general problems of the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan

Mr.

The seat belt on both integated child seats failed within a month of each other. One failed while van was in motion with child in seat. The latch system that locks the shoulder belts broke. This failure prevents the shoulder belts from safely restraining a child in the seat. The dealer was contacted. Failure was determined to be something in the cable assembly that locks shoulder belts after buckle is latched. I was told repair was not possible and complete seat replacement was my only option. My concern is that this failure could put a child in severe risk if it happen during an accident. Dt.

Right side shoulder harness of integral child seat suddenly stopped working and would not retract properly. Brought immediately to Dodge dealer, who took off the back of the seat to see if the problem was something simple like a twisted seat belt. I was told it was not retracting properly which happens with seat belts. The repair would involve the purchase of a $710 child seat module from Dodge plus at least an hour of labor. My van had 500,500 miles, 500 over the extended warranty, and was purchased as a demo. Dodge told the dealer that they would pay half of the $710 after I complained I could purchase a child seat for much less. I have moved my 18-month-old to the other side, but I wonder is it safe? will it restrain properly during an accident? what if the other side also spontaneously stops working when we are out, I have no other in the van. I need to know about their safety. I was really happy with these seats up until now, but I never realized how quickly they could fail and how cost prohibitive repair would be. Any information you could provide, I would appreciate it.

Consumer has no defect/ request to be added to mailing list for graco a8462hav carseat.

Nhtsa recalls 97i001000 & 98v185000 integrated seat; owner has a problem due to dealership replacing regular bench seat with an integrated child safety seat bench. Owner is aware of recalls for integrated child safety seat bench, but manufacturer declines due to VIN. But what about seat which was replaced by dealership? no further assistance given by manufacturer or dealership. Please describe details.