My van was parked out side luckys on mitalda near w maude avenue in sunnyvale ca 94086 I was using the water refilling station and started to smell smoke when I turned around I imideatlly noticed that the drivers side rear taillight was on fire. Not having a fire extinguisher I took the bottle of water I had in my hands and started to throw water on it until the flames went out. What in the hell would make that happen? Is my van up for recall? I just purchased the van just a week ago. It has been a night mare for me not to mention extremely costly replacing everything's that's been going out. The A/C cluster the dash cluster the power window motor. The rear vent motor. Countless bulbs and fuses.
The worst 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags107
- Electrical100
- Engine100
- Transmission81
- Brakes71
- Visibility61
- Acceleration48
- Fuel system37
- Steering33
- Lights22
- Suspension20
- Body18
- Tires15
- Locks14
- Seat belts10
- Seats10
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
Airbag light 67Wipers 58Adaptive cruise 49Power steering loss 26Stalling 24Fire or smoke 21Loss of power 21Headlights 19ABS 15Transmission failure 15Check engine light 13Brake failure 12Fuel leak 11Door locks 10Overheating 9No deployment 7Grinding brakes 7Fuel gauge 7Tire blowout 7Fuel pump 6Won't shift 6Coil spring 5Slipping 5Won't start 5
Recalls 5
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- On certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
- Risk
- This condition will manifest itself through illumination of the air bag warning lamp, and could eventually result in a driver's air bag open circuit, if the part is not replaced in a reasonable amount of time.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the clockspring assembly on all vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. An extended lifetime warranty will also be placed on this component for all affected vehicles, regardless of mileage. Daimlerchrysler will also reimburse owners who have paid to have the clockspring replaced on their vehicles. Owner notification began november 18, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 02V293000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: mini vans built with 3.3l and 3.8l engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on january 25, 2002. Due to the large quantity of vehicles involved in this campaign, the owner notification will be phased over the next several months. However, if a vehicle is leaking fuel from the o-rings, the vehicle should be taken into a dealer to have this repaired as soon as possible. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 00V268000 · Recall details
Child seat
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: mini vans equipped with integrated child seats. The shoulder harness restraint on the integrated child seat can become difficult to extract when the safety belt latch plate becomes contaminated.
- Risk
- This can cause difficulty in releasing a child from the restraint.
- Remedy
- Dealers will clean the latch mechanism. An extender will be added to the emergency release anchor for the child seat safety belts so that the release clips are more visible and accessible to the operator in the event that the retractor mechanism can not be unlocked. In addition, an instructional owner's manual supplement card will be provided.
Recall number 98V185000 · Recall details
Tires: bead
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger minivans equipped with p215/65r15 goodyear conquest tires mounted on steel wheel. The tires can experience a sudden air pressure loss without warning.
- Risk
- Sudden tire failure could result in a loss of driver control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the tires that were mounted on steel wheels.
Recall number 97V200000 · Recall details
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
See all 5 recalls for the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
Defect investigations
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
EA01007
Dc minivan fuel injector rail leak
There is no summary currently available
RQ00008
Post collision fuel system
EA99013
Post-collision fuel system integrity
There is no summary currently available
PE99010
Integrated child seat belt lockup
This investigation is closed.chrysler corporation has submitted a defect information report identifying a safety defect and outlining the proposed remedy.recall number 98v‑185 has been assigned to this safety recall.
EA97003
Integrated child seat belt lockup
Odi continues to receive complaints alleging latching/retractor mechanism problems.chrysler's assessment of the problem indicates that owners of the vehicles are not adhering to the cleaning requirements for the seat.the seat appears to malfunction if crumbs of food or beverage residue accumulates on the latching tongue in thewell located between the child's legs.odi has 19 complaints of retract lockup.seven of these complaints report cutting the straps to remove the child.two of the seven consumers allege the child was choking.chrysler reports 60 owner/field reports which indicated 19 harnesses were cut to remove the children.additional information is needed to fully assess the safety consequence of the alleged defect and to evaluate the chrysler corporation's rational for not conducting a safety recall campaign.
