Air bag light comes on randomly.airbag faulty . Dealer replaced them at cost $338.00. Should have been covered with only 44450 miles on 2002 dodge grand caravan. Very dissappointed with this vehicle,always in shop. Engine 4 times,tie rod ends, brake calipers ,air condition compressor locked up. Etc.
2002 Dodge Grand Caravan brakes complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 36 of 36, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2002 grand caravan brakes failed. *ts the consumer is seeking monetary compensation for the flawed braking system. The consumer stated he was never notified of the problem and only became aware of the problem after the damage had already occurred. The improperly designed backing plate allowed water and snow to enter the brake drum enclosure and when the temperature dropped to freezing the brake shoes froze to the drum. The situation most likely occurred when the emergency brake was applied.
I took my 2002 dodge grand caravan to a repair shop to have my brakes looked at. They informed me that they did need replaced and I agreed to the service. I mentioned to them that my brake light came on periodically when putting on the brake but went out abruptly after the brake was depressed. They went and checked the brakes carefully and found not one but two brake calipers were either crushed in pieces or broke completely in half. My vehicle only has around 45,000 miles on it and was told by this shop and the dealership when I called them that this was highly unusual. I was gravely concerned about this safety problem and what this would mean to the remaining two calipers. I contacted chrysler about the problem and they basically told me there was no recall on it, it was out of warranty and there was nothing they were going to do about it. I told them this went beyond a "warranty" issue into a safety issue. This part was not wore out, it was defective (not one but two of them) and a safety hazard.
While driving consumer dodge grand caravan will go into neutral. *ts the consumer stated on one occasion, the vehicle was in drive, but it would not move. The consumer had to move the lever a few times in order for the vehicle to move. The consumer was told the problem she was experiencing could not be duplicated in the 2 weeks the mechanic had the vehicle. The steering wheel pulled to one side and vibrated when slowing down. The rotors needed to be resurfaced. The emission hose and gas cap were replaced. The passenger side door has to be opened and closed several times before staying shut. The oil pan gasket and axle seal were leaking.
Vehicle will not go into gear smoothly. Prior to this incident consumer was able to make a smooth transitions after a couple of attempts. Vehicle had to be towed dealer, where they discovered the rear brakes rusted .
Brake failure every 16000 miles or so. I had to replace the front brake pads 4 times since I had this vehicle. I had to replace the rotors twice since purchase because the rotors delaminated. Yesterday the van had a hard time stopping. It was like the front brakes were not grabbing.
We had to have the entire braking system completely replaced on our vehicle. It had 26,100 miles on it at the time of the repair. They were not covered under warranty. This work was done on 10/05/04.*ak I was involved in a minor car accident on 8/21/04 and think that the failing brakes hindered my ability to stop in time.
Coming back to ohio from oklahoma ( vacation ) got to st. Louis and tried to apply the brakes and my foot went to the floor, absolutely no brakes. Got the van slowed down and got off interstate 70, it was approximately 9-9:30 at night. Spent the night at a motel got up in the morning and tried to put brake fluid in the resevoir, seeing that it was low and hoping that would fix the problem but the fluid was coming out as fast as I could put it in. Had to call chrysler hotline and have the van towed into a chrysler dealer. There were no parts to be found so we had to spend the night in a motel and called the dealer the next day (friday). Was told parts would not be in until maybe monday and one passenger had a plane leaving sunday to go to las vegas and the other passenger had to be back to work on monday morning. Had to find a car to rent to come home, received a call at 12 noon on tuesday july 13th and had to schedule the 2 days off to go back and pick up the van and return the rental. Had to take 2 days off work, hotel bills, meal bills, gasoline bills, car rental bills and misc.. Asked for the part back and was told it was sent back to the factory.
Brakes woreout around 23,000 or 21,000 I purchased the vehicle used it had 15,000 miles already on it. The brakes were wearing out faster and faster even though I put new routers on them. My mechanic says the calipers are defective. I think the distribution of the brakes is not evenly handle by the front and the back. The front handles to much of thfe work and there is too much weight in the front of the vehicle.
