general problems of the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan - part 2

57 problems related to air bag have been reported for the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

36 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 12/15/2000

Clock spring assembly failed preventing deployment of air bags, horn operation, and cruise control operation. Appears to be a common failure!!.

37 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2000

Intermittent failure - off/on for 3 years, total failure - air bag, horn, cruise control, 11/2000.

38 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 09/09/2000

Srs light stay illuminated while the vehicle is in motion. Also, horn assembly and cruise control are inoperable. Dealer has been notified.

39 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 06/03/2000

The clockspring failed on the date indicated. The air-bag, horn and cruise control were non-functional during the failure. I replaced the unit with a new one. I investigated why the unit failed by disassembling it. The flat ribbon cable in the unit failed from inadequate strain relief at the point of connection. All 5 conductors were broken due to repeated hard bending without adequate support at the connection point.

40 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 05/09/2000

I still had other compnents replaced in my vehicle, but you did not have enough room for all my information.

41 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 05/01/2000

Vehicle experiencing a malfunction within clock spring. Also, air bag/ horn and criuse control failed to operate properly. Dealer /manufacture. Notified, and informed consumer that part was not covered under recall, and any repairs would be at consumer's expense.

42 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 02/15/1999

The clockspring was replaced 3 times, which caused the horn and cruise control to be inoperative. Ts.

43 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 03/24/1997

Design of vehicle with air bags is not conducive for drivers 5 feet tall and 110 lbs.

44 Air Bag problem

Failure Date: 07/07/1996

This car has gone to the dealer so many times and not been fixed. After my warrantee expired I took the van to a trusted mechanic and at a great cost to me is the van being repaired. The dealer never once acknowledge or fixed any problems that the independant car mechanic was able to find easily.

45 Air Bag problem

Consumer was traveling at 50 to 55 mph, when vehicle hit a deer. None of the airbags deployed, and the vehicle was totalled.

46 Air Bag problem

The vehicle air bag clock spring failed prior to recall notification (notification # b24). The consumer requested reimbursement but has not received and correspondence from the manufacturer.

47 Air Bag problem

Air bag clock spring failure at about 35,000 miles.

48 Air Bag problem

Mr.

49 Air Bag problem

I am aware that some Dodge Grand Caravans have had a problem related to a spring located inside the steering wheel that prevents the airbag from deploying in case of an accident, as well as preventing the horn from operating. I've contacted the dealership and was told that such recall didn't apply to my van, and after checking the VIN, it was confirmed that I was not part of that recall. However, when I hear that something that has gone wrong with my van is a recall in other vans, I tend to get a little suspicious.

50 Air Bag problem

Intermittently srs light comes on while driving, and cruise control becomes inoperable.

51 Air Bag problem

Doors do not close properly and do not stay open when opened. A problem with the clock spring has caused the airbags to be inopperable, the cruise control does not work, the horn does not work, and the windshield wipers do not work (it does rain in phoenix sometimes). We had to replace the power window motor in the drivers door. This is the first 6 of 15 problems with this vehicle.

52 Air Bag problem

No summary listed for above vehicle.

53 Air Bag problem

No summary listed for abov evehicle.

54 Air Bag problem

The clock spring controling the horn, airbag, and cruise control broke recently making the air bag system useless. According to the service manager this has happened on many of the Grand Caravans. I feel this should be a recall item and repaired so it will not make the safety system of the car in operative when it fails.

55 Air Bag problem

Read in newsgroups that clock spring failures should be reported; concerned about airbag viability as well.

56 Air Bag problem

This may not be the appropriate forum for this concern, but I was unable to e-mail the web master. I recently read that the NHTSA conducted some SUV/van vs. Car (accord) crashes, which yielded disproportionate damage in the car and troubling information about the passenger airbags in the Dodge caravan. Results of the crash test, suggest that deployment of the bag in this 35 mph collision would likely result in serious neck injuries and/or death. As owners of a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan, we were obviously troubled by this information. I visited your web site today in hopes of finding more information about this recent crash test, but have not been successful in this endeavor. I'm interested in reading the results, if they are available and learning how the NHTSA and/or Chrysler plan to address this problem. We are currently in the final month of our 3 year warranty period on our vehicle and I wonder if, based upon the results of this crash test, I can claim that the bag is defective and request either replacement with a new lower-powered bag or repurchase of the vehicle. Please advise. Thank you!.

57 Air Bag problem

While driving speed control activated without manual operation. Air bag warning light remained illuminated, and headlights could not be manually turned off. Please give any further details.



Safety Ratings of Grand Caravan Cars
Fuel Economy of Grand Caravan Vehicles
Grand Caravan Service Bulletins
Grand Caravan Safety Recalls
Grand Caravan Defect Investigations