SQ96016
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan 8
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Car suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway at 60mph; engine remained on. I pulled over, turned off the car, and it started back up again and drove fine for about 2 miles. 'service engine soon' light came on. When it lost power again, I slowed and then tried to reaccelerate, and it drove fine for about 5 miles, enough to get me off the freeway and to a safe location. I checked the oil and transmission levels, which were ok, and there was nothing leaking under the car. Went to an appointment, and came back to the car, which started up and drove ok for about a half mile, then it shut down completely at a traffic light. This time it wouldn't start back up again, so I pushed it onto a side street, where it started up fine and drove to the nearest gas/repair station. Now, the van won't start again. Van was proceeding straight in all situations.
Serpentine belt comes off while driving in snow causing loss of power steering on slippery road surfaces. Loss of vehicle control and ability to regain vehicle control was compromised by lack of steering assist causing the vehicle to leave the roadway. I contacted chrysler and they said there is no recall for my vehicle.this was a very dangerous situation as a school bus was near my vehicle when this incident happened. This issue needs to be addressed and a recall should be mandated.
Part 1.... I used to be a mechanic and tow truck operator. My mini van "like most others" is usually driven by a female & with a load of children. If driving in rain or through a water puddle the belt jumps off causing loss of power steering overheating battery drain etc, is a dangerous even deadly problem, if a turn is needed at the time this belt jumps off, even a strong healthy man can leave the line of intended travel and hit what ever is in the way, a curb, a pedestrian or even cause a head on collision. This mostly happens during rainy/nasty days & because of the complexity of replacing the belt, and the damage that is caused when it comes off, the vehicle usually requires a tow 4 repair. It is stated that, when a consumer makes a complaint & if the same complaint is repeated an investigation will be started. This is an old problem with many, many, many complaints yet, I see "no action, not even an investigation into this problem", why?? Consumers are depending on you "safecar.gov, the federal safety agency" etc. What will it take, "a death" to start an investigation? Or, should I say, how many??? I know there has been accidents because of this, and a lot of damage just from the belt as it jumps off and goes flopping around, not to mention the people that burned up their motor even started a fire trying to get home, to a shop etc. This problem has been a plague since day one and should have been at least fixed on the next years model but chrysler just ignored it. Their have been many vehicles with these serpentine belts,, chrysler vans is the only ones that I know of with this particular problem. This is a deadly problem that should be repaired by the chrysler corporation since they knew about the problem from the start and just flat out ignored it. The gas line decaying and suspension strut mounts rusting away on these same models will be my next post
Part 1 1/2 the gas line decaying and the suspension strut mounts rusting away, both of these are deadly, a rusty/corroded break line will just leak a drop at the time, most people just refill the fluid reservoir and never think about again, eventually the break line fails all at once, this is because you actually put more pressure on the lines than usual and the weak spot ruptures like a weak spot in a balloon would. That means that you were in a bad situation already and now you don't have any breaking power at all. What do you think happens next??? All break lines are stainless steal so as to resist rust and corrosion, the only reason a break line fails in this little amount of time is because the manufacture is producing an inferior product and should have already been made to correct the problem. Now,, the strut mounts, as soon as the company found out that they had a problem with the mounts rusting they should have recalled the vehicles and sprayed $10 worth of undercoating over the parts after removing the rust to stop any more rust from forming. If the strut mount is rusted enough, it can fail at any time "usually when at higher speeds and you hit a bump in the road,, that sends an extra amount of force to the suspension. The strut comes up through the hood and the wheel may go any way and hit any part of the wheel well and suspension the axle may come out of the wheel or transmission , all of that means you may have total lose of breaks and or steering. All 3 of these problems could have easily and should have been corrected when first realized many years ago, instead they kept right on manufacturing vehicles the same way with the same imperfections and if you go to a dealer today with either of these problems they will say it is the first time they have herd of it, it out of warranty, etc. And will not even think about fixing it unless we pay
