6th Jan 2010, 19:38

2005 SXT stow n go. Bought with 16,000 on it. 2 sets of tie rod ends, 2 sets of sway bar brackets, 2 EGR valves, power steering now screaming and the fluid looks good. Turn signals went out, replaced that stalk multi function switch, right rear wheel bearing roaring at 55,000. Check engine light back on. Burns a quart of oil per 2 tanks..

Last American car for us, way to go UAW!!! Excellent quality control... 86,000 and it's falling apart. Toyota truck, 389,000 and a sewing machine... Does not burn oil, or leak or squeak!!

9th Feb 2010, 16:23

We bought a 2005 Dodge Caravan for space and looks, and I have owned 2 others; 1997 and 1993.

This is the worst van ever. Only 80,000 kms on it and check engine light comes on ALL the time. So we change the 5th spark plug, and then it goes off, and then a week goes by and we need oil, so OK, put oil in, and 2 minutes down the road, sure enough the 5th spark plug blows AGAIN.

So we keep changing spark plugs and putting in oil between oil changes.

Our driver's side window came off the track and put back on... but slow moving window ever since we got it.

Also burns oil more than a new oil change every 2 weeks. Ticking in engine is getting worse every day, and my tranny fluid has been flushed because it has shavings in it for my last two oil changes.

This van is so bad. NEVER will we buy Dodge again!

6th Mar 2010, 20:57

2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. Worst car ever to own.

My van was falling apart the 1st month I bought it. The gas sensor was broken, didn't know it was completely empty of fuel because it read 1/4 tank still, the tail light fell off in the freeway the next week when we took it for a recall of another thing.

The sliding doors do not function, and the alarm keeps going off at night.

So much for that after 2 years, engine light came on, windows very slow operation, door locks stop locking and unlocking, loud noises in the transmission as well. When I'm backing up, this clicking noise repeatedly sounding like something is about to snap.

These are just some of my issues with this van... I think all of them are possessed.

15th Jun 2010, 16:41

We have an '05 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT with 78,000 miles on it, and no major problems. However, it does have an annoying tendency to "pull to the right" constantly. We have had several alignments, and keep the tires properly inflated and rotated, but the condition persists. Literally, if you let go of the steering wheel, the van is going into the ditch! Any suggestions?

16th Jun 2010, 22:17

I have a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SLT with a 3.8 liter engine. At 56,000 miles, we've had no problems with it.

We replaced front brake pads at 44,000 miles.

The Stow N Go has been incredible.

I found this site just checking to see if there was any maintenance I may be overlooking.

I have just had the fuel injection system cleaned as a maintenance concern. Had a check engine light, auto parts store stated it was for the 02 sensor. Will tackle that in a few weeks.

Just wanted to share something positive about the van - so far, so good.

29th Sep 2010, 14:52

We bought a 2005 Town & Country with 48,000 miles on it and had it for 3 years now.

The list of issues we have had with it so far include the following:

- Sway bar bushings replaced at 54,000 miles. $380.

- Front wheel bearings replaced due to failure and turning off ABS and traction control. 58,000 miles, $420

- Brake pads replaced twice... 1.5 years average. $80 (a do it myself job).

- Front rotors wore out horribly bad at 75,000 miles. $120 (another do it myself job).

- Radiator replaced due to leak. 70,000 miles. $730.

The list of problems yet to be fixed:

- Struts starting to sound bad... may make it another 6 months. $800

- Front swaybar bushings wore out yet again, $380.

- Drivers side sliding door power lock not working (no price quote done yet).

- Lights out in the climate control area of console. $350 because it's a whole module to replace.

- Body control module not working right, and needs a fuse reset every once in a while. $750.

From the Dodge and Chrysler forums, you see these are common problems with the 2003-2007 Town and Country's and Caravan's. It will eat you alive with repairs. The power train has been fine so far. I hope I don't get hit with the typical transmission failure that these vans are known for. The forums are riddled with these issues on these vans. I understand only people with problems will post on the forums, however, when you talk to mechanics and owners of these vans, they all have had some if not all of the same issues I have listed. If you have had none... you got a gem.

As soon as I can get this thing in good enough condition to trade it in, we are replacing it. We will either get a good ol' American SUV, or an import mini-van like Honda or Toyota.

25th Oct 2010, 09:37

2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT (3.8L) - 108,000 miles.

- Replaced a bad rear brake caliper and rotor.

- Power sliding doors stopped working at around 60k miles. You can see broken wires inside their tracks. They short against the body and will even spark when you slide the doors open / closed.

- Replaced the battery at 80,000 miles. It was just 100% dead one morning. I think the door wires drained the battery.

- Driver's side door lock will not lock when pressing down on the button. It will unlock normally. A trick I learned is that you can hold up on the unlock button for about 3 sec to lock all the doors. I checked and cleaned all fuses and no problems were found.

- At one time the driver's side power window stopped working. Luckily it wasn't raining and it came back just enough to get the window rolled back up.

- At around 100,000 miles, these console indicator lights came on: ABS, brake, and Trac Off. Also, the center nav console, A/C (heat and cool), and rear wiper went out.

In response to this last issue, I took the van to a local mechanic and they charged $75 diag fee to tell me it was the ABS module that was bad because it wasn't getting power. They said it was a dealer-only item and would be $700+. I called my local dealer and told them the symptoms and they said it sounded like the Body Control Module (BCM). They would have to do a electrical diag ($85) and that the module replacement would be $1,200.

I researched on the Internet and found that the power locks, power doors, and BCM were very common problems. I pulled out my BCM and opened it up. It had burned up components all over it. No wonder it wasn't working right. My theory is that the power sliding door wire harnesses shorted out and kill the BCM. I bought a new BCM on eBay for $40 and this weekend replaced it. Before doing so, I removed the power sliding door wire harnesses so they wouldn't cause any shorts. Now I need to find replacement wire harnesses for the power sliding doors, so everything is back to normal.

After adding the new BCM, my check engine light is on. AutoZone free diag says it is the O2 Sensor Relay, but that is a dealer only item.