When key is inserted into the ignition and turned, the vehicle does not start. The starter makes a click sound but does not turn over. Several attempts turning the key are needed to start the vehicle. Sometimes after trying 5-10 tries with no start, pulling the key out and reinserting or opening the driver door with the key removed will start the vehicle. Eventually, the car will start normally. First it seemed to happen on after the engine was hot or hot outside 85 or hotter, but it got worse. I took it to the dealer, I told them I checked the starter solenoid and it wasn't reading 12 volts when van wouldn't start only reading under 5 volts, when the van would start it would read about 10 volts. The first trip to the dealer they replaced a starter motor, with in two days it happened again, they replaced the starter motor again with moper brand starter motor. This still did not fix the problem. I switch the battery with my other car to confirm not battery. Still van has starting problems. I was able to leave van with dealer for a week, they couldn't reproduce the problem, but when I got in the van all the electronics were turned off, radio, AC.. That was not an accurate test. The van still has intermittent starting problems. When winter came the starting problems stopped. But this spring and summer is almost here the starting problem has occurred again. We don't if the van will start or leave us stranded.
2008 Dodge Grand Caravan electrical complaints
Page 28 of 28: complaints 791 to 815 of 815, newest first, as owners wrote them.
This is an on going problem with our mini van. The vehicle shuts itself off for no apparent reason while in gear. We have the win module replaced as has been recalled in new models, but this did not fix the problem. As a family we are concerned for our safety while driving this vehicle. Internet research has turned up clues that chrysler knows there is a problem and is refusing to act on a solution.
When key is inserted into the ignition and turned, the vehicle does not start. The starter makes a click sound but does not turn over. Several attempts turning the key are needed to start the vehicle. Sometimes after trying 5-10 tries with no start, pulling the key out and reinserting will start the vehicle. Eventually, the car will start normally. The battery has been checked and fully charged during all incidents. This has happened approximately 20 different times over the last 5 months. It has been brought to the dealer twice for this issue the dealer has not been able to reproduce the failure. Recently, this problem has been occurring more frequently. This not a safe feeling not knowing that maybe the next time, I will be stranded. Frustrating since there is a known problem but the dealer will not do anything about it. It was brought in 10/12/2010 and 3/28/2011. Since the last visit, the problem has occurred 3 different times.
Making a left turn out of the parking lot of my child's parking lot, the vehicle engine stalled with no power. I had to stop where I was since it was hard to steer. Put it in park and started the vehicle. It drove normally after with no error codes but was a dangerous situation in full morning traffic. Took it to the dealer but they were not able to reproduce it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that when she started the vehicle, the speedometer was non-functional and the engine, ESC and ABS lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The transmission also had to be replaced in january 2009 and the vehicle would jerk intermittently. The brakes were defective and were replaced by a local mechanic. In 2010, the instrument panel suddenly stopped working; the windshield wipers and turn signals also did not function. The dealer repaired the failure. The contact called the manufacturer who offered assistance with the other issues aside from the speedometer and lights on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not repaired for the speedometer and light failure. The current mileage was approximately 57,000. The failure mileage was unknown.
2008 dodge grand caravan. Consumer states there have been five recalls for her vehicle and had problems before the recalls were announced. She would like to terminate her lease early. *kb in june 2009, the vehicle needed new front brake pads and rotors at only 15,000 and again in august 2010. In the spring, the vehicle had no air condition. The dealer informed the consumer the part was manufactured too short and froze during the winter, which caused fluid to leak out. The problem was resolved after 3 weeks. In june 2010, the same hose ruptured and again the consumer was left with no A/C. The radiator cap had to be repaired which was why the consumer had to keep adding coolant. The washer fluid sensor was not working and needed to be replaced. In august 2010, the power sliding door stopped functioning for days. When the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, they were unable to find a problem. However, two months later a recall was issued. The consumer stated she also experienced power failures with the vehicle. Each time the problem occurred the engine would run, but nothing else in the vehicle worked, such as the windows, locks, windshield wipers and interior lights etc. The problem was sporadic and each time the consumer went to the dealer, they were unable to find any problems.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge caravan. While traveling 10 MPH the contact noticed that the windshield wiper, headlights, door lock mechanism, and horn all simultaneously turned on without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the contact had the wiring harness replaced on the front driver side door; however, the failure continued to occur. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 62000.
