2003 Dodge Caravan

APPROX. 10:30 ON SAT. AUG. 27TH, 2005 I DROVE MY 2003 DODGE CARAVAN TO WAL-MART ON BLEACHERY BLVD TO GET MY SON A HAT FOR THE PARADE HE WOULD BE IN AT NOON THAT DAY. AS I PARKED MY VAN AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND TURNED TO LOOK FOR MY PURSE ON THE BACK SEAT, I DECIDED TO GET OUT AND OPEN THE LEFT BACK SLIDING DOOR. AS I TURNED GETTING OUT OF THE VAN THE DRIVERS AIRBAG EXPLODED IN MY BACK AND PUSHED ME THE REST OF THE WAY OUT OF THE VEHICLE. MY FATHER AND SON WERE WITH ME AND MY FATHER CALLED 911. THE FIRE DEPT. CAME AND MADE A REPORT BECAUSE THE AIRBAG CAUSE WHELPS AND BURNS ON MY BACK AND I LATER WENT TO THE ER AFTER MY SON FINISHED HIS EVENTS FOR THE DAY. THE FIRE DEPT. CALLED APD(POLICE)AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT... THE OFFICER (KEITH MCCULLOCH #2600) SAID THAT BECAUSE I WAS SITTING STILL AND HAD NOT HIT ANYTHING AND NOTHING HIT ME, THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT THERE WAS NO POLICE REPORT NEEDED.. HE THEN GAVE ME THE PHONE NUMBER TO THE NHTSA AND SAID TO FILE A COMPLAINT.... SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET CHRYSLER TO RESOLVE THE MATTER QUICKLY SO I CAN GET MY VEHICLE BACK. THEY HAVE DRUG THEIR FEET ON THE MATTER AND SAID THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THEY MADE A DECISION IN ABOUT 10 WORKING DAYS. THE INCIDENT IS A CLEAR DEFECT AND THEY ARE TRYING MAKE IT OUT TO BE MY FAULT. *JB

DT: CONTACT OWNED A 2003 DODGE CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRYING TO GET INTO VEHICLE A FEW WEEKS AGO REALIZED THAT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR THERE WAS NO KEY LOCK TO UNLOCK THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE VEHICLE HAS THE KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM WHICH UNLOCKS ALL OF THE DOORS. HE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WAS THE ONLY DOOR THAT HAS THE ACTUAL KEY LOCK. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE SERVICE DEALER, WHO STATED IT WAS THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

DT: THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE, REVERSE, AND ALL THE WAY TO PARK. IT WOULD FINALLY GO INTO DRIVE AFTER IN WAS IN PARK FOR A FEW MINUTES. HAD NOT CONTACTED DODGE DEALER YET, BUT THIS STARTED HAPPENING LAST SATURDAY JULY 16, 2005. NOTICED SINCE THEN WHEN COMING TO A STOP IT MADE A CLINKING NOISE LIKE IT WAS TRYINGTO SHIFT DOWN. *AK

I HAVE A 2003 CARAVAN AND A 2004 RAM AND HAVE HAD ONGOING ISSUES WITH MY BRAKES. I BELEIVE THAT THE FACTORY MUST HAVE USED FAULTY ROTORS. LAST AUGUST, TO MY AMAZEMENT I HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS TURNED WHEN THE DEALER PUT NEW PADS ON MY CARAVAN (26,000 MILES). I BEGRUDGINGLY PAID OVER 200 DOLLARS FOR THIS. 9 MONTHS LATER THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL ARE PULSING AGAIN AND THE DEALER IS TELLING ME THE ROTORS MUST BE TURNED AGAIN EVEN THOUGH THE PADS ARE FINE. I EXPECTED THAT THE DEALER WOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS SINCE THEY WERE JUST SERVICED 9 MONTHS AGO BUT THEY SAID I WAS 200 MILES OVER THE LIMIT. I ALSO HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH MY RAM AND EVEN THOUGH I HAD MORE THAN 50% OF MY PADS LEFT I HAD WARPED ROTORS AND HAD TO PAY THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM TURNED. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AT LITHIA DODGE IN OMAHA, PREVIOUSLY JIMS DODGE, AND HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME IF I REPLACE THE ROTORS THE NEW ONES WILL BE GUARANTEED FOR LIFE NOT TO WARP! WHY WOULD YOU GUARANTEE THE AFTERMARKET ROTORS BUT NOT THE ROTORS FROM THE FACTORY??!