While starting up the vehicle, the ABS warning light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and the mechanic determined that the wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced, which had already been replaced three times. *ak the ABS light had come on after the rear drivers side tire blew out. The dealer stated that the ABS light had come on due to it being burnt out. *sc
My vehicle has ongoing problems with abnormal brake wear. At 17000 miles the brakes hung up. The front left rotor was completely worn away. New pads and rotors. Right front caliper not functioning properly and was replaced. Prior to this I had the oil changed and brakes checked 1500 miles earlier--I had noticed that the brake pedal travel was varying and it was taking longer to stop the car. Mechanic had stated that left front had a little over half of brake surface left. Second brake failure at 34500 miles. Again, left front hung up. Took the car to arrigo dodge and was told I was lying about first incident even though I had receipts. Service rep told me both brakes completely worn away, even though again the problem presented with the left front brake hanging up. Was told it was my fault brakes were wearing prematurely. Car pulled to right after brake replacement when I called dealer again was told it was my fault dealer refused to do anything about it. Brakes began squealing - most noticeably left front again - within 500 miles of replacement. Left front brake sticks when starting off, brakes squeal, brake fluid seen leaking from right front, brake pedal already has a lot of play in it, takes an excessive amount of distance to stop even with strong force applied to brakes. I have narrowly missed having several accidents because of this. Called dealer, again told it was my fault -- driver habits they call it. In the 25 years I have owned and driven vehicles, I have never had to replace brakes before 38000 miles or had any problems remotely similar to this. P. 245 of owners manual states "if either of the two hydraulic systems lose normal capability ...there will be some loss of overall braking effectiveness. This may be evident by increased pedal travel during application, greater pedal force required to slow or stop..." what will it take for this problem to be correctly addressed -- people dying because of this brake failure?
When the brakes are applied there was a noise coming throughout the driver and passenger sides. Dealership inspected several times, replaced disc, pads, and sensors, at least three times. However, the problem still recurred. Also, automatic transmission problem.
Upon front end vibration and squealing was informed that they needed to resurface the front rotors and put on new breaks at 23,000 miles. The steering gear and hoses were also replaced at 21,000 miles. I feel that any mechanic who was taking the front end apart should have noticed the breaks were in need of replacing then.
On 6/11/03 vehicle was making power steering noises & auto dr locks wouldn't lock at 15 MPH. Replaced power hose, hose clamp & oil trans. Informed I needed new brakes (22, 153 miles & didn't req that they do this when I arrived at shop). 7/2/03 took van in 'cause left rear (driver side) speaker caught on fire while at a gas pump. While at gas pump w/2 of our 4 kids in the car. Brakes that were just replaced prev month were squeaking as well as the steering again. (dealer-brakes squeak 'cause they are metal & there is air in the steering line). 9/23/03 van battery blew up when started. Replaced battery. 12/3/03 steering making noise during turns. Replaced both sway bars links. 12/29/03 steering is very tight & shuddering again & auto lock button on key chain won't work. Ordered new power steering rack & resevoir. Then on 1/6/04 tach spiked at 4k, vehicle lost power & engine light came on while on expressway w/my baby in the car. Determination was the transmission solenoid assy failure & replaced the same. This cost me $107 (would have cost more if I wasn't given an extended warranty for fire I had). 1/19/04 van was giving a burn smell from under the hood along with smoke. They found A/C compressor clutch shorting in coil. A/c compressor replaced & recharged. 2/5/04 vehicle taken for the last time for loud popping sound under the dr's ft area when turning left. All suspension parts tightened. Next visit is req'd by the fl lemon law to give them 1 more chance before paperwork can be filed. Done on 3/8/04 for steering noise when stopped & just turning wheel. Replaced pt that was replaced before: power steering pump resevoir. Paperwork filed for florida lemon law on 4/5/04,unsave vehicle & fear for safety of family.
We purchased a 2002 grand caravan sport used. When I picked up the van after getting some recall work done at the dealer, I turned on the air condioner and the motor died during rush hour traffic. They had extended the warranty to 70,000 miles because the dryer in those vans is known to fail and lock up the A/C compressor. I believe this is more that a parts issue since the locked compressor kills the motor which kills the power brakes and power steering. During stopping or in an intersection, this could be quite hazardous. All these dryers and possibly compressors should be replaced before someone is in a major accident.
Consumer complained about a ball joint problem. She took vehicle to repair shop about 20 times because it was making noises and squeaking while driving. Mechanic could not resolve the problem. *ak the dealer replaced many components related to the front end noise. The air bag light was illuminated. The technician determined that there was an open circuit. The technician replaced the passenger side air bag. The driver's seat belt had internal damage which made it difficult to buckle and unbuckle the seat belt. The consumer stated that there was a noise coming from the left front wheel. The technician determined that the front pads were worn and the rotor were grooved. The technician replaced the front pads and resurfaced the rotors. The inner tie rod was loose and caused the steering to make noise. The technician replaced the gear assembly.
