While driving 65 MPH, the engine stalled. Mechanic found engine belt tensioner broke. *ak
1996 Dodge Grand Caravan engine complaints
Page 4 of 7: complaints 71 to 100 of 175, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vent tube had a fuel leakage. Dealer / manufacturer were not notified at this time. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
Was driving, and was about to make a turn, when vehicle lost power. Driver lost control of vehicle. Applied brakes to stop. Had checked vehicle & noticed pulley belt had came off. Tension bracket had failed (serpentine belt). Also, driver's side air bag did not deploy.
Rear main seal, cam plugs, valve cover gaskets failed. All at once with no warning.
Tensioneer pully fell off. When this happens consumer loses tension on fan belt/power steering/power brakes, and then vehicle is very hard to stop or steer.
Intermittently windshield wipers become inoperable and sometimes come on by themselves, obstructing view of driver. Vehicle at dealer's for repair. *ak o2 sensor, ignition switch, key cylinder, and A/C blower resistor and wiring kit all replaced.
Right before vehicle shifts into overdrive there is a jerky motion. Dealer cannot find problem, at 40 -45 MPH. Also, transmission has to be rebuilt, and airbag light stays on. Dealer says it's due to an open circuit, brakes replaced twice, rotors replaced. *ak the consumer had transmission problems numerous times. Noise in engine while driving due to serpentin belt and tensioner failure.
Repeated failure of serpentine pulley repaired, but why is it failing again.
At 48,000 miles vehicle been experiencing ongoing / intermittent problem with engine stalling while driving or at a stop position. Been in dealer shop on five occasions, and dealer was unable to duplicate the problem.*ak
I still had other compnents replaced in my vehicle, but you did not have enough room for all my information.
This is a dameged truck since the beginning, is a failure truck, I dont want it
Complete transmission overhaul and TCM replacement, vehicle would not shift out of first gear.
Vehicle caught fire in engine compartment while parked in carport, claim 03-3171-084.
Idle tension pulley broken while traveling. Towed to dealer for repairs.
The mounting bolt for the spring tensioner of the serpentine belt suddenly failed, rendering the car inoperable. Loose failed parts then damaged an auxiliary pulley in engine compartment (power steering pump). Inspection of failed bolt shows no sign of wear, cracks, weakening, etc. Bolt failure was sudden, unexpected, and complete. I suspect poor quality of metal in bolt's composition to be the cause of failure. Repairs have been completed by dealer with cost coming out of my pocket despite evidence of faulty material and my appeal for reimbursement to dealer and chrysler regional representative. Reviewing consumer complaints listed on the federal safety agency web site, I find no less than a dozen identical problems described on 1996 models alone. There were no injuries resulting from my incident and effects on the engine as a whole remain to be seen. Furthermore, the bolt appears to be made of aluminum (despite its critical function and delicate location). I would appreciate any information you can provide me concerning this situation. Hopefully, if there is a problem with the material, chrysler will do the right thing before injuries/fatalities occur as a result of failures of this engine component. The failed part is in my possession and is available for inspection/testing if you wish. Thank you in advance for your time and the services you provide to consumers. Chuck toland
Consumer has taken vehicle to dealer 3-4 times. Original owner showed that recalls were taken care of. Consumer has had other dealer to verify that work was done right. Fuel tank leaked & had a odor that came from it. Problem was intermittent. A mechanic was going to change purged canister to rectify the problem. Manufacturer believed that could be the problem. Previous owner could have over filled the tank which could have been the reason.
Belt tensioner bolt snapped off. Throwing of belt, breaking another pully. Happened to many other people too. Recall time dodge.
Like 1,000 of others, our engine cuts out any any speed causes lose of steering.
Serpentine belt separated from vehicle at 554mph, causing engine to lock up. Delaer has repaired the vehicle several times prior to this incidnet.
Reporting problem with engine stalling intermittently when A/C or defogger are used. Vehicle been in dealer's shop on six occasions, and deale r informed consumer that they are unable to duplicate the problem. Feel free to provide further details.
The vehicle lost its power steering, cooling system, etc. When the tensioner went bad and the engine belt came off. My local service station advised they have had to replace numerous tensioners on this make/model, and they're surprised there hasn't been a recall - especially considering the danger involved. The dealer (herb gordon dodge) advised that there is no problem with the tensioner, and that it is "normal wear" for it to go bad at 76,000 miles. In case the problem is not unique, I wanted to report it. I have had numerous problems with this vehicle.
Part breaks off at shoulder. It is obvious that the part was cracked in the heat treating process when it was made based on the discoloration in the area where the crack was located. Failure of the part , which is sudden, dissables the power steering and the water pump. Engine failure will follow.
Vehicle stops without wandering for no apparent reason while driving. Many occurrences but dealer cannot locate problem and denies any reports of similar occurences with other vehicles. This is a serious defect in the vehicle waiting for an incident to happen. Please investigate. There are several notices of this problem type under edmunds.com. Thank you.
At the dealership, they called them the valve retainer seals. I have heard repeatedly that it is a common problem with 3.0 l engines, and I would love to have the person that chose to put these engines in, knowing they would have this very expensive problem down the road, to pay for it. I was assured that I was getting a good van when I bought it used and it has numerous problems. I have 3 kids to worry about, I don't need to fork out $500 to fix a "common problem". And I also hate to think that I'm polluting the environment immensley in the mean time.
Windshield wipers still engage by themselves originally repaired 05/99. Transmission went out at30904 miles. Airbag light came on and horn stopped working had to replace click spring. Car stall while driving said it needed tune-up. When using AC or driving in rain and making a turn steering gets stiff and cannot control. Interior lights flash dealer could not duplicate. Power door locks lock and unlock by themselves. Had to replace axle due to it being bent when new transmission was put in. Had to get new tires because axle threw off balance. Keep replacing batteries. Drove car for 10 minutes and fan came on and stayed on after car was turned off.
Fuel leaked from vent tube. Manufacturer notified and informed consumer that vehicle was out of warranty, and any repairs would be at consumer cost.*ak.
The fuel rail started leaking after removal; trying to change valve cover gaskets & using a certified auto mechanic, he verified the proper instructions for removal w/ the mitchell's service manual & now they are leaking fuel that could cause a fire; talked to dodge parts counter & they are aware of problem & said they have modified the part but will cost me $160 for replacement of their poorly designed part. No recalls are listed and now a small job has turned into an expensive one.
Consumer was traveling about 70mph and heard some noise coming from the hood area. Also, smoke and flames came out of the hood area. Serpentine belt caught on fire. Vehicle was inoperable. No steering, vehicle won't start at all. Vehicle was towed to the dealership.
While driving about 60mph engine cut off without warning. Mechanic said transmission needed to be replaced.
While driving engine check light began to flash due to a stud pulling loose from the rocker arm shaft. Dealer has been notified.
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