1996 Dodge Grand Caravan LX 3.3

Summary:

A money pit

Faults:

The transmission had to be replaced at 87,000 miles.

The crank/cam sensor had to be replaced at about 93,000 miles.

The air conditioner compressor has been replaced three times, and needs replaced again.

The AC condenser has been replaced.

The AC evaporator is leaking, but requires dash removal to replace.

The water pump has been replaced twice.

The front seal on the engine was just replaced, after leaking for a year.

The windshield wipers go on-and-off randomly.

The car occasionally dies at highway speeds, and the dealership cannot diagnose.

The new transmission "jolts" when downshifting, also not able to be diagnosed by the dealership.

General Comments:

This vehicle has been recalled and repaired so often that I am embarrassed to own it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th April, 2004

1996 Dodge Grand Caravan ES 3.8 liter

Summary:

It is a waste of money and I will not recommend a Chrysler product to anyone

Faults:

The brakes had to be replaced at a very high cost for parts. This was at a reasonable interval, but the repair cost was close to $300.

The front end has had to be realigned twice, once by us since we have owned it, even though it has never been hit. It has also never been in an accident nor is it raced over rough terrain. This resulted in two new front tires even though the old ones had less than 20,000 miles on them. (you should know a 16" radial is not a cheap tire in any brand either!)

Struts make noise constantly even though they are almost brand new

Again, these are mo-par parts.

The transmission has had to be rebuilt less than six months ago and appears to be skipping sometimes even as we speak. (yes, it was done by a very reputable repair chain.)

A new A/C compressor was just installed three days ago. The day after it was installed the "check engine" light was on again. Here again the cost of the compressor was ridiculous.

The water pump has gone out and had to be replaced along with the serpentine belt because the pump locked up and destroyed the belt.

The idler pulley went out two days after we had the water pump replaced and again destroyed the serpentine belt. (Yes, that's two serpentine belts in three days)

The tailgate section where the license plate lights are connected actually broke off driving down the road. I fixed this myself with some epoxy because a new one was over $100 for a piece of plastic.

There is a constant rattle coming from the driver's side sliding door that cannot be located.

The "check engine" light has been on for some reason or another for all, but two months of the last two years. you should know that every time it has been on, it has not cost less than $400 to repair it yet.

General Comments:

Having owned this vehicle for less than three years I must say I am totally disgusted with the quality and craftsmanship put into this vehicle. I will never buy another Chrysler product of any kind. Between myself and my father we have owned three and all of them have basically fallen apart before our eyes. No two of them were the same type of vehicle either.

There is one plus side though, when it rains, we don't get wet in it. (I'm just waiting for that to happen at some point though.)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th March, 2004

25th Jan 2005, 19:36

I am totally upset. I brought a 2002 Dodge Caravan Nov-2003 with 29000 miles on it. It was sold with the 3 year/36000 factory warranty. This is the second one that I have bought, the other was a 1987. I replaced the motor in the 87 three years after I had it and 1000 miles over the warranty A year later the transmission went out. I service the car faithfully at the dealer. Now the transmission of 2002 has gone out with 38000 miles. What's with these vans. I now wish I had never brought the 2002 especially after I paid cash for this van. The dealer wanted $2500 for an extended warranty which I could not afford. Is this a rip off. Has anyone else had problems with the 2002 Dodge Caravan transmission.