1997 Dodge Grand Caravan SE from North America - Comments

Windshield wipers came on by them self

(fixed under warranty)

Rear view mirror fell off, dealer glued it back on, but put it too low on windshield, told me there was no way to get it back off and I would have to wait till it fell off again, after I complained they found away to remove it and put it back in right place.

Drivers window lift bracket broke

cost 240.00.

At 39000 miles evaporator started leaking, after I complained they charged me for labor only

cost 470.00.

At 43000 miles front brake shoes and resurfaced rotors

cost 189.00.

At 44690 miles had belt replaced and idle tensioner, cleaned carbon out of engine, replaced water pump, flushed radiator and replaced coolant, replaced battery

cost 500.00.

Started to notice a vibration from front end, dealer said tires were wearing funny, did not know why.

At 44860 had to replace 2 tires due to bubbles in tires, tire dealer told me that caravans are real hard on tires.

At 49216 miles replace other 2 tires.

At 50500 miles replaced gas tank sending unit, had ac smell, dealer put something to clean it out, which lasted a week before smell came back. Vibration getting worse even with new tires. Tires were balanced many times by dealer and tire shop. Dealer said that it could be CV joints, but he could not tell which one until it got worst.

At 55000 miles car overheated had to replace relay for radiator fan

cost 140.00.

At 60500 miles transmission leaking, the vibration was worse so I had them replace left and right axles and inner and outer CV joints, new transmission pump and seals.

62000 miles all four tires are cupped and ride is terrible, tire dealer blamed car, but after talking he said he would prorate the tires. Put new tires on car and took back to dodge, they still could not find anything wrong.

64000 miles rear brake cylinders leaking

had rear brake job done

cost 240.00.

Took van to another dealer and he had a new type balancer machine (force balancer he called it) where they match the rims and tires and balance them, the ride finally improved a little.

68000 miles trans leaking again, had repaired at dealer.

69000 miles trans leaking again repaired at dealer Warranty.

78000 miles tape deck eat tape had dealer remove tape, but tape deck still broke, fuel rail leaking even thought recall work had been done, repaired under warranty, replaced belt, left vent window motor bad, wanted 135.00 to fix I said no, front brakes are bad again, I said I will have to wait no money, repaired engine oil leaks replaced gaskets.

782000 took to Meineke and had front brakes done, had to replace rotors as they were too thin to turn down, flushed brake system and cleaned and adjusted rears

cost 346.00.

81000 miles ac evaporator leaking again, dealer wanted 1100.00 too fix, I declined.

82000 miles ac leak so bad that I cannot charge it any more, decided to trade car in, Honda dealer would only offer 2500.00 dollars for piece of junk

Decided to take a look at Carmax for a used anything, but dodge van. Three miles from my house the van started to run rough and the service engine light came on so we turned around and limped home since is was Sunday.

Took it back to dealer and it cost 434.00 to get running again, needed a coil pack, wires,plugs, cleaned throttle body and injectors.

Well that is up to date, car runs good but still no ac, rear vent window still broke and tape deck still not working, will try to go to Carmax again and get rid of piece of junk.

The repairs are never ending, but in between repairs it rides good and is very comfortable.

Wow, this is some review. The car looks as reliable as my old '86 Ford Taurus with 150 000 miles on it. I feel bad for you, but review was great. Thanks.

I am so thankful for this website. I am a mother of two on a budget and in the market for a minivan. My first choice was a Toyota Previa, but I was having trouble finding one in my price range with mileage I felt comfortable with. I've been looking for months and then a friend told me about a government car auction that had a '97 Dodge Caravan. When I read the reviews, I was really excited because all the reviews were positive. I won't be using those websites anymore because obviously these people are loyal to the manufacturers, not the consumer, though their name implies otherwise.

Thank goodness for websites like these, otherwise I might have been mislead into making a mistake I can't afford to make.

What's even worse, just out of curiosity I read reviews of later model Dodge Caravan's and six years later, the same problems still plague these vehicles. That tells me a lot about the manufacturer and their regard for the consumer. I never understood the concept of blind loyalty to American made products when the manufacturer obviously has no loyalty to me, the consumer.

I'll keep looking until I find my Toyota Previa, and I suggest to anyone reading this comment to go check out the reviews on the Previa. Compared to the Caravan reviews, they are like day and night.

I am sorry you had such a horrible experience.

I hope your van is an anomoly because otherwise mine is. I have almost 160,000 miles on it and have had very little trouble.

The A/C doesn't work because there is a leak in the lines to the rear evaporator ($800 to fix.) I declined because I live in Duluth Minnesota and it is deadly hot for 2 weeks a year (so far.)

I did have quite an experience with the body computer. It did not distress me too much when it failed (almost $900,) after all something will go wrong eventually. But the replacement was bad, the third one was bad, the fourth one finally functions normally. My auto electric guy had to do this job three times - he doesn't like my van anymore.

This was not the van's fault, but whoever is 'rebuilding, these computers is ___ (I can't express how I really feel about them or they will delete this comment.)

