2002 Dodge Caravan ES review from North America

I pushed on the gas pedal while driving and the van WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. It was as if the van kicked itself into neutral. When this was happening, no gear was indicated on the panel. (A lit box appears around a letter indicating which gear you are in, i.e., P, R, N, D) The only way I can explain it is that the engine was on, but it was not in any gear... So, I know with absolute certainty I could not have accidentally knocked the gear shift into neutral. Anyway, it takes deliberate action to switch gears. The van kicked itself back into drive after a few seconds. This also happened when my husband drove the car, so I know it's not just me! This malfunction happened twice.

Airbag light came on, rang, then went off. This happened after all the panel lights/indicators had already come and gone. This oddity occurred once.

There is a knock when I move the steering wheel side-to-side. Is this normal?

Van felt as if it was going to idle out when backing out of my garage. It didn't die, but it felt like it would. This happened once.

We took the van in to the dealership to get checked out. Of course, they could not duplicate any of the above problems.

The inability to accelerate a van could be fatal, need I explain why? I see liability issues here, people. I'm not one to sue the pants off anyone, but I'll sure fight for every dime I can get to cover any and all medical expenses caused by this fault, which we reported to and got checked out by the dealer!

Regarding the airbag light/chime: the dealership has notes on the service invoice that say "found fault for buss in dash, talked to star, checked wiring to dash, OK, unable to duplicate". What in the world does this mean???

At first, I was so excited to buy, own and drive a brand new van. It was a real treat. Now, I'm not so sure...I'm constantly worrying, "When is my car going to stop dead in the middle of the rushing freeway traffic???"