Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM
79502/01/1999604819Emissions recall -- vehicle emission control information (veci) label replacement. *tt05/14/1999

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
01/26/2011219000
 Tl* the contact owns a 1998 plymouth grand voyager. the contact stated that the serpentine belt would detach from the vehicle whenever it would rain. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the tension pulley needed replacing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 219,000.
01/26/2011219000
 Tl- the contact owns a 1998 plymouth grand voyager. the contact stated that the serpentine belt would detach from the vehicle whenever it would rain. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the tension pulley needed replacing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 219,000. kmj
01/26/2011219000
 Tl-the contact owns a 1998 plymouth grand voyager. the contact stated the serpentine belt falls off whenever it rains. the water was coming up under the hood and causing the belt to fall off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated she has to replace the tension pulley which would cost $550. the manufacturer was notified who stated she should contact nhtsa to file a complaint. the failure mileage was 219,000. mw
01/01/19011
 1998 plymouth grand voyager with several recall issues. consumer states that the vehicle has not been looked at for these problems with the gasoline delivery system, airbags, and fuel injection and would like to know what to do. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle now has engine problems and is not running. *jb
09/06/200697649107/01/2005
 Dt*: the contact stated at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle restarted and the dealership was unable to determine a problem.
07/01/200587247302/01/2001
 The serpentine belt comes off this vehicle, leading to a sudden loss of power steering. so far, this has happened while on the entrance ramp to a freeway, while driing in light city traffic, and while idling at a bank (prior to taking a highway trip which had to be cancelled). in all cases the driver was female and had great difficulty controlling the vehicle. in all cases this was during wet weather. after the second case, we had the deale install a guide plate that is supposed to keep the belt on, but it came off anyway. we have now learned that there appears to be a defect in the mounting bracket for the power steering pump, leading this part to bend under normal wear and tear such that the serpentine belt will jump off in wet weather. in our vehicle, there was another with the exact same problem in at the same time, and the replacement part was on backorder with 18 customers waiting. this clearly seems to be a design flaw as this vehicle is becoming notorious for this problem among mechanics, with several discussion theads to be found on the internet. it is only a matter of time before someone loses power steering at a critical time, thereby losing cotrol of the vehicle and leading to a fatal accident. indeed, i would be surprsied if this hasn't already ahppened. a recall must be issued for this problem.
03/06/200266049105/25/1998
 Leaking head gasket which eventually blew. replaced head gasket. engine 3.3l. mileage 66049. informed by dealership not covered. yet i have seen on this web site where it was covered.*ak
06/15/200358000
 Intake or head gasket leak allowed the crank case to fill with water and coolant. the engine immediately seized up and died. i was driving down a crowded interstate at the time, and lost all power, steering and brakes. the entire engine will have to be replaced.
12/15/200222000
 The info i just provided was the most recent.i bought the van used with 22,000 miles and since then i have lost 6 serpentine belts and nobody will help me with the problem.i have spent over 1,000$ in the attempts to get the problem fixed and this last time i just did it myself is why the cost is so low.i have been told by two top mechanics in my area that the belt is not lined up right and there is no adjusting it.the problem is from the factory they tell me.nobody will help me though because it is not a recall. maybe this will help the next guy.
02/15/20030
 The evaporator has gone out,so no cold air - the mechanic said this happens often with my make and model vehicle and said i should complain. if you can ofer anyhelp or solutions i would apprecitate it. thanks, d kossow
06/18/20031
 Owner drove over a puddle and the splash knocked the serpentine belt off of the pulleys. power steering was lost, engine began to overheat, and the minivan needed to be towed to service station to have the serpentine belt replaced.*ak
09/08/2002305/01/2098
 At 600 miles, instrument cluster failed, a/c not working, no reverse. dealer replaced instrument cluster, could not duplicate the no reverse condition, and replaced the a/c fuse. at 6,363 miles, transmission slipping and scraping noise when turning left in reverse. dealer could not duplicate. at 7,586 miles, no start condition on numerous occasions, after the dealer had the van for over a week, they finally duplicated the problem and and replaced the starter. at 36,141 miles the serpentine belt broke because of a defective tensioner pulley, dealer replaced the belt and tensioner, supposed goodwill, but we all know about the tsb, and all the other complaints. at 36,741 miles, leaking coolant, dealer replaced the rear head gasket, and did not even check the front head. (now who ever heard of replacing one head gasket on a v-6 motor, i guess chrysler must think they are superior). at 53,000 complete engine failure, 2 hours away from home, and now waiting to see what the cause is. according to the service manager the motor is knocking and there is a lot of metal in the oil. and i forgot to mention that this vehicle has not even fulfilled the lease term. nlm
2007/01/1998
