Faults:

Back of passenger seat broke (I had the same problem in my 1986 Dodge Caravan), have to prop it up with a bucket wedged behind it.

Replaced muffler ($55) 3 times in 2 years, entire exhaust once ($200).

The paint is peeling off.

The rocker arm shaft ($20) broke, which I heard is very rare. A REAL JOY to fix, too.

Replaced the starter ($150), on which one of the bolts is nearly impossible to reach.

Replaced fuel pump ($300).

Rear differential cover on transmission leaked, had to reseal it twice (relatively cheap).

Rear wiper quit working.

Dome lights don't work unless back door is open.

General Comments:

Overall, this isn't a bad vehicle to drive. It doesn't handle too well in the snow, but it is roomy and allows me to haul lumber and so on.

One thing I wonder, though, is how come parts for these Caravans cost so much?I had a friend with a '91 Chevy S-10 who paid $55 for a fuel pump when his died. Mine was 3 times as much! Seems like they ream you a new one every time you have to buy a replacement part.

The 3.3 V6 is a decent engine, gives me enough guts to tick off folks I pass on the freeway.

Faults:

Lost the display at 150,000km.

Lost the radiator at 200,000 km.

Lost the transmission at 350,000 km.

General Comments:

Has been great performer. Looks hardly used on the outside or inside. The engine is very solid with no oil leakage after 350,000 km.

Faults:

Rear Gas Spring:

First the Right Gas Strut/Spring failed. The lower pivot broke that holds it to the door. You can't buy the pivot itself; you must buy the whole Gas Spring Assembly. I bought a new replacement gas spring from Dodge and it cost about $68US. Then the Left Side Broke and I was able to cannibalize the one remaining pivot from the first failed unit. Then the Right Spring failed again; I bought an aftermarket Gas Spring Assembly that had a better warranty. Then the Left upper pivot failed and punched a hole in the headliner. The failure this time was the body metal had fatigued and the whole nut-plate doubler broke out of the sheet metal. I beat it back into place and welded a doubler over the top.

Transmission (Automatic) :

It drove well for the first 65,000 miles and then needed a total overhaul with a new torque converter. Thank goodness the car was under a 7-year/70,000 mile warranty. Then the rebuild transmission started acting up just as before at 72,000. It would not up-shift past second. I changed the fluid and it started shifting somewhat normal again. It still wasn't working correctly and I sold the car before the vehicle left me stranded. I am of the feeling the transmission should last as long or longer that the engine.

Door Warning:

When I filled all of the seats with people, and hit a nominal bump, the warning chime would come on. Sometimes the "door ajar light" would come on. Other times the condition would rectify itself before I could look down at the annunciator panel. I would rarely drive with the vehicle full of people and after many years in this condition, I finely figured out what was happening. The sliding door switch was opening and there was no adjustment for the switch. What a poor design.

Tires: This thing went through tires like my kids eat cereal. I never got more than 20,000 miles on a good set of tires.

Brakes: the only thing worse that the tires were the brakes. I went through 5 sets of brake pads on the front axle in 50,000 miles. I also replaced the rotors or had them resurfaced every time I changed the pads. These brakes are way undersized for the vehicle. They fade on the second brake application.

General Comments:

The car needed a real transmission, real brakes and better execution of quality throughout the whole vehicle. This thing was an Engineering Failure from the start. I resent the Federal Government Loans that kept the firm going!