Drivers-side front strut cap rusted. The rust is at the top of the strut cap housing and has not broken through yet. I went on-line to research this issue and see that there are many owners of the same 2000 caravan with the very same issue. Some with extreme rust. If this fails during driving, there is a extreme high chance of an accident. I am surprised that there is no recall on this issue. I am not a structural engineer but by all accounts, this is a safety issue that should be a recall issue. Does it take one or more accidents before this becomes a recall issue?
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan suspension complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 56, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The strut towers are so badly rusted that I am afraid to hit a bump. The driver's side strut tower is corroded and flaking. There are gaps where I can see through to the underside. This is a safety issue and my vehicle will not pass inspection until I shell out $400 for someone to weld a cap on (just one side). This is a known problem, yet the company has not issued a recall or anything.
Strut tower on this van is almost completely rusted. To continue driving it presents a serious road hazard for I and my family!
The drivers side shock tower has completely rusted out. I had a 1996 caravan that did the same thing. There are many repair caps that will help structural support if the rust has not spread too far. Unfortunately, this will not help me. The rust was hidden under the paint and extends 4-5 inches down the strut tower. With the vehicle under weight and from driving it, there is now a tear in the metal on the side if the strut tower from front to back at a downward angle. This makes the vehicle undriveable and a major safety issue.
The left strut tower was found by an authorized dealer to need repair in order to pass the state inspection. It appears that this is a common problem among owners of this type vehicle and certainly a safety concern.
Took my van in to the shop because I was hearing a noise in the front end when I drive it. They told me that the front strut housing cover had rusted and that the strut could now go through the hood and windshield while driving. That this is not the first time that they have seen this and that a kit has been made to repair it. However it has to be welded to the frame of the van and it could cost up to $500.00 just to fix this problem and I can not even fix the strut until this is taken care of. Making other parts needing to be fixed because of it. I noticed some time ago that this was rusting but thought nothing of it not being a mechanic and all. I didn't think that this was an important part since it was under the hood I couldn't figure out why it would rust. I was told that it was a defect that dodge has known about and that is why they came up with the repair kit. That unless someone dies dodge is not going to do anything about it. I sure hope that nothing happens to anyone before dodge decides to do something. I can not believe that there are already complains on this site and the federal safety agency has not done anything about it. I did call the consumer center at dodge and opened a complaint there someone should call me tomorrow. I just hope that they are willing to fix this at no cost or no injury to me, my family or anyone else that could be effected do to this problem. I hope if anyone else has this problem they report it also that is the only way we can get anyone to resolve this issue. I sure do not want to get rid of my van nor can I afford to right now. My van has been great and very dependable until this problem. I sure hope dodge or the federal safety agency stands by me and fixes this problem!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that the strut tower located on the front of the vehicle has rust on it and have completely rotted. The damage is visible when you lift the front of the vehicle. The vehicle will be diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 128,000.
Front strut upper support tower rusted out.
Strut tower on 2000 dodge grand caravan rusted through.
Dodge caravan has corrosion in front strut tower. This is a unibody frame. Was told by a chrysler employee that this is a common problem and rarely does chrysler assist with repairs. On oct 14, 2002 chrysler issued a tsb report #23-044-02, stating issue with left and right strut towers and the correction of the condition. Chrysler is aware of this potentially dangerous issue and chooses to ignore it. After phoning chrysler they will not assist me in the repair of the vehicle. I was told by chrysler customer service that until something happens or breaks they will not correct problem. If the strut tower completely breaks as it will, it will render the vehicle inoperable and poses a significant danger to persons.
I own a 2000 dodge grand caravan that I purchased new in 2000, I recently had new struts installed on the front and was told that the left front strut tower was severely rusted and should be fixed as soon as possible. I was also told that this was a serious safety issue that chrysler was aware of,I did some research and found that this is a common problem with 1996 to 2000 chrysler mini-vans due to a design defect.
Upper strut towers on our 2000 dodge grand caravan are rusting out structurally with only 96,000 miles. It looks important to get fixed (which I will) before the front end collapses!
2000 dodge grand caravan. Front strut towers corroded and needed replacement at 62,000 miles.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge grand caravan. The contact took the vehicle to a repair shop for normal maintenance. The mechanic stated that the strut tower was corroded. The failure is due to defective material from the manufacturer. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact wants chrysler to pay for the repair. The current and failure mileages were 105,000.
Rusting strut towers 2000 grand caravan. I noticed rust on the strut tower about a year ago. I sprayed undercoating on the top of both towers to prevent further rust. I inspected the tops of the towers this week. Both the driver's side and the passenger side tower continue to rust in spite of several layers on undercoating applied over the last year. As I was servicing the brakes I determined it was time to replace the struts on the front of the van. Knowing the towers are rusted on the top side I inspected the underside of the strut towers this afternoon. A crack has appeared on the underside of the strut tower on the passenger's side. I will inspect the driver's side tomorrow. After doing an internet search I have found the rusting strut towers to be a very common problem in both the us and canada. The problem exists across several years and models of dodge and chrysler vehicles. If a strut ruptures a compromised tower at highway speed, lives can and will be lost. With the number of dodge and chrysler vehicles on the road, the potential for catastrophic failure is multiplied exponentially. I am surprised there has not been a recall on this issue. Someone must be asleep at the wheel.
My 2000 dodge caravan van has a rusted shock tower on driver side due to faulty design. This issues has been reported on many dodge blog sites.
1. Normal vehicle operation 2. The failure of structure securing and retaining the front suspension (strut tower) do to excessive corrosion. Upon failure the entire front suspension falls apart resulting in catastrophic lose of vehicle control and support. Vehicle will swerve resulting in collision or roll over. 3. What needs to be done is a recall to replace the defective strut tower.
