Steering Rack And Pinion problems of the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan

After making a right hand turn, my steering wheel locked up and I could not return to center. I was going slowly, so I was able to stop the car before it went into the ditch. If this had happened at highway speeds or where most roads in missouri have limited shoulders, I would have crashed into the ditch. I was able to work it loose and then limp it home very slowly, esp. Around curves or corners when it would stick again. Upon taking it to a mechanic, he found out that the rack and pinion had to be replaced. It proceeded to go out 2 more times since the first incident.

Power steering leak , rack and pinion 2005 Dodge caravan.

Rack and pinion on 2005 Dodge caravan - noticed many others have same complaint. Internal seal on assembly is wearing out around 65000. Must replace entire rack and pinion assembly. How many before recall?.

Purchase of used Dodge Grand Caravan & then found out 1 week later that the rack and pinion area leaks & the entire rack needs to be replaced.

Power steering rack defect.

I bought a 2005 Grand Caravan in may 2005. The rack and pinion rack completely failed in December 2005 at 9870 miles. It was replaced under warranty. My van begin making the same noises and losing power steering fluid. When I had it checked at the dealership today, I was informed that my van was leaking power steering fluid and that the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. The mileage on the van is 42,726. Even the service advisor remarked that the rack and pinion should not have to be replaced at 42,726 and that it was unheard of to replace it twice in less than 2 and a half years and under 43,000 miles. From researching online I see that I am not alone. This is happening frequently. I believe this is a safety defect that needs immediate investigation, before the defect results in a fatality. The dealership said it is not covered under the powertrain warranty and since I am beyond 36,000 miles the replacement will cost about $850.

Purchase of used Dodge Grand Caravan & then found out 3 weeks later that the power steering boot fails & entire rack needs to be replaced.

Sporadic noise coming from car engine, and some difficulty turning at times. After a thorough inspection, a mechanic found that it is a faulty rack and pinion. . Read more...

I have had my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan for almost 2 years it has only 64, 000 mile on it. About two weeks ago we started hearing a sound when starting the van and when you turn the steering wheel, usually lasts until you drive for a awhile then it comes and goes. We took it to the Dodge dealership and they said it was the racket pinion gear and would cost a little over $900 to repair. I called around to a few other car repair shops and they all said are you sure that is the problem, they have never heard of a vehicle needing that replaced that early. So I got online and did some research and found that there are many people with the same problem, all occurring with miles ranging for 15,000 to 75,000. I came across your web site and see that this has been investigated before. This I a problem that needs to be fixed, it is not just some random malfunction. I request that you reopen this investigation.

Took my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan to the dealer for an oil and filter replacement and was told that I had a leak rack and pinion steering assembly. Never had a problem with the steering, and no leaks on my garage floor, but the dealer rep insisted that this was a problem that could get worse. Part is back-ordered, which makes me wonder if this is a common problem that needs to be recalled.

In 2005 we purchased a new Dodge Grand Caravan and had it modified for my husband to drive from his wheelchair, spending $50,000 total for this vehicle/modifications. In the span of two years, weve had electrical issues door locks not working part of the time, battery drain that cant be located, bad door sensors, etc. We also replaced the rack and pinion unit (under warranty). Just 18 months later the rack and pinion unit was bad again. Since it was out of warranty, we spent $1,129 to fix it. Its ridiculous that this part went bad again so soon. Do we have to spend $1000 every year to replace this obviously defective part? the Dodge dealer my husband worked with informed him that the rack and pinion unit now comes with a cooler to help with this issue, so obviously Dodge is aware that this part is defective and has a short lifespan. If this is the case, why wasnt a recall sent out to add the cooler to this unit. Im very dissatisfied with our Dodge van and will probably never purchase from Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep again! shouldnt a recently installed part last longer than 18 months? isnt that reasonable? weve gone through two rack and pinion units in the last two years for a 2005 vehicle thats ridiculous! shame on Dodge for not assisting customers with this known defective part! on top of your average Dodge Grand Caravan customer, there are a lot of disabled customers out there who have spent above and beyond what it should cost to drive and to have that vehicle break down continuously sucks!! my husband cant just hitch a ride with a neighbor or even rent a car for that matter. He had to miss work while Dodge spent an entire day replacing a part they just replaced a few months ago. Im just wondering what will break next!.

2005 Dodge Grand Caravan was serviced at 42,000 miles because of a moan/fog horn like sound while turning. Dealer stated this was due to failed power steering system, which was leaking internal, as vehicle has no visible signs of power steering fluid leaks. Vehicle has been serviced routinely at a 5 star dealership and was just in for an oil change 3 weeks ago. Power steering failures on this vehicle appear to be widespread and should be recalled & covered under warranty as several technical service bulletins have been released proving system design flaws, defects & problems. This problem should be investigated further by the NHTSA as this contains serious safety defects in their design.

2005 Grand Caravan sxt was purchased on January 12, 2005. This is my second Dodge caravan. My first was a 1999. On December 21, 2005, after less than one year, with 17248 miles on the vehicle, the rack and pinion assembly failed and needed to be replaced. I brought it in because I was hearing a whining sound when I turned the steering wheel and there were oil spots on my garage floor, under the front left side of my vehicle. I was told by the dealer that this was a known problem and, since it was sitll under warranty, I wasn't to worried as long as it would be fixed. On may 22, 2007, after less than one and a half years after the first rack and pinion replacement and with 41558 miles on the vehicle, the rack and pinion assembly failed and needed to be replaced, again. I brought it in because this time I was hearing a loud rubbing/whining sound when I turned the steering wheel to the left and there were oil spots on the same spot on my garage floor, under the front left side of my vehicle. I don't understand how I need to put a third rack and pinion assembly in my van after only less than two and a half years of ownership and only 41558 miles on the vehicle! I was told that it would cost me around $800-$900 for the repair, parts and labor! I have to pay that amount of money every year, or year and a half, for a known problem?.

Over time the front end of the vehicle developed a whine that sounded like a piece of debris stuck in the cooling fan. However, there was no debris. The whine continued to worsen over several weeks. We took the vehicle to a repair shop and found that the power steering pump leaked, leading to damage to the rack and pinion system. The entire rack and pinion had to be replaced. However, to make matters worse we had to wait 3 weeks for parts, and continued to drive the vehicle in winter with the possibility that the power steering would fail at any time. We were told that there was a 3 week wait because parts were not available due to so many rack and pinion failures around the country. If there were that many failures this deserved a recall. This happened at 38,000 miles, and so was out of warranty and the repair cost was approximately $1300. 00.

My 2005 Dodge caravan (id4gp24rx5b305163) had the rack and pinion replaced at 30,709 miles. At 47,208 miles the rack and pinion and pump had to replaced again. The vehicle was seen by dealer before several times before they confirmed the problem with the rack and pinion.