4th Jul 2008, 22:07
I also have a 2002 Dodge Caravan with 68000 miles. The tranny is slipping, check engine light is on, feels like the steering rack is going. I agree these cars are pieces of crap; never again.
14th Jul 2008, 20:25
I feel so sorry for all the problems that Dodge owners are experiencing. I had a VW Sirrocco that would come to a dead stop anytime, anywhere, even in the middle of a intersection in LA. Not a very pleasant feeling.
I discovered that the electric fuel pump was not getting power. With a little ingenuity I ran a wire from the battery to the fuel pump with a switch near the gear shift. Anytime the car would die, all I had to do to keep going was slip the switch.
In all my years of driving and working on cars and trucks, I find GM products the best for overall dependability, cost of repairs, etc. My preference is an Oldsmobile Silhouette in a minivan. Sure appreciate this site. It can help a person make informed decisions in buying a vehicle.
16th Jul 2008, 10:05
I bought a 2002 Town & Country in October, 2007 with 82,000.
I've had minor problems with the automatic doors.
THEN-
The transmission went in March, 2008 with 92,000. It seems this is a problem for everyone. Thank God my warranty (which I wasn't going to get) covered it & I paid a $50 deductible.
Today, my car is in the shop for the check engine light. It is there because of a temperature sensor, & of course this is the only one not covered by my warranty. I have to pay $230.
I did tell them that my car is loud when I'm turning. They said that is normal. I think it's my power steering.
I only have 3 years of payments & a 36,000 warranty. As soon as the time is near, I will get a new car. I'm not an American car fan by any means. I was stuck with this car because of credit problems. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice car, but it seems to have problems.
My next car will be a Toyota, Honda or Nissan!
2nd Sep 2008, 23:03
Bought a used 2002 Caravan. Thought the tranny was going out of my 2000 so traded it in, 2 months later they were putting a tranny in my 2002, 45000 miles. They replaced 2 rack & pinions trying to get the steering fixed, wouldn't put in a pump like I wanted. Now the thing is off warranty & the power steering pump sounds terrible. The rubber hoses in the EVAP system have all split causing the check engine light to go on. Have a bad rattle in the front end, started shortly after last time it was in the shop.
Last Dodge I'll ever own.
12th Feb 2009, 21:46
I have owned several Dodge products and have had no more than the usual problems, but as for Dodge being crap, give your head a shake. I have also owned several imports, but the media plays a large roll in discounting North American vehicles in general. In most cases without justification : years ago this may have been the case, but in recent years their quality has almost entirely closed the gap, but the media being prejudiced against North American vehicles, keep on knocking them.
Just because the auto magazines pump up the imports, does not mean they are vastly superior; go and check out the problems. Honda, yes Honda, was having with their transmissions with only 40,000km on their vans.
Oh yeah, I do a lot of repairs on a variety of vehicles and the ones that I would not own for sure are Chev's of any kind. They are by far the most cramped in the engine bay, and require all kinds of specialty tools to repair them as opposed to other vehicle companies: and as for their reliability, they are not better or worse than Dodge or Ford; check the stats on Chev mini vans. Their resale value is much less than that of Dodge.
Remember that when people buy used vehicles or abuse their vehicles, they certainly don't relay that kind of information along with their complaints.
14th Jun 2009, 13:17
I have a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.3 motor. I just noticed the anti freeze is a red color.
28th Jun 2009, 22:32
"go and check out the problems. Honda, yes Honda, was having with their transmissions with only 40,000km on their vans."
SO TRUE. Our one (and thank God ONLY) Honda did not even last 100,000 miles. We had more problems with it than any car we have ever owned. At 40,000 miles it was literally DRINKING oil, and the CV joints started clattering. Poorly made plastic parts broke, and it required brake pad replacement THREE TIMES as often as our domestics. The brake pads were half the size of those on a comparable domestic. At 99,000 it was sold to a junk dealer with parts of the engine hanging out a big hole in the engine block.
On the other hand, we put 240,000 miles on our last Dodge with virtually NO problems. Our best friends have put over 240,000 miles each on two Caravans, and currently drive a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country. They have children
living on both coasts and had no qualms about taking off across the country in their Caravans with 200,000+ miles on them. They never had a single major engine or transmission problem with ANY of them.
People are so quick to fall for Japanese ad hype. The fact is, GM and Ford are ranked as the most reliable vehicles. The Buick tops J.D. Powers list of most reliable vehicles (based on a 3-year study) and the Ford Fusion outranks both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in predicted reliability. In my opinion, Dodge is just as good. We've put 240,000+ miles on a Dodge with virtually no problems, 325,000+ miles on a Ford with less than $500 in repairs, and 277,000+ miles on a Buick with ZERO repairs.
6th Jan 2010, 00:34
I purchased a used 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan from a private individual a couple of years ago. The A/C stopped working a few days after, and we were told someone had already checked it before we bought it, and had put in freon in it. The evaporator had gone out and it would cost $1100.00 to repair...
Then the transmission went out ($2400.00 - purchased extra warranty); power windows on passenger side got stuck in the down position; then both windows take turns getting stuck in various positions; the transmission went out again (more money); the heater won't work right; van feels "funny" sometimes when brakes are applied.
Check engine light is on and it won't pass inspection now, because there seems to be a problem with either the catalytic converter or one or both sensors associated with it.
The hatch in the back won't open by itself; the speaker system for the radio/CD player isn't working any more; the lugs keep breaking off.
The speedometer goes crazy sometimes and doesn't always mark; the interior lights/dash lights come on by themselves sometimes...
Wish I had never seen this vehicle.
7th Jun 2007, 13:11
This is why the Chrysler Corp. is in trouble. Should have bought a toyota.