2004 Dodge Grand Caravan

SHORTLY AFTER FILLING UP WITH GAS, I OFTEN EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY WITH THE VEHICLE. IT SOMETIMES STALLS. IT ACTS UP WITHIN A MINUTE OR TWO BY TRYING TO STALL. I TRY TO GIVE IT AS MUCH GAS AS I CAN AND IT EVENTUALLY STOPS ACTING UP IF IT DOESN'T STALL FIRST. THE DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER, BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THE WHOLE GAS TANK SETUP. IT IS NOT REPLACEABLE LIKE MOST FUEL FILTERS ARE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS THE FUEL FILTER NEEDING TO BE CLEANED. I DO BELIEVE IT IS RUINING MY FUEL PUMP SLOWLY. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN IT STALLS THAT SOMEONE MAY RUN INTO THE BACK OF ME. *TR

I HAD CONTINUALLY ADDED OIL EVERY MONTH STARTING AFTER ABOUT 10,000 MILES. I CHANGED OIL EVERY 3-5,000 MILES. DRIVING BACK FROM UP NORTH AND I HEARD A TICKING NOISE. I HAD CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL BEFORE OUR TRIP ON 8-3-07 AND ADDED 2 QUARTS OF OIL TO BRING IT UP TO FULL. AS WE HAD THE WINDOWS CLOSED AS THE TEMP HAD FALLEN TO CHILLY, I COULD NO LONGER HEAR THE NOISE UNTIL WE WERE WITHIN MILE OF OUR HOME. IT BECAME LOUDER AND AS WE PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY, IT WAS VERY LOUD. I WAS GOING TO BRING IT TO A DEALERSHIP TO GET IT CHECKED OUT THE NEXT DAY, BUT THE VAN WOULD NOT START. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE CLOSEST DEALER AND THEY LOOKED AT IT THE NEXT DAY AND TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN. THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT CHRYSLER AS THEY WOULD TOO. I DID AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT GOING TO BE COVERED DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE. THEY WANTED OIL CHANGE RECORDS AND I DID SOME MYSELF BUT HAD 3 FROM A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THEY WANTED 2 MORE AND I COULD NOT SUPPLY THESE AS I HAD DONE THEM MYSELF. I DID HAVE A RECEIPT FOR THE OIL I ADDED IN LAST JULY, BUT THAT WAS IT. I HAVE ABOUT 37,000-38,000 MILES ON THE VAN. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO PAY FOR THE TEAR DOWN OF THE ENGINE EVEN THOUGH I WAS TOLD THE FIRST WEEK THAT CHRYSLER HAD OK'D THE TEAR DOWN TO FIND THE PROBLEM. NOW THE DEALERSHIP CALLED ME AND WANTS ME TO PAY FOR A TEAR DOWN SO THEY CAN LOOK INTO WHY IT BROKE. I TOLD THEM , YOU ALREADY TOLD ME THAT YOU HAD THE OK TO DO THIS AND IT SHOULD BE ALREADY DONE. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE VAN WAS ON THE HOIST AND WAS PARTICULARLY DISASSEMBLED. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO PAY FOR THE TEAR DOWN AND A NEW ENGINE THAT WILL COST ALMOST $5,000. I HAVE IT DOCUMENTED ON AT LEAST ONE OIL CHANGE THAT IT HAD USED 2 QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN CHANGES. I HAD NO LEAKS BELOW MY VAN SO I WAS UNAWARE THAT THIS ENGINE WAS EATING OIL. OTHER THAN HAVING TO ADD SOME EVERY MONTH. MORE IF YOU NEED IT. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE VEHICLE HAS GOOD RIDE TIRES, SIZE 225/60R/16 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK VERY BADLY. THE CONTACT HAD TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRES HAD A ROUND IN THEM AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,300.

2004 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN CUSTOMER HAS CONCERNS WITH THE TIMING BELT**NAR**CC THE CRANK WAS UNDERSIZED ON THE BEARINGS AND THE BEARINGS WERE UNDERSIZED CREATING A LARGE GAP BETWEEN THE BEARINGS AND THE CRANK WHICH WAS CAUSING THE NOISE KNOCKING NOISE IN THE ENGINE. A FOREIGN PIECE OF METAL WAS FOUND UNDER THE MAIN BEARING CAP WHICH CAUSED EXTRA CLEARANCE. AND THE CRACK WAS ONLY TOUCHING TWO-THIRDS OF THE BEARING SURFACE. *JB