While driving or parked & turned off with no one near the van, the engine starts, the horn starts blaring, the wipers turn on full blast, the wiper fluid shoots out, and lights wont work! At first, we could disconnect battery or relay & it would stop. The last time, we had to disconnect alternator. This is a major safety issue!
Tail lights have quit flashing when the doors are locked or unlocked with the remote controls 32,000 plus miles on vehicle. Head lights still work with remote control.
Tl*the contact owned a dodge grand caravan xlt. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed white smoke coming out of the hood of the vehicle near the windshield. A passenger attempted to move the vehicle and black smoke was on the outside and inside of the vehicle. Fire was on the ground and the flames were 5 feet tall. She was able to extinguish the flames with cans of soda. The consumers husband jumped in the vehicle to back it up and as he did, the vehicle lost all power. The passenger stated that four trees and the grass caught fire. The fire department was called and the vehicle exploded. A neighbor extinguished the fire in the trees and grass; however, the vehicle continued to burn. A sheriff and fire department report were filed. The contact stated that no one was injured. Since she had a heart condition, a paramedic came and gave her oxygen. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure and current mileages were 25,000. Updated evoq 09/20/10 prior to the fire, the air conditioner cruise control and read passenger door stopped working. Updated evoq 11/09/10
2008 gr. Caravan - electrical/computer issue. Events - nothing consistent (so far) symptoms: intermittent issue, not able to recreate. W/ or w/o key in ignition, horn will blare, dummy lights appear, wipers (frnt/back) turn on, fluid squirts, no A/C fan (frnt only). Will stop after several minutes, normally. Remove battery cbl and wait, seems to allow reset. Next time start van, engine light (no codes found). Will go off after 2 drive cycles. Sometimes transmission will not shift out of 1st gear. Turn off and restart, seems to resolve that issue. Owned van 8 weeks, this has occurred 5 times spread out over that period. Two instances of 5, the ABS system initiated while driving (same other symptoms w/horn wiper at the same time, seem to be related). Caused unexpected driving behavior when that occurred (brakes kicked in automatically and transmission tried to downshift). Diagnosis: dealer has replaced horns, since they burned out (no tools to pull battery cabl). Searched codes (none stored). Says, I have to bring it in when I'm experiencing issue:( started in june '10 and has occurred sporadically since. Last incident 8/4/10. Occurred multiple times..
I have had problems with the power doors reopening themselves on this van. I have had items get trapped inside of the doors of this van as well. I contacted the dealer about it and of course could not get it to duplicate the problem. I had also said something about problems with the accelerator being sluggish in response and the dealer said they couldn't get it to duplicate that problem either. They said it was just the computer taking a little longer to respond to the accelerator which I feel is a safety hazard. I have also had problems with the overhead console coming down when the rear door is shut. I did not realize it had come down one time and I climbed into the back area and hit my head on the plastic part which caused a severe cut to my head and took a while for the bleeding to stop. I showed the dealer the problem and they said oh that's a plastic piece so if you want that to be right you have to pay yourself to have it fixed because its considered "normal wear". I feel that these are all severe safety issues with these vehicles.
While driving, with no warning, vehicle stalls (engine dies) steering column locks and brakes are hard, their is no control over the vehicle and can't get off the road. I almost got into a serious accident, I was approaching a major interstate hwy when my vehicle stalled. The dealer mech can't find any problems, nothing records on the memory or flight recorders. This has happened to the mech while on a test drive, they say they checked all the computer wires and want to give the vehicle back and states it is safe.