Where to start, since the dau we bought it in 7/02, we have brought it in 3 times for faulty windshield wiper problems, we lost powering steering (thank god my wife was not driving it with our two small kids), the rear hatch didn't work and it took 3 months for us to finally get it fixed, we have to replace the brake pads at 14,000 miles, and just recently the alternator had to be replaced. Now there is a problem with the brakes they make a horrible sound when pressing on them and is going into the dealer again next week. My wiper refuses to drive the caravan that we bought so it would be easier for her with the kids, but she feels that something else is gonna go wrong. We wrote a letter to chrysler and they responded "we're sorry for the inconvenience". (the date of the first incident listed below may not be exactly when it happened, the paperwork is at home.)
When applying the brakes left front brakes squeak very loudly, and there is a delay in stopping.
On 4/17/02 I purchased a new 2002 dodge grand caravan. The salesman sold the vehicle to me with the airbag light on, informing me that it was supposed to be that way. Immediately after reading my owners manual, I discovered that it was not supposed to be that way. I made arrangements to have the van checked out and since then I have had nothing but trouble with the airbag light/seat belts/automatic doors, etc. This van has been in the shop eight times for the above reasons. On 7/24/03 the ABS light along with the hydraulic brake light came on. I took the vehicle to the dealership and it is still there as of today's date - 8/23/03. I contacted chrysler directly on 8/22/03 and informed them of the hazardous history of this vehicle - the airbag module has been replaced several times, the seatbelt tensioners replaced several times, automatic doors reprogrammed, etc. I informed the customer service representative, arlene, that I was afraid of the vehicle and did not want it back. I was informed by "arlene" that the vehicle parts had been delivered to the dealership and that the van would be fixed. I don't want the van "fixed". It doesn't stay "fixed"!! It is a safety hazard and I do not want to base my children's safety on their idea of a situation being "fixed" when their track record obviously stinks. Am I going to have to wait until an accident and either myself or, lord forbid, one of my children are sent airborne through the windshield? I was informed by "arlene" that since the van was not in the shop for the "exact defect" every single time, that I was not eligible for a new van. I would think that the fact that the airbag system has shown it has consistent problems, the seatbelts obviously have consistent problems and now the airbag system and hydraulic brake system lights are on - isn't that enough???? Or do I have to die in an accident for my family to get a safe vehicle?.
While driving and brakes are depresed they make a loud noise ,lock up and hestiate to stop. Dealeship contacted.
Consumer states that rear-end felt as if dragging while driving. Dealer diagnosed that plate, which covers the brake system, is defective causing water to leak into the system, resulting in rusting. This condition causes complete brake failure.
Vehicle experienced ABS failure caused by the rotors delaminating.
I recently purchased a 2002 dodge grand caravan sport 3.3 liter,18,000 miles on odometer when purchased,vehicle wants to pull to right, and brakes pulsate when applied. Notified dodge dealership where purchased, (lee dodge,west brook,maine) brought vehicle back for service and was told "they" could not duplicate problem????? I told them I felt vehicle was out of alignment,they supposedly did the alignment,and vehicle still pulls to right! At this point they had a tech. Go with me,the tech explained that he felt it was the crown of the road, I have driven plenty of vehicles over the course of my life and I am aware of a road crown, but this is completely unacceptable, something is wrong with this mini van, and all the dealership wants to do is patronize me!!! I have made another call to lee dodge and told them that I will be bringing this back to them and they had better get it right this time! Ps and since my previous visit I now have a vibration in my steering wheel upon slow moving turning,they say they will also look into this.....................is any one else experiencing these types of problems??? Please help, I just bought this vehicle for my wife and 3 kids, and I sure do want to be certain its a safe vehicle! I have only had this vehicle 10 days!! Purchased on 5-28-03 dealer was notified 1 and a half days later of these problems..............
Brake shoes are completely worn out with only 17,500 miles on vehicle. *tt
After purchasing vehicle brake light illuminated, indicating brake failure. Dealer was notified,and mechanic stated there were problems occurring. However, mechanic had no solution for problem until investigation through manufacturer had been closed.
I purchased a new 2002 dodge grand caravan on 10/6/01. Within a week I experienced a sudden and swift drop in brake pressure when stopped at a stop sign or traffic light. The dealer was unable to duplicate problem and said come back if problem persists. I returned the vehicle again at 5 weeks of ownership for the same problem. I again was told that they were unable to duplicate problem, and that this is the way a grand caravan "breaks in" by the service manage evona hartzell. I returned my vehicle again at 6 months for a week, a factory rep drove my car exactly five miles and declared the brakes in perfect working order, he did no other inspection. The van was back in the service department one week later for the fourth time for the same problem. All four visits totalling over 12 days for the same problem that they claim they can not duplicate therefore no repair is necessary. At 8 months of ownership the drop in brake pressure is now occuring during the braking process as well as when stopped for a period of time. The problem is worsening and the dealer refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with my vehicle. I can provide you with detailed documentation at your request.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history