Auto transmission failing. Local service providers indicate chronic problem with this.
1996 Dodge Caravan transmission complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 184, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Defective transmission design causes the part from inside of transmission to fail, which may cause a crash. Please provide further information.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Vehicle was in park and the key out of ignition, transmission jumped out of gear, vehicle lost control, resulting in a crash. Dealer said it was the charactertisic of the vehicle. Please provide further information.
Transmission had to be rebuilt. Lost power on interstate but family in jepordy. According to transmission repair vendor not uncommon for dodge minivans. Please notify if there is any recourse or opportunity to file complaint with others.
My transmission needs to be rebuilt with approximately 82,000 miles on my vehicle. It is going to cost nearly $2500.00 to make this repair. Shouldn't the company be held responsible for this cost? Why should I? I have had gm cars that exceeded 100,000 miles without a single problem. It seems that I am not the only individual facing this problem with the company.
Van was not started or brake depressed when the van shifted into neutral by a 3 year old boy. The van then went backwards down a driveway then across a road into woods where it stopped when it hit a tree.
The transmission on this car gaves problem at about 3 months since purchase. We brought it and explained that there was something wrong, but they lied to us and said it was not. Eventually, about a year and a half later, the transmissin finally broke and they had to replace it with a new one. After that the car continued to jerk violently wehenever we were going up hill and at 45 MPH. We kept bring in it in for them to fix it, knowing that this might create other serious problems with the car, but they continued to refuse to fix it because the jerking motion was not quite as pronounced when their mechanic drove it. According to them, chrisler would not allow them to see the transmission unless it justified it by being completely out of commission. We had them try to service it one more time, but instead, they tried to fix other things in it and even tried to charge me for them. I did not pay because they did not fix the transmission and the other things adjusted had no relation to the problem. About four weeks after this service, I woke up to go to my congregation with my children, when my child informed me that the car was burning. I went to look closely and and saw what looked like a small candle light. I told my children to go inside the house as gas fumes could be leaking and the car could explode. I went up to call the fire dept,which took me about a minute, and by the time I got back, the car was already engulfed in flames. This occurred, without anyone turning anything on, be that ignition or electrical component. This is evidence of one of two things, the mechanic at fitzgerald either deliverately or neglectfully created the hazard when he looked and did the wrong repairs, or this was a factory defect that finally was ascelerated by the constant violent jerking motion created by the transmission ongoing malfunction,which went on for more than 3 years. We are now left without a car that was under warranty (100000 miles) and they refuse to help
Transmission fell apart. Yh
Transmission will not sift into reverse when cold, and does not shift into other gears properly.when engine is warm transmission gets better.
After shifting transmission into gear, vehicle failed to move forward or backward.
We had to have transmission rebuilt after it was determined that there was a major problem with it . I am not clear on the specifics of it because I know very little about transmissions, but I have all the paperwork on what exactly was done. Anyway at roughly 42000 miles, we began hearing loud "klunking noise" coming from under minivan. Had it checked and we were given the great news that it definitely was the transmission, and it was shot. Contacted dodge and they stated it is out of warranty, so sorry. We took it to very good and respectable transmission shop and they rebuilt it for around 1000 dollars I believe. It just pisses me off that a transmission does not last past 40000 miles of normal driving conditions. And we had only owned the vehicle for less than a year. And that dodge says sorry, but your over 36000, so we cant help you.
Transmission slips and shifts into gears at unusual speeds. At initial start up each day, car lurches into gear when shifted into reverse.
Differential pin has come out of differential unit rubbing though case causing the transmission to leak. Yh
No summary
My new caravan had only been driven 23,577 miles. The case of transmission was rubbed through by the differential pin moving out of the differential unit.
The warning light came on for the egr valve. Dealer has replaced the egr valve. Vehicle uses less fuel now. Van shakes left and right at 37mph, and up/down at 48 MPH. At first, dealer denie dproblem. However, after they checked other vans and found same problem. Consumer believes shaking has to do with a faulty torque converter. Also , multi-function switch malfunctioned.
Problem occurred while driving in a parking lot at low speed. I feel this should have been covered since the transmission is a known problem with this vehicle.
Transmission failed prematurely causing the vehicle to lunge into the middle of a road. Nlm
Poor design of transmission caused differential pin to come out of the differertial unit, rubbing throuh case and causing oil leak. Nlm
Transmission engages with loud and forceful "clunck', when engine is cold. Improves when warmed though. Transmission slips from one gear to next: also until vehicle warms up. Was able to drive vehicle "as is" by backing into parking space before shutting down for evening and did not report until january of 1998. Service was done at that time to "adjust bands" but did not correct problem. Have been trying to work with chrysler again, since october for repair, but vehicle is no longer under warranty. Condition is now deteriorating substantially and needs repair.
My mechanic commented that there was no way that this failure could be caused by driving habits or poor maintainence. He is certain that the torque converter is faulty and is cooperating with me to reclaim monies owed by the chrysler motor corporation. Thank you!
I detected a problem with the vehicle while still under warranty, however, the dealer did not make a concerted effort to locate the problem. The unusual sound during accelaration escalated to a strong vibration of the steering wheel, which again was not investigated by the dealership. The transmission problem was not detected until the oil leak was investigated (outside of warranty). Chrysler was contacted after this incident as well as discussions with the dealership. I have been very disappointed with the vehicle, and the quality of the product, not to mention the poor treatment by both the manufacturer and the dealership. I will never buy another chrysler product.
The vehicle will jerk forward and will not go into the next gear if speed is increased. Dealer says transmission needs replacement.
We have more failures that you don't have room for in this questionnaire. We have a huge file on this vehicle and want out of it. It is a lemon!
The transmission quit,had no prior warning. Not able to shift, engine still running, had vehicle towed to mechanic.
We now have a van that is basically falling apart and we can't enjoy it and still have to pay to fix it. So if there is something we can do then please let us know we havent had it even 18 months before it was to be parked and now we can't use it at all
Was turning onto highway, going around a curb when a loud banging noise was heard. Had no control of vehicle at time. Managed to moved to side of road & noticed the axles had broken. This caused the doughment to drop out.
When driving uphill and taking foot off the brake pedal, the vehicle rolls backwards. Also when stepping on the accelerator pedal, the transmission does not engage. The problem was reported to the dealership. Most of the gears in the transmission were replaced by aamco for the second time.
Around june or july of 1998, with no warning at all, it appears that parts just started falling out of the car. We had been driving and had stopped to let a passenger out. Upon putting the car in gear, there was a noise that sounded as if something had fallen out. Before we knew, the car would not move and for whatever reason, the 3 of the tires just completely deflated. It appears that the belts came loose. It was a nightmare.
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