Serpentine belt slips off in the rain causing a loss in power steering, AC (for window defogging), power (no alternator when headlights are on during rain). When it slipped off, the ability to correct for loss of traction due to water was reduced due to lack of power steering and the windshield fogged up quickly due to the loss of the AC compressor. Slid of the interstate and slid down the median. Multiple other instances of belt slipping off (4 times in past 3 days), though at lower rates of speed. Dodge denies there is an issue even though there are many reports on the internet relating to this problem. It is also interesting that they now sell a upgrade kit that changes out the two non-grooved pulleys for grooved ones and add a belt with grooves on both sides. They said that they would only fix this problem when enough people reported the problem.
2000 Dodge Caravan engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 70, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. The contact stated that the serpentine belt on the vehicle fell off five times last month. The contact stated the failure occurred whenever she drove through a puddle of water. The contact took the vehicle to the mechanic each time the failure occurred and was told the pulleys worked fine, but that the failure was caused because there was no shield covering the under carriage of the vehicle. The contact lost the ability to control the steering wheel and it began to overheat when the failure occurred. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 172,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. The contact stated the serpentine belt failed twice in two months. The contact stated that the failure occurred when the weather was cold and snowy. The contact spoke with the dealer and was told that they were aware of the problem, but that there was no remedy available. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 109,000.
Serpentine belt came off. I have had this vehicle since 2002, problem didn't occur till mid-2010. Since then the belt has came off at least 5 times or more. Seems every time it rains. I've had the belt replaced, and everything else replaced that could possibly affect it. The mechanic told me he doesn't know what else to do. I had it repaired this past tues. And guess what yesterday it came off again (all of 5 days). I love my vehicle but I'm afraid of it. When the belt comes off everything goes off. Luckily I've been able to get off the road (so far). Looked on the internet and this is a common problem. What does it take -someone to die before a recall will happen and a solution?? This is very costly in repair bills/tow bills and so forth. Please do something.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. The contact stated that the serpentine belt would continuously fracture and was replaced over ten times but to no avail. The manufacturer was not notified of the continual failure and the vehicle was not further repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
I have 2000 dodge caravan with a 3.0l engine. Every time it rains or snows the serpentine belt comes off. This causes the power steering to lock up, and the alternator to stop charging. The car is almost impossible to steer. You lose control. The malfunction was corrected using the gates micro v kit. This includes a ribbed belt tensioner, ribbed idler and a double side serpentine belt.
Serpentine belt comes off my 2000 dodge caravan in snow and rain often.
The serpentine belt comes off often , more when driven over a puddle of water. More often in wet weather. It's scary to drive on the highway and the belt comes off you lose power steering automatically and all your other faction. It's started about year after getting van.
The serpentine belt on a 2000 dodge caravan slips off when you go through a puddle of water or wet conditions such as in the rain or snow, resulting in complete loss of power steering (loss of control); water pump (overheating and possible damage to the aluminum heads); alternator (no battery charging) and AC. This was after a new belt and tensioner was installed. I have researched the problem and there are numerous incidents sited on related web sites. My wife almost wrecked because of no steering. It happened over a dozen times to her and 4 times to me. Cost of putting belt back on was around $40 each time. Tried a fix using a disc over the tensioner and idle pulley recommended by dealer, but first time through a rain puddle, it slipped off. A $200 fix is available plus $150 labor called a gates kit # 38379k also by goodyear #49215k. They both come with a double sided grooved belt, grooved idle pulley and grooved tensioner and states that it fixes the problem of belts coming off the dodge vans in wet weather. If this is part of the selling point of the kit, then there must be a problem with chrysler, dodge, plymouth vans and the consumer shouldn't have to pay for this "fix." this is extremely dangerous and should be paid for and corrected by chrysler.
The belt on my dodge caravan sport slipped off in the rain leaving me to drive home without wipers and or blower. Idler pulley should have keepers on the edges so the belt will not slip off.
I have a 2000 dodge caravan that I have now replaced the serp belt 8 times and the tensioner 3 times and the belt just came off again 2 weeks ago. Every time I take it to a different place to be fixed because they always tell me that there is nothing that they can do. They installed a shield to keep the belt dry and after that it held for almost 2 years, but then broke again. The belt keeps moving over and getting "cut" and then breaks. The mileage on the van is about 119,000 now but I don't know what to do because even though they give me a warranty on the work, it is the same problem and no one seems to know how to fix it. I see that there are numerous complaints about this, is there anything that I can do????
