Differential Unit Problems of Dodge Grand Caravan

Luckily we were slowing to a stop at the time of this incident. The center pin that holds the gears in the differential came loose and locked the front wheels up so violently that it killed the engine. If this happened at highway speed this could have been deadly. There was no warning no noise at all. When this happened it busted three holes in the differential case of the transmission and one hole in the flywheel housing. I believe there are som serious engineering issues that Chrysler needs to address before someone is seriously injured or killed. Luckily all I am out is the mony tobuy another transmission and pay the core charge since my case is not rebuildable.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

: the contact stated while driving 70 mph the pin came out of the differential causing the transmission to lock up. The vehicle was towed home. The dealership has not been alerted.

See all problems of the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

: the contact stated while driving 50mph, a loud noise was heard coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to its destination and when the contact attempted to drive the vehicle again, it would not go into gear. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was determined the differential cross pin came loose, logged into the side of the transmission case and resulted in a complete loss of transmission fluid. The entire transmission needs to be replaced.

While driving at approximately 70 mph, the differential came apart,resulting in vehicle shut down. Driver had to have vehicle towed to a transmission shop. Also, the ball joints on the front left wheel broke apart.

See all problems of the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

While driving 50-55 mph transmission exploded. Broken pieces of the transmission spread out onto the roadway. Vehicle was towed to a repair shop, and mechanic stated that the cause of this problem was undetermined. The dealer was not notified. . . . Let Chrysler know of the problem. When transmission was taken out it looked like a bunch of holes shot into it. The mechanic said the pin came out of the differential. Consumer was lucky to get off the road.

Dodge Grand Caravan differential failure causing loss of control.

Transmission failure occurred on my 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan at 60,000 miles. Differential pin released and shattered the casing. The car jolted as I was driving as if I fell in a ditch. Luckily I had just pull out of my driveway and was traveling at a slow speed(25 miles/hr). Transmission fluid was released all over the road. . The van is at the transmission shop right now and will cost in excess of $2500. Complete rebuild in a new casing required. I can ask for the old part since the core is no longer usable for a trade in.

Transmission failure. Numerous repair shops report that premature transmission failure is a near-certainty on this make and model year vehicle, due to a design flaw in the differential gear lubrication system. The manufacturer is aware of the problem but denies responsibility.

See all problems of the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Differential pin came out, hit transmission housing and broke a hole in it. Costing me over $1700 to repair. Transmission shop commented they have seen this in Chrysler products other times.

While driving, suddenly there was a loud clanging noise from the transmission then the van stopped accelerating. The van was towed to a dealership. The dealership indicated that the differential pin broke in half and went through the transmission and created a hole . The cause of the differential pin breaking had not been determined.

At 41,000 miles suffered total transmission failure w/ no warning. Veh would buck when shifted into reverse, as well as forward gears. Brought to dealership and was told it was a failed differential, needed total replacement and was not covered under warranty. (this van is 10 days/ 5000 miles beyond the warranty period). We had a previous problem of trans fluid leakage which was repaired approx a year ago, and we have followed the reccomended service schedule. This time around the repair totaled $1900.

While driving at any speed consumer heard a noise coming from the engine. At 200 miles dealer replaced brakes and differential. At 900 miles dealer replaced the automatic transmission.

See all problems of the 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

At approximately 80,000 miles axle pin come loose and breaks through the transmission case. Need new transmission. Have to replace transmission but this is a common problem with these transmissions. I think it should be under warranty no matter what the miles because it is a common problem. They do not sell the vehicle as a 80,000 mile then replace vehicle and if it is common, I think they should replace the transmission and repay everyone who has had to get there transmission replaced.

Transmission in 1998 Grand Caravan needs to be replaced. According to the transmission repair shop, I have a broken differential pin.

The consumer heard a noise from the under carriage of the vehicle, when the consumer depressed the gas pedal, the rpms increased, but the speed did not. The dealer diagnosed the transmission differential failed which resulted in a $3000 repair.

The differential pin came through the side of the transmission, which caused the transmission to fail.

The differential pin popped out, which caused a noise when the vehicle coasted. The dealer stated that if the vehicle continues to be driven, the pin would penetrate the transmission, then spill fluid and breakdown. Scc.

While driving, the consumer heard a loud noise and found the transmission fluid running out. The service dealer stated that the problem was the differential pin had worn loose, and four holes were in the housing. (model/sport).

The vehicle began to make a loud noise, consumer pulled over and noticed transmission fluid all over the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, after the vehicle was inspected, it was determined the pins which were located inside of the differentral was bent and had shot out of the casing.

