While driving car starting making noise and smoking, timming belt had caught on fire. Air conditioner compressor was shut, and bearing was grinding that what caused the fire.
1997 Dodge Caravan: grinding or squealing brakes
7 of the 706 complaints about the 1997 Dodge Caravan describe grinding or squealing brakes.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 12 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Grinding or squealing brakes by model year
What owners say
When the belt flew off, the dealership we took it to said that theis was a recurring problem they saw every day. And the replacement parts were the same as the original, and would probably fail agian within a few months. The last one was replaced in august. It is squealing again, indicating that the arm has again begun to fail.
Consumer was traveling about 35mph on street. Transmission was replaced by warranty because transmission was making grinding noise, and gears would jerk when put in place. Vehicle would not go into reverse, and there was no power in any of the gears.
Had lost timing belt from transmission due to leakage. Transmission would shutter & clunk when in low speed & jerk. Also, brakes would squeal/squeak & grind loudly when applied. Had them replaced.
The above mentioned vehicle was in route on a 12 hour road trip. About 2 hours before our destination, the van started making noises (when I applied pressure on the brakes they made a grinding noise). We arrived at our destination, and the next day the steering wheel started to "lock up". I called a dodge dealer, but I was afraid to drive it that far, so I drove to the closest full service garage. The mechanic got behind the wheel, and before he got it out of the lot, he pulled back in and said he thought he knew what was wrong. He raised the van up, and I was shocked to see the engine falling out. He said to stay out of the van that it was very dangerous. I immediately had it towed to the dodge dealer. They verified the engine was falling out and kept the van a few days to install two bolts that they said were missing. I asked them if it was a factory error and he said no - the bolts were in at one time and somehow fell out. P.s. We had to rent a car for 6 days while it was repaired. The dealer said he never saw this happen before - true or not?
Brakes are defective, and rotors/pads have failed four different times. Also causing brakes to grind. Dealers cannot correct cause.
Consumer stated when depressing the brake pedal there was a grinding sound in the rear end, resulting in extended stopping distance and brakes fading away. Consumer contacted the dealer, dealer refused to replace any part.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Snow/water ingestion into rear brake drum
- Snow/water ingestion into rear brake drum
- Snow/water ingestion into rear brake drum
- A condition may exist where a low frequency howl / moan noise is heard from the rear brake area during low...
- On some vehicles, while driving through deep or blowing snow / water, the snow / water may enter the rear...
- Information regarding snow / water entering the rear brake drums
- Information on rear wheel park brake actuator / lever service
- Some vehicles may experience a rattle in the area of the rear wheels caused by the parking brake actuator...
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- The master cylinder rear seal, between the hydraulic fluid and the vacuum reservoir, may not seal adequately allowing hydraulic fluid to be drawn into the power assist vacuum reservoir.
- Risk
- As the hydraulic fluid in the master cylinder reservoir decreases, the level sensor will detect the loss of fluid and illuminate the instrument panel brake warning lamp. Continued operation of the vehicle with the warning lamp illuminated can result in extended stopping distances.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder on all affected vehicles. Addendum (4-14-97): vehicles inspected per chrysler recall no. 707 and found to be outside the listed suspect master cylinder date code range, must now have the master cylinder primary piston replaced (chrysler recall no. 714).
Recall number 96V215000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Dodge Caravan grinding brakes
Is grinding or squealing brakes a common problem on the 1997 Dodge Caravan?
7 of 706 owner complaints about the 1997 Dodge Caravan (1%) mention grinding or squealing brakes. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Dodge Caravan?
There is 1 recall and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Dodge Caravan
Airbag light 83Adaptive cruise 45Wipers 42Transmission failure 28Fire or smoke 24Stalling 23Fuel leak 16Headlights 15Loss of power 15Check engine light 13Slipping 12No deployment 10Fuel smell 10Power steering loss 10Door locks 8Engine failure 7Jerking 7Overheating 7Won't shift 7Tire blowout 7ABS 6Brake failure 6Harsh shifting 6Ball joint 5Coil spring 5Premature wear 5Seat belt 5
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