I was driving about 5 MPH leaving my place of work and the vehicle stalled as I was driving it and I lost power steering and power brakes-very scary-fortunately I was just leaving work and not driving too fast. I was able restart it and drove home without another issue. Then a couple weeks later, the vehicle did the same thing. I was going about 10 MPH when the vehicle stalled again-no power steering or brakes-very scary!- the vehicle has also failed to turn over for no apparent reason-this has happened at least 3-4 times, I will go to start it -it seems dead-but then I wait a minute and then restart-and it turns over no problem-no rhyme or reason as to why these things occur.
2008 Dodge Grand Caravan engine complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 145, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On numerous occasions my 2008 dodge grand caravan sxt will shut down unexpectedly while driving. Plugs, wires and battery have been changed. Win module has been changed at my request and not covered under warranty. The vehicle has been to the dealership numerous times and they have been able to find anything because no codes have been thrown. I replaced the fob recently thinking the key my be worn out but that has not improved the situation. Dodge is aware of the issue but refuse to do anything about it until I guess someone id killed. Thanks dodge.
The engine died and would not turn back on while driving. Suspect this is due to faulty ignition win control module or ignition system . Nearly caused a crash. Was able to slow down (lost brakes, and power steering) and pull to side of the road avoiding being hit by other cars. Tried starting the vehicle several times it then started again. ( took to dealership and they changed out our fob/key thing. And seemed to fix the issue. Most recently 3/12/14 parked, attempted to restart vehicle 10 min later and the key will not turn over the engine.(plastic fob type key) no starter noise. ( lights work, key in ignition warning ding occurs. Lights turn on but no radio, or engine start. Will not restart now.
I opened the driver side manual sliding door and then the horn started to blow constantly, the front and rear windshield wipers turned on, the hazard lights flashed, the reverse lights were on, the instrument panel had many warning lights on including a red dot on the bottom. I tried to hit my car alarm button to see if it would make it stop and it didn't. I closed the door as my son ran into the house and then all the doors locked. I had to use the valet key to open the door. I then pulled the hood release and opened the hood. The radiator fan was also on. I disconnected the battery so the horn would stop blowing. I waited about 20 minutes and went back outside and reconnected the battery and it did the same thing again. This time I tried starting the car and it started however it would not allow me to put it into gear. I tried to turn the engine off but it would not let me. I got out and then I removed the fuses to the horn so the noise would not disturb me or the neighbors. A few minutes later I got back into the car and it let me put it in reverse so I pulled the van out of our garage and into the driveway but the power steering did not work. I tried again to turn the engine off but it would not stop. I even moved the key to the off position and removed the key from the ignition and the engine continued to run. I disconnected the battery again but the engine continued to run as did the wipers and hazard lights. After about 10 minutes the engine finally shut off. This same type of incident happened before to us in 2012. See videos I took with my cell phone here http://youtu.be/yofejj5hfz8 http://youtu.be/h0ufsviu0ve http://youtu.be/jewqwffz73g http://youtu.be/p1n1cwqivy0.
While driving,the engine stalled. My wife had to pull over while turning to restart the van. This happens intermittently. This issue happens weather the engine is cold or warmed up. When the van stalls, an engine light comes on. The light goes off after a few days. My mechanic can't find the problem. I see that chrysler had a recall for their 2010 models because of an ignition switch issue. This is a very serious issue. My wife is afraid to drive the van because she doesn't know when the van will stall and loose all power. This is serious because when the van stalls, she looses all power steering. My wife has to try to put the van into neutral to get it started while driving and or turning the vehicle. This model year van has no recalls from dodge for this issue . What am I to do . I do not want to wait for an accident to happen before someone fixes this issue. I have read the chat forums, and many people are frustrated because there are no solutions to this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.