Driver side strut tower is rusting through. Appears to be deformed around the rusted area. At this rate I think the strut tower could fail and cause an accident.
Serious rust through of the strut tower on a 2000 dodge grand caravan made in USA. Suddenly appeared and rapidly progressing since jan 2008. Body very well cared for - no accidents, no rust in or out til now. This is not cosmetic as chrysler alleges - it is structural and a real safety concern since it looks like a really big pot hole could sent the strut up through the windshield!
I recently became aware of the problems with chrysler minivans regarding the design of the strut towers. I own a dodge grand caravan. After doing research on the internet and speaking with multiple repair shops, it is unfathomable to me that these were not recalled. The danger from what is clearly a design flaw, should have been addressed by the company - especially when minivans are often used to carry children around. Unless, of course, you don't mind driving around knowing your front suspension mechanism could push up through the hood. Imagine being one railroad track away from such a disaster and not even knowing it. I believe the years affected were 1996-2002.
Corrosion of both front strut towers on late 1990's - early 2000 dodge caravans. Dodge is aware of the problem as they address it in a tsb. The refer to it as a cosmetic problem when it is clearly a safety issue. If not repaired at high cost to many thousands of vehicles, control would be lost without warning.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge grand caravan. The contact noticed rust on the top of the strut tower. The rust has worsened over time. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. The dealer advised the contact to take the vehicle to a body shop so they could weld a piece of metal to the strut tower. The body shop stated that would not solve the failure and stated that the strut tower should be replaced. The current mileage is 73,500 and failure mileage was 40,000. Updated 02/01/08.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 50 MPH, a clunking noise was heard coming from the left front of the vehicle. It was driven to the dealer who determined the left front strut tower was corroded and needed to be replaced.
The problem described herein is about my 2000 dodge grand caravan. Over the past year I noticed some rusting at the left top strut tower. I questioned it at the time, but was told it was not serious. During the past week I was replacing the air filter and noticed that now over one half of the strut area was heavily rusted and had large cracks on one side. I took it to my local chrysler dealer to see if the rust through warranty would apply, or if it was a common problem. The manager looked at it, looked up my warranty and said even though the time period is good until 12/2006 the mileage of 69700 was over by 9750 miles. He would not admit that this is a common problem and said it could be very dangerous, take it to a body shop for repair. I since have investigated this complaint on the federal safety agency, and found that there are many identical problems, and chrysler has even developed a corrosion kit for this problem. See odi id: 10147504 can you advice me of my next step. We are not driving the van until it is repaired. This is a garaged vehicle.
My 2000 dodge grand caravan is rusting at the top of the strut towers on both the left and right sides. My mechanic says that failure is imminent. Had a notice been given I could have probably got dodge to work on this problem before the warranty ran out. As is it is 10,000 over warranty, but the problem had to have existed before the warranty ended. No deaths or injuries yet.
I have a 2000 dodge grand caravan se and when I had the oil changed last saturday, I was told that the "strut"" housing on the drivers side is rusting, flaking off. I could not find any recalls or safety issues noted, but, apparently, I am not the first one to complain of this problem. Plus, now I have to wait for the corrective kit...since it's back ordered. The area chrysler/dodge dealer stated that dodge did not mention this until the warranty was completed on this type of vehicle. I have my wife not driving the vehicle, since if the housing breaks, the strut will come thru the hood of the car.
Dt*: the contact stated while having routine maintenance performed, the independent repair shop determined the vehicle had excessive rust on the strut towers. The manufacturer was alerted. The vehicle is located in a salt belt state. Updated 5/2/2006 -
My local auto service shop recently identified a corrosion crack in the left strut housing of my van. I went to a body shop and they indicated the strut could eventually break through the hood allowing the left front wheel to collapse. They contacted a local chrysler dealer service department who indicated that this was a known problem and they had a corrosion kit for that problem. The dealer service manager indicated that chrysler had a program to help pay for repairs but that my vehicle was near 100,000 miles and it might not qualify. He pursued it and chrylser did provide the kit and $200 to the auto body shop, which just paid for the kit and a small bit more. The total bill was $555.00 of which I paid $355.00. The body shop indicated that according to the chrysler instructions, if the problem got much worse before it was caught, the entire strut housing might have to be replaced, costing $2,000 or more. In talking to the original service shop, they have seen numerous occurrences of this apparent defect. My concern is that this problem apparently gets worse with the age of the vehicle and since chrysler vans are so popular this could be a life safety problem for those not aware of the corrosion defect, especially second owners (like me). If this is a known potential life safety manufacturing defect, why isn't the repair cost totally the responsibility of the manufacturer and shouldn't owners be notified even if they bought it as a used car?
I brought my 2000 grand caravan in for routine oil change. Service mgr. I was informed that my left strut tower/strut seating was beginning to rust and that it would cost over $700 to repair. Stated it should be repaired soon or could cause serious accident if it fails. The right one is perfectly fine. I proceeded to do research on the internet and have found out that this is a very common "failure". Why has this not been addressed other than tsb 2304402? Isn't this a safety issue and shouldn't there be a recall? What recourse do I have before I spend this money that I don't feel is my fault or cause?
Dt: the consumer took the vehicle to dealer for a safety emission test. They said the left front strut tower was corroded at the top. Found this out on september 27, 2005, was told that there was technical service bulletin ( tsb) 2304402, the consumer contacted chrysler, they said they would look into it, but that was basically it. There was no forewarning and no noise.
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