Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 2000 Dodge Caravan - part 1

Tl the contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. While driving approximately 15 mph, the power steering seized for the third time. After the previous failures, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the serpentine belt slipped off and needed to be replaced. After the recent failure, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

After driving through a small water puddle I lost power steering and generator. It wagon a windy mountain road and was very hazardous as it left usona blind curve in the rain. It turned out that the drive belt had come off. Is appears to be a common an known issue with Chrysler.

Tl-the contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that there was a loud explosion heard from the front end of the vehicle as the engine stalled. The vehicle was inspected by the contact¿s mechanic who located the failure at the engine belt tensioner bolt. The tensioner bolt failed and caused the engine to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 78,000. Kmj.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated the serpentine belt failed twice in two months. The contact stated that the failure occurred when the weather was cold and snowy. The contact spoke with the dealer and was told that they were aware of the problem, but that there was no remedy available. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 109,000.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the serpentine belt on the vehicle fell off five times last month. The contact stated the failure occurred whenever she drove through a puddle of water. The contact took the vehicle to the mechanic each time the failure occurred and was told the pulleys worked fine, but that the failure was caused because there was no shield covering the under carriage of the vehicle. The contact lost the ability to control the steering wheel and it began to overheat when the failure occurred. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 172,000.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph on a raining day, she noticed that the serpentine belt was detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer advised the contact that the serpentine belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 19,000.

Serpentine belt slips off in the rain causing a loss in power steering, ac (for window defogging), power (no alternator when headlights are on during rain). When it slipped off, the ability to correct for loss of traction due to water was reduced due to lack of power steering and the windshield fogged up quickly due to the loss of the ac compressor. Slid of the interstate and slid down the median. Multiple other instances of belt slipping off (4 times in past 3 days), though at lower rates of speed. Dodge denies there is an issue even though there are many reports on the internet relating to this problem. It is also interesting that they now sell a upgrade kit that changes out the two non-grooved pulleys for grooved ones and add a belt with grooves on both sides. They said that they would only fix this problem when enough people reported the problem.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, there was a loss of power steering assist. The contact mentioned that the engine overheated and the engine temperature warning light illuminated as the drive belt failed. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was advised that the idle pulley be replaced. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.

Serpentine belt comes off my 2000 Dodge Caravan in snow and rain often.

I have 2000 Dodge Caravan with a 3. 0l engine. Every time it rains or snows the serpentine belt comes off. This causes the power steering to lock up, and the alternator to stop charging. The car is almost impossible to steer. You lose control. The malfunction was corrected using the gates micro v kit. This includes a ribbed belt tensioner, ribbed idler and a double side serpentine belt.

The serpentine belt on a 2000 Dodge Caravan slips off when you go through a puddle of water or wet conditions such as in the rain or snow, resulting in complete loss of power steering (loss of control); water pump (overheating and possible damage to the aluminum heads); alternator (no battery charging) and ac. This was after a new belt and tensioner was installed. I have researched the problem and there are numerous incidents sited on related web sites. My wife almost wrecked because of no steering. It happened over a dozen times to her and 4 times to me. Cost of putting belt back on was around $40 each time. Tried a fix using a disc over the tensioner and idle pulley recommended by dealer, but first time through a rain puddle, it slipped off. A $200 fix is available plus $150 labor called a gates kit # 38379k also by goodyear #49215k. They both come with a double sided grooved belt, grooved idle pulley and grooved tensioner and states that it fixes the problem of belts coming off the Dodge vans in wet weather. If this is part of the selling point of the kit, then there must be a problem with Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth vans and the consumer shouldn't have to pay for this "fix. " this is extremely dangerous and should be paid for and corrected by Chrysler.

The belt on my Dodge Caravan sport slipped off in the rain leaving me to drive home without wipers and or blower. Idler pulley should have keepers on the edges so the belt will not slip off.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the serpentine belt would continuously fracture and was replaced over ten times but to no avail. The manufacturer was not notified of the continual failure and the vehicle was not further repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 220,000.