Plastic y adapter that connects the two heater core hoses began leaking as a drip onto the exhaust. The leak was so slight and random that it was tough to locate. However you could smell the antifreeze as it burns off because it comes directly into the cab. I have read that chrysler is not recalling this due to it not being a safety issue. I tend to disagree with this as inhaling antifreeze can overtime can be harmful as ingesting it is. And since this is typically a family vehicle could affect younger children greater such as my 14 month old and three older children under the age of 11. Chrysler will fix this at the dealer for a whopping $350 and to buy the part alone to dyi is $140. This is ridiculous as it can be replaced with $10 worth of parts from local auto parts store. So not only is there a problem that should be recalled due to the safety risk, but chrysler is charging way too much for the repair. I love this van, but hope this is the worst thing I have to deal with going forward. Bought the vehicle new, had all recalls done to date and plan to keep this vehicle for the next ten years. Thanks for hearing me out and for your time! Please look at this and require chrysler to recall to help out all of the people who will have this problem going forward and will go broke fixing this $5 part.
While driving down the road, vehicle will suddenly shutoff and horn will blare and windshield wipers will become active. Other times, the lights will flicker and become inoperative at night. Most likely to shut off when negotiating a turn. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer 8 times for this issue but they have been unable to recreate the situation and such unable to diagnose. There are many instances across the country on review boards and discussion websites with the same symptoms but the dealer is still unwilling to diagnose.
Going high speed, engine suddenly stops, all lights on dash light up, power steering does not function. This happened (3) times last year. I was fortunate enough to be able to pull over on the pa turnpike but was in danger of being hit as I was traveling in the left lane. Car would not restart. Waited 20 minutes and car did initially restart. However, when it restarted, once driven, it would not shift gears--it was stuck in 1st. (automatic transmission) pulled over again. Waited 10 minutes, started driving, and car functioned but "check engine light" was on. Car was taken to dealer immediately. They initially blamed the fob, which I replaced. When this incident happened again a few months later, it was again taken to dealer and since they could not replicate the problem, they said they could not fix it. In july of this year, started this behavior again but now would not restart after the engine cut off. (again traveling high speed) then the engine cut off a day later while only going 40 miles an hour. Took car to the dealer again and they changed the win module. (but tell me that all three electrical system are registering errors) I paid to replace win module, had car for 1 week, went to start it and there was no response. Had car towed to dealership. Replaced starter relay. Picked car up on a wednesday and on thursday, engine shut down on me while doing 20 MPH. Again, would not restart. Car currently at dealership but they claim they have no idea what's wrong. This is a hazard!! I feel I am going to die in this car because someone is going to run into me at high speed when I don't have a engine to get out of the way. My young kids are constantly in this car. Dealership throws up their hands and says "I don't know or care if you die in this vehicle we simply can't fix the problem" I am still paying this car off and can't afford another car!
Air conditioning blowing hot air. Since 09/10/09, I have had the air conditioner repaired five times.the last repair on o5/21/13 I'm tired of the expense that I can't afford anymore being a retired 73 yr. Old widow. I put minimum miles on the van . The mileage to date(06/18/13) is only 29247.
This is a repetitive, almost daily problem. When vehicle is first driven in the morning, it stalls during driving after about 1 to 2 miles of travel. This stalling has occurred daily at speed around 30 MPH, and I have to quickly push control to neutral, try to restart ignition (usually starts in about 2 to 3 seconds) to regain power steering and power brake controls. This condition has almost caused an accident on several occasions as steering and braking is significant reduced as engine stalls (I.e. No power). I saw in reading internet stories, that 2010s were recalled after 2 accidents. I fear I may be an accident, and have taken vehicle to repair, but no trouble has been found yet. If chrysler/dodge know about a faulty/defective problem, I really hope they will notify me immediately. I have sent an email to dodge customer service in hopes of getting an answer quickly. Meanwhile, I'll try to anticipate the stall as much as I can to avoid an accident, as I have a need to continue to drive this vehicle even with this faulty condition.
There is a coolant leak coming from the y shaped diverter tube. The rubber has apparently been overheated due to its location over the hot engine. Many people have complained about this on forums. There needs to be a recall to have this replaced. The noxious smell of antifreeze comes in through the vents, and smoke pours out from under the hood. Radiator is soon empty of all coolant and the engine can overheat if not carefully watched. Coolant and water has to be constantly added in order to drive. This is clearly an issue with the placement of the tube over a hot engine and not insulating it well enough.
I am experiencing electrical problems with the 2008 grand caravan. The van cuts off while moving. The lights blink. The radio suddenly turns on. Sometimes the doors will not unlock. The problems all appear to be related to the computer malfunctioning in the van. The may cause an accident if the van loses power and control while driving.
