2001 Dodge Grand Caravan

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT HEARD A CLUNKING NOISE WHEN HE APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM PIVOT BOLT WAS FRACTURED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 01V152000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM) AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 171,000.

THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE STARTED SHIMMYING AND THE STEERING WHEEL. AT FIRST, IT STARTED AT ABOUT 55 MPH. NOW IT IS DOING IT AT LOWER AND LOWER SPEEDS. THERE ARE PAGES AND PAGES OF COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. IT IS ALSO VERY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN GOING SLOW. THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL FOR THE FRONT SUSPENSION AND LOWER CONTROL ARM. CAMPAIGN NO 01V152000 BUT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP SAID MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED. HOW CAN YOU CONTINUE TO LET THEM SELL DEFECTIVE VEHICLES AND NOT MAKE THEM RECALL ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES? THEY SAID THE SAME THING ABOUT MY RAM TRUCK. THERE'S A RECALL ON IT AND THEY SAID MY VEHICLE WAS NOT IN THE RECALL, BUT IT HAS THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE AIR AND HEAT GOING OUT. I WISH I HAD READ THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AGAINST THEM ON YOUR SITE AND ON ALL THE OTHER SITES BEFORE I BOUGHT THESE LEMONS. YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK OUT HTTP://WWW.DAIMLERCHRYSLERVEHICLEPROBLEMS.COM/ THAT IS JUST ONE OF THE WEBSITES DETAILING THE NUMBER OF DEATHS CAUSED BY DODGE. I AM GOING TO MAKE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THEM TO THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ALSO. MAYBE IF THEY INVESTIGATE, YOU WILL FINALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THESE PROBLEMS. *TR

I OWN A 2001 DODGE CARAVAN THAT I PURCHASED FROM MY FATHER TWO MONTHS AGO. LAST NIGHT I NOTICED A RUBBING SOUND WHEN I TURNED CORNERS. LOOKING AT THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL, I NOTICED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM CAME OUT OF THE BOLT. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON RECALLS FOR THE 2001 CARAVAN I SAW THAT THERE IS A RECALL OUT TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. MY FATHER SAID HE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND HE HAS LIVED AT HIS CURRENT RESIDENCE FOR 30 YEARS. MY COMPLAINT IS HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSE TO KNOW OF A RECALL WHEN YOU ARE NOT CONTACTED BY CHRYSLER? THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER IS 01V152000. *TR

FRONT END WAS MAKING CLUNKING NOISES SINCE ABOUT 24,000 MILES,EACH TIME I WENT TO THE DEALER SINCE THEN IT WAS BROUGHT UP, BUT NOTHING FOUND BY THEM. FINALLY AT 44,070 THEY LOOKED ONCE AGAIN AND (NOW THAT MY WARRANTY WAS OVER) THEY FOUND THAT MY FRONT SWAY BAR LINKS AND BUSHINGS WERE BAD AND REPLACED. CHRYSLER DID GOODWILL THE REPAIR UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT I STILL HAD TO PAY $100 FOR THE DEDUCTIBLE (WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER MY PREVIOUS WARRANTY WORK WHEN I PAID THE $100 AND THEY DIDN'T DO THE WORK UNTIL I CALLED CHRYSLER AFTER I ALREADY LEFT AND HAD TO GO BACK). I DO THINK IT WAS WAY TOO SOON TO HAVE FRONT END SWAY BAR PROBLEMS. *NM

WENT TO DEALER TO HAVE THE BRAKES FIXED AND MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE LOWER CONTROL ARM PIVOT BOLT, AND IF I DIDN'T HAVE IT FIXED I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HE SAID IT WAS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. THIS AFFECTED THE ENTIRE ENGINE CRADLE. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS ON THE 2001 MODEL. BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. AFTER CONTACTING DAIMER CHRYSLER TOLD ME THE SAME THING ,AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO ABOUT IT AND SUGGESTED I SHOULD HOLD ON TO MY RECEIPT BECAUSE ONE NEVER KNOWS WHEN THERE MAY BE A RECALL IN THE FUTURE? THEY REFERRED ME TO JONATHAN SANDERS, SENIOR STAFF OF GLOBAL RELATIONS AND HE SAID THERE IS NOTHING DAIMER CHRYSLER WOULD DO BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WASN'T IN THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE IS A 2001 AND IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE OTHER VEHICLES THAT WERE RECALLED. I OF COURSE AM HAVING THE MECHANIC FIX THE VEHICLE FOR OBVIOUS SAFETY REASONS.*AK

I PURCHASED A 2001 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN IN AUGUST OF 2005 WITH 73K MILES. VEHICLE SMELLED MUSTY (STAGNANT WATER). THREE TRIPS TO SHOP TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX SWAY BAR LINK, BUSHING, STRUT AND STRUT MOUNT PROBLEM TO CURE A CLUNKING SOUND ON FRONT END. TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR TO NEUTRAL AT WHIM. ALSO, SHIFTS THROUGH FIRST 3 GEARS (AUTOMATIC) AT WHIM CAUSING VEHICLE TO LURCH. HOWEVER, SHOP CANNOT DUPLICATE THESE PROBLEMS OR THE PROBLEM WITH MY NON WORKING CRUISE CONTROL. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY FOR NON-DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGES EVERYTIME FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY SAY IT IS FINE. I TELL THEM THAT IT IS NOT FINE THAT THEY JUST CAN'T FIND IT. I AM DISTURBED BY THE NUMBER OF POSTS RE: TO SWAY BAR PROBLEMS AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND THE FACT THAT NO ONE IS HOLDING CHRYSLER/DODGE ACCOUNTABLE. WILL IT TAKE A NUMBER OF DEATHS TO DETERMINE THAT THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE? I IMPLORE YOU TO INVESTIGATE THESE PROBLEMS ALONG WITH THE WATER ISSUE. SO FAR IT CAUSED MY BLOWER RESISTOR TO SHORT OUT AND NEED REPLACING. I HAD NO HEAT IN BELOW ZERO WEATHER. *JB

DRIVING AROUND A CURVE AT 35 MPH THE CAR WOULD NOT STRAIGHTEN OUT AND INSTEAD BEGAN FISHTAILING AND SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL. CAR RAN OFF THE ROAD UP AN INCLINE WHERE IT CAME TO REST. RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS PERPENDICULAR TO CAR WITH TIRE HANGING OFF OF RIM. WE LATER LEARNED THAT THE RIGHT CONTROL ARM HAD SNAPPED. MANUFACTURER CLAIMS I MUST HAVE HIT A VERY DEEP POTHOLE, BUT WE ARE UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH OCCURRENCE. NO DEEP POTHOLES EXISTED ON AREA OF ROAD WHERE CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL. ALSO, THE TIRE RIM WAS NOT DAMAGED. *JB