2000 dodge grand caravan serpentine belt keeps squealing, breaking, slipping off, and shredding. For over a year now we have problems with this belt that have baffled the mechanics. Fortunately, no one has been injured, but we have been stranded twice requiring a tow, and h had the van in the shop at least 6 times over this problem which is still unresolved.*ak after a quick search, it seems to be a huge problem that many owners are experiencing. Many 'fixes' are out there, but perhaps the best, most reliable is to have the mechanic install an 'after market' kit with special pulleys and belt for around $200. I will probably have this done as we can't keep rolling the dice with the family vehicle.
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan engine complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 87, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that this vehicle had the same failure as noted in the recall regarding non-flex fuel engines. The dealer would not service the vehicle for free because it had a flex engine. The contact stated that the vehicle demonstrated same failure as those of the same year, make, and model that had non-flex engines. The current mileage is 168,000, and failure mileage was 167,000.ak
2000 dodge grand caravan sport with the 3.3l engine has lost its serpentine belt in rain. This results in immediate loss of power steering and leads to serious overheating. This is a known problem that has been experienced by many owners for many years.
I was driving down 422 away from 76. I was just about to turn off on to trooper road in norristown when I heard a clicking noise. I then turned the radio off and it was pretty loud. It got louder the more I pushed onto the gas pedal, and stopped when I took my foot off. It was slightly uphill for a few hundred feet and I knew if I just made it to the top and hoped for 2 green lights I may be safe. I started going up and made it to the second green light (thank god) but my engine just cut off and I lost power steering and breaks. I had to force my car to turn and almost didn't make the turn in time. I then had to coast 1/4 mile to get off the road to pull into a parking lot where my car sat until it was towed. This was all in the middle of a snow storm, where I was later plowed in and had to dig my way out of 3 feet of snow to get it towed. It went to the shop where I was told the timing chain broke. Luckily nothing bad happened out of the whole thing, but it could have been much worse.
I have replaced the serpentine belt and pulley/tensioner assembly on my 2000 grand caravan 4 times in the last 3 years. The design is flawed and must be fixed by dodge. I have used both dodge replacement and napa replacement parts to no avail. I can not trust this vehicle for a long distance which is what I bought a van for.
Serpentine belt is thrown when van is driven in wet conditions. Causes loss of power steering and cooling systems. Van is very difficult to control and must be towed to repair facility. Thrown 3 times in last six months with 2 occurrences being in past 3 weeks.
Serpentine belt came off while driving during rain.
2000 dodge grand caravan - serpentine belt slips off in the rain causing steering and electrical system to quit functioning. This is very very dangerous and happened last time in a van full of kids. Chrysler has "fixed" this problem over 7 times in the last 2 years. Today is the 8th time it is getting fixed yet again. Brazil recalled all their vans between 1996 and 2000 for this very problem - why isn't the car being recalled in the us?
Serpentine belt slips off tensioner pulley in wet conditions. Total power steering failure and vehicle is extremely difficult to control.
Serpentine belt has come off my 2000 dodge grand caravan 4 times. First time, I hit a pocket of water on a small highway in a construction area. Drove vehicle to a safer location, left my wife and 3 kids on the side of the road at night while I walked a mile home in the rain to get my ford ranger to load all 5 of us in to get home safely. Had it towed to a repair shop who replaced the belt tensioner and belt. Second time, about a year later, my wife hit water which also knocked the belt off and stranded her and my 3 children 15 miles from home. Brother in law was able to come and spent an hour of gut wrenching labor to put the belt back on. Third time, a month later it came off again shredding the belt and leaving my wife stranded by herself after dropping my kids off for school. I had it towed to a reputable repair shop who said it needed another belt tensioner and assured me the napa product would perform better than the previous one. He tried to see if a kit was available for our large 6 cylinder engine but could not find one. Fourth time, one month later as my wife was driving 2 of my children to school in the rain, the belt came off again but this time she didn't hit any water. Had it towed back to the repair shop. They checked all componets connected to the serpentine belt and tried for 30 minutes to duplicate the problem by pouring water over the belt, etc. With no success. Owner says he doesn't know what is causing this problem even though he is aware that this is a common problem for dodge vans. Question: if this is such a wide spread problem as shown by all the complaints for the same problem on this website why has there not been a recall to correct whatever is causing this problem? Answer: because it will cost dodge/ chrysler too much money. Solution: unless you can only drive a dodge van on warm sunny days don't bother buying a dodge van. Especially if you value your family's safety.
