Power Steering Pump Problems of Dodge Grand Caravan - part 1

Our 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan would start fine and idle fine. Once on the road driving around locally nothing more than 10 -15 miles from the house with average speed of 35-45 mph the engine would just die! no warning lights or sounds it would just die. You would have to pull to the side of the road and restart the engine. You then would continue on with your drive and at the next stop sign or traffic light it would do it again, the engine would just die. You would have to repeat the steps all over again and restart the engine. Another time my wife (luckily none of my 3 children in the van at the time) took a left hand turn and midway through the turn the engine died and lost all control of the van! no steering or brakes! almost sent the van off into the ditch and almost rolled over. Now the engine will just die even when idling in the driveway. Once again no warning. No mil identification light comes on and no codes thrown. Van has in the past 6 months had the battery, fuel pump, injectors and coil packs replace. None of which solved the problem. Dodge has no recalls for this VIN in regards to random engine dying even though hundreds and hundreds of consumers have expressed their concerns of the same issues. This van is very unsafe and does not belong on the roads let alone having a family of 5 travel in it. We feel Dodge is literally dodging the issue and this is unsafe consumer practice.

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Apparently this is a widely known problems with Dodge and related Chrysler vehicles according to our mechanic. Basically the tipm--totally integrated power module is bad and this causes among other symptoms: vehicle not starting, issues with electric controls(lighting), issues with fuel system(fuel pump or relay) our vehicle had issues starting. Especially during wintertime this happened. And having replaced the battery new and also having ensured sparkplugs are new, those issues were ruled out. Starter issue also were ruled out both by obvservation and mechanic. The vehicle continued to have difficulty and intermittent successes in starting, up to the point that it didn't start anymore on 12/10/2018. The starter is turning but engine doesn't start. So took it to the mechanic and learned that the tipm is the issue. Prior to it totally failing to start. , in the past 4 months, the vehicle had stalled 4 to 5 times while driving it on the thread going about 30 to 40 miles an hour with traffic. I realized that this is a safety issue because basically the car stops all of a sudden while driving on the road--with traffic. When this failure happens, apparently no fuel goes into the engine that the vehicle comes to a halt. There is no power steering and radio or other--as if the power was just totally disconnected. Luckily we were able to steer the vehicle to the side off the road, using its momentum. And after a couple times turning able to restart the vehicle. Again the sudden engine stoppage occurred around 5 times and I was able to restart it after a couple of tries. Until the vehicle would no longer start at all from a parking lot. The repairs cos $1300+ for the tipm which had to be dealer ordered and reprogrammed.

See all problems of the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Driving at 10-20 mph, warning lights esp abr and tracing icon flash on and off before engine stalls, happens whether turning, or driving straight. Electrical system fails including power steering, radio flashes off, clock goes to 12:00. Often at speeds 35 -65 mph, same lights flash on and off 10 to 15 times in various distances of 3 miles - 25 miles before stalling, driving down a winding, mountain road in heavy traffic at night at speeds between 60-70mph, same lights flashed on and off, the speedometer needle instantly dropped down to zero then quickly flipped up to current speed each time lights flashed, then they stayed on while I pulled off the road, it stalled in park position. Starts up again without hesitation. Once I went 3 miles without incident, upon returning while at a stop light, same warning lights flashed, when the light turned green, engine stalled. I restarted the engine and I was able to proceed through the green light making a left turn, no other stall the rest of the way home. Regardless if I'm turning left or right, going up hill or down hill or on city street, whether the engine is cold or hot or temperature outside is hot, cold, or raining. It is random, having purchased this used vehicle only 4 months ago, driven less than 1000 miles, I don't feel safe as a female senior citizen traveling alone any distance in this vehicle, previous owner had the dealer replace fuel pump and computer (twice). I have replaced the 1 year old battery due to a hot to the touch cable to the battery, not generating the proper amount of power, also replaced the original computer with a new computer which did not resolve this issue. Numerous complaints were told a win or tipm module would fix this problem which it didn't. 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan recall: ignition replacement. The ignition moves between 'accessories and on' causing engine to stall.

