Six problems related to front suspension strut have been reported for the 1996 Dodge Caravan. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Front strut mounts on every 96 thru 00 Caravan, voyager, Chrysler minivans that I've looked at,have serious rust problems, especially the left side, resulting in the strut itself breaking through and hitting the bottom of the hood, and resulting of loss of control of the vehicle when this happens. The repair cost to have this repaired is very costly,$300-1000 to make the vehicle safe to drive. I would like to see the NHTSA look into this problem on all 96 thru 00 Mini-vans before somebody has a failure while driving with their family, and have a fatal accident. Please cure this problem before and not after people are killed due to this structural front strut tower failure.
While getting service on my 1996 Dodge grand Caravan se VIN/2b4gp44r9tr670549 rust was observed on the body strut mgt tower located in the left front of the vehicle this tower is a main part of the front suspension system. Failure of this part of the vehicle due to rust out from the inside can cause the front suspension to collapse at normal driving speeds.
Consumer states that the vehicle's front struts are rusted. Dealer notified. The dealer stated that the vehicle should be condemned because of the severity of the rust. The rust was not easily detected because it was under paint.
The driver's side front strut tower was deteriorating and detached from the frame of the vehicle. The dealer could not determine the cause of the problem.
During a routine maintenance check mechanic found that struts were popping through the strut tower. Strut tower had to be replaced.
Consumer states that right strut cap that holds the suspension has rusted out. Cause is unknown.