at the time of this call. ph | |||
| 12/23/2002 | 60000 | 5 | 06/16/1996 |
| Sub frame of van has cracked causing severe vibration. all motor mounts failed. my 1990 had similar problem. van is barley drivable and unsaleable. throw in two complete ac systems, two multi-function switches(looks like #3 is linings up), a clockspring(recall) and top it off with horrible service. loyalty should be a twp way street!! ts | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 3 | 06/01/2097 | |
| This van was purchased off lease with 18000 miles and less than 1 year old. after 1 year the vehicle was out of warranty due to mileage (36000). the wipers would go on and off at will. the dealer replaced the battery for $100.00. the problem continued and eventually lights started to turn on in the interior of the vehicle on their own. the cruise control worked intermittantly. the air bag light came on intermittantly. the body control module was replaced. we didn't leave the dealership and the problem started again. the dealer ordered another body control module. it has been 3 and one half years and now the problems are starting again. the vehicle has stalled on several occassions. the horn does not work. the cruise control does not work. the air bag light is on continuously now. we do not have the $1000 dollars for replacement of the air bag. we understand that there are others with this same problem. is nhtsa going to make chrystler right these electrical problems. i have read about engine fires due to electrical shorts. it certainly appears that we are not the only ones experiencing electrical problems with our minivan.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 2 | 02/01/2001 | |
| Lights flash,bells chime,door locks activate repeatedly, dash gauges go dead very distracting and scary for my wife. | |||
| 02/15/2002 | 1 | 11/01/1995 | |
| Door lock failures: repeated failures required new mechanisms, also affected the fuel tank door. transmission failure: occurred in parking lot fortunately. required $2200 in repair. dealer (hershberger motors in woodburn, or) failed to correctly seal the transmission. when returned to dealer for this, they broke the right bearing hub, another $400 to repair. body control module failure: wipers stopped working - an absolute necessity in oregon! bcm repaired by sending out existing unit by dealer (town & country chrysler, milwaukie, or). did not correct problem ($450 repair costs). presently in for correcitve action. signed - unhappy customer. | |||
| 10/01/1999 | 300 | ||
| Since approximately 10/01/99, while car is operated, airbag, cruise control, and other electric features controlled via wiring located in the steering column become inoperable, indicated by the trouble lights which come on, on dashboard. for about the past one year the airbags and cruise control have continuously been inactive/inoperable whenever the car is being operated. there appears to be a defect in the steering column wiring system, and recently heard of many other similar failures, ones the nhtsa is even aware of, although i can find no report of it on this web site in either recalls or complaints. i'm very frustrated and anxious about this because i cannot afford to have all this re-wiring work done, but feel plymouth should be responsible for a functioning airbag system at least. *ak | |||
| 07/01/1996 | |||
| Please respond with detail(s) of previous complaints. thank you. no sa | |||
| 06/18/2001 | 3 | 07/01/1996 | |
| Complete failure of all dashboard gauges. chrysler and dealer unwilling to admit this is a wide spread problem with their mini-vans. *ak | |||
| 08/23/1999 | 0 | ||
| Various parts on the dashboard work intermittently, currently, engine stalled, and then it would start again. consumer felt this was an electrical problem, and someone could be hurt.*ak | |||
| 10 | 06/01/1996 | ||
| Windshield wipers go off for no apparent reason. initially thought due to turn signal being engaged, but it doesn't matter. dome lights flicker in front when doors open and then go out for a lengthy time. | |||
| 10/19/1999 | 03/01/1996 | ||
| Reported steering problem in jul 98. dealer said they were unable to duplicate failure. dealer was cutter chrysler jeep of waipahu. it has been a problem since purchasing the vehicle and seems to be getting worse. now the steering is locking-up (intermittently) when i go over a speed bump, causing loss of steering control. the windshield wiper problem was corrected by the same dealer on 24 jul 98 as a malfunctioned switch that was on recall and they replaced it as a goodwill repair because vehicle was out of warranty by mileage only. it once agian is failing intermittently. both of these i feel are traffic safety concerns that the manufacturer should research and correct immediately. the power distribution center i believe is intermittently shorting out and causing many small electrical problems like radio works, then doesn't, lights go on by themselves, and things like that. once again i feel that if left uncorrected this may also pose a potential traffic safety issue. all three failures i feel are based on vehicle production line problems that may be affecting many vehicles in the same manner. please advise on what to do. thank you for your time and effort on my issues and concerns. sincerely, louis c. martinez. *ak | |||
| 07/27/1998 | 1 | 08/09/1995 | |
| Electrical failure of the dash gauges/control panel due to short. mjs | |||
| 07/01/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Electrical harness under dash experienced short resulting in fire. mjs | |||
| 06/06/1997 | 1 | 06/01/1996 | |
| Although we got our vehicle in june '96, we've had repeated electrical problems. the most serious were the dashboard lights failed several times, the electrical locks on the sliding doors failed several times, the windshield wipers failed seven times!!!, the radio was replaced, the water pump was replaced, the battery was replaced, the body module was replaced 20aug97, sliding doors had to be adjusted to open properly 07oct97 mileage 9502, power distribution center was replaced 11dec97 mileage 10360, had to hold turn signal stalk down to keep high beams on at night due to faulty muti-function switch on several occasions, heater hose had to be replaced 24feb99 mileage 18494. *ak | |||