1997 Dodge Grand Caravan

MY 1997 DODGE CARAVAN HAS THE HABIT OF TURNING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON BY THEMSELVES ABOUT TWICE A MONTH. WHILE THEY HAVE NEVER FAILED TO WORK WHEN I NEEDED THEM, I'VE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT OTHER CARAVAN OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING WITH MUCH EXPENSE TAKEN TO FIX AT NO AVAIL. I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT WANT A FAULTY WIPER SYSTEM AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MFG. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY IF THIS IS INDEED AS RAMPANT A COMPLAINT AS IT SEEMS TO BE. *JB

MAKE : DODGE MODEL : CARAVAN YEAR : 1998 MANUFACTURER : DAIMLER CHRYSLER CORPORATION SERVICE BULLETIN NUM : 2304402 DATE OF BULLETIN: OCT 14, 2002 NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10000317 COMPONENT: STRUCTURE:BODY SUMMARY: COSMETIC CORROSION OR PERFORATION AT UPPER STRUT TOWER/S USUALLY BETWEEN THE STRUT AND UPPER LOAD PATH BEAM INNER PANEL (INNER FENDER). *TT *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THERE WAS A STRONG SMELL OF GAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING FROM THE INJECTION RAIL AND THE O RINGS. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL # 98V184000, WHICH PERTAINS TO THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE RPMS DROPPED TO ZERO, THE VEHICLE JERKED, AND THE ENGINE STALLED COMPLETELY. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER 10 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN IN FOR INSPECTION. THE CONSUMER STATED SEVERAL ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO FIX THE VEHICLE. THE OIL PAN WAS LEAKING OIL. THE VALVE COVER GASKETS WERE REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED. THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE LEFT. UPDATED 08/15/06. *JB

THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 1997 GRAND CARAVAN AND A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I GOT TO WORK I CUT THE CAR OFF AND TRIED TO RESTART IT. IT DID START BUT THE CUT OFF. THEN IT WOULD NOT START AT ALL. NO DASH LIGHTS ANYTHING. I WAITED ABOUT 3 HOURS AND TRIED TO START IT AGAIN AND NOTHING HAPPENED. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK CAME AND THE DRIVER GOT IN AND TRIED TO START IT, AGAIN IT WAS TOTALLY DEAD. HE LEFT THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION WHILE WE TALKED AND THEN ABOUT A MINUTE LATER THE DASH LIGHT CAME ON AND HE STARTED IT. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE ABOUT A YEAR AGO. ON THE WAY TO WORK ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON IN THE DASH AND I PULLED OVER AND CUT THE CAR OFF. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES I TRIED IT AGAIN AND IT STARTED WITH NO PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER. HAVE YOU HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE? *NM

1. WIPERS TURNS ON AUTOMATICALLY - USUALLY WHEN A TURN SIGNAL IS ON. 2. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON FREQUENTLY WITH P1698 CODE AND NO OTHER PENDING CODE. PRESENT INTERVAL AT AN AVERAGE OF A WEEK. DEALER CANNOT FIND THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. FOUND OUT THIS INCIDENT IS VERY COMMON AS DISCUSSED IN SEVERAL CHATROOMS. INCIDENT USUALLY STARTS WITH ABS LIGHT ON THEN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DIES, FOLLOWED BY AIRBAG LIGHT THEN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT. AT INCIDENT, POWER DOOR LOCKS DOES NOT WORK. AT INCIDENT, SOMETIMES ABS AND AIRBAG LIGHT WILL TURN OFF AFTER S SHORT DRIVE THEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL WORK. 3.REAR INTERIOR LIGHTS REMAIN LIT EVEN WHEN DASH SWITCH IS OFF AND NO DOOR AJAR. SOMETIMES A SINGLE INTERIOR LIGHT TURNS ON WHEN STARTING ENGINE AND REMAIN LIT. *JB

I PURCHASED THE 1997 GRAND CARAVAN IN JANUARY 1998 AT THE MARLOW HEIGHTS DEALERSHIP IN MARLOW HEIGHTS, MARYLAND. THE FIRST TIME I STARTED EXPERIENCING ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE WAS 5/1999 AT 24,006 MILES VEHICLE HAD LITTLE POWER WHEN ACCELERATING, TRANSMISSION NOT ENGAGING, TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE RECONDITIONED. IN 12/1999, THERE WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CAUSING A VERY STRONG NASTY ODOR. CARPET HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS CAUSED A HAZARDOUS CONDITION TO MY FAMILY ESPECIALLY MY KIDS HAVING TO BREATH IN THIS FLUID. 3 /2000 SAME FLUID LEAKED AGAIN IN AUTO BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE HEATING COIL. THEN AGAIN IN 8/2001 THE LEAK HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME I CONTACTED DAIMLER CHRYSLER IN NORTH CAROLINA AND COMPLAINED DAIMLER CHRYSLER AGREED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WHAT THEY CALLED ONE CONSUMER REPAIR PER CUSTOMER PER VEHICLE. IN 11/2001, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 3 TIMES. AT THIS POINT, THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO DUE FOR EMISSIONS TESTING AND DID NOT PASS THE TEST BECAUSE OF A CYLINDER MISFIRE CODE. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN THE FUNDS FOR REPAIR, IN 5/2004 @ 118,668 MILES, I DECIDED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE REPAIRS. I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE SPARK PLUGS REPLACED AND THAT WOULD SOLVE THE ISSUE. SO I PAID $114.24 TO REPLACE THE 6 .SPARK PLUGS, PROBLEM NOT SOLVED I ENDED UP PAYING $3,758.82 IN 7/2005 TO REPLACE CYLINDER HEADS, TIMING BELT, AND WATER PUMP . THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME I HAD THE TIMING BELT REPLACED. RECENTLY, IN 3/2006, OIL LIGHT CAME ON. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH VC GASKETS, CAM PLUGS, BOTH FT CAM SEALS AND REAR CAM SEALS AND TIMING BELT ONCE AGAIN FOR THIRD TIME. THIS COST TO ME WAS $2,677.50. NOW THE OIL LIGHT IS BACK ON AGAIN. *NM

IN DRIVING MY 1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN, I HAVE HAD SEVERAL EPISODES WHERE IT STALLS WITH NO WARNING. THE FIRST TIME IT STALLED WAS AFTER STOPPING AT A TOLL BOOTH AND IN PULLING OUT FROM THE BOOTH IT JUST DIED. LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF TRAFFIC AS MY HUSBAND AND THREE SMALL CHILDREN WERE IN THE VAN WITH ME AT THE TIME. HAD IT BEEN DURING RUSH HOUR OR THERE WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS JUST IN A HURRY, THIS INCIDENT HAD THE POTENTIAL TO BE QUITE TRAGIC. MY VAN HAS ALSO STALLED SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND SEVERAL TIMES DRIVING DOWN RESIDENTIAL STREETS. WE CAN NOT SEEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT EVERYTHING LOOKS O.K. AFTER SEEING A NEWSCAST TONIGHT THAT SPOKE OF THE SAME STALLING WITHOUT WARNING ISSUES IN OTHER VANS I AM HAVING MY FUEL PUMP REPLACED. THIS NEWSCAST SAID THE ISSUE WAS WITH ONLY 1991 - 1995 CHRYSLER/DODGE MODEL VANS. I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT IT COULD BE RELATED TO NEWER MODELS AS WELL. *NM