 On various occasions since the first week of ownership of the vehicle the speedometer and temperature guage have simultaneously dropped to zero and the fluctuated between 0 & 85 mph, dealer was contacted and they kept the van to investigate, nothing found, they then hooked up a computer reader that i drove with for 10 days, as sthis incident only happened sporadically and i had to hit a button when it did nothing was reported. when travelling at anywhere from 10 to 65mph it is sometimes quite dangerous to takes your eyes off the road and your hand off the steering wheel to hit the button of an attachment on your visor..! this incident had continued to occur over the past year and now in the middle of a hurricane i have attempted to evacuate my children from the area only to find that my vehicle will not start. the dealership sent somebody to assist and due to the weather conditions he told me to keep the car running all day as he did not feel that this was a battery problem but computer related,particularly after i told him about the strange happenings with the speedo etc. the van ran for about 3.5 hours on my driveway and then died...! the local chrysler dealership is coming to pick it up tomorrow morning.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM
02/26/20001
 My van is a lemon. all kinds of electrical problems - defogger sometimes work and sometimes not, windows won't roll down, stereo speakers sometimes works, instrument panel lights go off and on, dim yellow headlights, etc. found pin hole in head...defect in metal. van over heated and gauge did not say it was hot. fan went out. now something going wrong with front end. occasionally smell gas. the lifter head gasket now leaks oil. van sometimes jumps in park and rolls. i can not afford to fix this stuff... bail me out not chrysler.... *tr
11/11/200389525105/25/1998
 Failed water pump. replaced water pump and coolant. engine 3.3l. mileage 89525.*ak
03/21/2001105/01/1998
 I was traveling at about 60 mph on interstate 85 north in atlanta, ga when i heard a loud bumping noise under the vehicle. i looked in the rear view miror and saw somthing rolling on the road. i lost power steering and the vehicle was very difficult to control. i managed to get to safe spot off the road and looking under the hood i discovered my water pump pulley was off and laying on the splash pan. the serpentine belt tensioner pulley had also fallen off and was what i had seen rolling in the road. i had the vehicle towed to a five star chrysler dealership in stone mountain, ga where the maintenance supervisor said it just wore out and he had seen them fall off in less mileage than mine had. i complained that it was a manufactures defect and should not have just sudenly fallen off with no warning. i was left with no choice but to have it repaired. they charged me just under $400.00 to replace the water pump and put a new tensioner pulley on it. towing cost me $85.00 and a rental vehicle $79.00. the dealer maintenance supervisor even had the nerve to ask me if i wanted to get a 60000 mile check up while they were working on it. i told him no thanks the vehicle never made it to 60000 miles. i have not complained to chrysler because i felt i would get the same cold treatment that i got from the dealership in stone mountain where i was stranded over 100 miles away from home. i once thought chrysler made good quality vehicles but no more.*ak
06/15/20000
 Three weeks after purchasing transmission/ transfer case was defective, and the bearing that held the fan belt together fell off. while driving consumer heard an explosion, then lost braking power and steering. consumer coasted to the side.*ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN
09/20/200493000603/18/2003
 The service engine light comes on constantly in my 1998 plymouth voyager. this vechicle has broken down on me 6 times in the past 3 months and has cost me a fortune in repairs. each time, the problem is traced to the engine cooling system/fan relay. the fan relay part has been replaced 3 times, but the service engine light came on again within days of the repair and the engine overheated each time. the 5th time this happened, the car was towed to the dealer. they said the problem this time was the fan relay connector and they replaced this part which i had to pay for in full. today, 20 days after this latest repair, the service engine light is back on and the fan is again, not running, causing the engine to overheat. i am now arranging to have the vechicle towed to the dealer again. these breakdowns have cost me over 2 weeks of work and resulted in my children being stranded at their schools. the repairs are costing me a fortune and the problem persists.*ak
10/11/200103/01/1998
 Fan relay failed to start radiator fans, car over heated stranding wife and 3 kids(ages 7,4 and 7 months old ),took to shop and they said #771 recall on that relay, contacted dealer said no recall on my specific van, even though problem exists in other vans, said will not fix their problem until enough people complain and make them. *ak
03/01/1998
 Fan relay recall.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
01/15/2005830001
 While driving 70 mph the driver heard a loud crunching noise from the front end. the driver pulled over and proceeded to put the vehicle into park, however the vehicle began to roll backwards so she applied the emergency brake. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where she learned the engine and transmission needed to be replaced. please provide additional information. *jb
07/02/200497726105/25/1998
 Broken front rocker shaft. replaced bent push rods, broken rocker shaft, drained cylinder heads of gasoline. mechanic had seen this before. engine 3.3 l. mileage 97726.*ak
09/10/2004101552105/25/1998
 Broken rear rocker shaft. dealership started and ran engine despite owner's warning. further damage occurred. replaced cylinder head, rocker shaft, gaskets, valve, hoses, etc. engine 3.3l. mileage 101552.*ak
10/30/200381000108/18/1998
 On chrysler vans, rod consistently breaks on cylinder #1 because the bolt is too short. only happens on cylinder #1, even though the exact same head, on the other side of the engine (which would be cylinder #6) does not break like #1 does consistently.
