1997 Dodge Grand Caravan: loss of power steering

Filed Dec 15, 2016 · Engine, Steering · 271,000 miles · MI · crash

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.

Filed Jul 21, 2015 · Brakes, Steering · NC

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.

Filed Jul 21, 2015 · Brakes, Fuel system · NC

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

Filed Sep 6, 2012 · Engine · 130,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle hit a small pothole and the contact lost power steering. Also, the vehicle overheated and the alternator warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnosed the failure but decided to replaced the serpentine belt as a safety precaution. The failure recurred several times mostly when it rained or hit a pothole. The contact stated that the serpentine belt came off several times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 143,000.

Filed Mar 2, 2011 · Engine · 186,542 miles · AR

When driving in the rain we hit water on the road and the serpentine belt comes off, you lose power steering at the time if it happens in heavy traffic you could have a crash. When looking for a solution for the problem I found it happens to a lot of people. Gates makes an after market fix part# 38379k. Dodge will not fix it.

Filed Aug 16, 2009 · Suspension · 154,700 miles · PA

Upon turning left, the left front strut sheared from lower control arm. (ball joint failure) the wheel assembly remained attached at the upper mount of the strut, but turned and pushed sideways against the bodywork, pulling the axle out of the trans and destroying the cv joint. The car skidded to a stop with no steering control. There were no injuries. This is the second time this has happened. The previous incident occurred two years earlier (about 20k miles ago). The upper portion of the strut had a failure under similar conditions with similar results. The strut was replaced, but the lower control arm may not have been.

Filed Aug 15, 2008 · Engine · 134,000 miles · PA

The problem is with a 1997 dodge grand caravan, the accessory belt keep coming off if you drive the vehicle through water. It has happen a least 20 time in the last year which lead to power steering failure and over heating and battery failure. I tried to fix the problem by changing the tensioner the belt also the idler puller all about twice which did not solve the problem.

Filed Jul 19, 2007 · Engine · 126,000 miles · IL

This is the fourth time in the last several months that my serpentine belt fell off while turning a corner. I have a 97 dodge grand caravan sport se (3.3). The first two times it was raining and the second two times were in good weather. Each time it was quite a jerk when the power steering went out on the turn. What if this had happened on the highway when I wouldn't have been able to control the vehicle??? Obviously, this is quite a hassle having to get the car towed each time and having the mechanic put the belt back on and look for the problem, and not being able to trust my vehicle anymore. My mechanic replaced the tensioner,belt, and pulleys with the gates mv conversion kit. He was aware of this being a common problem. I also read online about all the other people with the same problem and how this seemed to be the only fix that worked. The dodge dealership here said they were not aware of this problem! This is a very dangerous problem and should be corrected by chrysler. Do people have to die before chrysler will take responsibility for this design flaw and provide this fix for everyone?

Filed Jan 23, 2006 · Engine · 134,000 miles · PA

I have a 1997 dodge grand caravan. In february 2005 we had the serpentine belt replaced, and all parts related to it adjusted and cleaned. This was done due to a horrible screeching sound. In november of that year the serpentine belt came off during a period of cold & rainy weather, and left me without steering or cooling fans. I was almost in an accident because I could not steer. The belt was replaced. Six weeks later, again-in cold and rainy weather. It happened again, and today, 3 weeks later, yes, cold and rainy weather it has happened for a third time. My garage is set to replace the steering fluid pump, thinking it might be leaking on it, the belt, tensioner and a pulley. Hoping it will fix the problem, this will be a $500 bill at least. However, after much research I have found this to be a regular problem for this make and model, crossing several model years. I contacted dodge, who told me there is nothing they can do about it without a recall, but agreed there have been technical service bulletins (tsbs) regarding the problem. I told them I did research on these tsbs, as well as various websites where auto mechanics post, and there has not been a single repair that works in each vehicle. This should be a huge safety concern. This belt controls the steering, the alternator and the fans. This is a mini-van, made for families. I am fearful of allowing my three children to ride in this vehicle now, knowing that even after the repairs coming up this week, the problem may not be fixed. Due to the severity of the danger which could occur , losing steering on a major highway in poor conditions, I believe this issue should become a recall.

Filed Aug 27, 2005 · Engine · GA

1) driving normally through water several inches deep - certainly not an unusual situation considering the amount of afternoon storms we have received this summer in middle georgia. 2) serpentine belt slips from pulleys causing lose of power steering, water pump, air conditioning, alternator. On first occasion and with great difficulty, my wife was able to pull over and avoid a collision. 3) belt appeared undamaged but I replaced belt with new approved belt. The same thing happened on august 22, 2005 while I was driving on georgia 87 (rural highway) in a severe downpour/thunderstorm. The rain and storm conditions were so loud I did not notice the temperature gage, indicator lights and warning-buzzer warning me of some engine failure. I was able to drive to an intersection and pull out of traffic, again with great difficulty due to power steering failure. Ultimately, people will lose lives over this issue if they have not already. There are many of these issues posted all over the internet. Please pursue this issue so someone's life can be saved.

Filed Jun 5, 2005 · Fuel system · 12,400 miles · PA · fire

On march 3rd, of 2005, while returning home from an outing with my four children, I noticed that the power steering went out in our 1997 dodge grand caravan as I was pulling into my driveway. Within moments after getting the kids out of the vehicle, the front of our minivan was fully engulfed in flames. Before the fire was extinguished by the local fire department, the entire engine compartment, along with the windshield and hood was destroyed and the vehicle is now a complete loss. Since we did not carry comprehensive insurance on this vehicle due to its age, I contacted daimler-chrysler to make a claim for damages, which came to just around $5,300. Daimler-chrysler sent an independent inspector to our residence to investigate the incident. The results were turned over to their claim board and we were advised on 3-18-05 that their company refused to accept responsibility for the fire that not only destroyed our vehicle but could have easily caused injury or death to myself or our four children. It is my understanding from the federal safety agency website that there has been numerous fire-related recalls on the 1997 dodge minivans. Specifically, an article showed that a recall existed on this type of vehicle after several deaths were reported as a result of fuel rail and o-ring defects (daimler chrysler recall #895). At no time since our purchase of this vehicle, was there any notification concerning safety recalls and after specifically asking a dodge dealership, I was told that there was not. After receiving the denial letter from daimler-chrysler, I spoke with a representative from their claims resolution group, who would not give me a reason why the claim was denied and refused to send me a copy of their investigator's report.

Filed Feb 16, 2005 · Engine · CA

Serpentine belt slips off idler pully when driving through standing water resulting in loss of power steering.