Dt: just back from a road trip the vehicle started acting up, it would keep speeding like it was accelerating on its on, had to pull off the road, turn off the engine and physically push the throttle down ,it's like it gets stuck. It would do that after turning on the cruise control, and even after turning it off, it still would run away. It would only do this during time periods of using the cruise control. During that particular trip. This would happen regardless if the cruise was off or on. Had to brake very hard in order to get the vehicle to slow down to pull off. *ak customer stated the throttle sticks with cruise when on and after it has been on does not happen unless cruise has been on seems like it wants to drive away. *tt the consumer stated a vacuum hose associated with the cruise control was replaced. Updated 09/14/07.
1997 Dodge Caravan acceleration problems
45 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 45
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Cruise control4
- Accelerator pedal2
- Linkages1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Dodge Caravan acceleration problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Dc minivan fuel injector rail leak
There is no summary currently available
RQ00008
What 1997 Dodge Caravan owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Dt: air bag light stayed on/the cruise control switch didn't work, and the horn malfunctioned. Noticed these failures on june 1, 2005. Have not contacted the dealer. Had checked the fuses, they were still good.
The cruise control stopped working. Then the air bag light came on. I later realized that the horn doesn't work. I reported this to the dealer service dept. At a nys inspection visit. The vehicle passed inspection.*ak I have had several incidents where I needed to use the horn, and was unable to. This is a serious safety defect.
We bought this van one year ago and so far we had to replace both oxygen sensor, speed sensor, head gasket, water pump, the transmission is slipping, doors lock and unlock whenever they want not just the 16 MPH thing, ball joints are clunking, the cd player quit and then soon after fm radio only am works.
Cruise control became inoperative and drove consumer off the interstate onto the shoulder at 70 MPH. *mr the cruise would not respond to the brake pedal or the controls on the steering wheel. After replacing the clock spring per recall, the service dealer assured the consumer the cruise was repaired. The problem returned when the consumer's wife had driven the vehicle. It was found that the throttle cable leading from the cruise control mechanism to the throttle itself failed at the point of the exit from the cable strands in the cable were pulled back into the cable housing locking the action of the cable, and caused failure. *scc
Clockspring failed, causing horn/air bag and cruise control to malfunction.
I recently learned about your web site service and decided to use it. Because I have experienced too many problems (various in addition to this list) over the past years with this vehicle. Dt
The steering wheel clockspring failure results in the simultaneous failure of the airbag system, horn, and cruise control.
The air bag indicator light came on and stayed on and now the cruise control and horn do not work. I have researched this problem and it seems that this is a very common problem. It is stated that the "clock spring" is the part in question, this seems to have been a safety issue at one time (the federal safety agency# 98v046) for a different model , why is it not a safety recall item now? It is my understanding the the air bag will not perform with this particular part defective, which would lead me to believe that this could cause serious damages or worse yet "death ". If we get a reduction in our insurance premiums for purchasing restraint systems such as this , it should be upon the manufacturer to stand behind the product.
Airbag, horn, and cruise control all failed at the same time. Cause is the clockspring module behind the steering wheel. This is a safefy hazzard and chrysler should pay the repair. This is a common problem on this mini van.
Questions about the 1997 Dodge Caravan acceleration
Does the 1997 Dodge Caravan have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 45 complaints about the acceleration of the 1997 Dodge Caravan, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Dodge Caravan acceleration problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Dodge Caravan acceleration?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Dodge Caravan have the most acceleration problems?
The Dodge Caravan model years with the most acceleration complaints are 1996 (114 complaints), 1997 (45 complaints) and 1998 (33 complaints).
Other 1997 Dodge Caravan problems
Airbags 152Transmission 133Engine 121Electrical 94Brakes 72Fuel system 59Visibility 56Steering 40Lights 22Seat belts 22Body 21Suspension 20Tires 15Seats 12Locks 10Wheels 2
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