The dodge grand caravan is a good car when it wants to be. We bought it thinking it would be a good car for the kids and turned out to be a lemon. Two weeks after we bought the vehicle brand new, the engine shut off while running mid day. I had it towed to the dodge dealer because everytime I started the car and put it in drive it would stall. The dealer inspected the vehicle the next morning and found nothing wrong with it. I picked it up and took it home. On the way home in the hot part of the day, the vehicle stalled on me on the highway. I immediately took it too the dealer and told them they needed to fix it. They called me a day later and accused me of putting ethanol in the vehicle. I told them to go '!@#$% themselves because there isn't a gas station with ethanol within 60 miles of my house. I told them to do what they had to do to fix it. They drained the fuel system and took out the next morning with no problems. I told the manger to let it got hot and drive it to and from the dealership. He did just that and to his surprise he didn't make it back to the dealership. It turns out it was a computer control module that was '!@#$% up. We have taken the vehicle back to the dealer four times because of broke linkages and electrical problems in the vehicle. It has now been 6 months since the vehicle has been in the dealer. It has been working fine "knock on wood".
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle is equipped with a remote control that operates the rear hatch. The remote is used to place the wheelchair inside of the vehicle with the lift. The remote control is defective, and opens and closes the rear hatch and side doors without warning whether the buttons have been pressed or not. The manufacturer stated that they would investigate the issue, but he has not yet heard a response. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they claimed to have reset the remote, but the failure still persists. The contact believes that this is a safety hazard because if the vehicle is parked and unattended, it could easily be stolen due to the doors opening randomly. The contact stated that there was a recall for the remote control. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 29 and current mileage was 6,000. Updated 09/01/09. *lj the sliding doors would open on their own. Updated 09/03/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that the remote sliding doors and rear hatch would open at will when the key remote was in the his pocket. He took the vehicle to the dealer, but they would not assist. When the contact would barely touch the remote, the doors would open. The manufacturer would also not assist. The current mileage was 9,884 and failure mileage was 6,029. Updated 09/04/09.
02/23/2009- purchased 2008 dodge grand caravan- on day of purchase I asked why brakes made a barking sound,was told because it sat in parking lot for a while. Odometer-19230the next day the van shut itself off while driving down the road. I could steer and the engine was running but I couldn't accelerate and all instrument lighting was off.I called sale auto mall the place I bought it and they said call back if it happened again. Sometime in march took it because the steering keep pulling me towards the curb. The service manager of sale auto mall test drove it with me in it and detected nothing wrong. 4/01/2009- took it in for oil change. 04/06/2009 brakes failed coming back from moorehead. Called sale auto mall, they referred me to dodge dealership in greenville, called them and asked for tow, they refused, they told me to bring it as far as I could. When I got there they said it wasn't under warranty and that it would be $370 to fix, I refused and they charged me $35 for looking at it. 04/08/2009-took it to boyd's he repaired brakes and rotors for $150. 4/20/2009- brakes spongy and sinking call boyd's referred me to dodge dealership in new bern, see them, service manager starts the test drive with me goes ten feet and hits brakes,stops car says I knowwhats wrong it's the master cylinder,asked me to get out,says he wants his brake man to check it out. Then thirty minutes later sends a man to tell me the part has to be order, he gives me my keys and tells me they'll call me when the part is in.4/23/09- dealership called me said part was in, could I come in today, told him I was at work, when could I come in he asked,I told him monday, he said fine. 04/24/2009- coming home from work going 40 on arrlington blvd.see a line of cars in front of me start to slow down, suddenly all cars in front slam on brakes to a dead stop,I slam on my brakes,but they go all the way to the bottom of floor and the rate of speed doesn't change.I hit the SUV in front of me at full speed. Help!
Brake pads had to be replaced and rotors turned at 13,000 miles. Only made sound for one day grinding. Never had brakes on any car I have owned go out with that few of miles. Especially a new car. Battery was also leaking and inside functions like radio and wipers, locks , windows... Sometimes just don't work. It also feels like the transmission is dragging. They replaced the battery , I had to pay for the brakes and nothing was found for any of the other stuff..
