1998 Dodge Grand Caravan

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN MY SERPENTINE BELT CAME OFF THE PULLEYS AND RESULTED IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN I LOST MY STEERING WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM ON THE EARLIER (1997 THROUGH THE EARLY 2000S MODELS) DODGE CARAVAN 3.0, 3.3, AND 3.8 ENGINES. THERE ARE MANY POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET WITH PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME THING HAPPENING DURING RAIN STORMS. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS 1998 DODGE CARAVAN. THE VAN ONLY HAS 61,686 MILES ON IT. AT 43,000 MILES I HAD TO REPLACE THE BELT, TENSIONER, AND PULLEY IDLER. I ALSO HAVE HEARD THAT DODGE DID A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM IN AT LEAST ONE OTHER COUNTRY. CHRYSLER SHOULD BE MANDATED TO OFFER A FIX FOR THIS HERE IN THE USA. I TEMPORARILY FIXED MY PROBLEM BY PUTTING THE OLD SERPENTINE BELT BACK ON THE PULLEYS. THIS IS NOT AN EASY TASK AND TRYING TO DO IT ALONG THE ROAD IS HAZARDOUS. BUT FOR MOST PEOPLE THIS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO DO. *JB

SERPENTINE BELT CAME OFF FOUR TIMES WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN. AFTER THE FOURTH TIME THE GARAGE ORDERED A CONVERSION KIT FROM THE GATES CORPORATION THAT REPLACED THE IDLER PLUS THE TENSIONER. THE KIT ALSO INCLUDED A NEW DOUBLE SIDED RIBBED BELT. THEIR PART NUMBER IS 38,342 K. IT CAN ALSO BE ORDERED THROUGH CAR QUEST AUTO PARTS STORES. THEIR PART NUMBER IS THE SAME. I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM SINCE. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT SLIPPED OFF IN WET WEATHER, AND IT MADE STEERING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THERE WAS NO LONGER POWER STEERING. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 4 TIMES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000, AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000. *AK CONSUMER STATES DEALER MADE ADDITIONAL INSTALLATION OF THE BELT 6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. UPDATE *4/23/07 **TR

AFTER HAVING CLOCK SPRING CHANGED FROM RECALL, VEHICLE WILL STALL WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND AUTOMATICALLY START BACK UP ON ITS OWN. IT WILL DO THIS FROM A COASTING SPEED TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 70 MPH. THERE IS NO WARNING!! I DON'T KNOW IF ITS FROM THE CLOCK SPRING OR ANOTHER ISSUE. HAD TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALS AND PERSONAL FRIEND THAT HAS THE OBDII COMPUTER AND IT DOES NOT KICK OR STORE A CODE, EVEN WHEN HOOKED UP TO THE COMPUTER! I HAVE A 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN, 3.3L WITH THE FLEXFUEL ENGINE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. ALSO, DURING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATION FAILURE, THE ENGINE WAS SLUGGISH AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 11/21/2006 - *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED, FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER, ILLUMINATION OF ALL WARNING LIGHTS, AND THE RISING OF THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT BECAME DETACHED DUE TO WATER SPLASHING UP INTO THE UNDERCARRIAGE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE BELT, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE SERVICE DEALER MENTIONED THAT A SPLASH SHIELD KIT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 10/30/06. *JB

DURING A HARD RAIN SHOWER, THE SERPENTINE BELT WHICH DRIVES THE ALTERNATOR, A/C, POWER STEERING AND WATER PUMP JUMPED OFF OF THE PULLEYS RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING AND THE ENGINE OVERHEATING. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP FOR REPAIRS. REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT FIND ANY REASON FOR THE BELT TO JUMP OFF. BELT WAS EXAMINED AND FOUND TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION. THIS FIRST OCCURRENCE OCCURRED ON 12/16/2005. THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OCCURRED ON 7/28/2006 UNDER THE SAME WET WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME REPAIR SHOP AND CHECKED OUT BY THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS. THE BELT WAS EXAMINED AGAIN AND FOUND NOT TO HAVE ANY SIGN OF DAMAGE. THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS REPLACED THE BELT WITH A NEW ONE AS HE COULD FIND NO REASON FOR THE BELT TO JUMP OFF. STEERING OF THE VEHICLE WAS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO THE LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING. I CHECKED WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP AND HE SAID HE HAD NOT HAD ANY SERVICE BULLETINS FROM CHRYSLER ON THIS PROBLEM. *NM

MY 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN (3.3 L ENGINE VIN: [XXX] ), THE SERPENTINE BELT COMES OFF WHEN DRIVING IN RAIN, OR WHEN DRIVING THROUGH PUDDLE. WHEN THIS HAPPEN, THE VEHICLE LOSE POWER BRAKES POWER STEERING, CAUSING VERY HAZARDOUS CONDITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 6 TIMES DURING THE LAST 18 MONTHS OUT OF WHICH 2 WERE ON FREEWAY AT 60MPH. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. REPLACED THE BELT, TENSIONER ETC, STILL THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. TOOK IT TO DODGE DEALER (DAYTON DODGE, DAYTON, NJ) ON 01/10/2006, THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIX, SITING "CHRYSLER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM, BUT HAS NO FIX" A SEARCH ON GOOGLE SHOWS NUMEROUS HITS FOR THIS PROBLEM ON CHRYSLER MINIVANS. I BELIEVE CHRYSLER HAS A TSB FOR THIS, BUT HAS NOT A RECALL. SEE BELOW LINKS BELOW. HTTP://WWW.DODGETALK.COM/FORUMS/ARCHIVE/INDEX.PHP/T-4450.HTML HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_30931.HTML. *NM UPDATED 07/17/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)