06/19/20031
 Oil is leaking from underneath the vehicle. *ak
01/01/20031
 Rear head gasket leaks coolant to rear of engine. from what i've now read, this was an unwritten recall, which chrysler would fix if brought in before ~75--80k miles. mine developed this leak before that, but i didn't find out about it until the vehicle had 105k on it.*ak
04/29/200374600003/18/2002
 Leaking anti-freeze. found blown head gasket. *tt
02/24/20031200001
 The engine caught on fire.*jb
03/01/2002
 Anti- frreeze was leaking on ground. consumer assumed head gasket cracked or gasket blew. dealer was notified.*ak
03/12/200207/01/1998
 Oil pump failed, engine froze up and needs to be replaced. chrysler refuses to hear any complaint as the van has 44,100 miles on it and the warranty on this 5 year leased vehicle was 36,000 miles.*ak
11/01/1999
 In november 1999 had transmission replaced. currently, transmission needs to be replaced again. in december 2000, headgasket blewout. *ak
07/14/2000104/30/1998
 Antifreeze was found under the car, an intial diagnosis was a blown head gasket.
10/06/1998
 Consumer was driving vehicle in water 18 inches deep on wet pavement, then vehicle would not start, towed to dealer. dealer indicated that engine locked up. consumer maintained that it was poor engine design since water is sucked up into engine which causes this problem. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE
07/18/20001
 Vehicle caught fire while parked, claim # 16-n184-274. nlm
09/12/20001
 While driving smoke started coming from under the hood, the driver stopped and raised the hood and there were flames coming from the engine, claim # 46-0533-441. nlm
01/13/20001
 Consumer noticed liquid dripping on the garage floor, the consumer placed a rag under the vehicle, when backing out of the garage the rag attached to the axle and the driver noticed there were no brakes and was notified by a passers-by the the vehicle was on fire, the engine wiring harness was heavily damaged and the brake sensor wire burned, claim # 42-1330-502. nlm
06/13/20001
 While driving the vehicle experinced a problem, the driver pulled over then the vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment, claim # 25-5404-238. nlm
09/10/20001
 The vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment, claim #12-1313-773. nlm
07/18/20011
 Consumer states vehicle caught on fire and fire department put out the fire (claim # 16-n184-274). *yd
09/10/20001
 Consumer states vehicle caught on fire, and was put out by fire department, the adjuster unable to determine cause of fire at this time (claim # 14-1313-773). *yd
06/13/20001
 Consumer had problems with vehicle and pulled over and parked, the vehicle ignited in the engine area and the fire department put out fire (claim # 25-5404-238). *yd
01/10/20011
 Consumer noticed liquid dripping on the garage floor and placed a rag under the vehicle, when backing out of the garage the rag attached to the axel and consumer noticed that he did not have brakes and was notified by passers-by that his car was on fire, comments from the adjuster is engine wiring harness damaged heavily and brake sensor wire burned up, no signs of a rag or anything (claim # 42-1330-502). *yd
12/30/20011
 Consumer states while driving, smoke started coming from under hood, when consumer stopped and raised the hood flames were coming from the motor (claim # 46-0533-441). *yd
01/10/20011
 Consumer noticed liquid dripping on the garage floor and placed a rag under the vehicle, when backing out of the garage the rag attached to the axel and consumer noticed that he did not have brakes and was notified by passers-by that his car was on fire, comments from the adjuster is engine wiring harness damaged heavily and brake sensor wire burned up, no signs of a rag or anything (claim # 42-1330-502). *yd
09/10/20001
 Consumer states vehicle caught on fire, and was put out by fire department, the adjuster unable to determine cause of fire at this time (claim # 14-1313-773). *yd
06/13/20001
 Consumer had problems with vehicle and pulled over and parked, the vehicle ignited in the engine area and the fire department put out fire (claim # 25-5404-238). *yd
12/30/20011
 Consumer states while driving, smoke started coming from under hood, when consumer stopped and raised the hood flames were coming from the motor (claim # 46-0533-441). *yd
07/18/20011
 Consumer states vehicle caught on fire and fire department put out the fire (claim # 16-n184-274). *yd
01/13/20001
 Consumer noticed liquid dripping on the garage floor, the consumer placed a rag under the vehicle, when backing out of the garage the rag attached to the axle and the driver noticed there were no brakes and was notified by a passers-by the the vehicle was on fire, the engine wiring harness was heavily damaged and the brake sensor wire burned, claim # 42-1330-502. nlm
06/13/20001
 While driving the vehicle experinced a problem, the driver pulled over then the vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment, claim # 25-5404-238. nlm
09/10/20001
 The vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment, claim #12-1313-773. nlm
09/12/20001
