2000 Dodge Caravan

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, RING AND PINION SHEARED OFF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COAST. THERE WAS NO POWER TO GENERATE GEARS FOR MOVING.THE TRANSMISSION LET GO AT THE SAME TIME. ALL THIS HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK TRANSMISSION BLEW A HOLE INTO AND THROUGH ENTIRE TRANSMISSION. *BF *NM

WHILE VISITING A FAMILY FRIEND CONSUMER DISCOVERED A WATER LEAK T IN HIS CARAVAN. THIS LEAK RESULTED FROM WATER RUNNING DOWN THE EXTERIOR ROOF GROOVES AND DOWN TO THE BACK OF THE VAN. IT HAD A CRACK IN THE WELD THAT WAS FOUND ON BOTH SIDES OF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE VAN BODY, WHERE THE REAR HATCH WAS LOCATED. THE WATER ENTERED THE CRACK AND RAN DOWN THE INSIDE OF THE VAN . ALSO, PUDDLES WERE FOUND UNDERNEATH THE CARPET, WHICH RESULTS IN A MILD WET CARPET, BUT EVEN WORSE, RUST.*AK I LIFTED THE REAR CARPET IN MY VAN AND THERE WAS WATER AND THE CARPET PAD WAS WET. I HADN'T NOTICED IT BEFORE BECAUSE WE HAVE A PLASTIC LINER TRAY IN THE BACK. I BELIEVE MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM BUT ARE UNAWARE OF IT.

SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING AT TIMES MY VAN (AUTOMATIC 4-CYLINDER 2000 CARAVAN), IT WILL CONTINUOUSLY SHIFT, MAKING THE VAN FELL LIKE ITS PULLING AND GIVING/JERKY (**SCARY WHEN THIS HAPPENS**). THE VAN WILL SHAKE(VIBRATE). THE GAS PEDAL EVEN VIBRATES. THE VAN SOUNDS LOUD(FRONT AREA OF CAR), MY SON SAYS IT SOUNDS LIKE A RACE CAR.HE GETS SCARED. THE WHEELS SEEMS TO BE HUGGING/GRIPPING THE GROUND( ANOTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE IT, IT FEELS AS IF GRAVITY WAS PULLING THE CAR DOWNWARD). THE VAN SEEMS TO LOSE POWER, AND PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL MAKES THE RUMBLING NOISE (ENGINE?) LOUDER.*AK

SEPT. 7, 2001, THE BATTERY IN MY ONE YEAR OLD DODGE CARAVAN DIED. I ASKED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE BE INVESTIGATED. I WAS BLOWN OFF. APRIL 29, 2003, THE SECOND BATTERY DIED. I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AT THIS TIME AND AGAIN I ASKED THAT THIS ISSUE BE INVESTIGATED. NOTHING WAS DONE. EACH TIME BEFORE THE BATTERY DIED, THE ALARM SYSTEM ON MY CAR WOULD ACT FLAKEY. WHEN THIS STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN, I ASKED LANDERS CHRYSLER TO LOOK AT IT. THEY FOUND NOTHING. A FEW WEEKS LATER, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HILL WITH A CURVE WHEN THE ENGINE DIED WITHOUT WARNING. I LOST MY POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND NEARLY HIT A MAIL BOX. I WAS ABLE TO START MY CAR AND CONTINUED BUT NEARLY HIT A CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN BECAUSE I WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN SHARP ENOUGH. I WAS LUCKY IN BOTH CASES THAT I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING OR ANY ONE. LANDERS EVENTUALLY LOCATED THE PROBLEM, A FAULTY EVS MODULE. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO REPAIR THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT BECAUSE I NOW HAVE 63,800 MILES ON MY CAR EVEN THOUGH EVIDENCE INDICATES THE PROBLEM EXISTED WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. LANDERS TOLD ME I COULD DISABLE THE DEVICE BY PUSHING A BUTTON ON THE DASH THAT DEACTIVATES THE ANTI-THEFT DEVICE. I WAS LUCKY THAT I DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT, CERTAINLY THE POTENTIAL WAS THERE. I DID A SEARCH ON SOME AUTO FORUMS AND FOUND SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO DESCRIBE VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS TO MINE AND OTHERS WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT SUDDENLY STALLING. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WIDESPREAD THIS PROBLEM IS. I DO KNOW THAT IT TOOK SOME TIME TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. I THINK THIS MATTER SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BECAUSE ANYTIME A DRIVER LOSES CONTROL BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT STEER OR STOP, OTHER DRIVERS, PROPERTY AND PEDESTRIANS ARE IN DAMAGES. *NM

WE HAD 3-TRANSMISSION FAILURES IN OUR 1990 GRAND CARAVAN AT <72K MILES, WHICH DODGE HANDLED REASONABLY WELL. OUR 2000 GRAND CARAVAN SPORT HAD TO HAVE ITS SOLENOID PACK REPLACED TODAY AT ~50K MILES, SO I SUSPECT A TRANSMISSION IS IN ITS SHORT TERM FUTURE AS WELL. IV'E READ ALL SORTS OF HORROR STORIES REGARDING SAFETY ISSUES DURING THESE TRANSMISSION FAILURES, I.E., DRIVE LINES PUCHING THROUGH CASES, ETC.. WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT THIS? ISN'T A COMPANY EVERY LIABLE FOR ITS PRODUCTS? MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THE TRANSMISSIONS WERE FIXED, OR I NEVER WOULD HAVE BOUGHT ANOTHER CARAVAN, ESPECIALLY IF A SAFETY ISSUE WAS INVOLVED. IS THIS A SAFETY ISSSUE OR NOT?*AK