Part 1 1/2 the gas line decaying and the suspension strut mounts rusting away, both of these are deadly, a rusty/corroded break line will just leak a drop at the time, most people just refill the fluid reservoir and never think about again, eventually the break line fails all at once, this is because you actually put more pressure on the lines than usual and the weak spot ruptures like a weak spot in a balloon would. That means that you were in a bad situation already and now you don't have any breaking power at all. What do you think happens next??? All break lines are stainless steal so as to resist rust and corrosion, the only reason a break line fails in this little amount of time is because the manufacture is producing an inferior product and should have already been made to correct the problem. Now,, the strut mounts, as soon as the company found out that they had a problem with the mounts rusting they should have recalled the vehicles and sprayed $10 worth of undercoating over the parts after removing the rust to stop any more rust from forming. If the strut mount is rusted enough, it can fail at any time "usually when at higher speeds and you hit a bump in the road,, that sends an extra amount of force to the suspension. The strut comes up through the hood and the wheel may go any way and hit any part of the wheel well and suspension the axle may come out of the wheel or transmission , all of that means you may have total lose of breaks and or steering. All 3 of these problems could have easily and should have been corrected when first realized many years ago, instead they kept right on manufacturing vehicles the same way with the same imperfections and if you go to a dealer today with either of these problems they will say it is the first time they have herd of it, it out of warranty, etc. And will not even think about fixing it unless we pay
Part 2 I've read on here that gates has a belt/pulley fix for this problem. If they have one, chrysler can make one. This is a dangerous problem that can happen any time to many dodge vans, it results in other damages, sudden loss of power steering control, possible injury even death to many people at one time. Many other vehicles have serpentine belts without this problem so it can be fixed. It's a repeated design flaw & should be corrected immediately. A ntsb rule goes something like this "a company is responsible for any foreseeable problems in their product" the same goes for the brake lines corroding enough for failure to occur in just a few years, this is also unacceptable. This is a $29,850 vehicle not a $2,000 1967 volkswagen beetle, my beetle has the original break lines. And in good shape. All break lines are to be stainless steel to resist rust and corrosion. This is purely lack of quality in materials used to make these lines and the company also should be made to correct the problem by warning all owners about the problem and replacing all defectable lines with good quality lines.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge grand caravan. While driving at 62 MPH, the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the instrument cluster and the body control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.
At random gauges will stop working on the dashboard and the ABS light will turn on.
This is actually my mother's van and a van that I had previously owned. It seems that these vehicles seem to have a problem with the security system not disarming as you try to enter the vehicle. You can unlock the doors from the outside, but as soon as you get in the vehicle and try to start it, it immediately shuts back down as a security precaution. A simple smack on the dash cures it right up, but being as how it's my mother's van now; she doesn't have the strength to simply "smack" the dash and get everything working again. It seems as though, this is not the only known issue. I have read about it through several different people and have experienced it myself on two separate vans. I honestly believe that daimler/chrysler should address this issue and not have the consumer fix it, seeing as how it is and issue that's buried in the dashboard and not out in plain sight, like some mechanical issues. They fixed the problem with the clock spring in the steering wheel, because it could set off the airbag at any given moment. Well, with me having to smack the dash several different times, her speedometer is off by 50 MPH now. I am hoping for a recall notice on this issue, due to the fact that one more good whack could set off the airbag and really injury somebody. Thank you.
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Questions about the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan
Is the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan reliable?
Owners have filed 572 complaints about the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan, 1.6 times a typical Grand Caravan model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Airbags, with 107 complaints, typically around 91,000 miles. Next is electrical (100).
How many recalls does the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan have?
5 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and child seat.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 02V293000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Dodge Grand Caravan have bad airbags?
The Dodge Grand Caravan model years with the most airbags complaints are 2008 (294 complaints), 1996 (211 complaints) and 2010 (144 complaints).
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