2001 Dodge Grand Caravan ES review from North America

Thermostat stuck open at 92,000 miles, quick cheap fix.

Driver's side sliding door lock doesn't unlock with the power locks.

Brakes squeal even though there is nothing wrong. Was told that this is a problem with quite a few Chrysler products.

After reading the previous reviews, I felt inclined to give you my story. We bought our 2001 ES used. We are picky about maintenance, and have not had any real major problems up to now with 97,000 miles.

My ES seems to be an oddball though, the VIN number comes back as an all wheel drive van, although mine isn't. It also has the 3.8L engine, which I haven't seen too many of, but it gives the van quite a bit of pep for the size. We also have blue leather interior, and the seats couldn't be any more comfortable, even after 4 years and 97,000+ miles.

The factory original paint still shines like new, and the only wear on the inside is on the driver's side carpet where my left foot rests.

The only real complaints I have are the poor gas mileage from the 3.8L engine and the squeaky brakes that have been replaced by Dodge 4 times since new. I think now that the warranty is up, next brake job, I might stick some semi-metallic pads on it. The dealership uses carbon metallic pads, which seem to be really noisy and there is nothing you can do about it. While the semi-metallic may not last as long, I feel the trade-off not to have to hear the squealing at every stop would be worth it.