I am the original owner of the vehicle. At 48,000 miles the transmission failed. It was replaced by the dealer, glenn e. Thomas dodge in signal hill. Thereafter, every 15,000 to 25,000 miles or so, the transmission has failed, probably 5 times now; the computer for the trans has failed twice, the motor computer failed 2 times, the power windows broke off their tracks, the sliding door jammed shut and wouldn't align. Now the paint job on my white 1990 dodge grand caravan (with wood trim) is peeling off, mostly on the roof (where it is almost completely gone, down to the primer, rusting through to the roof metal) and on the hood and front quarter panels. The paint was not properly applied to the primer undercoat or the primer was not properly applied so as to adhere to the top color coat. I have seen many other caravan's of the same model with their paint completely or partially peeled off as I have driven around. It is a very obvious defect of the paint--there are no other vehicles out there with this kind of paint flaking and peeling problem to this extent. The plastic coating on the wood trim is all flaking and peeling off as well. It makes the car look "shaggy!" what a mess. This car really needs a paint job to be paid for by the manufacturer. I have paid out thousands of dollars for transmissions to be replaced. I am on a three-year warranty with dodge for the transmission and on my third transmission failure under that warranty! The overdrive unit is fully defective and the company will not undertake to fix it. The car will fail and the trans will just spin without engaging any forward gear or it will not shift into third or overdrive. The speed sensor unit is also defective and frequently needs to be replaced. What a mess of a transmission! I have it regularly serviced and I don't drive it hard or abuse the trans. Help.
1990 Dodge Caravan: stuck in gear or won't shift
5 of the 277 complaints about the 1990 Dodge Caravan describe stuck in gear or won't shift.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Stuck in gear or won't shift by model year
What owners say
Transmission failed while driving at 50 MPH and went into limp mode, almost causing a crash.
The third owner, the transmission doesn't shift into third gear . Please decsribe .
The transmission on the van does not shift into reverse and this is the second transmission in the vehicle. Please describe. Tt
The steering column is showing fatigue. It makes steering harder and the car will not shift into park because of the fatigued metal. Please describe. Tt
Service bulletins that may apply
- This bulletin announces the availability and installation of a resuable automatic transmission oil pan gasket
- Subject regarding reusable automatic transmission oil pan gasket
- Service and parts information on 1999 running changes to transmission range sensor (TRS) tt
- Subject on delayed transaxle engagement
- Information on 41TE/42LE service information
- Concerns with 41TE/42LE transaxle shudder during an emcc (electronically modulated converter clutch) shift
- Vehicle shudder during torque converter emcc (lock up) operation/diagnostic trouble code 38
- Unknown
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1990 Dodge Caravan won't shift
Is stuck in gear or won't shift a common problem on the 1990 Dodge Caravan?
5 of 277 owner complaints about the 1990 Dodge Caravan (2%) mention stuck in gear or won't shift. The model year with the most reports is 1994.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1990 Dodge Caravan?
There are 0 recalls and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1990 Dodge Caravan
Transmission failure 24Stalling 8Door locks 5Fire or smoke 5Jerking 5Seat belt 5Slipping 5
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