2000 Plymouth Grand Voyager

CHRYSLER GRAND VOYAGER 2000 REAR BRAKE SHOES SEIZE UP AFTER PARKING CAR OVERNIGHT. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO SERVICE OUR VEHICLE. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT (NOTE: WE WERE NOT USING THE PARKING BRAKE!) THE REAR BRAKE SHOES CONTINUED TO SEIZE UP BUT WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE CAR MOVING BY DRIVING FORWARD (OFTEN HEARING A SMALL OR LARGE CLUNK) AND THEN REVERSING. SINCE THAT TIME I OPENED THE REAR BRAKE DRUM, INSPECTED THE PADS AND REPLACED ALL THE SPRINGS. THIS LATEST INCIDENT PROMPTED ME TO WRITE THE NHTSA. THE MECHANIC THAT CAME TO SERVICE THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO USE A WINCH AND METAL BAR TO RELEASE THE DRIVER SIDE REAR BRAKE WHICH WAS SEIZED. THE MECHANIC SHARED THAT THIS WAS THE 9TH! SUCH FIX HE HAD TO DO ON A "CARAVAN" THIS SUMMER. WHEN ASKED, OUR DEALER EVEN MENTIONED THAT THESE VEHICLE REAR BRAKES TEND TO SEIZE UP...WHAT IS GOING ON HEAR? THOUGH THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, IT CERTAINLY SEEMS WORTHY OF SOME FROM OF RECALL... SVEN TRENHOLM

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STEEP HILL THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE RED "NO BRAKE" LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS GOING AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR AND LUCKILY WAS IN THE COUNTRY. I DROVE INTO A FARMERS FIELD AND PUT ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BRAKE EQUIPMENT INCLUDING THE MASTER CYLINDER EVEN THOUGH NOTHING WAS SHOWING ON THEIR COMPUTER. A FEW DAYS LATER I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND CAME TO A STOP SIGN, PUT ON BRAKES AND THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AGAIN. I HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THIS PROBLEM DOESN'T OCCUR ALL THE TIME AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. I AM WAITING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS FROM THE DEALER AND THEIR INSURANCE CO. I WILL ALSO MOST LIKELY FILE A COMPLAINT WITH DAIMLER-CHRYSLER. THIS VEHICLE WAS A LEMON BUY BACK FOR BRAKING PROBLEMS THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IN 2000.*JB

FRONT DISC BRAKE PAD (SPECIFICALLY THE EXTERIOR PAD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE IN MY CASE) WEARS VERY FAST RELATIVE TO THE REAR AT A RATE OF ONCE EVERY 10K OR FEWER MILES FOR THE FRONT VERSUS ONCE IN 125K MILES FOR THE REAR. MY PROBLEM IS SO SEVERE THAT I HAVE TO WATCH WEAR CLOSELY AND WILL SWAP THE LEFT FRONT PADS WITH THE RIGHT FRONT PADS TO KEEP FROM HAVING TO GET A NEW SET EVERY 10K MILES. CHRYSLER MECHANIC INSPECTED BRAKES AND SAID THAT EVERYTHING WAS MOVING CORRECTLY BUT SUGGESTED I CHANGE ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS. I TOLD HIM I JUST DID WITHIN THE LAST 10K MILES.. HE SUGGESTED I USE CHRYSLER PRODUCTS. I TOLD HIM THE OE WAS CHRYSLER AND THEY TOO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. HAVE WATCHED OTHER CHYSLE/DODGE MINI-VANS LIKE THE GRAND VOYAGER, VOYAGER AND GRAND CARAVAN ON THE ROAD AND HAVE NOTICED THE SAME WEAR (AS IT PERMANENTLY STAINS THE FRONT HUB CAPS WITH BRAKE DUST AND RUST WHILE OTHER HUB CAPS DON'T GET STAINED) . REAR BRAKES ARE ESSENTIALLY NOT ENGAGING AND STOPPING THE CAR. SAFETY CONCERN- SEVERAL TIMES I HAD TROUBLE STOPPING AS THE FRONT BRAKES OVERHEATED (COULD SMELL THEM SMOKING) AND THE BRAKE PEDAL FADED. HAVE CLIMBED UP ON OTHER CARS AT STOP LIGHTS AS THE CAR DOES NOT STOP IN THE NORMAL DISTANCE. SEVERAL NEAR MISSES ON REAR END COLLISIONS. *NM

I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE NOVEMBER 2000 AND I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR THE CONSTANT SQUEAKING IN THE BRAKES. I WAS TOLD EVERY TIME THAT THE BRAKES WERE FINE, BUT THE NOISE STILL CONTINUES. HAVE THERE BEEN ANY COMPLAINTS OR RECALLS ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM FOR THESE VEHICLES. SO FAR THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS OR FATALITIES. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS MORE TO THE NOISE IN THE BRAKES THAN JUST THE FACT THAT THE PADS HAVE METAL IN THEM, WHICH IS WHAT THE DEALERSHIP SAYS TO ME EVERY TIME I TAKE IT IN FOR SERVICE. MY OTHER CHIEF COMPLAINT IS THAT THE VAN HAD A CHRYSLER NAME PLATE ON IT, BUT IT WASN'T A CARAVAN IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PLYMOUTH VOYAGER. IS THAT LEGAL? HAD I KNOWN THAT IT WAS A PLYMOUTH I NEVER WOULD HAVE PURCHASED IT. *NLM

WHEN DRIVING MY VAN THE DASH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, AND THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON. WHEN STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT THE RPM, ODOMETER, AND FUEL GAUGES DROP OFF AS IF YOU HAVE SHUT THE CAR OFF. THESE GAUGES WILL NOT COME BACK ON UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE TAKEN OFF AND REACHED SPEEDS OF 10 TO 25 MPH. INTERMIDENTALLY THE GAUGES INCLUDING THE SPEEDOMETER WILL QUIT AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WILL NOT COME BACK ON UNTIL BASICALLY IT GETS READY TO YOU NEVER KNOW 1 MINUTE OR 5 MINUTES. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN THESE LIGHTS ARE COMING ON BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM OR IF THEY ARE ON BECAUSE THEY HAVE A VALID REASON TO BE ON. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE FRANK FLETCHER DODGE FOR REPAIR AND THEY CHANGED A COMPUTER THE 2ND TIME AND TOLD ME THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM FOR MOST OF THE ISUES. I TAKE THEM FOR A DRIVE AND THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET CHRYSLER TO SHOW ANY REAL CONCERN OTHER THAN TELL ME I SHOULD BE PATIENT WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. MY PATIENCE HAS EXPIRED AND I AM WORRIED ABOUT DRIVING AN UNSAFE CAR. IF YOU COULD PLEASE HELP ME I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.*AK