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The serpentine belt on 96-2000 Chrysler minivans slipping off is a known issue and has been for years. Time and time again Chrysler has refused to issue a recall for it. It is due to a manufacturing defect in one of the engine mounts causing a pulley misalignment. The belt slipping off causes loss of power steering, water pump, and alternator. The power steering loss can cause a driver to not be able to correct in time and cause an accident. The loss of the water pump can cause overheating resulting in engine damage. The loss of the alternator can cause the car to eventually stop running when the battery is drained, causing motorists to be stranded. I live in alaska and I'm not always in cellular signal when driving and temperatures in the winter get down to -30 f at times. I can't wait sometimes several hours for a tow truck to get to me without risking hypothermia at those temperatures. This needs to be made into a recall so it can get fixed.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Driving straight, approx 35 mph on 2-lane state highway passing through small town with rush hour traffic on both lanes and no shoulder. With no prior warning, all red instrument warning lights went on at once, including fuel pump/throttle, brakes and others. Car stalled dead and instantaneously lost power to steering and brakes, was impossible to control. Would not restart. Fortunately driver was able to steer vehicle partly off road into a driveway of busy store, blocking driveway to customers. State police were unable to get car in neutral to push to safe location. Police ordered car towed and it is currently awaiting diagnosis for totally integrated power module("tipm") failure at Dodge dealership. This was a life-threatening failure and if it had happened at nearly any other location or in adverse weather there would have been injury or death to driver and passengers. We have tow receipt. We don't know whether state police filed incident report. Many similar tipm failures of Dodge and Chrysler vehicles have been reported to NHTSA and you have recently rejected a center for auto safety petition for NHTSA intervention regarding this defect. Chrysler/Dodge is well aware of the problems with the tipm because 80,894 Jeep wranglers and Dodge nitro vehicles were recalled in 2007 for the same problems. In that recall, defective tipms had a software problem that could cause the engine to stall. Nhtsa should require Dodge to recall every model that has this same tipm installed and to immediately warn the public that their lives are in danger every time they drive their Dodge/Chrysler vehicle. It is unconscionable that the manufacturer and NHTSA have previously been informed of this dangerous defect and failed to protect the american public.

I was driving approximately 30 mph and the vehicle just shut down, the powering steering went out and the engine stalled which we later found out was due to the faulty tipm. We had also been having a few issues with the fuel pump. . . . . The fuel pump was not shutting off and all lead to problems with being able to start the vehicle sometimes it took several attempts to even get vehicle started.

I was driving when my car just turn off,I turn back on whit no problem and time later passes again,sometimes turn off 2 or 3 times a day and sometimes work fine, the computer shows no code, and I change many thing trying to fix it, spark plugs, relay fuel pump, spark plug wires, relay starer. I went whit the mechanic for check the fuel pump and is good. Dont know what else to do. I hope you can help me. Thanks.

See all problems of the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Vehicle stalled twice after filling up with gas. First stall happened approximately 500 feet from filling station, while still in a parking lot. The second stall happened approximately 0. 5 miles from the filling station while turning from a raodway into a business. Each stall required several cranks of the engine to re-start. When the engine quits, the power steering also goes away. This has been an intermittent occurrence since early 2013, with it becoming a regular occurrence after each gasoline fill up (later in 2013). The tank is always filled until the pump shuts off. It is never partially filled, so I cannot say if it only occurs with a full fill up. This is the first time I decided to research the situation and file a complaint.

See all problems of the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Significant risk – complete loss of control due to poor design (unresolved manufacturer known issue): during a moderate rain storm, the serpentine belt once again slipped off the pulleys, which disabled power steering, causing a complete loss of control of the vehicle as it was accelerating from a stop (my wife was unable to fight the weight of the vehicle). Luckily, the vehicle had just left a stoplight and had only attained about 20 - 25 mph. The vehicle was stopped before hitting anyone or anything in a very crowded pedestrian area of downtown san diego's historic gaslamp quarter. Given the reduced visibility from the rain and nighttime city illumination, it’s amazing this did not result in pedestrian injuries or even deaths or damage to waiting taxis or parked cars. This is the second time this has happened to this vehicle in the rain, but the first in which total loss of control occurred. The first instance also occurred at night, in the rain, while waiting in heavy airport terminal traffic. Numerous reports of Dodge Grand Caravan serpentine belts slipping off in the rain can be found online in Dodge forums. A technical bulletin was issued for prior model years but does not include the 2000 model year. Also of note, after the vehicle stopped it began to overheat as the water pump was also disabled by the loss of the serpentine belt.

The power steering on our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan has failed during operation on 3 occasions. The first time was on a trip to providence ri where the reservoir failed on the highway. We reached our destination with great difficulty, as steering was virtually impossible -- my wife would not have been able to turn the wheel. The pump had been repaired in 2007. On this occasion, the seals and rack were replaced for $800. Since that time, the power steering has drained completely as a result of a broken hose and broken seals. This happened in November 2009 and January 2010. The hose was fixed in November for 150. The broken seals/hose are currently under repair. I understand from our mechanic that this is a common problem for this automobile due to poor design.

