1998 Dodge Caravan: engine overheating

Filed Nov 16, 2007 · Engine · 130,000 miles · FL

My daughter's van with 2 kids inside. (1) no cause. Four failures of same parts. Belt and related pulleys. Dealer(s) can't repair properly. (numerous similar problems noted on the net.) (2)repeated serpentine belt failure - 98 dodge caravan, 3.0l engine. Causes instant power steering loss, engine overheating and more. Could easily lead to loss of control, injury or death. (3) parts replaces 4 times. Not fixed, belts still squeal and will come off again.(just found out aftermarket goodyear and gates kits are available with redesigned pulleys and belt to address this problem. Chrysler dealer mentioned nothing about them) if only some of what I have read is correct, this should be a safety-related recall.

Filed May 11, 2007 · Engine · 36,351 miles · MD

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge caravan. The contact has changed the vehicle's serpentine belt eight times. The belt has either detached, shredded, or become worn while driving 35 MPH. The vehicle's pulleys and belt accessories have also been replaced. She believes that it is a design flaw due to the numerous repairs for the same failure. She also feels that the failure is a safety issue because once the belt detaches, the alternator begins to overheat and the power steering fails. The current mileage is 79,000 and failure mileage was 36,351. Updated 06/08/07.

Filed Nov 6, 2006 · Engine · 60,000 miles · WA

My 98 dodge caravan sport is having repeated problem with the serpentine belt and belt tensioner. From a quick search on the web it appears to be a common problem, that the belt would slip off when it gets wet. I have experienced this problem 3 times so far, twice in jan 2006 and another one just today (nov 06). I cannot trust the van anymore, I cannot tell when this problem is going to happen again and when it does, the van lost power steering and would overheat. Lost of power steering can be extremely dangerous especially when trying on a freeway, and being easily overheat would leave me stranded at possibly isolated places. This is a problem that takes repeated fixing yet would not resolve.

Filed Sep 14, 2004 · Engine · 73,500 miles · MO

The consumer stated that the radiator fan did not work which caused the vehicle to overheat. The consumer had the fan relay replaced by an aftermarket repair shop. This vehicle's year, make, and model is currently being recalled for this defect, however the vehicle identification number was not included. *jb

Filed Sep 20, 2003 · 50,000 miles · OH

At approximately 50,000 miles, the AC unit needed to be recharged. This would be around august of 2001. While out of the norm with a relatively new vehicle, I chalked it up to routine maintenance had coolant added and went on my way. In july of 2002, the AC again was not cooling the vehicle. Mileage on the vehicle was around 60,000 at this point. I spoke with an employee of the then daimler chrysler (I believe that unit has been sold to behr corporation) HVAC unit in dayton, oh. He asked me to have the evaporator unit checked. A close friend of mine is a mechanic; I had him do the work. He placed dye in the system to check for leaks and dye was found to be leaking from the AC drain, pointing to the impending failure of the evaporator. I relayed this information to the chrysler employee and he confirmed that it was indeed the evaporator that was causing a coolant leak. At that time he asked me to contact my dealer to see if any service bulletins or recall notices had been issued for this problem. I also called to verify my warranty, etc., to cover my bases. I was told that there were no recalls and that I was indeed out of warranty. I also asked for an approximate price to replace an evaporator and was quoted a price that was approaching $1000.00 I did not really get agitated over this until this past july. Figuring that the routine of recharging the unit for the warm months was a prudent way to deal with this problem, I was prepared to spend about $25.00 for coolant and go on my merry way for this summer. One slight problem. The compressor failed at 66,000 miles. As I stated before, I understand warranties and I get the process. But for a total system failure, related only to normal operation, in my opinion is unacceptable. Especially since the chrysler employee told me that the evaporator issue was a known problem in both my 1994 vehicle and my 1998.

Filed Dec 29, 2000 · Engine · AL

Engine coolant leak noted from front of vehicle. Dealer performed cooling sytem pressure test. Diagnosed rear head gasket as faulty.

Filed Sep 19, 2000 · OH

Air conditioner started to not cool the air. Took it to goodyear (gemini) dealer in wadsworth, oh who charged the unit and added dye to pinpoint the coolant loss point. On return they informed me it was the evaporator which by inference from their comments is quite common. Cost was $742.00 plus the previous charge of $75.00. It appears to me that something this common is a fault that should be remedied by the mfg. Noted a 94 complaint on the federal safety agency about the same thing with costs almost identical.

Filed Jun 12, 2000 · Engine · WA

This is the fourth time the serpentine belt has shreaded apart. The first time was at approximately 20,000 miles. When the belt goes there is, of course, no power steering (which seriously affects the handling, no power brakes (which affects the stopping) and the water pump dos not work (causing the van to overheat rather quickly). The dealership is not able to determine why this keeps happening. I am from canada so I was unable to enter my province (british columbia) and my postal code (v3g 1l5).