Faults:

This is going to be my running log, as I did with my Ford Aerostar on here.

I just got this van today.

Update: 4-21-14

Does eat pads and rotors.

Had a small coolant leak from a cracked plastic housing.

It eats a little oil. But it's manageable.

I now have 83k on it.

Only thing it really needed is a fifth gear for gas mileage. And maybe a bit more torque on the highway, but it is also manageable being it's a van. Not an M6.

General Comments:

So far this is one of the nicer riding vehicles I've ever had. There's lots of room, and the stow and go seats are cool, and when not in use, it's a good storage area. We have 6 kids, and I do the running mostly with them, so it's great for all of them to have some room.

This model has auto doors and hatch, which is nice, and you can still close them manually. The weird thing is it's auto everything, but no auto lights. Funky not to have with everything else.

This 3.3 does pretty well. I don't know what people are expecting when they say it's under powered. It feels nice and smooth to me so far.

I will keep a log of everything.

Faults:

Replaced front rotors and brake pads at 25,000 miles.

Replaced air conditioner discharge hose at 42,200 miles.

Multiple trips to dealer for sliding door problem finally resolved at 40,000 miles.

General Comments:

We purchased the van new in January 2008. The ride was very quiet in the beginning, but over time it has developed a few interior and exterior rattles. The suspension still provides a smooth and comfortable ride, and the steering is quick and responsive.

Braking for the van is a little soft for a vehicle this heavy, and the front rotors and pads suffer as a result. I replaced the front pads and rotors at 25,000 miles because the rotors were already to thin to resurface. I opted for aftermarket rotors, since the factory rotors seems to fade too quickly in my opinion.

Seating is ample room for a small family, and the stow and go seating makes the van versatile for transporting small cargo. Leg room for the front and 2nd row passengers is good, but the lack of telescopic steering and limited drivers seat travel may make the drivers' position a bit uncomfortable for people over 6' tall. Seating in the 3rd row is best left for small children, as the lower roof line toward the back makes the rear seats a bit uncomfortable.

The optional DVD entertainment system with satellite radio is nice for kids and adults. The system has two DVD players that can play independently. The wireless headphones are a nice touch, but are too large for small kids (under 4 or so). You can even listen to AM/FM or satellite radio independently from the drivers and second DVD console.

3.8L engine has adequate power, but seems to consume a quart of oil every 3K miles. I have already replaced the spark plugs at 40K miles, since they appeared to be fouled, and the electrodes had worn thin and still have a semi-rough idle.

Another problem experienced with the van was with one of the sliding doors. From the start, one of the doors would randomly get within inches closing then reopen. The dealer first reprogrammed the computer per the TSB (this is a know issue) but the problem came back a few days later. The problem would not replicate for the dealer on two occasions, but they finally reprogrammed the computer on the 4th complaint and the problem appears to be resolved.

More recently, the air conditioner failed. At 42,200 miles, the A/C vents blew white puffs of smoke from the vents and smell like ammonia before it quit. The dealer replace the discharge A/C line, which I found out is a common problem with these vans due to a suspect design flaw with the line.

Some premature system and part failures put Chrysler quality into question.