Steering Rack And Pinion Problems of Dodge Grand Caravan - part 2

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan. After repairing the brakes, the contact turned the steering wheel and heard unusual noises. A week later, he discovered oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. The mechanic stated that the rack and pinion was failing. The dealer stated that the parts for the repair were on backorder. The failure mileage was 41,000. Updated 6/16/08.

See all problems of the 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

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.

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Noise in steering when first started took it to dealer said it was internal leak in rack & pinion checked service record and saw that rack&pinion was replaced a year ago. Confronted service department they said warranty had expired. In my opinion apart as important as this should not need to be replaced in one year. Also notice that alot of people complaining about this same problem on the internet.

See all problems of the 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

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?.

The rack and pinion is leaking, causing the power steering fluid to leak on our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan sport. We had the rack and pinion replaced in fall of 2005 after having trouble with steering. Now in March of 2007 we are told by the service shop that it needs to be replaced again and that these vans tend to have this problem. Upon contacting Chrysler they inform us that they will not help us replace this part because the van is no longer under warranty. The problem seems to start with a noise when we turn the wheel, eventually becoming very loud and hard to turn as the problem worsens.

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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.

- the contact stated that there was a humming and low grade vibration that one hear could while driving in low speed, especially when turning. The contact took the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan to the dealer, and they stated that therewas a defect in the rack and pinion steering. A local mechanic stated that there was a recall on the Chrysler town and country similar to the failure this vehicle had. The failure mileage was 80000 , and the current mileage was 102000.

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.

Rack and pinion seals leaking dealer replaced rack & pinion 2/21/06 rack and pinion seals leaking again, car repair shop recommending replacement again 2/2007.

I have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with 57000 at present. When we had 47000 miles on the vehicle, we were having problems with the steering. Upon taking the van to the dealer we were told we would need to replace the rack and pinion to the tune of $1350. 00 dollars with out assistance from Chrysler. At present we are still experiencing problem such as the van wonders and hard to steer. In addition to this problem another problem is the serpentine belt has come off and had to be replace 5 times after or during a rain storm since purchasing this vehicle. It appears a large number of people are experiencing these problems, and although my van is a 1999 model I should not be experiencing all of these problems with only 57000 miles, and Chrysler should conduct a massive recall to repair and correct these problems.

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The contact stated that the front sway bar vibrated t causing an overall roughness while driving. The contact took vehicle to a dealer, who replaced the sway bars. Also, the dealer replaced the steering rack and upper strut bearing. No further problems since this repair was performed.

See all problems of the 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

The contace owns a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan sport. The there are approximately 20,000 miles on the tires. The service dealer states that one of the tires has less than ã‚â½ tread, the other three have approximately ã‚â½ tread. The tires are unsafe in the snow and rain. Vibration in the vehicle while in reverse or when slowling. He has noticed the sounds because of the vibration. The dealer suggested the consumer may have towed something to cause the tires to wear, but the contact said the vehicle was only used under normal circumstances. The contact felt it may be from the front end being out of alignment from the manufacturer. The contact stated rack and pinion steering wasa replaced. The dealer will extend the warranty on the tires, but will not replace the tires.

I have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, at 48,000 miles I had to have the rack & pinion replaced in the vehicle at the cost of $1300. 00 dollars. Chrysler would not stand behind the product. I have heard of another case in point with the same problem. It is hard to believe I should have been responsible for replacing this in such a short amount of miles since the vehicle is driven by my wife to and from work only on street surface. I think this should be checked to see how many others have had the same problem and require Chrysler to address the issue.

Problem with steering for two years. The dealer has replaced lower power steering hose, power steering pump and rack and pinion. The dealer also replaced the two upper power return hoses and install a longer power steering hose.

After approx. 15,000 miles the front suspension and steering felt very loose. I took it to the dealer and was told the front rack and pinion steering system was "worn out" it was fixed under warranty. I was told by the dealer that Chrysler had purchased these parts from 2 sources and one of the suppliers parts were wearing out rapidly. The steering system was replaced. After 3 months and 6,000 miles later the steering system was again worn out and had to be replaced a second time. This is ridiculous for a vehicle that cost over $30,000.

Turning left in my 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan became almost impossible, when I could get it to turn it would make a loud noise. We had to have the rack & pinion steering replaced at less than 50,000 miles.

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While turning right or left the driver heard a loud noise coming from the vehicle. 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 rack and pinion needed to be replaced.

I have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan. A bolt that is in the rack and pinion steering bar came out while driving on the highway. We stopped at a gas station driving south on 95. When we started driving on the highway again, I noticed that the steering wheel was not in its normal position when driving straight down the road. I was driving straight, but the steering wheel, which normally has the remote controls directly in front of the driver (controls are to be at 3:00 on the right and 9:00 on the left), had shifted to about almost 6:00 for the right and 12:00 for the left. I could still control the van, so I pulled off on the next exit. The garage mechanic checked and realized the bolt underneath had come off. He found another bolt the same size and put it back in. I arrived at my destination in florida the next day and took the van to a ntb store. They checked out the new bolt and the alignment of the van and said everything looked okay.

