11th Feb 2003, 13:39

I have a 97 Caravan. The wipers would come on by themselves. I bought a new multi-function switch (turn signal, wipers, etc.) and easily replaced it in less than 30 minutes - no more wiper problem. I think the Lucas switch (original) is a crummy design.

23rd Feb 2003, 18:36

I received a recall notice concerning the clock spring problem - simultaneously our air bag light came on and the horn and cruise control ceased to function. However, after having the clock spring replaced, the horn still did not work. The service department said the horn was a different problem and would cost about $500 to replace. We are still thinking about this one - but without a horn. Anyone else get this kind of run around? Peggy.

12th Mar 2003, 09:55

I took my 1997 Grand Caravan into the dealership in 2001 because my airbag light was going on and off. They checked it and told me I would have to replace the airbag for a cost of $1000. I told them to forget it, but I got a big charge for them checking it out. I noticed within the following month that my horn quit working, my cruise control was no more and my alarm system also didn't work anymore. I got the recall and they fixed everything (except the alarm system) but didn't refund the price of my original trip to them.

They just recently did a recall on my brakes which finally made them quit squeaking, but my parking brake still isn't working. Aneice.

1st Apr 2003, 16:51

Our 1996 Dodge Caravan has all of the same problems listed in the other comments. We took the car in and have the dealer fixed the clock springs. We got the recall finally and I mailed in all the original paperwork requested by the manufacture to get my money back, but have not see the check yet. I was wondering if anyone have gotten a refund on the clock spring work they did on their own yet.

This was our 2nd Dodge van. We gave up. We tried to support American designed and made cars, but it is just not working out. We just got a Sienna to replace the Dodge.

9th Apr 2003, 20:51

I have a 96 Dodge Caravan. 100,000 miles. The water pump is getting noisy. And the airbag light comes on, along with the cruise control having intermittent problems while on the road. I got the recall notice after I have taken the car to the dealer and replaced the clock spring thing. I sent them the requested information to get my money back. That was about 1.5 months ago. Still no check. I called them and all they can say is that they are reviewing all of the claims. They received an unexpected number of refunds requests. If some of you have had the water pump repaired, how much did you have to pay? Anybody with over 100,000 miles on their car? Is it running fairly good?

Thanks.

Ricardo P.

Houston, Texas.

17th Apr 2003, 22:23

I have a 1996 Grand Caravan with 135,000 miles. This van was a maintenance NIGHTMARE for the first 80K miles, but has been fairly reliable since. I replaced one head at 50K miles and then refurbished the same head less than 20K miles later, new rings in two cylinders, clock springs replaced, water pump replaced, struts replaced, four sets of brakes, windshield wipers that go on and off whenever they want, high beams that won't work, a rattle in the front end, etc. The good news is the body is in perfect condition, the engine is currently running great, and my daughter has met someone who's family owns a Dodge repair shop.

22nd Apr 2003, 14:23

We also had problems with the clockspring and was ecstatic when the recall notice came. Unfortunately we had already paid $300 to get it fixed because I have kids and like to be able to use my horn when necessary. In January, we sent in the recall notice, receipt, etc. to Chrysler. Today is April 22 and we still have not received anything. I'm on the internet trying to find info on who I can e-mail or call about it. Our wipers still go off and on when they want and now the whole van seems to shake and creak. We're looking at buying a new van - not a Dodge, maybe a Toyota Sienna or Kia Sedonna.

14th May 2003, 13:14

I have a 1994 Dodge caravan. I was on my way home from Wal-Mart, when my brakes went out totally. when I pressed the brakes they felt real hard. The van wouldn't go forward or backward. I then took it to Precision Tune Auto Care. They said that it shouldn't have happened. The brakes had locked up and was leaking brake fluid. My wheel cylinder had been replaced about 2 weeks at the same place. Does anyone know about any brake recall on this Model caravan?

Irma Noriega.

Eagle Pass, Texas.

mescream47@netscape.net.

25th May 2003, 23:05

My wife and I have a 1996 Dodge caravan which currently has 130k miles on it. We have replaced the serpentine belt and tensioner 4 times, replaced the transmission at 72K miles. We have replaced the clock spring, and have subsequently been reimbursed by Chrysler. We have also had the brakes done 4 times.

I know several people in my town that have had similar problems with all of the things I have mentioned.With all the transmission problems that this particular vehicle has, you would think that Chrysler would make good on it.

My wife loves this van, and I have to admit I do like the way it drives. I find it very comfortable on road trips. I just can't relax because I worry what will happen next.

Mark W.

Maryland.

30th May 2003, 14:51

I have a 1998 Dodge Caravan with 140K miles. It also has been a maintenance money pit. In addition to making the monthly payments, I average around 200 a month to keep it running. I burn up tires up in 3 months, even though I have put on new struts, realignment after realignment, had the rod that attaches to the tire break, etc. And now when I try to get it inspected, it failed due to no horn. The air bag light is on and the cruise control do not work. So it sounds like the Clockspring issue I see described here. I don't remember getting a recall notice though.

17th Jun 2003, 09:57

I purchased a 1996 Caravan; I had only had it for 1 year before my transmission went out. I was able to have it repaired. Approximately 7 months later it went out again, but before that I had to replace a sensor to the transmission. Now it just sits in my yard, I am wondering if the Dodge is going to do a recall on transmissions. Does anyone have an answer to that?

7th Aug 2003, 11:11

We owned a 1996 Dodge Caravan. We were traveling down the highway with the cruise control on, when traffic suddenly stopped. My husband slammed on the brakes, and we didn't slow down at all. He kept hitting the brakes while swerving onto the shoulder to avoid the car in front of us. The car started to slow down and we did a 180 on the shoulder and into the highway, and we came to a stop only after hitting another car. Also, we were going 70 miles an hour (the limit) and when we crashed into a Jeep, neither air bag went off. Our van was totaled and we were told that there have been other instances in Caravans where the cruise control failed to disengage. We did not purchase another Dodge!