Front Suspension Strut Problems of Dodge Grand Caravan - part 1

Left front strut housing rusted and need of repair. Dodge dealer states my problem. Is there a TSB on this issue?.

See all problems of the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

1999 Dodge Grand Caravan taken to local repair shop in March 2007 for normal servicing , oil change/tire rotation, and shop manager indicated that the front struts were worn out and needed to be replaced. They stated they could not do this since both front strut mounts were badly rusted and would likely break upon servicing. The repair shop warned me to immediately get the strut mounts fixed for safety reasons. I visited a local 5 star Dodge dealer, who stated that this problem does occur and is not covered under any warranty/recall. Cost to repair problem , no new struts was $1300. I called a number of body shops and found a local shop which has been repairing this problem since 2000! they said this problem was common for these vehicles for model years 1996-2000 in this part of the country. They had developed a system to repair the problem including removing the old strut mounts, machining new strut mounts from aluminum blocks, and bolting/welding them in place. Repair was made , excluding new struts for $600.

: the contact stated while driving 50 mph, a clunking noise was heard coming from the left front of the vehicle. It was driven to the dealer who determined the left front strut tower was corroded and needed to be replaced.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

: the contact stated that the vehicle travels rough at any speed. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who determined that the top of the macpherson strut towers were completely rusted and corroded. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the problem, but replaced the struts.

See all problems of the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

My 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan is rusting at the top of the strut towers on both the left and right sides. My mechanic says that failure is imminent. Had a notice been given I could have probably got Dodge to work on this problem before the warranty ran out. As is it is 10,000 over warranty, but the problem had to have existed before the warranty ended. No deaths or injuries yet.

I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan se and when I had the oil changed last Saturday, I was told that the "strut"" housing on the drivers side is rusting, flaking off. I could not find any recalls or safety issues noted, but, apparently, I am not the first one to complain of this problem. Plus, now I have to wait for the corrective kit. . . Since it's back ordered. The area Chrysler/Dodge dealer stated that Dodge did not mention this until the warranty was completed on this type of vehicle. I have my wife not driving the vehicle, since if the housing breaks, the strut will come thru the hood of the car.

: the contact stated while having routine maintenance performed, the independent repair shop determined the vehicle had excessive rust on the strut towers. The manufacturer was alerted. The vehicle is located in a salt belt state. Updated 5/2/2006 -.

My local auto service shop recently identified a corrosion crack in the left strut housing of my van. I went to a body shop and they indicated the strut could eventually break through the hood allowing the left front wheel to collapse. They contacted a local Chrysler dealer service department who indicated that this was a known problem and they had a corrosion kit for that problem. The dealer service manager indicated that Chrysler had a program to help pay for repairs but that my vehicle was near 100,000 miles and it might not qualify. He pursued it and chrylser did provide the kit and $200 to the auto body shop, which just paid for the kit and a small bit more. The total bill was $555. 00 of which I paid $355. 00. The body shop indicated that according to the Chrysler instructions, if the problem got much worse before it was caught, the entire strut housing might have to be replaced, costing $2,000 or more. In talking to the original service shop, they have seen numerous occurrences of this apparent defect. My concern is that this problem apparently gets worse with the age of the vehicle and since Chrysler vans are so popular this could be a life safety problem for those not aware of the corrosion defect, especially second owners (like me). If this is a known potential life safety manufacturing defect, why isn't the repair cost totally the responsibility of the manufacturer and shouldn't owners be notified even if they bought it as a used car?.

I brought my 2000 Grand Caravan in for routine oil change. Service mgr. I was informed that my left strut tower/strut seating was beginning to rust and that it would cost over $700 to repair. Stated it should be repaired soon or could cause serious accident if it fails. The right one is perfectly fine. I proceeded to do research on the internet and have found out that this is a very common "failure". Why has this not been addressed other than TSB 2304402? isn't this a safety issue and shouldn't there be a recall? what recourse do I have before I spend this money that I don't feel is my fault or cause?.

Dodge minivan 2000 Grand Caravan. Consumer complained about the strut platform where the strut meats part of the body. Also, called strut seating. The strut seating, or platform rusted prematurely. Consumer took vehicle to garage last week, on July 7, 2005, and mechanic informed her that the rust was there, and this made vehicle unsafe. Mechanic said that he had never seen rust on this new vehicle. Consumer also contacted dealer, and dealer said that they had been getting complaints on this matter. Dealer was gilberts Chrysler Dodge. She then contacted manufacturer, and was told that there was no recall and nothing could be done until there were enough complaints filed. Consumer visited other dealers to look at similar vehicles and found that this problem existed in the other Dodge vehicles, but not other manufactured vehicles.

: the contact stated the vehicle failed the annual inspection. Both front strut towers were rusted and worn. No repairs have been made.

See all problems of the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Over the past 2 years we have had to replace the struts multiple times. We have now been told that the strut mount housing that holds the strut mount plate has become oval and not round and therefore it sounds like a bad clunking noise whenever going over larger bumps. . . . What do we do now? I am a mechanic and have no idea what to do and have been told there is nothing I can do by another auto repair. We also have had problems with the transmission shifting since basically when we bought it about 3 years ago and would liike to know if you have had problems with other 97 Grand Caravans. Please help. We have 4 children and can not be without a van. Thanks.

I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. The front left strut tower rusted, almost completely through. Had I not noticed this when checking the oil, the strut could have busted through the tower. I took the vehicle to two body shops, both of which told me that they replace a lot of these. This is a structural part of the van, not a fender or a door. The estimate for repairs is over $1200. In October of 2002, there was a service bulletin issued regarding strut tower corrosion.

The front driver side strut tower rusted. Consumer was concerned that the front end will collapse while driving. Driver's side strut tower completely rusted away. Making vehicle unsafe to be on the road.