In march 2008, I purchase a new 2008 dodge caravan. Several months ago, I started to have problems with the van. When driving, all of the sudden the van will stall. It will immediately restart. However, no electrical components will work. Ie: headlights, hazard lights, windshield wipers, blower motor, radio etc. I called the dealership that sold me the car and on october 3. 2008. I took the vehicle in for repair. They returned the vehicle the same day and stated they recalibrated the computer and that should solve the problem. On october 15, 2008, the van was back at the dealer for the same problem. This time they kept the van until october 29,2008 at which time they stated they replaced the computer and again stated we should be fine. On approximately november 13th, 2008 we had the same problem for the third time. We took the van into the dealer and also called chrysler directly. We were told that a chrysler engineer would get involved and we would get the problem taken care of. It is now november 26,2008 and the dealer called and said that they could not duplicate the problem and therefore there was nothing more they could do. They stated to drive the vehicle until this problem occurs again and then rather than restart the van, have it towed to the dealership. My husband spoke with the district manager of chrysler, brandie wagner, and she told him that there is nothing she can do. My husband asked her to put her family in this situation and how would she feel. She responded that this is a very dangerous situation. However, there is no way to convince her supervisors to replace the vehicle until she or chryslers technicians see this problem occur for themselves. This is a very dangerous situation. If driving the van at night and this happens and we have no working lights, this not only puts my family in jeopardy but also the general public that is driving around us.
2008 dodge grand caravan the car dies while driving,occasionally won't shift after dying and restarting. All warning lights go on and sometimes stay on or flash on and off. Have returned to dealership several times and they can't find anything wrong with it. Also had sliding doors open on their own had that fixed then they wouldn't close with back access button, apparently caused by a loose wire had that repaired, then rear bumper warped so back door wouldn't open, had to take it in to have that fixed, basically my car is in for repair most of the time and I have a small rental of which this time I had to pay for a cracked windshield and it costs me 50.00 every time I have to rent one. I have 4 special needs children who have appointments up to 300 miles away from home. I am a single mom and traveling alone with my children and no longer feel safe driving with them for these distances. The las time the car died I also had two foster children with me, six kids and the car died while driving it and they can't find anything wrong with it so I bring it home sometimes with 200 miles added on it and an empty gas tank. I think it's time chrysler corp. Take the vehicle off my hands so I can purchase a reliable vehicle.
Vehicle was parked in driveway and had not been driven for nearly 12 hours. A fire started near or between the battery and the electronic control center. The vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance company.
I bought a 2008 dodge grand caravan sxt in 3/2008. From the start, I felt the van would not start properly. The engine would continue to turn over even after I had let go of the key and it takes an unusual amount of time to complete start cycle. I was advised by the dealer that this wa common in newer vehicles. Another problem was that the inside window,door lock,auto door openers only worked intermittently. Last month, while driving, the dash lights all lit up and the van died immediately. This has happened three separate times since then. Each time, the vehicle ran fine once restarted but it has been sheer luck it hasn't resulted in n accident. A couple of weeks ago, a new problem arose. I noticed that when I started the van, although it was running, none of the systems up front were working. The air conditioning, radio, or power windows among other things would not work at all. The van needed to be turned off and restarted to get it to work properly. This has also happened repeatedly since.
2008 dodge grand caravan shuts down. The consumer stated at random times, the dashboard lights would illuminate, indicating an engine malfunction. Soon after, the vehicle would cut off.
The transmission of our 2008 grand caravan was having issues when going into reverse. When the vehicle was in neutral or park the indicator showed the vehicle to be in all gears at the same time. Also the back doors and hatch would not open due to the fact that the vehicle thought that it was in motion. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was found that the PCM had internal failures. Dealer had to replace PCM.
2008 dodge grand caravan transmission went into limp mode and was stuck in gear and would not shift. I had to exit to side of road, shut vehicle off and then restart. Vehicle started shifting but then engine light came on along with a burning smell. Dealership looked at vehicle and cleared codes and reprogrammed PCM. Dealer stated codes were related to transmission.
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