BOTH OF THE SLIDER DOORS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN FROM THE INSIDE THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TO PHYSICALLY GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND OPEN THEM FROM THE OUTSIDE. IT SEEMS THAT THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING IN THE SUN ALL DAY. I BROUGHT IT TO MY DEALERS ATTENTION, BUT ALL THAT COULD BE EXPLAINED IS THE LATCH INSIDE MUST HAVE SWELLED. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM, BECAUSE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT HOW ARE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO OPEN THE DOORS, IF NEEDED. SINCE I HAVE MOVED FROM MICHIGAN TO FLORIDA IT IS WORSE THAN BEFORE BEFORE, AND SOME OF MY FRIENDS HAVE REFUSED TO DRIVE IN THE VEHICLE FOR THAT REASON. I HAVE LOOKED AT BOTH OF THE DOORS, BUT I CAN'T TELL HOW THE LOCK MECHANISM WORKS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FACTORY BRAKES WERE REPLACED AND THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED, AT 39,320 MILES. ON 4/22/06, THE BRAKE PADS, ROTORS AND BRAKE CALIPERS WERE REPLACED AT 46,806 MILES. THEN ON 7/06/06, AT 49,179 MILES, THE WARPED ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. ON 10/17/2006, AT 52,762 MILES, THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED AND THE BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED AGAIN. THEN ON 12/11/2006, AT 54,655 MILES, THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKES WERE REPLACED. THE BRAKE SHIMS WERE FOUND TO BE JAMMED AND THE ROTORS WERE WARPED AGAIN. THE BRAKE PROBLEM WAS NOTICEABLE WHILE BREAKING AT 15 MPH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED.

REPLACED FRONT BRAKES ON 2004 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 8/31/05 WHEN MILEAGE WAS AT 39,320. ROTORS WERE ALSO RESURFACED AT THIS SAME TIME. ON 4/22/06 AT 46,806 MILES BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN, WHICH WERE WORN DOWN METAL TO METAL (IN ONLY 7K MILES). FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE ROTOR WAS BAD, AND HAD TO ALSO BE REPLACED FROM THE FRONT BRAKE PROBLEM. BOTH FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS HAD TO ALSO BE REPLACED AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE ROTORS AND BRAKES. (VERY EXPENSIVE!!) ON 7/6/06 AT 49,179 MILES, THE FRONT BRAKES WERE VERY SHAKY, AND THE FRONT ROTORS WERE SLIGHTLY WARPED, AND HAD TO BE RESURFACED AGAIN. ON 10/17/06 AT 52,762 MILES, ROTORS HAD TO BE RESURFACED AGAIN, SINCE THEY WERE WARPED AGAIN. FRONT BRAKES WERE DONE AGAIN ON THE VEHICLE, A LITTLE OVER 6K MILES FROM THE MOST RECENT BRAKE REPLACEMENT. ON 12/11/06 AT 54655 MILES, THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, BUT DECIDED TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT AND BACK BRAKES. STATED PAD SHIMS WERE JAMMED AGAIN ADAPTER BRACKET, ROTORS WERE WARPED BADLY, REAR BRAKES WERE OUT OF ADJUSTMENT, RATTLE CLIP MISSING. VAN AT THIS TIME ALSO HAD A BAD PULSATION WHEN BRAKING. DEALER STATES PAD SHIMS WERE LOOSE ON PADS AND NOT ALIGNED PROPERLY. FRONT ROTORS RESURFACED, AND INSTALLED NEW FRONT BRAKE PADS. REAR BRAKES RE-LINED/REPLACED, REAR DRUMS RESURFACED AND REPLACED SHOES. DEALER STILL CANNOT FIND WHAT IS ACTUALLY WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE THAT THE BRAKES NEED TO BE REPLACED SO FREQUENTLY. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER DEPRESSING THE POWER SLIDING DOOR BUTTON OR USING THE POWER KEY FOB, THE RIGHT SLIDING DOOR CLOSED, BUT LATER BECAME AJAR WITHOUT WARNING. THIS FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR WHEN THE DOOR WAS MANUALLY SHUT. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT COMPONENT OF THE SLIDING DOOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.

2004 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SXT V6-3.8L WITH APPX 24,000 MILES ROUGH IDLE CONDITION WHILE STOPPED WHEN TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE THAT MULTIPLE DEALERS CANNOT DUPLICATE WITH COMPUTERS, BUT CAN DUPLICATE WHEN SITTING IN THE AUTOMOBILE. ONE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTS ON ALL 2004 GRAND CARAVANS WITH THE 3.8L ENGINE. SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED, AND PCM HAS BEEN FLASHED TO NO AVAILABLE. IF THE PROBLEM IS SO COMMON, THEN WHY ISN'T THEIR A RECALL ON THIS?*JB