See all problems of the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

: the contact stated there is an excessive amount of rust on both strut mounts. The rust was first noticed four years ago. The contact originally suspected the rust was surface rust however, it became progressively worse on the passenger side in the past year. The dealership offered a remedy however, no repairs have been made. Updated 04/11/06.

I had my 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan in for regular servicing and the mechanic noted that there was a serious rust problem with the left front strut tower. The person from the shop who called me suggested that I take it to a body shop to be evaluated as soon as possible. I discovered later that the actual mechanic looking at the problem wrote: "recommend: get new vehicle soon!"the next day I took it to a body shop and they couldn't believe that a 1999 would be so badly rusted and quoted me an estimate of $1300 to replace the strut tower and take care of the rust that had begun to eat at the other side. Nce they had it in the shop and disassembled, they called to say it would take an additional week of service since the local Dodge dealership had ordered the wrong part. They said that, because the damage was so severe, they were not comfortable reassembling the vehicle for me to use while they waited for delivery of the part. I have done some research online and have discovered that this problem is known and widespread. (complaint number 10090457 also documents this issue. ) I am surprised that someone has not been seriously injured as a result of this. My van is only a 1999 and the strut tower was rusted nearly half way through. I had my van in for service many times within the last year and no one had noticed the problem. There are undoubtedly innumberable families driving around in a seriously unsafe vehicle simply because a recall has not been issued. If this is not a serious safety issue, it don't know what is.

The left front strut mount or sway bar rod broke and caused my tire to blow out. I had my children in the car at the time and almost went into a ditch. It cost me $350. 00 to repair.

See all problems of the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

While driving vehicle would ride roughly. Consumer drove vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic determined that a bulge was located in the housing struts area, and needed to be replaced.

Vehicle experienced a problem with the struts. The strut towers rusted, causing the struts to push through the frame of the vehicle. The front suspension eventually will drop down.

I have a 1998 Grand Caravan se with 85000 miles on it. I noticed rusting and cracked metal in the area of the upper strut mount. I contacted the local dealer, and was told this was common, but there was nothing they could do. Also contacted Chrysler customer service in detroit, and was also told there was nothing they would as the vehicle was out of the 3 year/36000 miles warranty. I sincerely hope this situation is looked into before someone gets hurt. I can't imagine what would happen if one of the struts goes launching through the hood!.

The strut tower rusted. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs.

After 2. 5 years of ownership, I noticed rust forming on the strut towers. It wasn't bad enough to worry about,but I kept an eye on it. Over the next years it progressively got worse on both sides to a point that we were not going to keep the car much longer at only 70k. I got an oil change before a trip south (7/04)and the mechanic said this should be the last trip for this car. This was later confirmed by the Dodge dealership and 2 body shops. If the struts had failed and popped through the towers, the dealer told us the car would "drop" and we would not be able to steer or stop. We have the car in our driveway and are forced to incur a $2000 repair or trade the car to a dealer since we cannot sell it to someone.

The strut tower rusted . As a result the strut pushed through the hood, and the frame collapsed.

Front strut towers rusting through. Told by service 'vehicle not safe to drive'. Told to replace vehicle.

The left front strut rod has broken away from the strut. This has caused a load popping noise while drive. The van leans allot more to the right than it does to the left. Also when making sharp turns the rod itself rubs against the tire causing a very load rubbing noise with the smell of rubber burning. The dealer informed me that this problem is not covered under any warranty the cars has or had. Be careful out there. I think is potentially a bad and dangerous problem. It cost me about 300. 00 dollars to fix this.

The strut tower for my 1998 Grand Caravan is rusting through. After speaking with a mechanic, he stated it is a problem on most of the caravans. We also cautioned me that the strut will cause the wheel assembly to buckle. He said in about a year there will be many crashes caused by this failure.

Although there is no rust anywhere else on this vehicle, the front suspension tower on the driver's side is severely rusted around the strut mount. The rust is coming through from underneath. If it rusts through completely the strut will come up through the hood of the vehicle. There will probably be an accident and someone will probably get hurt. In my investigation of this defect, I have found numerous incidences of the same rust failure in the same location on Chrysler minivans built from 1996 to 1999. This includes the caravan, voyager, and town & country models, as well as the grand version of each. These six models should be considered together when investigating this problem. They each exhibit the same defect in the same location. I refer to it as a defect because Chrysler is aware of the problem and their mechanics refer to it as a design flaw. They have a warranty part#05086513aa for repairing this defect; yet they offer no compensation to owners outside of warranty coverage. If you investigate this defect you will see it clearly warrants recall status.

My 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan failed a state vehicle inspection due to safety risks caused by significant rusting of the driver's side strut support tower. Top of strut support tower was approximately 75% rusted through. Mechanic stated that this problem had been observed in other similarly aged Dodge vans. Mechanic also stated that the level of rusting was highly excessive and not normal since strut tower located in engine compartment and is normally protected from elements. Possible that excessive rusting due to design or structural defect.

The consumer stated the passenger strut tower housing rusted severely, there was no other rust on the vehicle.

We have replaced our struts 2 times already in the 4 years we have owned the vehicle, and they are getting ready to fail again. This is ridiculous.

Lower strut mounting bolt snapped causing vehicle to be undrivable.

Front struts are rusting through, resulting in windshield cracking. Dealer contacted. Please provide additional information. Ts. . .

We have had the strut mount changed 4 times,now somthing is wrong with the left front side.

Consumer was driving and the front strut weld broke the suspension . Please describe . Consumer states the weld that attaches the stabilizer link ball joint to the strut broke, causing the link to come loose and tanled in the steering.

The strut tower assembly was rusted on vehicle. The consumer believes the quality of the material used is the problem.