Experienced incident where automatic transmission failed to shift from first gear. Attempts to shift from n to d failed to correct problem. Transmission corrected itself after bringing vehicle to a complete stop, placing in p and restarting engine. Have also experienced numerious incidents during past 6 years where transmisson fails to shift from p to r and r to d and requires to be reshifted to p and then to desired selection. Research into problem by questioning various private tranmission specialists that an undetermined design flaw in differential, in 1995 and later models, causes both problems and has even resulted in differential completely failing and exploding.

My wife was driving normally less than . 2 miles from the house. The speed limit is 40 mph. The roads were dry. My wife heard and "explosion" and pulled off the road believing that she had a blow out. The car stalled. Not knowing what the problem was, all the tires were inflated, she returned home. By the time she returned to the house there was no transmission fluid in the vehicle. I had it towed to a repair shop (buddies automotive 410-679-6300) the repair shop indicated that the pin that Dodge uses in the differential is undersized and hollow, and that it had sheared off sending parts through the casing of the transmission. The transmission is being replaced. The replacement is built by a company who has performed studies on the transmission and has modified this section of the transmission to make them safe and reliable. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call me. The vehicle is a 2001 Grand Caravan ex, with a 3. 3l engine and a 4 speed automatic.

See all problems of the 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Stopped at intersection car would not engage forward or reverse. Had to tow to dealership. Dealer service manager knew problem before I had car towed to his shop. Differential pin hadcome through the casecausing internal damage and case is broken. Problem diagnosed before van was at the dealership. Thats hard to believe. Transmission expert knows that engines are too powerful for transmission and service manager claims that pin disengages because it spins faster than it should and come free or breaks. Chrysler immediately admitted to be at fault but only covered half of the cost to replace with a rebuilt transmission with the same faulty pin. Not acceptable.

This Mini van is my 5th such vehicle. Each one except for my 2000 (which only has 25000 miles) has experienced transmission troubles earlier than I feel they should have. My 1996 Grand Caravan has just been put in the shop due to transmission failure. Differential gear had a tooth break off causing loud clunk on acceleration. Chrysler corp has known for years that their mimivan transmissions are trouble some however have not seemed to want to improve the reliabilty of them. Is there any recourse for consumers to get some compensation from Chrysler for these lemon transmissions. Please contact me with any info that could help me seek renumeration.

The problem with this vehicle is that the transmissio had to be replaced with less than 50,000 miles on it. I bought a new vehicle for the security and so that I would not be inconvenienced with major repairs. That theory was thrown out the window with this problem. Differential pin was worn is what the dealership diagnosed as the problem and gave me the choice of rebuilding or replacing transmission. I have to say that I was a little alarmed when I was told how long I would be without the vahicle because the part was on backorder. This leads me to believe that problems with the transmsission are not uncommon. I furhter believe my theory to be true because whenever I mention it to people they are not surprised and basically tell me that it happens all the time to caravans. So, $2091. 25 poorer, I am writing this in hopes that this doesn't have to happen to other owners of Dodge caravans. The dealership and manufacturer were of absolutely no help when it came to rectifying this problem. Therefore, you have a letter from one extremely unhappy and irate Dodge caravan owner (although not for long, because I am looking to trade).

The pin fell out of the differential and poked holes in the transmission, ruining it. The property damage referred to is the cost of a new transimission. It is likely this one cannot even be rebuilt, which means it will cost another $500 to fix it. Since this happened I have heard from many people that Chrysler has lots of problems with transmissions and I have heard several stories of this exact problem, including a previous complaint to NHTSA.

Differential pin flew out and tore a hole in the transmission casing.

As explained by the dealership service dept transmission bearings wear until differential pin is ejected and damages housing. Began with clicking noise (pin), then all transmission fluid leaked out. Problem fully anticipated at time of purchase due to common knowledge provided by other caravan owner's that we know. Reason why we purchased an extended warranty for approximately $1000. Stuck with Dodge as they were only ones on market with double sliding doors at the time. We needed this feature due to back injury prevention issues. Trannie replacement took over a week and cost $2208 (we paid the $50 deductable on our extended warranty). Dealer reps explained that due to poor trannie design, there was a backlog of replacement tranny orders nationwide. When asked if Chrysler had engineered the problem out of their trannies. The answer was no. Why should they, they make lots of money on this problem as it almost always occurs after the original warranty period expires and owners are forced to pay. I noticed that other complainants list unexplained cracked trannies. More than likely this damage is same engineering defect and ejection of the pin.

The transmission broke down due to differential pin failure and was replaced. The transmission failed again for the same reason, but the consumer believed the failures were due to a defect in the vehicle.

See all problems of the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.