Transmission Failure problems of the 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan

I am a day care provider and while I was transporting five small children, my 2000 Dodge caravan's transmission blew on the interstate with no warning. I was horrified and we were left stranded for nearly an hour. I recently had the transmission fluid changed, and oil changed prior to this incident. My vehicle had approximately 80 thousand miles on it. I keep up with maintenance. After having it towed to the dealership and finding out it was going to cost over $2000 to fix, I made several phone calls. I was told by several local service shops that this problem is common and that on an average they see this happen on a weekly basis. Online research turned up thousands of individuals across the country who have also had this happen. The transmission blows, something about a pin flying through the case and the vehicle is rendered useless until a $2000 plus repair is made. Contacted Chrysler directly and they stated they are unaware of any problems, yet the internet is filled with people who have experienced this dangerous situation. When I inquired about whether this will occur with a new transmission, I was informed the problem would be corrected, if there is a problem to correct . . . Then Chrysler should fix it to begin with. I now have to replace my transmission and I strongly feel that Chrysler should have to pay for at least part of it since it is a defective part in their transmissions. This problem only occurs in the 97-2002 models from the information I gathered online. The transmission fails and there is no maintenance or procedure that a customer can do to prevent it.

Transmission failure @ 105,000 miles.

2000 Dodge Grand Caravan sport purchased new Jan 26, 2000; well maintained with 30,000 mile warranty maintenance performed; transmission failed at 41, 343 miles with no warning; required total overhaul. No new transmission available; no rebuilt transmission available in us with a backlog of around 275 awaiting delivery. As a result , transmission had to be locally rebuilt and the vehicle was out of service for 10 days. Failure occurred 671 miles from home causing great personal inconvenience and expense.

Transmission failure occurred at 58,822 miles on the 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan I own. The problem with my transmission was that the splines of the front planetary stripped because they were made with a softer metal than the underdrive clutch hub. I feel this is a design flaw that daimler Chrysler should address. When I contacted daimler Chrysler, I was told the problem was my fault, because I had not changed the transmission fluid at the recommended service interval, and I was 22,000 miles outside of warranty. However, there is not a transmission fluid I am aware of that will make those splines stronger. Ts.