2005 Dodge Grand Caravan: sudden loss of power

Filed Mar 5, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · 198,009 miles · NC

On the evening of 03/04/2021 @ 9:00pm. Whilr driving home from the grocery store doing approx 35 MPH, my van suddenly lost all power and ability to use power steering and use of brakes. I had my children in the vehicle at the time and they were able to help me get the van out of the travel lane and safely into a parking lot. Van did not want to start after cutting off the ignition switch and cutting it back on. When I restarted the van it wouldnt accelerate passed 15mph with the pedal all the way down to the floor then it constantly stalled out 8-10 times the last mile from home.

Filed Sep 25, 2018 · Steering · 200,000 miles · WI

Van lose power steering during heavy rain only. I purchase this van in june/july 2018 recently had power steering check and no issues found. Yet this the fifth time this has happened. Today I was driving in the rain to pickup my daughter from school and it happened again. The wheel tighten up and I was unable turn. I had to turn on my hazards light and turn car off in the middle of the road. After letting vehicle sit about 15 minutes I was able to drive home. I repeat it only happens in the rain why I believe there is a manufactor defect and needs to be recalled.

Filed Nov 4, 2015 · Brakes, Fuel system · 142,000 miles · ID

Last night - for the 4th time now - after filling the tank at the gas station, my car just died. The first 3 times it was when I stopped at the stop sign leaving the gas station parking lot. Last night, it was after I was out on the main road and in heavy traffic. It was stop and go rush hour traffic, so I was thankfully only going approx 15-20 miles an hour. Power steering was lost, brakes were practically non existent. Barely managed to pull off into a parking lot and was able to set the parking brake to finish stopping. Once stopped and in park, was able to start it right back up. Every time this has happened it has been right after fueling up. I never thought much about it the other 3 times, but this time was different, and very dangerous. I was almost hit from behind because I instantly lost power, then I almost hit another car to my left because of the unexpected loss of power steering. I could hardly manage to get into the parking lot and almost hit the curb/sign/another car. Was scared to drive home the rest of the way. Now after reading the other posts here, I'm afraid to ever get gas again!!! This is unacceptable dodge...you obviously know about this problem and do not care about your customers. Well, this is one customer you will never have again. I'm in the market for a new car, and guess what will not be sitting in my driveway ever again?

Filed Jan 3, 2015 · Fuel system · 105,000 miles · NJ

Every time after refueling the car with a full tank, after about a mile of driving the engine will stumble or die altogether. This causes loss of power steering and power brakes.

Filed Dec 28, 2014 · Fuel system · 133,689 miles · WA

Roughly 4 blocks after refueling an almost empty tank, the engine in my 2005 dodge grand caravan stalled at approximately 25 MPH, right before a 90 degree right turn. Because the engine is quite at nearly idle, I did not notice the engine stopped until I started into the turn. With the engine stalled there was no power steering or power brakes. If I was not a relatively strong person, I would not have been able to steer the car around the corner and to the side of the road in a safe fashion. I doubt that any other member of my family would have successfully negotiated the corner since it almost felt like the steering wheel was locked and the result would have been a significant accident at the very least with the on coming traffic. I was not sure if I might have done something to cause the stall and it did not reoccur, that is until the next fill up today. Fortunately it was not as big a deal today as I was driving at a higher speed (40 MPH) at a different location and all that happened was brief loss of power and stumbling over a distance of about 1/4 mile and then resolved itself, which caused no threat to safety like last time. However it proved that there was a problem that consistent with 2 refuels in a row. After searching the internet for these symptoms, it would seem that lots of people are having this problem with 2004 and newer chrysler minivans and other models, due to a defective valve in the evaporative emission system in the top of the gas tank that can only be fixed by replacing the entire tank at a cost of about $600.

Filed Dec 19, 2013 · Engine, Steering · 120,000 miles · KY

After filling vehicle with fuel, our van has been stalling upon stopping at a light within 5 minutes of leaving gas station. Most recently vehicle cut off less than 1/4 mile after refilling when driving on road. When this happens, electric of vehicle shuts off along with losing power steering. The problem of vehicle shutting off has gone on intermittently for about 1-2 years now but is getting worse. Until about a week ago, this always happened at a stop but the last incident is concerning considering it happened while the vehicle was in motion. This is a serious safety issue, especially considering my wife uses this as primary transportation for her and our 3 children. What if this cuts off on the highway or in an intersection? I did a lot of research online trying to find possible root causes. There seems to be an overwhelmingly large number of people having this issue with the 3.8 liter v6 on dodge/chrysler minivan models in the 2003-2007 range. I am also told the only way to fix this is to replace the entire gas tank due to a faulty valve/separator. I hope that chrysler is willing to do something about this problem at no cost to the customer considering the high level of danger that we are presented with here.