The 2203 Grand Caravan has had a recall on the upper power steering hose and was serviced. A recurring noise started. Under a extended warranty the power steering pump has been replaced twice and the rack once. 6 months after the last service the noise came back and lower power steering hose into the cooler blew off while driving causing sudden loss of power steering. (no crash) replaced hoses with better clamps and back flushed power steering reservoir. Internet sources have indicated a filter screen in the power steering reservoir. Could this be causing the large listing of same problems on the internet?.

See all problems of the 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

About six months ago, my wife's van has been making a whining sound from the steering pump. The noise intensifies once the steering wheel is being turned. I was told that the steering pump may have to be replaced. Eventhough this van is 6 years old, it was in storage for 3 years. The car was operated once a month in storage. This shouldn't be happening.

Power steering pump was very noisy and steering would become stiff under certain conditions. Mechanic says it is a poor design of filter in power steering reservoir.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving 45 mph and decelerating, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. She took her vehicle to an authorized local dealer and they stated that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 67,000 and current mileage was 68,000.

I have had an ongoing problem with my steering since late March inmy2001 Dodge Grand Caravan sport minivan. When in reverse it is difficult to turn the wheel,when in drive on occasion it is difficult. I took the van to a local Dodge service center and was told there is a problem with the power steering pump. It isnt putting out enough pressure,the fluid is contaminated and everything needs to be replaced. I called my extended warranty provider and they will not cover the costs due to the contamination in the lines. They said that is what caused the failure and Dodge minivans from several years have had a recall due to this problem. But my year has not had a recall. I call the service dept where my vehicle is and they say the same thing once again. . . There is contamination in the line it could be pieces of faulty hoses but they dont really know what it is. There had been recalls on other vehicles for this reason, Dodge minivans are known to have power steering issues but my specific vehicle has not had a recall. They ran the VIN to see if anything was l isted in recalls. I called Chrysler customer service as I was directed to do to see if they can do anything to help. They took my name,info,etc and once again ran the vehicle VIN and said at this time they are choosing not to help with the repairs on this vehicle even though they know there have been recalls on other years with the same problems/symptoms I am having. They documented in the computer and stated should there be a recall they will contact me for possible reimbursement have a nice day. I was still angry and called back asking to talk to a supervisor and after 15 min of arguing with a customer service repover what she was reading about my case and with her telling me they do have the right to make this decision about no repairs with no supervisor stepping in she agreed to look to see if a supervisor was available. I never spoke to anyone.

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Loud whining noise coming from engine when cold. Had power steering pump replaced on 1st visit. One month later same problem, had alternator replaced. 3 weeks later same thing. Tech said there was an air bubble in the power steering line. The line was drained and fluid was replaced. Better not happen again!.

See all problems of the 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Power steering in 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan is failing for the third year in a row. I have twice replaced the power steering pump. It fails during winter months.

I have a 2003 Grand Caravan that I purchased new. There was sporadic shudders in the steering system when new and at low(parking lot) speeds. Now at approx 62000 miles I have to replace the steering rack and power steering pump to the tune of approx $1100 (not completed at this time) there is no warranty coverage for this failure. This failure at this low mileage cannot be normal ware and tear. Thank you.

The contact stated the power steering pump started shuttering and making a weird noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and was fixed. They replaced a hose, and added an additional cooler. He stated there was a technocal servic ebulletin (TSB) for this. It would not completely correct the problem. He has a relative who works for Chrysler, and he states this is a problem for the 2003-2005 models.

Power steering was locking in cold weather during initial start up. First reported 4/05, dealer stated it was caused by problem with hoses which have a recall, recall performed, and vehicle returned. (not fixed), returned vehicle again a few days later, they verified problem still and replaced power steering pump to low pressure". I thought it was fixed. However, sine the problem only occurred in cold weather through the summer it was fine until early December again the problem was back but even worse, this time it was also happening while driving. Returned vehicle to dealer "of course it was now out of manufacture warranty", however dealer agreed to fix problem since it had prior history. They verified problem by service manager and mechanic the day I brought it in, however they were not able to duplicate the problem again. They had my van for 3 weeks, during this time they didn't know what they were going to do with it but were not going to give it back to the safety issue. I even tried to get Chrysler involved and they never called me back even though I left several messages and was promised a call back. Finally the dealer decided to replace the front steering rack. I got it back, it was fine for 4 days and problem is still there. I called the dealer and they said they didn't know what to do, and would leave a message for the service manager who was handling my case. It has now been 4 days and no return call. Meantime im driving around and unsafe car, paying over $600. 00 a month. Im very upset there isn't more that can be done against these companies putting lives at risk.