Bad experience you had with your van. I bought a used 97 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3 v-6 in 2000 and still own it till now and really haven't had any major problem for me. I had to fixed waterpump, wipers, added O.E.M. front door speakers, new tires, front struts, rear shock, engine belts, flush radiator, after market radio. When you know the machanic it really help a lot on labor $$$$.Everybody has to do maintance to their vehicle every certain miles its not just a SIT-N-GO whether we like or not things will break down. I also have a 2003 maxima se I bought brand new from the dealer and I had problems with the tires (vibration) did a research and found out these tires were cheap. I then bought very expensive good tires online and the ride was perfect what a huge different.Don't give up just do the best you can to keep your vehicle. THINK OF IT THIS WAY... What if it happens again to another new vehicle. Good Luck.

I have a 97 dodge caravan which I purchased new, my thoughts on the car are never again will I waste my money.

I'm sorry, but tire problems are normal wear and tear, get them rotated every 3K, same with your oil. Also, get an alignment every 5K, it's cheap (about $50) and solves the tire wear and break problems.

New breaks at 50K for factory pads, that's pretty normal, throw premiums on at that point and run another 75K.

Replacing a belt every now and then, that's pretty normal. All cars wear out belts, I replace my serpentine every year with standard maintenance on all our cars, it prevents other problems as in pulleys going bad, AC units going bad, etc..

My point is, give your car standard preventive care, most problems will not occur.

New 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan (basic model). Current 228k miles.

Replace brake pads every 30k, discs every 100k.

Change oil and filter and rotate tires every 10k.

Replaced both front tie-rod outer ends 120k - 150k.

Change transmission oil every 100k.

No rear brake work yet.

Changed air conditioner compressor at 180k, failed at 130k.

Changed serpentine belt when I changed the compressor.

Fan relay changed after front end wreck 100k.

Wiper module and turn signal unit replaced under warranty, free at 100k.

Gas tank sender unit is bad, but still works.

Changed spark plugs every 100k with platinums. Factory set lasted 100k.

Oxygen sensors need replacing, as does the catalytic converter.

If I were to fix everything on my van, it would be more than the van's value ($800), so I don't bother unless it interferes with drivability.

None of the current problems have any effect on my daily driving.

I would buy another Grand Caravan in a New York minute. Exceptionally reliable, exceptionally cheap to keep running.

Mileage from day one, 20mpg - 24mpg, has never changed.

I bought my '97 Grand Caravan SE from some friends in late 2005, they said that it only had two owners. I paid $3500 for it. It had 120,000 mile on it. (Yes I said Friend) It run good, looked good. I started noticing small things at first. like the curse control light coming on during long trip, and quick blink of the dash board lights. I had it tested several times but they said that I was seeing thing. Now mind you I have been driving my 1983 Monti Carlo that I paid $450.00 for 7 years with just the normal wear and tear problems. The van started riding really rough, so I bought a new set of tires, took them back three times. Still bad ride. They say it is the rotors. But before I could have that fixed in September, the damn thing left me on the side of the road. I called a tow truck, had it tested nothing showed up. It set for 4 months. I went to crack it to keep the battery from dieing, and it took right off as if nothing was ever wrong with it. Now it has 190,000 mile on it. After driving it for two weeks the transmission went out. Now it is fixed and runs worse than it did before I paid $1412.38 The repair man that rebuilt it said that there is nothing wrong with it, can you imagine a repair man telling me that there could be a problem and fix it while it is under his 16 month warranty. This is going to be a long battle to get it fixed. Best of Luck with this vehicle.

Sorry you got a bad one, and it does sound bad. I have owned 2 1997s and one 1999. Still have a 97 and the 99. Two of them have had all wheel drive.

I have had the normal issues, such as a valve job, CV boots, one transmission job on the 99 (at 160,000 miles), door window motor, blower motor, fuel pump, brake drums and discs, crankshaft spark sensors, struts, alternator, belts, etc.

From past experience, I got a Mopar shop manual as soon as I got the first van. Those books are worth their weight in gold. I have done most of my own repair work, except for the tranny and electrical fixes.

Overall, the vehicles have been good. Their versatility and comfort are the best features. We use them to do everything. The 99 with the 3.8 liter and AWD is the workhorse, as we use it to pull the 16 foot Sylvan boat and our 13 foot utility trailer. Also use it to drag equipment and inoperative vehicles out of the snow before the spring floods hit.

I traditionally get my vehicles used with about 60,000 miles on them, and would buy another in a heartbeat. Trucks (SUVs) may be "in style", but my vans have most of the capability with better economy.

The 97 is now at 235,000, and the 99 has 196,000. The 97 is telling us (they do talk to us. You just have to listen) that the (original) tranny may go soon, and it will be a tough choice whether to repair or else look for something else. Remember; these are machines, and machines do need maintenance. Even Japanese machines.

Two sets of friends of ours literally swear by Dodge/Chrysler mini-vans. One friend bought two vans in the late 80's and drive both over 250,000 miles with very little trouble. Our other friend put 262,000 miles on a 1986 Dodge Caravan, 216,000 on a 1994 Town and Country, and now has another Town and Country. I've owned several Dodges. I sold my last Dodge in near-perfect condition at 240,000 miles. It had had two timing belts, two brake jobs and 1 hose replaced. I've found Dodge and Chrysler to be extremely reliable vehicles. Far more reliable than our Honda, which was hauled off to a scarp yard at 99,000 miles with parts of the engine poking through a gaping hole in the engine block.

Everything you said about the 1997 Dodge Caravan is correct. It's a piece of crap. My dad gave me one.