 While driving smoke started coming from under the hood, the driver stopped and raised the hood and there were flames coming from the engine, claim # 46-0533-441. nlm
07/18/20001
 Vehicle caught fire while parked, claim # 16-n184-274. nlm
04/02/20010
 There's a lot humming noise coming from engine. *ak
03/16/20010
 While driving about 55 mph vehicle did not have any steering. then, all lights on dashboard came on. heard a loud noise like a pop. engine stalled. consumer opened hood, and found out that engine cap was not in place and all coolant was every where.*ak
04/15/20003
 While driving on the highway vehicle would die out/stall without prior warning. has happened 3 times in 2 weeks. contacted dealership & was informed engine needed new spark plugs & wires, which were replaced. however, problem still exists. contacted manufacturer & informed consumer to take vehicle back to dealership. *ak
01/15/2000112/01/1997
 There is a severe upper engine oil leak that from an undetermined location. oil under pressure sprays the engine comparment, including the engine bloc, and burns. *ak
02/04/199810002/01/1998
 In spite of repeated tune ups, engine runs rough when stopped - sometimes quits.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
05/12/2008870001
 We own a 1998 plymouth grand voyager se, for the past year we have had continual problems with the serpentine belt coming off and have replaced it so many time it impossible to count that high. t belt is especially subject to come off when it rains or there is water on the road. i know for a fact that many complaints have been filed regarding this issue and yet chrysler will not fix the problem. this is a very serious safety issue as when the belt comes off the vehicle lose the power steering, brakes & electrical system. you people are suppose to make the road ways safe and our tax dollars bailed chrysler out when they were going under. theirs no telling how many people have to die due to the negligence of chrysler and this design flaw and the nhtsa compliance in this matter. http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_30931_6.html the above link will document the same problem that other chrysler mini-van owners have encountered. *tr
08/25/20047
 Dealership and independent shop replaced the serpentine belt seven times in the past year. mechanic indicated to the consumer these were defective parts. consumer found there was a technical service bulletin on this issue.*ak
01/13/200478000408/15/1998
 Defective idler arm pulley alignment on 1998 plymoth grand voyager.i have had the idler arm replaced and pulley replaced and belt replaced 4 times since i have owned the car and the car makes a terrible squeaking noise. the belt has come off two times. i have many friends with similiar voyagers with the same problem.*ak
05/19/200320000612/29/1998
 We purchased our grand voyager with about 14,000 miles on it. it now has about 67,000 miles on it and we have been through approximately 6 serpentine belts and 4 belt tensioners. we have been through 1 belt per year at least since we bought the vehicle. the dealership never acknowledged that there was a defect in the engine that kept causing the belt to become mis-aligned, start squeaking, and eventually rip apart. the problem is more severe in hot weather and we have about 5 months of 90 degree weather where we are. our own mechanic has started shimming the belt tensioner, which seems to prolong belt replacement time but does not solve the problem. he believes the problem is that the hole that was drilled to install the tensioner and/or pulley is drilled at the wrong angle or not lined up correctly. our only consolation is that the squeaking gives us warning about the state of the belt. *nlm
10/10/200270568304/01/2000
 The brake system was defective, there were burn like smells, and noises, the clock spring was inoperative and caused other problems, and the squeaking serpentine belt had gone bad. scc *jb *ts
10/01/20021
 Consumer states that if driving in the rain and vehicle hits a water puddle, water splashes onto the serpentine belt and it comes off. as a result, vehicle loses power steering. consumer very concerned that if turning and problem occurs driver will not be able to turn vehicle and possibly crash. dlr also advised consumer that mfr is aware of problem. nlm
03/21/2001105/01/1998
 I was traveling at about 60 mph on interstate 85 north in atlanta, ga when i heard a loud bumping noise under the vehicle. i looked in the rear view miror and saw somthing rolling on the road. i lost power steering and the vehicle was very difficult to control. i managed to get to safe spot off the road and looking under the hood i discovered my water pump pulley was off and laying on the splash pan. the serpentine belt tensioner pulley had also fallen off and was what i had seen rolling in the road. i had the vehicle towed to a five star chrysler dealership in stone mountain, ga where the maintenance supervisor said it just wore out and he had seen them fall off in less mileage than mine had. i complained that it was a manufactures defect and should not have just sudenly fallen off with no warning. i was left with no choice but to have it repaired. they charged me just under $400.00 to replace the water pump and put a new tensioner pulley on it. towing cost me $85.00 and a rental vehicle $79.00. the dealer maintenance supervisor even had the nerve to ask me if i wanted to get a 60000 mile check up while they were working on it. i told him no thanks the vehicle never made it to 60000 miles. i have not complained to chrysler because i felt i would get the same cold treatment that i got from the dealership in stone mountain where i was stranded over 100 miles away from home. i once thought chrysler made good quality vehicles but no more.*ak