While driving at 35 mph steering wheel felt loose and made a loud noise. Vehicle was taken to the dealership,who replaced the steering pump. Eight months later, dealership indicated the needede to replace the steering pump at consumer's expense.

Consumer noticed oil on driveway. Vehicle was taken to dealership, and technician indicated to the consumer power steering pump rusted from inside and needed to be replaced. At consumer's expense of $785. 00.

Consumer purchased vehicle December 2003 and had to have the power steering pump replaced in February 2004, the same thing happened again. Consumer took the vehicle to a private service dealer in March 2005, and she had the pump replaced again. The vehicle is doing the same thing, and the vehicle is currently at the same service dealer. The vehicle made noises when turning the corner or when parking. It would hum anytime the steering wheel was turned.

I have a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan with 45000 miles on it and the power steering has to be replaced, I think that is premature & should be consider as a recall.

While applying the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the pump needed to be replaced and replaced it. . . Numerous occasions consumer applied the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would go but would then hesitate, and almost quit running. After the pump was replaced, the problem still there. With trying to accelerate from a stop with cross traffic coming, and still distance away the vehicle will hesitate, and almost stop running. This could result very badly.

Belt tensioner failed causing loss of steering. This is the 2nd time this component has failed. This is also the second time I've had problems with the cruise control. This time the problem is the clock spring, also causing the horn and air bag system to be inoperable.

See all problems of the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

While traveling at approximately 35 mph during snowy conditions power assist steering belt tensioner broke, causing consumer to lose control of vehicle. Dealership did not inform the consumer as to why this defect happened. Approximately four weeks after this event, consumer lost control of vehicle again, this time rack and pinion steering caused this defect. Dealership informed consumer this could have been due to fluid burning, nothing more specific was said. Please provide any additional information/attachments.

Power steering belt comes off when driving through snow greater than 6 inches in depth. Caused sudden loss of power steering and loss of vehicle control. Technical bulletin from repair shop indicates that the tensioner arm on this model is defective (insufficiant tension to keep belt on), and that it needs a snow shield. Snow under vehicle gets pushed into belt assembly causing belt to fall off. Technical bulletin indicates the corrective procedure (stronger tensioning arm and snow shield) will be covered only if vehicle is under warranty. For questions, please use e-mail address. The work phone listed will only be current until 01/24/00. New work phone is undetermined at this time.

See all problems of the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Belt tensioner locked up twice in the last 8 months, causing loss of power steering control and potential for serious accident. The power steering belt was thrown off the belt tensioner and destroyed twice, once in March 2000 and again in November of 2000.

Anytime it rains or water puddles on the street , if I drive over it the steering becomes extremely stiff and sometimes you can't steer at all. I have noticed that even a small amount of water splashes under the right front wheel (the serpentine belts' location) the belt immediately squeals and is difficult to steer. If the compressor is on either the air conditioning or the defroster, and water is splashed on the belt the vehicle ha little or no steering. During a right turn at a green traffic light water splashed the before mentioned area and I almost hit another vehicle in the other lane that was preparing to make a left turn! is there any recall or some kind of panel that can protect the water pump assembly from water contacting the belt and thus leading to little or no steering capabilities?.

While driving, consumer smelled smoke, pulled over and smoke and flames started coming from the hood, fire originated from a leaky power steering line at the rear of the power steering pump, claim 05-4462-943.

See all problems of the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Belt tensioner suffered catistrophic failure causing main belt to disengage and sudden loss of steering.

When coming to a stop driver heard a loud clunking noise. Right afterwards driver made a left turn which was almost impossible because the bolt which supports the pulley for power steering, sheared off. The vehicle has been repaired. Please provide any further details.

While driving, heard a "bang" noise. Lost power steering assist. Found that tensioner assembly for the serpentine belt had broken off, and belt had come off. The stud holding the tensioner together had sheared off. Towed to nearest dealer, and fixed.

When driving in city or on freeway the belt comes off and the power steering goes out. Shortly after the warning lights come on, battery not charging ex. Dealership will repair belt. The last time dealer changed belt.