I purchased a 2008 dodge caravan about 2 years ago from elite motors in victorville. The car was not smoked at the time of purchase and had to be done so about 1 month later. They said they had a hard time getting it to pass and then it passed but when I got it back I smogged it and it failed. Elite motos said they would work with me on resolving things but they never did. Since I've had the vehicle there has been a loud slapping noise coming from the air conditioner, the fuel pump has been replaced, two tires have blown, several sets of front break pads have been replaced, 2 battery's have been replaced, and within the last month both front and rear brakes/master brake cylinder/calipers/water pump/radiator has been replaced. My car is again in the shop because my engine light and air bag lights have come on, there are no brake lights, and my car was hesitating and loosing power intermittently with a clunking coming from the engine. My mechanic tells me that I will need a new engine. Also, the vehicle was involved in an accident a few months ago. I had asked geiko if when they did the body work - would they also look for things mechanically wrong just to make sure everything was o.k. They said they would, the shop (performance in victorville said they would and gave me a business card of the guy they refer things out to but they never did? Point of impact is listed at 6. Rear.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. On two separate occasions, the steering failed after the vehicle was driven through a puddle of water. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop and it was discovered that the serpentine belt slipped off. The VIN, speed, and failure mileage were unknown.
2000 dodge caravan with loss of power steering. Consumer states that the serpentine belt has a unexpected and sudden throw which causes power steering loss. Consumer states there are hundreds of complaints on the internet.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. The contact stated that the serpentine belt detaches each time he makes a right turn or drives through a puddle at 5 MPH. The mechanic stated that the cause of failure was due to a defective pulley. The current mileage is 60,000 and failure mileage was 20,200.
The serpentine belt kept coming off the 2000 dodge caravan when it rained. This resulted in loss of power steering. This started after having the original belt replaced due to fraying. The tensioner was replaced at the same time as the belt.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. While driving 20-60 MPH, the serpentine belt disengaged from the motor. This caused the water pump and the electrical system to fail and there was a loss of power steering. The mechanic inspected the vehicle twice, but was unable to determine the cause of failure. The current mileage is 118,442 and failure mileage was 118,000.
Serpentine belt has come off of pulleys 3 times during wet weather, once after tensioner was replaced. This cause a complete loss of power steering, making the vehicle impossible to maneuver. Several calls to dodge proved futile, they state no such problem has ever been reported. I have found several complaints of the same issue, all stating they have reported the issue to dodge. Still cannot find a fix.
2000 dodge caravan 3.0 (40k miles) replacing the drive belt &/r idle / tensioner every (2) years. Belt p/n (good year) 460805 / 6pk2045. Tensioner mopar 04536154ad. The dealer just smiles, this does not seems to be very reliable. Any other type complaints files with this type unit????? I replaced the belt on sept 2003, the dealer did the tensioner & belt @31k in 2005. I again did the belt on 03/31/07. The dealer did the tensioner @44k , 05/02/2007. This is my daughters van, a school teacher, drive to & from schools for the most part I have through last tensioner & the belts that I did. So if she or I plans to go on a trip, we must either replace the tensioner & drive belt or carry one with us. Now on my 2001 caravan with over 60k I still have the some tensioner & drive belt. Duh??????? I need help with this. The dealership is not going to do anything.
My serpentine belt has jumped off the pulleys 4 times in the past year on my 2000 dodge caravan. Each time this happens, I loose all power controls. This problem could lead to a serious accident if someone isn't strong enough to manage the loss in power steering.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds in wet weather, the serpentine belt slipped off causing the loss of power steering. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, who reattached the belt. However, the problem recurred.
I own a 2000 dodge caravan. I have a problem with the serpentine belt coming off mostly during wet or snowy weather. Today was the forth time in the last year this has happened. The repair shop(s) reports no known fix's for the 3.3/3.8 engine. I also had one failure during dry weather. Researching this problem on the internet I see this is a very common complaint....!. It has been for years !!!!. Because this belt controls the power steering it becomes very difficult for a strong person to control the van. Lord help the frail, the old or the young !!!!. Please check out the following sites for this problem (www.topix.net or www.carsurvey.org. For serpentine belt problems). I am filling this complaint (as other have) to get some help before a van load of children gets hurt because of a known design problem that the manufacturer seems to ignore. I have tried all known standard repair and manufacture recommendation but nothing works ie new belts, different belts, new idler/tension wheels, new brackets, alignments... Nothing works. Where do I go from here?...will I hear anything back from the federal safety agency...will this be a waist of time? Thank you.