08/15/2001208/01/1999
 In september of 2000 we replaced the belt tensioner. the car had about 33000 miles on it. in january or so we had to replace a valve cover gasket because oil was leaking and we were losing oil. the van had 39000 miles on it. the manufacturer was contacted and would not accomodate us even though the dealership said there was only one cause of the problem at that milage - manufacturer's defect. then we just foundout this week at 48000 miles that we need a valve and ring job because the car was burning oil. we had been burning oil since before the valve cover gasket. we've been told by the dealership (not the one we purchased the car from, which was a small independent company) and the manufacturer that the repair will not be covered because we didn't complain of burning oil before. (of course, the oil was being lost prior to the valve cover gasket problem but they said we weren't specific about burning oil. we had attributed the lost oil to the leak.*ak
201/01/2000
 On 2 occasions while driving in rainy weather the vehicle hit a puddle and the serpentine belt came off, the consumer lost temporary control of the vehicle but was able to pull over to the side of the road. nlm
09/10/1999207/01/1998
 This is the second time this has happened. the first time was 2 months after purchase. an exceptional amount of rain had fallen and many roads had standing water on them. while negotiating one spot (approx. 6-12 in) all power steering ability was lost. assuming the belt was wet continued to drive until warning light and signal showed overheating. discovered that serpentine belt had fallen off. dealer replaced and informed that incident had been reported to plymouth. today same problem. attempting to negotiate several instances of water, less than 25mph and suddenyl, no power steering. personally reported to plymouth and was informed that they had not heard any instances of this failure. questioned dealer and was informed that they had seen it happen several times. initial problem: tension pully has no edge to hold belt on if water gets between pulley and belt. pulley is also smooth which causes belt to slip. result: loss of power steering, loss of charging to battery, loss of power to drive headlights/wipers/air conditioning. dangerous result: loss of control/visibility. solution(?): replace smooth pulley with one that has edges and put grooves of some sort on the pulley to allow water to be sheeted off if it comes between the pulley and the belt.
5
 The vehicle is experiencing a loss of power steering,a/c,and the electrical system.also, engine belt needs to be replaced. dealer has replaced engine belt 3 times. the problem has happened 5 times. *ak
07/01/1998
 While driving in rainy conditions the serpentine belt came off, disabling the power system, which may cause an accident. happened 4 times. . dealer cannot determine problem. please provide further information. *ak
10/20/19981
 The self tensioner failed to work properly. had taken to dealer & informed that the surpentine belt came off the pulley. the engine motor system stopped working. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM
02/14/2004104/15/1999
 Our 1998 plymouth voyager has an exhaust leak in the crossover pipe. our nine year old daughter continually gets headaches in the car, and unbeknownst to us, there is carbon monoxide leaking into the van. it is not repairable, and the parts are on a nationwide backorder according to chrysler and they do not know when they will be available. in the meantime, we are not willing to subject our child to this, and believe we are being forced into purchasing a different vehicle, when we are not ready to do so, with another daughter in college. we believe that chrysler should be held accountable for this. *jb
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL
08/07/20005
 Had let vehicle idle a while before moving. shifted into reverse & started to back out. engine stalled out. no prior warning. took to dealer 1st time & had map sensor replaced. 2nd time throttle sensor was replaced. 3rd time control module. 4th time mechanic took engine apart & found wires under the hood had melted together & all the electrical wires needed replacing. this was due to the wires being too close to the exhaust system.*ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
08/15/2000106/01/1998
 I have contacted chrysler and they paid for the ignition and the manifold gasket replacement. they paid $1,000 of the transmission failure. the total bill for the transmission failure was $2500. *ak