24th Jul 2007, 08:58
My 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport was running great on routine oil changes and check-ups, brakes occasionally, nothing major really. Then, I took it to a dealer for a tune-up, I think it had about 130k at that point, all highway miles b/c I am a musician.
After tune-up, check engine light came on and had to be looked at three times by three different shops before anybody noticed a cracked hose. That was fixed by the dealer, who also performed recall repairs and replaced coolant hoses they said were crumbling and corroded. Then the real trouble started.
ABS and Brake Light came on one day and I took it to a local mechanic. My ABS fuse was blown; they replaced it, but could not duplicate any problem and couldn't tell me what tripped it. I had a brake light out; that was an easy fix.
Van wouldn't start one morning. I had it towed to the local shop, where they diagnosed a blown brain (ECM). They replaced two sensors and quoted me $1000. In a moment of insanity I opted for a second opinion, had the van towed to the dealer. Dealer confirmed the issue, quoted me $1000, ordered the part and installed a new ECM, and when they started the van, the ECM blew again.
Turns out there's a problem with -- and I don't have the paperwork here so forgive my memory -- the MUX ignition switch. It shorts out and makes the PCM fail, or look like it's failing. And there are 500 of these switches on back-order across the U.S. right now. Dealer diagnosed the problem by talking to Chrysler. If Chrysler already knew about this, why isn't Chrysler recalling this switch?
Dealer said, "It could go 100,000 miles, or it might quit tomorrow. We're not having any problems with it here at the shop. You can come get it, and deal with the switch later."
Huh?
But I paid anyway, started it up, and the ABS and brake lights came on again. I left the van. Dealer gave me a hard time, said, "We told you that would happen," and I told them that was not good enough. They are re-diagnosing the problems as we speak.
I am dissatisfied with the dealer and no longer have confidence in my van. I loved this van till about four months ago. Very sad to see her fail.
6th Aug 2007, 19:46
2002 Dodge Caravan Sport, purchased new from Dealer, 90k miles. Previously spend $2000+ to have some module replaced that required removal of the transmission. Had to replace rear wiper motor, now the drivers side window motor needs to be replaced. Same problem that other drivers have described with window coming down and freezing until 5-10 minutes later when I can inch it back up. Right-side passenger door is very sticky and takes great effort to close (although automatic shut is effective). Based on sub-par performance on a 5 year-old vehicle, I would not recommend this mini-van to friends. This is my first and last Dodge purchase.
12th Aug 2007, 13:35
I've read a lot of problems concerning the 02 model Caravans. I have an 05 with the 3.3 that has been very reliable up until now. It has just over 50k on it. We bought it with just over 17k as a CPO vehicle. Some issues we've encountered:
Sway bar clunk fixed under warranty. No repeat issues with this.
P0406 CEL code started this week. The engine is now hesitating when accelerating and getting relatively bad gas mileage.
We also have some minor rust issues in places such as the sliding door tracks and stops.
I replaced a spark plug due to it being cracked and grounding out. The van was running rough and got bad mileage, but no CEL or code was thrown. The plug came out easy enough, but the new one wouldn't go back in straight. These are aluminum heads and galling them is very easy. Knowing this, I was very careful to use antisieze on the new plug and take my time putting it back in. I finally had to break down and buy a thread chaser made for spark plug holes. All this did was completely strip out the first few pitches of thread. I had to make an all new thread pattern. The plug now sit a little off center in the hole. This problem had to have been created at the factory. I believe this to be an isolated incident, but could be wrong.
Knock on wood, everything else has worked as advertised. Hearing about these problems makes me wonder if I can get at least 100k out of it without many headaches.
18th Aug 2007, 07:47
I own a '03 Dodge Grand Caravan.
A few days ago I changed the spark plugs with Auto-lite Platinums. Now the engine feels like it's missing and bogs down at stop lights. Any ideas on why this is happening?
27th Aug 2007, 11:40
I believe that all 2002 Dodge Caravans had there air conditioning compressors extended until 70,000 miles due to a factory defect. So if your under 70,000 miles, check with your nearest dealer.
10th Sep 2007, 00:38
We also have a 2002 grand caravan.
We have problems with noise from the front wheels. mechanic said it was fine. we have noise coming from our steering wheel mechanic said it was fine. we have replaced brakes, engine light has been on for some quite time. mechanic says couldn't find anything when they hooked it up to the testing.
Now today the ABS light comes on. I drove a bit more slowly not knowing what that meant. then the light went off. our doors lock on there own. and the back sliding doors close when we push button to close them. kids have almost gotten closed in the door. (and they don't stop either) they just keep shutting. I was glad that I was there so I could force it to stop.. not sure what would have happened. also back hatch only opens with the button in warm weather. Very Disappointed.
20th Jul 2007, 12:15
I have a Dodge Grand Caravan EX. I have been fairly disappointed in this car as well.
First there was the fuel tank replacement at about 10k miles. Less than a year old. Then the motor on the rear liftgate died at 20k miles. Both replaced under warranty.
Then it started having a transmission leak and the sway bar issue. Because we purchased our minivan about 6 weeks before the re-started the 7/70k warranty, we were SOL to get these things covered, even though they were KNOWN flaws in the vehicle.
Now, the driver sliding door is stuck shut. This was the first year of the EX and they did not make the automatic door, so it is a manual close door. This stuck shut one afternoon after I shut it and we have taken it to two places to be replaced. The first one was non-Dodge service and he said it was stuck permanently. So, we took it to a Dodge dealership that we take our vehicles to. They originally said it was one of three things. Well, it isn't ANY of those things!! After THREE HOURS in the waiting room working on it, they are still baffled. They are ordering a latch and when the latch gets in, we have to take it to a body shop so they can literally BREAK INTO my van to fix the door! It's absolutely ridiculous! The "inside cover" of the passenger sliding door fell off last week as well, although my husband fixed that in a jiffy.
I will 1) DEFINITELY NOT buy another brand new model vehicle and
2) Probably not buy another minivan again, and 75% not buy another Dodge after taking to their warranty department over the issues we had with the 7/70k.