14 problems related to dash wiring have been reported for the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Consumer states vehicles engine was turned off, consumer was getting gas, after entering the vehicle consumer smelled smoke, and saw smoke coming out of dash. Consumer drove car to a mechanic. Nlm.
My husband would be driving and out of nowhere the vehicle shuts off. Everything on the dash went out. About 2 to 3 seconds later it came back on but barely working. The car behind us almost hit us. When the car re-started the dash lights were flickering and the instruments were not reading right. Ontop of that we could not turn the air or radio or anything else because it made the problem worse. Prior to this it happen to my husband twice on the same day. In March we took it to the dealership and told them the problem we have been having on top of other issues. We only had this Mini van for a year and we already had to repair the air conditioner 2x , fuel pump because it was leaking, the first time they could not find the prombem and said it was an overfill of gas, second time they found the problem and fixed it. Also out of pocket for brakes, and rotor. We were hoping for some kind of exchange for this. During the year we had this Mini van the dealership change hands again. Now the current owner is getting complaints from customers who purchase a vehicle from there last year, per our conversation with the sales manager. They had to re-run our credit and take all our personal information all over again. Next morning I was told that the bank /lender wants $2500. 00 upfront as good faith, because we still owe on the vehicle. Like I said earlier the car is finace for 5 years. Also the part that is needed cost anywhere between $385 to 209 approx. And labor $300. 00 or so. So we would be paying close to $685 or more. Also this part is not under warranty nor under extended warranty. I can not understand that since it is an electrical componet. If anyone can help please, we really would like to get rid if it or somehow get it fix.
Consumer smelled something electrical burning. Noticed flames inside dashboard. Consumer pulled over and shut car off. Consumer took vehicle to dealer.
Consumer states that instrument panel did not operate after vehicle was started, consumer had to turn iginition off then on again, it completely quit working and dealer made repairs, however vehicle was out of its warranty.
I've read about investigation on the air clock springs . . . . These should be recalled.
Can this cause a fire ? it melted the relay . They had a TSB on this lots of problems.
This vehicle has been the worst vehicle I have ever owned because of continuous ongoing problems ,the biggest of which was the engine head failure which cost me about a $1,000. 00 thats with Dodge paying an additonal $800. 00 for the parts. Now a year later, my transmission is failing and does not change gears. Please help I promise not to buy a Chrysler product again, I swear. All the other problems have been nagging, but tolerable. But this is too much.
Transmission switch also failed this year.
Windshield wipers come on by themselves at random while driving.
Body control module failure occurred during a move from maryland to georgia, resulting in failure of windshield wipers during rainstorm. Arrived at dealer only 451 miles after expiration of 75k warranty. However, neither the dealer nor Chrysler would assist in repair costs. Have submitted two lengthy voq's today as I am finally fed up with this Chrysler product and the failure of Chrysler and the NHTSA to enact additional forced recalls of these vehicles. The transmission, fuel tank, body control module, clock spring (which resulted in inoperative airbags), and suspension parts all failed long before they should have. Additionally, a cursory search of both NHTSA and other web sites reveals that these parts have a high failure rate. Despite being replaced by a dealer only two years ago, the steering rack on my minivan is already failing again. I am extremely unimpressed with both the quality of this vehicle and the lack of support from Chrysler in addressing repeated failures.
Two letters dated 05/23/98 and 06/08/98 addressed to mr. Robert eaton, ceo of Chrysler corp. Was sent with a repair history schedule containing 24 itemized occurences depicting the associated repair order number, nature of repair, mileage, date-in and date-out, remarks as to results, warranted repair or not, location of repair and cost if applicable. Also depicted was the number of times we repeatedly returned the vehicle for brake repair which was six times within first six months and six times regarding electrical within the first six months of possession which all is evidenced by the given information on the repair history schedule I provided with the letters. I received a response back from customer service to no avail. I would be delighted to provide you at your request a copy of both letters which includes the repair history schedule I eluded to earlier.
Wiring harness failed due to short.
Intermittently while driving lighting on the dash will go out. When this happens, consumer does not know how fast vehicle is going. Delaer has replaced control panel module, however , problem has not been corrected.
Vehicle purchased with 24,000 miles and we have owned it for less than a year. At first repair the entire computer system was replaced: problems reoccurred in less than 2 weeks; second repair, reattached fuse panel and computer: problems reoccurred in approx. 2 weeks; third repair, replaced starter switch: problems reoccurred within 2 days.