1999 Dodge Grand Caravan SE review from North America

I have had two recalls on this van. One for fuel rails, and one for the air bags.

I also have replaced the front sway bar bushings, due to an awful, embarrassing squeak.

Last spring I drove through a puddle and lost my steering when turning onto a busy street. (I am disabled on my right side, due to surgery in my arm pit, when diagnosed with Breast Cancer.) My serpentine belt came off. It terrified me, especially with having my daughter in the van with me.

Every Dodge Caravan we see, we hear it first, all the serpentine belts squeak, including ours.

Today we were on our way to a Family Christmas Dinner, and the highway we were traveling on had snow drifts that were blowing across the road. As we decided to take another road to go back home my husband had trouble steering, he could barely turn the steering wheel to get turned.

As I looked over, I noticed that the temperature gage was at the highest temperature it could possibly be. It was again, the belt that had come off, with us going through snow drifts.

The weather was terrible, the winds must of been 70 - 80 miles an hour, the snow was blowing so bad I could not see the farm down the road at times. We were glad we had pulled off of the busy highway to turn around.

We were stuck on the side of the road for 3 hours and it was so cold. The worst of it all was my husband just had back surgery less than 4 weeks ago, and could not bend over to try to get it back on.

When these serpentine belts come off, they are so hard to get back on.

Another friend of ours had the same van and the only way he could get this belt back on was to remove the front tire. He ended up selling it because he was afraid to have his kids in the vehicle with him when the belt fell off. The dealer told him to buy a winterizing kit.

Now, I know people pay a lot money for these caravans, this problem should be a recall.

My husband has been off of work for 9 months with his herniated disk, due to a workplace accident (recurring injury) and there is no way we can afford to buy and winterizing kit.

I have just spent over $250, on this van, and Christmas is just 3 weeks away. As soon as my husband gets back to work we are trading it in, and it will not be a Dodge Van, or any van, or a Chrysler product.