Driving the vehicle on a residential street. Engine quit suddenly and unexpectedly. Steering and brakes failed. Vehicle went off the road, over the curb and came to a stop. No property damage or bodily harm. If we had been traveling at highway speeds, fear of death would have been a real concern. The engine would not start for approximately a minute after the incident. Engine finally started and the vehicle was taken to a dodge dealership. Diagnosed as a 'bad win module' (wireless ignition node). The technician actually guessed the problem was the win module before diagnosing the problem. He said it was a 'fairly common problem'. An online investigation revealed this part has a recall associated with it in the 2010 dodge grand caravan (our dodge grand caravan is a 2008). The reason I am writing the federal safety agency is the newly replaced win module is clearly a redesigned part. It looks and functions differently than the old, faulty win module. If dodge redesigned the part, they must have assumed the earlier design was defective in some way. To justify the need for a redesign, there had to be some driving factor like improved safety. It is my belief that this defect had the real potential of causing death and I am requesting the federal safety agency investigate this matter. Am I the first to have lodged a complaint regarding this part? Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your response.
There is a heater hose assembly leading from the top of the engine to the heater cores in the passenger compartment. A hose comes out of the engine and into a y-coupling, where it splits into two hoses. One hose leads into the firewall and the front heater core. The second goes under the vehicle to the back heater core. A coolant leak developed in the y-coupling, leaking coolant onto the exhaust. After leaking for some time, the check engine light came on to indicate low coolant. This appears to be a common problem, as a simple google search turns up many results like this: http://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-caravan/275625-2008-grand-caravan-coolant-leak-3.html either the y-couplings are defective, or are not designed to handle the stress and heating/cooling cycles inherent in carrying hot coolant.
I bought a 2008 dodge grand caravan xlt on february 3 of 2012 from a local dealer in milwaukee, wi. On that time the mileage of the car was approximately 60000 miles. Two months after I have the car we saw the oil change light coming out on the screen which was unusual for us we took the car to the dealer and they fixed the light. Two months after I saw the engine light on the screen, we took the car to the dealer and they keep the car for 3 days while they made a repair that cost me $850.0, I made this payment because I trust them when they told me that was going to be the only repair. Weeks after I was on the high way with my whole family and I say smoke coming from the engine and we perceived a strong burn smell, the mileage on that time was approximately 67,000, we just made it to arrive to the dealer service and they found a very low coolant level which means that the overheating was related to the coolant line. Next day I took the car to the service, the car was there for 7 days after I was told that the car needs an engine change which I can't afford to pay. The dealer contacted the manufacturer but all I received from them were 8 oil changes. I received and offer to have another car but the trade value for my car is very low compared to the original price I paid and the new monthly payment is out of my possibilities. I'm driving this car taking the risk for my family with the winter coming. After reading the complaints on the federal safety agency I was able to see that I'm not the first owner of a 2008 grand caravan with a potential problem of overheating and fire on my car. I need assistance with this case. Thanks.
My family was driving back home from a family trip when my vehicle suddenly stalled on the highway. Luckily there was enough traffic on the road that only allowed us to travel around 25 MPH at the time the van stalled. I immediately turned on the emergency lights, put the van in park and restarted the van. I am not sure if this is a coincidence but the van stalled as soon as my wife unplugged the iphone from the auxiliary plug of the van.
There was a smell of hot coolant anytime we were driving. I took it to the dealer and they said there was bad connection on the heater hose assembly and it would be $525 to fix. Upon investigation in the dodge forums, this is an issue that is happening on a regular basis due to the heater hoses being directly above the exhaust collector and is causing the rubber to fail and thus causing coolant leaks. Best case is it smells when the coolant is leaking on the exhaust, worst case is people are getting stranded due to overheating. Dodge claims this is not covered under warranty.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact was traveling 60 MPH when the engine stalled. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic. The mechanic confirmed that the electronic control module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 69,000 and the current mileage was 70,000.
My 2008 dodge grand caravan has intermittent trouble starting. The starter has been replaced twice, and the win module (and key) have been replaced. The same issue has been occurring, but never duplicates for the dealership. Their computer scan brings up no issues. The battery has been tested and is in good condition. It doesn't matter the time of day, or driving circumstances, the van will not always start. It will have one click (and I can close the windows, turn on radio) but the van will not start.
