We pulled out at night and started driving when suddenly and without warning the exterior headlights and fog lights started flashing, the interior warning lights started flashing, the wind shield wipers started going on and off, the windshield washer fluid started spraying, the lights on the gauges were flashing, and the ignition started "dinging" like when you turn it on. Granted this was at night so we lost headlights for several seconds at a time until we could get stopped. I had my 4 year old daughter in the car and my wife. Luckily we weren't going very fast and were able to get pulled over without being involved in a wreck. After turning the car on and off a couple of times and checking under the hood the problem ceased. Fast forward a few months. Similar incident occurred during the daytime. Basically the exact same issue as above. Luckily this was during the day and the headlights aren't as important. Once again after turning the vehicle on and off a couple of times and getting out of the vehicle to check under the hood it ceased. Fast forward a few weeks. Issue occurred once again during the day. At this point we refused to drive the vehicle at night as we deemed it unsafe at night with the potential that we could lose lights while driving 60 MPH and have zero visibility. We were never able to get the lights to stop going on and off and the issue with the van is still occurring. I've read similar stories from other dodge owners and most have never been able to solve the issue even after spending thousands of dollars. This is going to seriously hurt or kill someone and a search regarding the lights flashing online for dodge caravans around this year makes it clear that there is a serious issue regarding the van. I also checked and dodge claims the other recalls have already been done on this van.
2008 Dodge Caravan visibility complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 17 of 17, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving the van on the highway and it went crazy horn blaring windshield wipers going real slow and fluid going everywhere I could not see because the fluid was coming out faster then wipers were going!!! I had to pull over until all the windshield fluid was gone. When I got home my husband had to unhook the battery because the horn was still blaring and it was 10.30 at night and I have neighbors with children sleeping.
Driving approximately 35-40 MPH, van shut down completely however, horn, wipers, wiper fluid, door locks went crazy. Was able to pull to the side of the road. Horn and electric stopped after approximately 5 minutes. After waiting a few minutes, I was able to start the car again and make it home. Car wouldn't start again. Had it towed to the dealer who replaced the battery and cable connector ($300). Also found more brake and axle seal issues at a cost of $1,000. Drove the vehicle for approximately 40 miles (to and from work) without problem. Went for a short errand, driving 35 MPH, car jerked, wipers went halfway and horn started blaring, wipers and fluid went crazy again, and car stalled. Neighbor was able to disconnect the horn but car wouldn't shut off. Neighbors called police (embarrassing). Car wouldn't shut off (opposite problem from when the car shut down before repair.) drove the car home where it is now waiting for a tow. Beyond frustrated and angry because my 16 year old daughter was driving the during the second incident. Called dodge corporate where "[xxx]" was less than empathetic and told me that there were a lot of miles on the vehicle, as if this makes it okay. No apologies. Car is a lemon. Three brake jobs during the life of the vehicle. This will be my 3rd tow in 6 months. This could have caused a severe accident had the car shut down on a busy highway. Additionally, vision is impaired due to windshield washer fluid spewing.
8/24 - the van was parked in a parking lot with my husband & son sitting in it. Another driver came to claim their nearby dodge caravan & beeped open his van, at that point our wipers started going full speed & the fluid shot up. It stopped for a minute then started going full strength again with the horn going non-stop, the lights all started flashing, & the doors all locked. The key fob was in the ignition but in the off position. My husband tried unlocking the doors with the key fob (pulled out of the ignition), tried using the indoor unlock button but all was unsuccessful. We were able to manually open the doors from the inside. All of this kept going for about 5 mins until I climbed in the back to open the side doors to air out the car & get my 2 year old out. When I manually unlocked the driver side back door everything stopped. We were able to drive home without further incident that day. 8/25 - we were driving back to chicago when the wipers did the same thing but nothing else. 8/26 - I was driving to work when all the doors unlocked & all the warnings on the control panel lit up. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and when I started driving again the RPM started going crazy like it couldn't shift gear. I pulled over again, turned the van off & let it sit for a few minutes. I was able to continue my drive to work & got home ok.
On a highway ramp entering the highway the horn on my van started to blow on & off, at the same time the windshield wipers were wiping & the spray was spewing at me at high speed. The lights blinked on and off & the door locks were going up & down. The radio was blasting as well. I came to a stop before entering the highway to try & figure things out but nothing worked. For 5-8 minutes I sat there in fear it would catch on fire. I put in park, turned it off & took the keys out. It continued to do all the activity with the keys in my hand! When it stopped & I tried to starting it. It started & ran ok till it happened not more than 15 minutes latter on my way to the dealer. This time it lurched forward at a faster speed with everything wiping, blowing, spewing & blinking which caused me to drop it into neutral & brake to a stop in the median. This time when it became quite it wouldn't start again & was towed to the dealer. They saw the codes it left but couldn't determine the cause. They said they could keep it thru the weekend & try again on monday or I could take it & bring it back when it did it again. This is the car I drive my family in all the time. Myself & 4 young girls plus friends. Although I am thankful to have only had to pay for towing I am very upset that they couldn't find the cause. I am essentially driving a ticking time bomb. This could happen again at any time, anywhere & with a car full of kids! I have said from day 1 that the van had electrical problems & no one took me serious. The only thing the dealer found that raised a red flag was that the windshield wipers come on when you use the turn signal - this has been a chief complaint all along. My family has had dodges for a long time, have been loyal customers & employees. We expect better from a company we've grown to depend on & refer others to for their next vehicle.
I have had 2 rear windows shot out by a stone that was slung by a string type weed. Eater. Both times the windows completely shattered. The only glass left were the pieces glued to the hinges. The car was parked both times. If anyone had been in the back seat, it is likely that they would have glass in their eyes. I thought automobile glass was supposed to be shatter resistant.
We have a 2008 caravan when the weather is cod outside the dash lights come on and off and the wipers come on by themselves while the seat belt chime keeps going off. Can't find any answers on what the problem is and why it only does this when cold.
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