2005 Dodge Grand Caravan Powertrain & Transmission Problems

I JUST ACQUIRED THIS VEHICLE. I UNDERSTAND GAS 6 RECALLS BASED IN THE NHTSA. DOORS READ MODEL 2004. I CALLED CHRYSLER DODGE DEALER IN HEMET, CALIFORNIA AND THE SERVICE RECEPTIONIST STATED THERE IS NOTHING TO DO THAT ARE NO RECALLS FOR THIS VAN. PLEASE HELP. THE LIGHT ENGINE IS ON. THE POWER TRAIN KICKS SOMETIMES (DRAGS) SUDDENLY. AND I SEE THE 6 RECALLS APPLICABLE TO THIS MODEL

FLYWHEEL CRACKED AT AROUND 102,000 MILES CAUSING MAJOR JERKING OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A RECALL. I DID REPLACE THE FLYWHEEL WHICH COST CLOSE TO $800.00. *TR

MY DODGE MINI VAN BEGAN TO MAKE A STRANGE NOISE BUT I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER AS THEY HAD ALREADY RIPPED ME OFF FOR A PREVIOUS FAILURE OF THE EGR VALVE (AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES). AFTER THAT HUGE BILL I DECIDED TO ASK A FRIEND OF MINE FROM CHURCH WHO IS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC TO LISTEN TO MY DODGE. HE SAID THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS WEARING OUT AND IT WOULD EVENTUALLY NEED TO BE REPLACED! I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS AT ONLY 65,000 MILES. I WROTE A LETTER TO THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION AND HAD A CALL FROM ONE OF THEIR REPS. HE REFUSED TO CONSIDER THAT CHRYSLER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE PRODUCTION OF THE MINI VAN. I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL MY WARRANTY FOLKS (WARRANTY ALREADY OUT) AS MY POWER STEERING SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED. HELLO---DOES THIS NOT MEAN THAT CHRYSLER HAS MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS?? AS SOON AS I CAN CALL ABOUT MY WARRANTY I WILL CONTACT THE WARRANTY COMPANY. THE BOTTOM LINE IS- CHRYSLER WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SAFETY OR QUALITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS. I WOULD NOT HAVE ANOTHER CHRYSLER PRODUCT IF THEY WERE BEING GIVEN AWAY FOR FREE. WHEN THEIR VEHICLES ARE MADE UNSAFE TO DRIVE THEY WILL NOT HELP YOU OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN PRODUCT DEFECTS.

POWER WINDOWS & POWER LOCKS DON'T WORK ON KEY OR DOORS AND HAVE NOT FOR THE LAST YEAR. NOW TRANSMISSION WON'T SHIFT INTO HIGHER GEARS, I'VE GOT 67,000 MILES AND LUCKILY IT CAME WITH A 7 YEAR 70,000 DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY, THIS THING IS AN ELECTRONIC NIGHTMARE !!! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE TRANSMISSION SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND TOWED TO HER RESIDENCE. A LOCAL MECHANIC INFORMED THE OWNER THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. A LOCAL TRANSMISSION MECHANIC STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BE REPAIRED AT THE CONTACT EXPENSE FOR APPROXIMATELY $3,000. DODGE WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THEY NEVER HEARD OF THAT TYPE OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 92,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 94,000.

TRANSMISSION SHIFED FROM FOURTH GEAR TO SECOND GEAR AT 60 MPH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT. DEALER REPLACED TRANS MISSION CONTROL MODULE. NINE DAYS LATER TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF SECOND GEAR. DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION SOLENOID.*AK

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 38,000 MILES. VEHICLE OUT OF WARRANTY, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS CLEARLY A FAILURE THAT STARTED BEFORE THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY EXPIRATION. TRANSMISSIONS LIGHT CAME ON, AND UPON INSPECTION AT 2 CERTIFIED MECHANICS, I WAS SHOWN BLACK TRANSMISSION FLUID, AND SCANNER SHOWED MAJOR TRANSMISSION DAMAGE. *NM