While driving 30 mph consumer heard a loud noise coming from the rear and the vehicle jerked. Vehicle was taken to a body shop for inspection, and mechanic determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced.

After making "clunking noises for approximately 25,000 miles my steering rack wore out at approximately 35,000 miles. The dealer replaced it under 100% warranty, and now my replacement rack ( a remanufacured unit) started making the same noises after approximately 4,000 miles. Hen the rack was replaced I was informed that I may incur the same problem with the replacement rack as Chrysler was having a problem with their steering racks. I complained about the noise after I had exceeded the 3yr. /36000 mile warranty. As I mistakenly thought I had a 12 mo. /12,000 warranty on the replacement rack. The dealer informed me that the warranty had expired once I exceed the 3/36,000 guaranty and after speaking to Chrysler customer service in detroit the dealer offered me a 50/50 guarantee. . . I am still in communication w/the dealer and am waiting to find out what their district mgr. Decided about a possible 100% eplacement. If this is happening to me and what I heard about this being a more widespread problem is true, I felt I should bring this to your attention. Please note that I am a former new york state licensed automotive damage adjuster/investigator.

The day after I bought my 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan/se it started making funny noises and the steering felt funny. I took it to the dealer and they replaced the rack and pinion system. Since then the vehicle continues to pull to the right and the front tires are wearing fast. I took it back and they did a front end alignment. It is still pulling and I took it somewhere else and they checked the alignment and said it was off. I took it back to the dealer and told them and they said it was not and they did nothing. Meanwhile my front tires continue to wear fast. I have a warranty on the tires but goodyear says it is a factory/dealer problem causing it. (ignore equipment section on this complaint, it was done in error and I can't get rid of it).

While driving consumer heard a noise coming from the rack and pinion. Also, there was vibration in the steering wheel when driving over a minor bumps.

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Front end road noise that two mechanical shops attempted to repair by replacing sway bar bushings in one shop and a tie arm in the second shop ended up not correcting the problem. Further investigation determined it was the rack and pinion. Clerk at the dealership indicated they had a thousand on order, no exaggeration. He informed me that they all go on the Chrysler minivans. My van is a 2001 Grand Caravan sport with 42000 miles. Manufacturer will not do anything to assist. Sounds like a recall is in order if they are as problematic as I have been informed.

Power steering fluid leaking on garage floor. Dealer said it was the power steering rack and that it needed to be replaced. Chyrsler agreed to pay for half of the repair. 18 months later the system is losing power steering fluid. The dealer is again saying that it is the power steering rack and that it needs replaced yet again. Chrysler will not assist in any way on the $1,100. 00 repair.

Consumer states that while driving and no warning the rack and pinion snap causing the consumer to lose steering control. Dealer notified ts.

No summary. Dt.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

At 50 mph on a curve steering gear locked and would not allow driver to follow curve so vehicle crossed yellow line ,as driver applied brakes, and luckily the oncoming traffic was able to merge left. Braking allowed the steering to return and slowly and carefully continue to our home. 2nd problem consisted of clunking sound when making left turns in new gearbox so it was replaced @ 15,537 miles.

While driving vehicle, as I was trying to execute a left hand turn the steering became extremely hard and I hand to forcefully turn the steering wheel. Right after that incident I noticed that the steering was difficult in both directions, while the car was being driven and also while it was idiling. I called chryler cutomer service to let them know about the problem but they basically told me I was on my own do the the vehicle being out of waranty. I had researched and found out that I was not the only customer who had complained about the steering,and that there were many instances of rack and pinions failing and being replaced by the dealer. These particular vehicles are also prone to a variety of steering related problems which are common knowledge and there are a numerous amount of technical service bulletins issued in regards to these problems. I took my vehicle to three different mechanics and they all gave the same diagnosis and all were surprised to see that a fairly new car would have this type of problem so young in its life. When I asked how much it would cost to fix they all were saying $700-800 dollars and, all of them were having a hard time from Chrysler getting a new rack and pinion as I was told there was a national backlog order on this particular part. No safety defect mentioned in summary.

See all problems of the 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

Rack and pinion steering malfunctioned.

Rack and pinion failed causing noise.

While driving, the rack and pinion failed causing consumer to lose control of vehicle's steering narrowly avoiding a collision.

I am sure that this is a safety problem but I am unsure if anything will be done. In the minivan there is no need to step on brakes while changing from drive to park or reverse etc. It could even be done while moving! I do feel that this could be a hazard as well as a liability. Please email me with your suggestions.

While driving at any speed, there was a clicking and popping sound in the steering column. Van was taken to the dealership the third time for this problem. First time a new spring was put inside steering column. Second time steering column was replaced. Finally, rack and pinion was replaced about three weeks ago. Please provide any further information.

Vehicle makes loud groaning noise when steering wheel is turned.