This is the third time in a year that the serpentine belt has shredded and/or fell off. I replaced the tensioner the second time. It looks as if the pulleys are not aligned with the tensioner so the belt eventually rides off the edge of the tensioner. All times it was not raining or snow like some of the other complaints I have researched on the web. Dodge grand caravan with 107,000 miles. 3.8l with A/C.
I have a 2000 dodge grand caravan, 3.0 l engine. I have been experiencing the belt slipping off the tensioner during wet weather. The first time we hit a small (1 - 2" deep) puddle of water when turning a corner. We immediately lost power steering. I contacted my local, independent mechanic, who told me this is an on-going problem with 1996 - 2000 caravans. He even went so far as to print out a service bulletin detailing the problem. The second time it happened was less than two weeks later, hit a small puddle of water on a rainy day, lost power steering again. Luckily, I was going slowly both times, but worry about a serious situation of going at highway speeds. I have contacted the dealership, who acknowledge that they have heard of such a problem, but there is no service announcement from dodge/chrysler, and no "fix" - only to replace belts and tensioners. I then researched through internet, found situation as stated by first (independent) mechanic listed on multiple websites by many owners. Chrysler is avoiding acknowledging the problem, yet 2 aftermarket parts companies have developed parts to fix this issue. Both gates and goodyear acknowledge a safety issue, so I believe chrysler/dodge should have to ensure the safety of their vehicles. These are mini-vans. Sold primarily to families. So, the typical scenario is a mother with kids stranded in the rain. I now fear driving my van in the rain, and am petrified of driving highway speeds in the rain.
Serpentine belt has come off during highway speeds twice on this vehicle. Appears the tensioner pulley design is not robust. Second time the engine overheated destroying 2 cylinders and the head stranding my wife and 5 boys on the interstate. The resulting failure modes could have very serious consequences - recommend improvement to the design by recall.
I have been informed that the serpentine belt on dodge caravans have a tendency to come off in heavy rain and/or snow. It happened on our vehicle the other day when my wife was driving. She lost the ability to steer the vehicle and narrowly missed getting into an accident. Dodge is aware of this problem since they have issued a tech bulletin about it and have a kit that they feel will remedy the problem. However no re-call has been issued. I do not feel that I should be required to pay $150 to $200 to remedy this potentially dangerous defect.
Dt: the contact stated there have been numerous electrical problems which resulted in the dashboard panel lights flashing on and off while driving. She took the vehicle to a dealer for multiple attempts to correct this problem. Also, there was a leak within the roof, resulting in damage to the carpeting. There is a slashing sound within the roof compartment after a heavy rain. The carpet has been replaced five times, and the television was replaced once as a result of the leak. *ak. Updated 11/30/2005 - glazed serpentine belt caused grinding noise when turning. The left middle seat head rest came loose from the guide rod. The door sticks and the siding door makes noise when opening. The rear window rattles when opened. The fog lihjt are ionpertive. The horn spunded weak because the keyless entry remote needed to be reprogrammed. The tail light had moisture in it. The locking gas cap was hard to open. The rear tire had a slow leak.
Upon going through puddles of water the accessory belt, which drives the power steering pump, disengaged. This happened twice, causing the vehicle to lose power steering. Consumer contacted the dealer, who stated that this was a common problem.
While driving 40 MPH engine locked, and vehicle veered to the side of the road. Vehicle was towed to a local dealership that couldn't work on it for two weeks, and then and stated that warranty expired. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic. The oil had gotten down extremely low, but no warning or check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was being checked for oil leaks.
The crossover pipe has holes in it and needs replacing. I was told by my mechanic that fumes can get into the car and also that if it fails much more, the wires under the hood can be burned. All the dealer was willing to do was replace the pipe. The problem with that is since september 2004, the pipe is back ordered.
The cross over pipe/exhaust manifold failed upon turning the heat on. Some very heavy exhaust fumes filled the vehicle when driving. Consumer contacted the dealer, but problem recurred. *ak exhaust fills the vehicle when the heat or air is turned on usually when vehicle is at a stand still.
Serpentine belt came off every time consumer hit a puddle. The belt came off four times, and was being serviced again.
Consumer stated everytime it rained the oil sensor light came on and stayed on. Dealer stated they could not duplicate the problem.
