10th Dec 2006, 17:42

He has written in many other places...he's a hoax... Ignore him. Dodge minivans are great!

10th Dec 2006, 22:41

Our company pool vehicle was a Dodge Caravan, 2000 model and it was great. We drove it all over the East and Midwest from Illinois to New York to Virginia, putting 80,000 miles on it in five years. We never had a single problem and everybody liked it. It had great power, was comfortable, roomy, and didn't whistle or rattle. Based on that experience, I wouldn't be afraid to buy one for myself.

28th Dec 2006, 13:21

I purchased a 2004 Grand Caravan for my wife. I hate to tell you this, but in my situation, it is not a hoax. The road noise in this vehicle is intolerable, and we are not all that picky. I've owned several mini-vans, and have been loyal to Daimler Chrysler (my brother is an employee). I have no axe to grind against anyone in particular, but this will be the last Dodge or Chryser I purchase.

The rear wiper arm is almost frozen on it's assembly, doing nothing, but smearing dirt when activated. I change to snow tires during winter because of it's tendency to fish tail, (my wife ditched it at 20 mph in 2005). Not to mention front end noise when going over the slightest bump.

I'm sorry this is so negative, but it's the truth.

28th Mar 2007, 11:34

My 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT has been a money pit. Have had to have brake pads replaced. Dealer wanted to *replace* the rotors instead of turning them (to the tune of $325), saying they were too thin. Instead, I took vehicle to another repair shop. They measured and showed me that rotors were well within specs to be turned. Had to replace all 6 spark plugs at 32,000 miles. Turn signal stalk had to be replaced. Check engine came on and stayed on. Dealer said that they couldn't find problem (checked codes). Reset light but it has now come back on. Back windshield wiper quit working. Had to replace front bushings and now driver's side sliding door stops opening or closing halfway along track. This minivan only has 40,000 miles on it! Maybe to some folks this isn't major stuff, but for me and my family, these expenses are alot since we have a very limited budget. And yes, I have kept up with scheduled maintenance (i.e., oil changes, transmission servicing, etc.).

I will not ever buy another Dodge vehicle again. Ever.

3rd Jun 2009, 23:11

I have no doubt that any of these people have had problems. After all, this vehicle is machinery. Machines break from time to time. However, I would still purchase a Grand Caravan if I was in the market for a minivan. My parents have driven them while I was growing up and I never heard them once complain about it. As a matter of fact, even with all of their kids out of the house, they still have one. There is a reason that these are the best selling minivans. I would take my chances with the millions of them that are on the road vs. a few bad reviews posted on a site that any one can write on.

5th Jun 2009, 23:54

Commenter 11:34 is the victim of a bad DEALERSHIP, not a BAD CAR. I only did TWO brake jobs on my last Dodge in 240,000 miles. That, two timing belts and one hose was the ONLY repair the car ever had. Virtually every dealership and every brake shop will ALWAYS tell you your brakes need replacing when they have TONS of wear left. I routinely get 100,000 miles out of a set of brake pads and have NEVER replaced a rotor. There is virtually never any reason to.

I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE car owners to learn a bit about your cars for your own sake. People who know nothing about their cars are sitting ducks for ANY repairman. I replaced the front brake pads in one of my cars in 15 minutes in my own garage during my lunch break (I work at home). It cost me a whopping $17 and performs as well (probably better) than if any dealer had done the work. Replacing brake pads on disc brake-equipped vehicles is about as easy as replacing a light bulb.

13th Jun 2009, 16:21

I can easily confirm that the 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan is nothing but a money pit... thank god for the extended warranty!!

I bought mine brand new, and it's mainly driven by my wife (note that she is not a hard driver).

I took the van into the Dodge dealership for a service at 20,000 km, and they told me the brakes were wore out. Naturally, I didn't believe them. I went down to the dealership and saw for myself. Now unless they switched them for pads that were really bad, which I highly doubt they did, mine were toast.

About 20,000 km later, I had a bad wobble when I depressed the brakes. I took it in again, and now the rotors and pads were shot.

I had major trouble with the driver side power sliding door not working... twice.

I had to have the power steering pump replaced, many transmission fluid leaks fixed, sway bar bushings and links replaced (twice), driver side rear window power vent motor replaced, and numerous other little things.

Lately, I had it in again for service and all the brakes and rotors are shot once again. Not to mention a recurring evap leak that I've had in three times now and is still not fixed.

The van only has 85,000 km on it, and I've had as many issues in 85,000 km as many others have had with a vehicle that is 20 years old and has been driven 300,000 km. This is pretty sad. I've had a lot of vehicles over the years, and I've got to say that this one is quite the lemon. Maybe they are the best selling minivan, but you get what you pay for. You can't say that a Honda or a Toyota would have this many issues at 85,0000 km... and they would be worth a heck of a lot more for resale now too.

And yes, I know that the imports are a lot more money. But when I am constantly running back and forth the dealership for repairs that should not be happening on new vehicles, I get quite annoyed. I think that convenience, reliability and my time is worth a lot more than the cost difference between the Caravan and the import. I will never buy another Dodge Grand Caravan. If I am on a tight budget, I will buy a used Honda or Toyota.

6th Jul 2009, 14:20

I have a 2004 Grand Caravan SXT. It now has about 166,000 kms on it. It does ride smooth and has plenty of power but I have gone through 2 sets of brakes, 2 power steering pumps, ballast resistor for the front fan, turn signal module and those are just the things that I can think of off the top of my head. I will not be buying another.