Filed Mar 15, 2011 · Steering · 60,000 miles · WA

I own 2005 dodge grand caravan. Recently I noticed a whinning sound from front end when I turn the steering wheel. Itook it to amechanic he said I had leaking steering rail. I only had 60000 miles im told this rail is something that should never have to be replaced unless of course its damaged by accident. Ive visited forums online and found that lots of other owners of this van have problems with steering system vibrations and loss of power assist, just as I have. I dont thik this is safe.

Filed Nov 8, 2009 · Engine · 84,000 miles · MS

I have a 2005 dodge grand caravan sx. I have had trouble since one month of buying it. I take it back to the dealership who said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Since then, I've taken it back numerous times. They even kept it for a week and said they found nothing wrong with it. I would have to get it back to them when it had stopped. The problem is when I'm driving all the instrument needles go to null. Shortly thereafter, it starts to lose power. I once was in the fast lane on a busy highway when I happened to look down and every needle had gone down. I got in the low lane and pulled off the highway for safety precautions when it went dead immediately! I called roadside service. When I turned the key to check my mileage it started up immediately. That was scary, because if I hadn't looked down when I did and it lost power before I could get it off the highway, I believe the outcome would've been tragic. This only happened once a year or once every six months. However, one never knew when it would happen next! The last time I drove it for some distance I had almost gotten home (within two miles) it did it again, this time three times before I could get home. I feel blessed. To say the lease, I don't feel safe in it and I'm still paying for this trap. I was checking to see if there were any recalls when I found a daimler chrysler problem website stating that they're not liable for anything that happens to someone injured or killed by these vehicles and they don't even try to fix the problem. I need an intervention of some sort. I can't afford this!

Filed Oct 22, 2009 · Visibility · 97,400 miles · OH

My driver side window has lost power 2 times now. The first time we replaced the motor to the power window, this was less than 2 months ago. Now the window has stopped working again, I have tried everything and the window will not roll up it is stuck down in the door.

Filed May 9, 2009 · Electrical · 68,000 miles · AZ

Our used 2005 dodge grand caravan worked perfectly for about a year until strange things started to happen to the electrical system. The van will loss all power, just like removing the battery, a few times a week and it remains dead for about 60 seconds. Also periodically, the instrument cluster gauges will act crazy, the odometer will pulsate as well as the headlights, the side electronic doors will cease to function and about twice all electronics in the vehicle died except the odometer yet the car was running normally. I have replaced the battery, alternator, ignition switch and body control module ' all to no avail. The van is unsafe to drive due to the 60 second blackouts that can happen without any notice. There are a lot of internet complaints about this year and model ' dodge needs to solve this crippling problem.

Filed Mar 3, 2008 · Steering · 42,726 miles · VA

I bought a 2005 grand caravan in may 2005. The rack and pinion rack completely failed in december 2005 at 9870 miles. It was replaced under warranty. My van begin making the same noises and losing power steering fluid. When I had it checked at the dealership today, I was informed that my van was leaking power steering fluid and that the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. The mileage on the van is 42,726. Even the service advisor remarked that the rack and pinion should not have to be replaced at 42,726 and that it was unheard of to replace it twice in less than 2 and a half years and under 43,000 miles. From researching online I see that I am not alone. This is happening frequently. I believe this is a safety defect that needs immediate investigation, before the defect results in a fatality. The dealership said it is not covered under the powertrain warranty and since I am beyond 36,000 miles the replacement will cost about $850.

Filed Mar 21, 2007 · Electrical · 2,000 miles · NY

2005 dodge grand caravan sxt intermittently shuts off/ stalls and power cuts out while driving, parking, stopping at traffic lights. We've been extremely fortunate that we haven't gotten into an accident with this vehicle since the problem can occur while doing 65 MPH on the highway or 30 MPH on local streets. *ak we've been experiencing the problem since a month into owning the vehicle. The problem has occured 9 times in the last 2.5 years. We've brought the van to the dealer numerous times with the same complaint, yet they are unable to determine what is causing the problem. The most recent incident (last month, feb 2007) where we experienced stalling and loss of power in the van, the dealer had a co-pilot diagnostics device setup in the van and it didn't get any readings when the problem occured because the electrical system shuts down (when the problem occurs). The dealer has since asked us to continue to drive the van with the co-pilot in it and "press the button" if we think the problem is going to occur. Since we seem to know about as much as the dealer regarding what causes this issue to occur.... We're basically putting ourselves at risk anytime we drive the vehicle.