1996 Dodge Grand Caravan SE review from North America
"My Grand Caravan is one example of a flawed vehicle that Chrysler continues to cheat people with"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Within a year after owning the vehicle I had to have the fan relay replaced twice.
In the second year the oil seal on the engine fell apart which meant the engine had to be halfway torn down to replace it.
Since then, the air conditioning had to be completely rebuilt (the mechanic told me it's a leakage flaw associated with Caravan designs).
I have had the fan relay replaced twice more.
This spring the main shaft in the transmission totally snapped in two, thereby causing me to have the automatic transmission completely overhauled.
General comments?
The van is very comfortable and luxurious on the inside, but it's just a pretty wrapper on a piece of junk.
I have contacted Chrysler to tell them of my experiences with this vehicle and their response was very uncaring, as if they knew every problem I was talking about and weren't concerned about fixing it. I'll NEVER EVER buy anything that is associated with Chrysler again!
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| 1996 - Grand Caravan LE 3.3 V6 Bad year for an OK mini van |
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| A high maintanance headache |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.3 L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 35000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 94000 miles |
| Previous car | Suzuki Sidekick |
| Date of Entry | 24th July, 2001 |