Loss of power steering and alternator charging - serpentine belt falling off after hitting small water puddle on 2000 dodge grand caravan. I lost power steering on a curve as a result of hitting a small water puddle. Vehicle has received all service maintenance including replacement of belt tensioner but still fell off. I am fairly strong and was able to come out of the turn. Someone with less arm strength would have gone straight off the road and crashed. Dodge dealer has no fix for this that they are willing to talk about. This is a serious safety hazard since minivans often carry a lot of kids and if this happens on a wet road there could be serious injuries and fatalities from loss of control.
Dt*: the contact stated that while driving 35 MPH the main belt of the engine slipped off. The power steering, water pump and alternator failed to work. The service dealer determined that the issue was due to moisture on the belt. The belt was replaced however the manufacturer offered no reimbursement for the replacement.
Dt*: the contact stated there is a clicking noise coming from the steering column. In may of 2003, the steering column was replaced and in january of 2004 the clock springs were replaced. In may of 2004, the steering was replaced for the second time and the clock springs were again replaced in august of 2004. There is a the federal safety agency recall # 04v480000, concerning the air bag clock springs, however when the recall repair was performed on november 11, 2004 it did not remedy the problem. The vehicle is having the same problems again. The dealer has not been notified and no repairs were made. Also ,complained about clicking noise in steering, and replaced cclockspring . In addition, replaced canister due to leaking.
Bought new in 2000 (failure)serpentine belt replaced @ 39199 4-12-02 (failure)serpentine belt & tensioner replaced @ 64389 8-20-03 (failure)serpentine belt replacedlate summer 2004 (failure)serpentine belt & tensioner replaced @112,000 jan 2006 timing belt replaced @ 64389 8-20-03 timing belt & tensioner replaced @110,646 11-25-05 multiple sensor failures past 4 years, as well as valve cover gaskets, cam seals,cam packings, crank seal, oil pan leaking. Nov 2005 engine light kept coming on,& a slight knocking, dealer couldn't find any real reason, but lugging was present during drives. Had to replace leaky transmission solenoid pack & sensor 11-25-05 only to turn around and replace the whole transmission 9 weeks later due to multiple engine failures,@114,043 1-30-06 (with another serpentine belt failure 2 weeks prior to tranny replacement. 3 tows in 2 months!( and over $6,000 out of pocket) virtually all repair work done at dealer tow truck driver noted that he hauls caravans in the most of any vehicle , and mostly for the serpentine belts, many times a "repeat customer in need of another belt" I was one of his many! How many problems have to be reported before any action is taken?
Dt*: the contact stated the fan belt was making noises, and then it came off. The vehicle was towed to the dealership to have the fan belt replaced. The vehicle was driven for one month; the belt started making noises again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealership, this time they put the fan belt back on. The vehicle was driven again for a period of time and had to be taken back to the dealership to have the belt replaced. The consumer stated the vehicle is running fine. Updated 02/09/06.
2000 dodge caravan had loss of serpentine belt. This caused lack off power steering and power brakes. *ts this problem occurred three time and happened mostly during wet weather conditions. The dealer installed a pulley shield to alleviate the problem. Even after the shield was install the belt slipped off again. ***no answer required***
I have had to replace the serpentine belt/tensioner 5 times. The belt shreds while driving - the banging sounds like a branch or something is stuck under the hood. The banging noise will eventually stop when the shredded pieces fall off. I have had this taken care of by a certified mechanic once but now take it to a private mechanic because I can't afford pay for the certified mechanic to replace it. My van is driven a lot - has over 115,000 miles on it. Since we spend a lot of time in it I am afraid of what will happen should the entire thing fail and we loose all power. What needs to be done to have this problem recalled?
The serpentine belt has come off my van 5 times in the last 6 months. This is a family van and driven daily with 5 children in it. This is a complaint of many caravan owners. There are sites all over the internet complaining about this problem.
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