While driving on the interstate in rainy weather serpentine belt got wet and came off. When this occurred there was no control of the vehicle, which included steering and brakes. Consumer contacted the manufacturer, who suggested that consumer contact the federal safety agency and complain. They did not provide any assistance for this defect.
Transmission lines leaked and were tightened under warranty. Transmission lines started leaking again but this time I had to pay because all of a sudden the line was fractured due to some external cause. Transmission stutters and shifts hard especially between 25 and 35 MPH. Started complaining to dealer around 30,000 miles, of course when I returned for the 3rd time to complain at just over 37,000 miles they had no previous record in their computer so I had to pay to have it looked at. They still insist nothing is wrong and the problem is getting worse. The coolant reservoir is always almost empty no matter how much I pour in. Dealer insists this is normal and pressure tests indicate nothing is wrong.. If the system is sealed where is all of the coolant going?
Tensioner assembly replaced 4 times within 12 month period. 3 of within 60 days. As a result the shaft and pulley on the power steering was bent requiring replacement. Dodge is aware of the issue and provided a part to hold the belt onto the tensioner. It did not work. The belt has been replaced 6 times under 70k miles. Mopar part warranties have been used, however, $100 deductibles for an extended warranty has been collected 3 separate times. Fortuneatly, to date, no injuries have occurred.
On february 8, 2004, herman lino, co owner of car, called me to report some trouble with the dodge caravan. The red light came on and the cruise control light also came on. He pulled over to the side and felt that the engine was warm. He opened the hood and saw some smoke which he thought may have been from an overheated engine. I told him, by phone, to add some coolant to the radiator. He purchased a container but the radiator only took 1/2 of the container. After a while, the red light and cruise light went off so he started the car to drive home which was about 2 miles away. As he ascended a slight incline, he saw smoke coming out of both sides of the hood, more from the driver's side. He immediately stopped the car, turned off the engine and stepped out to the front of the car. He opened the hood and something immediately burst into flame. The flame was about 5-10 ft high. Herman said it looked like a house on fire. He stepped back when another explosion erupted. Police and firemen converged on t he scene and after things cooled down, an inspection was made. A report from the fire dept was issued. The fire erupted about 8pm. The car was towed to ace towing about 5 miles away from the scene the car had less than 15,000 miles, is in good shape and had regular service at the dodge dealer. The entire engine was burned and needs replacement. There's a large hole in the windshield when the fire entered the vehicle. Top of the dashboard sustained melting and damage. Front seats, upholstery incurred little damage. The ceiling of the van shows soot marks. This vehicle had it's original battery. There was only one driver . Owners had no otc coverage. Please tell me what I need to do to get some assistance to replace or repair the car. It is an ims vehicle. It appears that it is a company defect. I have the car here on my premises. Mrs. P. Caindec.
I bought the vehicle in august 2002 with 15250 miles. Had the vehicle in for warranty repairs on 12/2002, 1/2003, 3/2003, 4/2003, 5/2003 - 6/2003, again 6/2003, 12/2003, 3/2004 motor blew. Vehicle has 45,000 miles and a blown motor. Dodge refuses to repair the vehicle. They tell me its due to lack of maintenance and then failed to ask me for maintenance records. The service dealership is gathering my service records to present to the district manager to try to change his mind. Vehicle is a lemon but because of the mileage, fails to fall under the lemon law. Dodge wants me to pay $5500 for a new motor. Don't think I should based on the vehicle history. Please help!!!
Ac failed cooling. Unit has lost its freon charge. Unit was rechardeg and dye installed to locate leak. Leak was foung in front evaporator. Was advised core leak, not a copper to alum joint, but through aluminum part of core. Appeared to be deteriorated by acid. Other involves three failures on battery on this vehicle. The original, a replacement installed in oct 2001 and that failed this july 2003.
While driving at 45 MPH serpentine broke. This is the fourth time such an occurance has happened with components related to this system. Each repair averages 250-300 dollars. This poses a risk to us as as a family as the vehicle fails without warning, in a highway this could prove disastrous.
Serpentine belt keeps slipping off the main drive.. Have had into the shop 4times for same problem. Dealer said it is a moisture/snow hitting the belt off.
While driving 35 MPH in the rain consumer noticed that check engine light came on. A few seconds later vehicle lost control, and consumer nearly had an accident. Vehicle was towed to a dealer, who found that the serpentine belt had slipped out of the pulleys.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history