2001 Dodge Grand Caravan

WHILE DRIVING AND STEERING A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT. RECALL 01V152000 WAS ON THE INTERNET. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. CONSUMER DROVE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS RECALL NOTICE WAS NOT FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK

I OWN A 2001 GRAND CARAVAN SPORT. AT 35,000 MILES I BROUGHT IT TO A DEALER FOR THE 30,000 MILE CHECK AND TO SERVICE A GRINDING NOISE IN THE AC UNIT AND A SHUDDER WHEN TURNING AT SLOW SPEEDS. THEY FIXED THE AC AND SHUDDER BY TRUING THE ROTORS AND NEW PADS, HOWEVER THEY ALSO SAID THERE WAS A BULLETIN OUT ON THE STEERING PUMP AND THE UNIT WAS ON BACK ORDER...WOULD CALL WHEN IT CAME IN...YEAH RIGHT. AFTER AN ATTEMPT ON MY PART 3 MONTHS LATER TO LOCATE THIS PUMP, I GAVE UP TRYING AND CONTINUED DRIVING. AT 54,000 MILES, I AGAING BROUGHT IN MY CAR BECAUSE THE AC COMPRESSOR FAILED DUE TO ANOTHER BULLETIN ON THE PCM UNIT. I INQUIRED ABOUT FIXING THE OLD PROBLEM WITH THE PUMP AND THEY ADMITTED THEY MADE A MISTAKE BY NOT ORDERING THE PUMP OR CONTACTING ME BUT THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE REPAIR BECAUES IT WAS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT...EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN AND THEY ADMIT TO THEIR MISTAKE!!! NEVER AGAIN FOR DODGE...IN FACT, WE ARE SELLING IT TO BUY A HONDA.*AK

I AM WRITING IN REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN A MATTER CONCERNING MY 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. RECENTLY WE BROUGHT OUR VEHICLE INTO MANAHAWKIN CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH; DODGE ON RT. 72 IN MANAHAWKIN, NEW JERSEY FOR SERVICE. WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE, WHICH HAD ONLY JUST HIT 39,000 MILES, WAS IN NEED OF A NEW STEERING RACK AND TIE RODS. I HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AND YET THERE CONTINUES TO BE ODD NOISES IN THE FRONT END. A FEW DAYS LATER THE STEERING DID NOT FUNCTION, AS SOMEONE DID NOT CONNECT A POWER STEERING HOSE PROPERLY AND ALL THE FLUID LEAKED OUT. I AM NOW CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY. AS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF AUTO MECHANICS, I AM CERTAIN THAT A STEERING RACK DOES NOT NORMALLY GO BAD SO EARLY IN THE LIFE OF A CAR. EVEN THE DODGE MECHANICS I HAVE SPOKEN TO HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.*AK

FRONT END ROAD NOISE THAT TWO MECHANICAL SHOPS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR BY REPLACING SWAY BAR BUSHINGS IN ONE SHOP AND A TIE ARM IN THE SECOND SHOP ENDED UP NOT CORRECTING THE PROBLEM. FURTHER INVESTIGATION DETERMINED IT WAS THE RACK AND PINION. CLERK AT THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THEY HAD A THOUSAND ON ORDER, NO EXAGGERATION. HE INFORMED ME THAT THEY ALL GO ON THE CHRYSLER MINIVANS. MY VAN IS A 2001 GRAND CARAVAN SPORT WITH 42000 MILES. MANUFACTURER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO ASSIST. SOUNDS LIKE A RECALL IS IN ORDER IF THEY ARE AS PROBLEMATIC AS I HAVE BEEN INFORMED. *LA

RECENTLY MY POWER STEERING STARTED MAKING A NOISE WHEN I TURNED. THE VAN HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO LOOK AT IT UNDER WARRANTY I CALLED DIAMLERCHRYSLER AND COMPLAINED. 2,000 MILES OVER WARRANTY SHOULD NOT PREVENT THEM FROM FIXING A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING! DIAMLERCHRYSLER AUTHORIZED THE REPAIRS AT NO COST TO US. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US LATER THAT THERE IS A KNOW DESIGN FLAW WITH THE RESERVOIR, BUT NO RE-CALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. WE WERE LUCKY, THE PROBLEM OCCURRED CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE WARRANTY TO GET DIAMLERCHRYSLER TO PAY, BUT I PERSONALLY FEEL THAT KNOWN FLAWS SHOULD BE FIXED AT THE COMPANY'S EXPENSE.

I HAVE A 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN ES THAT HAS ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS HAD GRINDING NOISES COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT TIRE AREA PRIOR TO THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP WHEN MAKING LOW SPEED TURNS. ON THE FIRST INCIDENT THE POWER STEERING WAS SO TIGHT I HAD TO FIGHT TO TURN LEFT ONTO MY STREET. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO ONE BEHIND OR IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE THE CAR KEPT GOING STRAIGHT EVEN WHEN THE ROAD DIDN'T. I WAS ABLE TO STOP BEFORE I HIT THE CURB. ON THE SECOND INCIDENT, AGAIN I WAS TURNING AT A SLOW SPEED, THIS TIME RIGHT, AND AGAIN HAD A LOCKUP OF POWER STEERING. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AGAIN. THIS TIME WITH FRIGHTENED PASSENGERS AS THEY WATCHED ME STRUGGLE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET US OUT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ON THE LAST INCIDENT, AGAIN FIGHTING TO TURN ONTO MY STREET, I DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO TURN INTO MY GARAGE. I PARKED ON THE STREET AND CALLED FOR A TOW TO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. I DIDN'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT. I WANTED IT TO BE CHECKED OUT. I WASN'T LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING SINCE THE CAR IS OUT OF MANUFACTURER WARRANTY WITH 44,716 MILES ON IT, BUT I TOOK IT AND THE DEALER STATED THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE AND MADE SEVERAL TURNS AND FOUND THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED AT THIS TIME, SO I PICKED UP MY VAN AND I TOLD THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST TO FIND AND I WOULDN'T HAVE INCONVENIENCED MYSELF 2 DAYS IF THERE WASN'T A PROBLEM. I FEEL THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED MORE COMPLETELY. MANY PROBLEMS DON'T SHOW UP UNTIL AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND PEOPLE IN THE REAL WORLD HAVE DRIVEN SOME MILES. UNDER REAL LIFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. THERE IS WHERE YOU'LL FIND ANY FLAWS. I AM MAKING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY GET HURT OR KILLED IF THE POWER STEERING UNPREDICTABLY CONTINUES TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING. *NLM