THE CONSUMER HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH HIS 2003 DODGE CARAVAN; SUCH PROBLEMS WERE A KNOCK IN THE TRANSMISSION AND 2 BRAKE JOBS. *JB THE TWO BRAKES JOBS OCCURRED WITHIN ONE YEAR. THE STEERING WHEEL KNOCKED (RECALL CAMPAIGN #04V386000), THE VEHICLE HAD BROKEN DOWN AT 8K MILES, THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OFF, THE GEAR PANEL ILLUMINATED, AND THE WINDOW HAD BECOME LOOSE. 80% OF THE VEHICLES PROBLEMS WAS UNDER 10K MILES. THE ROTATION NOISE CONTINUED AND THE RUBBER LINING AROUND THE SLIDING DOOR WAS COMING OFF. OTHER PROBLEMS: WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD BE TAKEN OUT OF PARK TO DRIVE, ALL OF THE LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE, THE FRONT RIMS/HUB CAPS WERE DIRTY DUE TO EXCESSIVE LEAKAGE AROUND THE BRAKES, EVEN DURING NORMAL WASHING, THERE WAS A MILD RINGING NOISE IN THE VEHICLE, THE FRONT DOOR RATTLED, THE REAR TAIL LAMP WAS DAMAGED, THE BRAKE LIGHT AND BACK-UP LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT, THE BRAKES WERE GOING BAD AGAIN, THE ENGINE WOULD SPUTTER DUE TO NO FUEL PRESSURE, THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE LEFT, WHEN THE DRIVER DOOR WAS SHUT IT MADE A LOUD RATTLE SOUND, THERE WOULD BE A DELAY IN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN GOING UPHILL, WHEN SITTING AT IDLE, THE ENGINE WOULD SOUND AS IF IT WERE REVVING BUT THE GAUGE DID NOT DISPLAY THIS. *SC *JB

TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, WHEN TAKING OFF VEHICLE HESITATES SHIFTING INTO GEAR. WHEN COMING TO A STOP HARD DOWNSHIFT AND FEELS LIKE BEING HIT IN REAR END. ON ONE OCCASION RECENTLY GOING UP HILL VAN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL FOR NO REASON. FIRST TIME FIXED AT 4493 MILES 9/10/04, MILEAGE 2ND TIME PROBLEM APPX 5850 MILEAGE TODAY 5950 AS OF 6/17/05 REPORTED TO DEALER 6/14/05 5908 MILES APT FOR FIXING 6/29/05

TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED THERE WAS A JERKING AND CLICKING NOISE WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WENT UP A HILL. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAD 279 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. AT 1829 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CYLINDER NUMBER 4 WAS MISFIRING. THE DEALER REPLACED A SPARK PLUG. AFTER 13,301 MILES THIS HAPPENED AGAIN. AT 14,456 MILES THE REAR WHEELS MOVED BUT THE FRONT WHEELS WOULD MOVE ALONG WITH BIG NOISE. THERE WAS HESITATION AND RUMBLING WHEN IN DRIVE. TOOK TO DEALER AND FOUND FRONT PUMP IN TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. THE PUMP WAS REPLACED. ON APRIL 4-7, 2005 AGAIN TO DEALER WHO FOUND NOTHING WRONG. ON APRIL 28, 2005 HESITATION ALONG WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. APRIL 29 CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. MAY 2, 2005 WAS TOLD NEED REPLACEMENT OF VALVE BODY AND TRANSMISSION. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SEVERAL TIMES. ALL THIS OCCURRED AS CAR HAS YET TO HAVE 15,000 ACTUAL MILES. *NM *NM

I AM LEASING A 2003 DODGE CARAVAN. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE IS UNUSUALLY HIGH. AT THE END OF A TWO YEAR PERIOD I HAD OVER 33000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. I DRIVE 40 MILES PER DAY ROUND TRIP TO WORK 5 DAYS A WEEK MINUS 2WEEKS VACATION. THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN NO MORE THAN 50 MILES ON THE WEEKENDS. WE PREVIOUSLY LEASED A VEHICLE FOR 18 MONTHS A KIA SPORTAGEAND DUE TO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS CANCELLED THE LEASE FOR THE CARAVAN. WHEN WE MADE THE TRADE THE KIA HAD 22000 MILES ON IT AND OUR DRIVING HABITS HAVE NOT CHANGED. IS THERE A WAY TO CHECK THE ODOMETER FOR ACCURACY? I BELIEVE THE DEALER HAS MODIFIED THE ODOMETER TO GET PENALTY MILEAGE AT THE END OF THE LEASE.

2003 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN LOCKED UP.*MR THE VEHICLE STEERING LOCK UP WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT A BELT HAD SHEARED OFF AND CAUSED A LEAK. SHORTLY AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE MADE THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL FOR THE UPPER POWER STEERING RETURN HOSE AND BELIEVES THAT THIS RECALL IS RELATED TO THE PROBLEM HER VEHICLE HAD. THE CONSUMER REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS. *NM