I have a 2000 Dodge Caravan that I have now replaced the serp belt 8 times and the tensioner 3 times and the belt just came off again 2 weeks ago. Every time I take it to a different place to be fixed because they always tell me that there is nothing that they can do. They installed a shield to keep the belt dry and after that it held for almost 2 years, but then broke again. The belt keeps moving over and getting "cut" and then breaks. The mileage on the van is about 119,000 now but I don't know what to do because even though they give me a warranty on the work, it is the same problem and no one seems to know how to fix it. I see that there are numerous complaints about this, is there anything that I can do????.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. On two separate occasions, the steering failed after the vehicle was driven through a puddle of water. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop and it was discovered that the serpentine belt slipped off. The VIN, speed, and failure mileage were unknown.

The serpentine belt kept coming off the 2000 Dodge Caravan when it rained. This resulted in loss of power steering. This started after having the original belt replaced due to fraying. The tensioner was replaced at the same time as the belt.

Serpentine belt has come off of pulleys 3 times during wet weather, once after tensioner was replaced. This cause a complete loss of power steering, making the vehicle impossible to maneuver. Several calls to Dodge proved futile, they state no such problem has ever been reported. I have found several complaints of the same issue, all stating they have reported the issue to Dodge. Still cannot find a fix.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. While driving 20-60 mph, the serpentine belt disengaged from the motor. This caused the water pump and the electrical system to fail and there was a loss of power steering. The mechanic inspected the vehicle twice, but was unable to determine the cause of failure. The current mileage is 118,442 and failure mileage was 118,000.

My serpentine belt has jumped off the pulleys 4 times in the past year on my 2000 Dodge Caravan. Each time this happens, I loose all power controls. This problem could lead to a serious accident if someone isn't strong enough to manage the loss in power steering.

: the contact stated while driving various speeds in wet weather, the serpentine belt slipped off causing the loss of power steering. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, who reattached the belt. However, the problem recurred.

I own a 2000 Dodge Caravan. I have a problem with the serpentine belt coming off mostly during wet or snowy weather. Today was the forth time in the last year this has happened. The repair shop(s) reports no known fix's for the 3. 3/3. 8 engine. I also had one failure during dry weather. Researching this problem on the internet I see this is a very common complaint. . . . !. It has been for years !!!!. Because this belt controls the power steering it becomes very difficult for a strong person to control the van. Lord help the frail, the old or the young !!!!. . Read more...

Loss of power steering and alternator charging - serpentine belt falling off after hitting small water puddle on 2000 Dodge grand Caravan. I lost power steering on a curve as a result of hitting a small water puddle. Vehicle has received all service maintenance including replacement of belt tensioner but still fell off. I am fairly strong and was able to come out of the turn. Someone with less arm strength would have gone straight off the road and crashed. Dodge dealer has no fix for this that they are willing to talk about. This is a serious safety hazard since minivans often carry a lot of kids and if this happens on a wet road there could be serious injuries and fatalities from loss of control.

: the contact stated that while driving 35 mph the main belt of the engine slipped off. The power steering, water pump and alternator failed to work. The service dealer determined that the issue was due to moisture on the belt. The belt was replaced however the manufacturer offered no reimbursement for the replacement.

The serpentine belt comes off often , more when driven over a puddle of water. More often in wet weather. It's scary to drive on the highway and the belt comes off you lose power steering automatically and all your other faction. It's started about year after getting van.

Bought new in 2000 (failure)serpentine belt replaced @ 39199 4-12-02 (failure)serpentine belt & tensioner replaced @ 64389 8-20-03 (failure)serpentine belt replacedlate summer 2004 (failure)serpentine belt & tensioner replaced @112,000 Jan 2006 timing belt replaced @ 64389 8-20-03 timing belt & tensioner replaced @110,646 11-25-05 multiple sensor failures past 4 years, as well as valve cover gaskets, cam seals,cam packings, crank seal, oil pan leaking. Nov 2005 engine light kept coming on,& a slight knocking, dealer couldn't find any real reason, but lugging was present during drives. Had to replace leaky transmission solenoid pack & sensor 11-25-05 only to turn around and replace the whole transmission 9 weeks later due to multiple engine failures,@114,043 1-30-06 (with another serpentine belt failure 2 weeks prior to tranny replacement. 3 tows in 2 months!( and over $6,000 out of pocket) virtually all repair work done at dealer tow truck driver noted that he hauls Caravans in the most of any vehicle , and mostly for the serpentine belts, many times a "repeat customer in need of another belt" I was one of his many! how many problems have to be reported before any action is taken?.