We are a used car dealership that recently bought a 2008 dodge grand caravan with 118,000 miles on it. A customer was driving the vehicle when the incident occurred. After the vehicle was driven approximately 5 miles and placed in their garage, the customer noticed some smoke/steam coming from the vents. The customer assumed it was associated with the air conditioning and went into the house only to return a moment later to check on the van and at that time noticed a massive amount of smoke coming from the vehicle. The customer quickly backed the van out of the garage, turned it off and called the fire department. By the time the fire department made the brief trip to the customers' house, the van was completely burnt. There is some damage to the siding on the house as well. Luckily no one was injured and the customer was able to get the van out of the garage. Everything is completely burnt in the van-even the glass curled and melted because of the heat. Chrysler has been made aware of the issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the power control computer needed to be replaced. The remedy failed to repair the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 26,000 and the current mileage was 55,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure and a diagnostic was performed, which located the failure at the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter was replaced twice but the failure was not corrected. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The failure mileage was 79,605 and the current mileage was 85,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. While parked, the contact noticed that the check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician advised that the egr valve would have to be replaced but informed the contact that the part was on a galactic backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 79,650.
The van has shut off while driving approximately 7 times in the last year. The engine shuts off and there is no power to the brakes or steering. There are no error lights that display on the dash. Once the car is stopped and placed in park the engine is able to be restarted. There is a big safety concern when this happens. It appears that there is a recall on a similiar issue on the 2010 caravan with the vehicle shutting off while driving. I have also researched the problem and found that there have been alot of the same complaints from consumers owning a 2008 dodge grand caravan. Is there going to be a recall on my van for this problem? Thank you
In december of 2011, we decided to check the oil in our 2008 dodge grand caravan because the sound of the motor seemed to have changed. The van seemed to be running a little louder. We checked the oil, and sure enough there was no oil on the stick. We didn't know what happened to the oil. We wasn't sure if it leaked or burned. We brought the vehicle into the dealership. They asked if we noticed the oil leaking, we said no. They said in situations like these we document the mileage and top the oil off and have you come back up to 1000 miles later. So we did. We did this several times. The dealership admitted this shouldn't be occurring and the vehicle is definitely burning too much oil. They kept the van made a claim with nac our van warranty company to pay for expenses of repair, and nac sent back a report saying chrysler vehicles are expected to burn up to a quart to a quart and a half of oil for every 750 miles driven. So they sent us away without repairs. Literally less than a week and about 550 miles later we were back at the dealership with more than 2 quarts of oil documented being burned. The dealership kept our van for repairs again...the warranty refused to pay for repairs and we are driving the van as is...im not sure of the safety issues but im sure there are many that can be assessed. I've searched the web and we are not the only consumers who are having this problem. We carry our family of seven to and from school etc and the purpose of newer vehicles are to ensure safety and eliminate worries of problems. Please help.
When unlocking the van, the horn starting blowing and the windshield wipers started going. After driving a few blocks, the van went into 2nd gear at 4000 RPM. A mile later, the engine cut off while driving down the road and I barely got off the road in traffic. A few weeks before this the heater did not work one evening. Following that incident there was an episode of the horn blowing, windshield wipers going, and the washer fluid emptied. There have been about 10 incidents similar to these. The first incident was in a parking lot. When I returned to the car from shopping, it was obvious that the windshield wipers had turned themself on. It took 15 minutes for the incident of horn blowing and windshield wipers and washer fluid going to clear itself. Disconnecting the battery did not make the horn and windshield wipers stop concerned about van stopping while driving. This is a serious safety issue.
The problem with the vehicle is stalling. This has occurred 5 times in the past 6 weeks. 2 of the times the minivan stalled while traveling at 65 MPH. 2 times the vehicle stalled while driving locally. The dealer has been unable to fix the defect. This is a very dangerous condition. When the minivan stalls on the highway all you can do is coast to the shoulder. Thankfully, no one has gotten hurt yet.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact was driving 70 MPH when the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 58,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that after taking her vehicle for inspection she was advised that there was a leak in the coolant system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,400.
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