DEAR SIRS: 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE . IT HAS HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS, FEW OF WHICH WERE FIXED PROPERLY WHEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. FINALLY, ON OCTOBER 04, 2006, WITH 29000+ MILES ON THE VEHICLE, AN AXLE BROKE AS MY SON, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN UNDER TWO YEARS OLD PULLED OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO THE ROAD. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE, WITH THE VEHICLE MOVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, THERE IS EVERY LIKELIHOOD THAT A FATAL ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. AXLES DO NOT BREAK EXCEPT UNDER EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES OR WHEN THERE IS SOME FATAL FAULT WITH THE MANUFACTURE ITSELF. THIS IS NOT A VEHICLE WHICH HAS BEEN ABUSED. IT HAS BEEN USED TO TRANSPORT HOUSEWIVES AND SMALL CHILDREN BACK AND FORTH TO SCHOOL, TO GROCERY, ETCETERA. IT HAS BEEN SERVICED AT ALL PROPER INTERVALS AT THE MECHANICSVILLE, VA DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. EXCEPT TO MOVE THE VEHICLE SO AS TO AVOID STORAGE CHARGES, I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY TRANSPORTED IN THIS VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT MECHANICSVILLE DODGE CLAIMS TO HAVE REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AND THAT IT IS SAFE. THEY HAVE ALL ''' DRIVEN IT AND IT DRIVES FINE!'' THAT IS ILLOGICAL FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. FIRST, IT ''DROVE FINE'' RIGHT UP UNTIL THE MOMENT THE AXLE BROKE, EVEN THOUGH NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL AND OTHER PROBLEMS EXISTED WHICH WERE NOT FULLY REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. SECOND, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REASON, BASED ON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH SHODDY WORK AND OUTRIGHT FALSEHOODS AT THIS STORE, TO BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOP IS CAPABLE OF PROPERLY REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THIRD, THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT OTHER LIFE THREATENING PROBLEMS DO NOT EXIST, LURKING IN THIS VEHICLE TO STRIKE MY FAMILY IF WE WERE TO TRUST IT OR MECHANICSVILLE DODGE ONCE AGAIN WITH OUR LIVES. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH ON A CITY STREET, THE LEFT FRONT DRIVER SIDE AXLE FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE LEFT FRONT FRACTURED AXLE. AFTERWARDS, WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH ON A CITY STREET, THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE FRACTURED WHICH CAUSED A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. A CRASH WAS AVOIDED BY USING BRAKE PRESSURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE RIGHT FRONT FRACTURED AXLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 09/16/06. *JB

2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN PURCHASED APRIL 18, 2005 FROM ENTERPRISE CAR SALES. IT ALREADY HAD 24,000 MILES ON IT. IN JULY OF 2006- THE CV JOINT BROKE. THE VAN CURRENTLY HAD 39,000 MILES ON IT PUTTING IT JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY BY A FEW THOUSAND MILES. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR SINCE THE JOINT WAS BROKEN- IT MADE A LOUD RUMBLING NOISE AS THE GEARS GROUND AGAINST EACH OTHER. IT HAD TO BE PUT IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHED INTO A PARKING LOT. THERE IS NO EXCESSIVE USE OR ABUSE OF THE VAN TO CAUSE THIS TO HAPPEN. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER. NEVER HAD I A CAR OR VAN THAT HAD THE CV JOINT GO WITHIN A YEAR'S TIME. THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT SUPPLY CV JOINTS- THE ENTIRE SHAFT MUST BE REPLACED. HAD I BEEN TRAVELING ON A BUSIER HIGHWAY AND AT A HIGHER SPEED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. I HAD TWO SMALL CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND HAD TO PUSH THE VAN OUT OF A BUSY INTERSECTION CAUSING A POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION. POWERTRAIN COVERAGE USED TO BE STANDARD AT 7 YEARS/70,000 MILE. WHY DID THIS CHANGE AND BECOME A PAID EXTENSION OF WARRANTY? DODGE SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND WARRANTY THEIR POWERTRAINS FOR LONGER THAN 36,000 MILES. *JB

AFTER STOPPING VEHICLE IN DRIVEWAY,WITH FOOT ON BRAKE. THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK THE VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED THERE. *JB

DT: 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PUT IN DRIVE IT WENT BACKWARDS. ITTRAVELING ABOUT 25 METERS AND VEHICLE DID NOT STOP WHEN HITTING THE BRAKES. A TREE STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLEWAS AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY E INVESTIGATING WHY THIS HAPPENED. HE ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT WITH DAIMLERCHRYSLER.