I have had to replace the serpentine belt/tensioner 5 times. The belt shreds while driving - the banging sounds like a branch or something is stuck under the hood. The banging noise will eventually stop when the shredded pieces fall off. I have had this taken care of by a certified mechanic once but now take it to a private mechanic because I can't afford pay for the certified mechanic to replace it. My van is driven a lot - has over 115,000 miles on it. Since we spend a lot of time in it I am afraid of what will happen should the entire thing fail and we loose all power. What needs to be done to have this problem recalled?.

: the contact stated the fan belt was making noises, and then it came off. The vehicle was towed to the dealership to have the fan belt replaced. The vehicle was driven for one month; the belt started making noises again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealership, this time they put the fan belt back on. The vehicle was driven again for a period of time and had to be taken back to the dealership to have the belt replaced. The consumer stated the vehicle is running fine. Updated 02/09/06.

Purchased a Dodge Caravan new, delivered 03/19/00. 12/21/00 leaking trans solenoid pack (not sure if that was related to consequent failures of the serpentine belt). The serpentine belt, which, according to Dodge mechanics should last 70,000 miles, has failed four times already; mileage at last failure: 68,145 miles. The belt breaks with very little warning at all, and all power is lost, brakes, steering - which could be extremely dangerous, causing my death or the death of others. Fortunately, after the first time, I recognize the sounds - like a twig being caught in the engine - as the belt suddenly frays, and pull over immediately. This is a very dangerous fault. Dates and mileage of failures: 04/19/01 18,456 - I was told by the dealership repairing the vehicle that I "had a better chance of wining the lottery than this happening again!" 05/18/02 32,229 miles 02/17/03 40,349 a shield, which had not been put on this year's model, was put on by the dealership. The shield was on model years before and after 2000, but was omitted from the 2000 line. The shield stopped rain and snow from going into the engine, freezing the block, and/or mixing with the oil which would cause the belt to slide on the pulleys and the belt to brake. If the dealership is aware of this fault, surely the manufacturer is. While there is a longer time period between the belt braking after the shield was put on, it still broke again in under 20,000 miles. 05/21/05 68,149 internet searches have revealed an extended warranty on all 1997-2000 Caravans/grand Caravans for all ac compressor repairs, put out by chrylser in October of 2003. . Read more...

2000 Dodge Caravan had loss of serpentine belt. This caused lack off power steering and power brakes. This problem occurred three time and happened mostly during wet weather conditions. The dealer installed a pulley shield to alleviate the problem. Even after the shield was install the belt slipped off again. ** answer required***.

Over the past year the drivebelt has fallen off the engine pulleys three times during heavy rain.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the serpentine belt detaches each time he makes a right turn or drives through a puddle at 5 mph. The mechanic stated that the cause of failure was due to a defective pulley. The current mileage is 60,000 and failure mileage was 20,200.

The bolt that holds the idle pulley to the engine sheared off the engine in my 2000 3. 3 liter grand Caravan sport. The vehicle has less than 48000 miles on it and left me with no power steering. If my wife was driving there would have definitely been an accident because there is no way she could have steered the van due to the total lack of any power steering. Even more frightening is that we just came back from a trip to florida,if that happened on I-95 traveling at 70 mph the consequences could have been catastrophic it happened in a parking lot at only 7 mph.

Serpentine belt came off without any reason in 2 occassion -- drove over shallow water, puddle rendering vehicle breakdown. The serpentine belt drives water pump, power steering, so the vehicle cannnot be manuevered and gets extremely hot.

The driver's belt arm had broken three times. Twice the belt shredded while at speed causing break downs and resulted in getting towed in. Once I managed to catch that the belt was wearing and got it to the dealer. They noted the tensioner was clocked causing the belt to ride off.

Without any prior warning the entire pulley that supports the serpentine belt separated from the motor and fell out from under the car while driving on the road rendering the car undrivable. Luckily I was not traveling fast and was able coast into my driveway in my neighborhood. I found the pulley which shows where the attachment bolt snapped in half. It certainly looked like a defective part and I would have likely sued if an injury had occurred. The dealership did nothing in the form of any financial compensation for what I consider to be a defective part or poorly designed system. There are other similar complaints out there but no recall. My van had 56,242 miles on it at the time.