2003 Dodge Grand Caravan Powertrain & Transmission Problems

TRANSMISSION

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,000. UPDATED 4/22/14*CN UPDATED 04/28/2014 *JS

I HAVE HAD SO MANY MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH MY 2003 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN! I BOUGHT IT USED IN 2008 W/ 68K MILES. AT THAT TIME THE TRANSMISSION HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE POWER STEERING SYSTEM ($2000), AUTO WINDOW REGULATOR, AC BLOWER, TIRES, ALTERNATOR BELT, WATER PUMP, ETC.THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR SOME TIME NOW AND MECHANIC SAYS MISFIRING SPARK PLUGS. WHEN SERVICED FOR PROBLEM(@ 170K MILES) DISCOVERED ORIGINAL FACTORY SP STILL IN. HORRIBLE CORROSION/BUILD UP, HAD 2 FUEL SYSTEM FLUSHES. LIGHT ON AGAIN. NEWEST & MOST DANGEROUS PROBLEMS,ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS NOW, VAN HAS COMPLETELY TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING, IDLING, AND PARKED. IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY. MORE FREQUENTLY WHILE AT LOWER SPEEDS OR PARKED BUT ONCE WHILE I WAS ACTUALLY DRIVING. WHEN IT CUTS OFF THE OIL LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED. THE CAR TURNS RIGHT BACK ON. 5 TIMES WHILE DRIVING 25-50MPH HAS GONE INTO CRUISE CONTROL BY ITSELF, AND I LOOSE CONTROL UNTIL IT DECIDES TO GIVE IT BACK! TODAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, AFTER PARKING AND TURNING CAR OFF MYSELF, IT WOULD NOT RESTART. IGNITION NOT RESPONDING, NO NOISE, NOTHING. TRIED TO JUMP IT AND NOTHING, NOTICES THAT LIGHTS AND OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS NOT EFFECTED. FORTUNATELY AN OBSERVER ALSO HAPPENED TO BE A MECHANIC, HE TOOK OUT THE STARTER FUSE AND STUCK SOME WIRES IN THE SOCKET AND HAD ME TURN THE KEY, IT STARTED!!! HE SAID THAT IT SEEMS THERE IS AN IGNITION COMMUNICATION PROBLEM, A.K.A. COMPUTER PROBLEM. I HAVE 4 KIDS THAT ARE ALWAYS WITH ME AND THIS IS OUR ONLY VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE IS DEPENDENT ON THE COMPUTER TO FUNCTION, THEN I HAVE ZERO ROOM FOR COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS. I HAVE REVIEWED ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR, THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS THAT ARE SIMILAR IF NOT IDENTICAL TO MINE. I WONDER HOW MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE TO BE FILED BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE FIRST? *TR

LEFT DRIVE SHAFT BROKE PULLING OUT OF PARKING SPACE. RIGHT DRIVE SHAFT BECAME VERY NOISY WHEN DRIVING. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED FOUR TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. FINALLY THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE BLACK BOX NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE 25 MPH, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL WHEN PLACED IN PARK. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED TO STOP THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS LATER TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY PLACED IN DRIVE, THERE WAS A CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE IN THE AREA OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE SAME CLUNKING NOISE WAS HEARD EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY DOWNSHIFTED AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THERE WAS INTERNAL PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION; HOWEVER NO FURTHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED.

SUMMARY - ROUGH SHIFT OR SLIP AT 1500-2000 RPM BEGAN AROUND 30,000 MILES. DODGE VISITS- 10/26/05 - 32,088 MILES - CLUTCH REPLACED. 11/30/05 - 33,179 MILES - "SPECIAL ORDER PART". 12/14/05 - 33,803 MILES - VALVE BODY. 12/20/05 - 33,920 MILES - TANS-AXLE REPLACEMENT. 03/31/06 - 36,709 MILES - QUICK LEARN RESET. 05/04/06 - 38,214 MILES - DODGE WOULD NOT EVALUATE UNLESS I PAID THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE OF $100. REFUSED TO PROVIDE ME PAPERWORK FOR THIS ATTEMPT AT REPAIR. I FEEL PROBLEM EXISTED AND WAS NOT FIXED SO SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY $100 FOR FURTHER ATTEMPTS.

AT 9,000 MILES, TOOK VAN TO DEALER COMPLAINING OF THE TRANSMISSION SLAMMING INTO GEAR. DEALER PERFORMED A "QUICK LEARN" ON THE TRANS. AND IT WAS FINE. AT ABOUT 27,000, PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN BUT THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE FRONT PUMP. AT 30000, SAME PROBLEM AGAIN, REPLACED TRANSMISSION PUMP A SECOND TIME AND ALSO REPLACED SEALS AND GASKETS. BACK IN DEALER NOW FOR SAME PROBLEM BUT DELAER IS CLAIMING THAT CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.

THE VEHICLE BEGAN BUCKING, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT MOVE TO 2ND OR 3RD GEAR, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS MOVING UP TO 60-80 MILES PER HOUR, WHEN THE SPEED WAS ONLY ABOUT 30 MPH. THE ENGINE WAS REVVING VERY HIGH AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING VERY FAST. *JB

5-28-04 , 7-28-04, 2-9-05 TRANSMISSION WORK DONE ON THE VAN AND IT STILL IS NOT CORRECTED IT GOES IN AGAIN TOMORROW FOR MORE WORK. A COMPLAINT #13178787 WAS FILED WITH CHRYSLER THE VAN SHIFTS POORLY AND IT GETS STUCK IN GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING TO REACH HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM STOPLIGHTS THE VAN HESITATES AND I HAVE ALOMOST BEEN REAR ENDED SEVERAL TIMES I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE WAY MY PROBLEM IS BEING HANDLED BY THE DEARLER I ALOS FEEL I AM NOT BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY BECAUSE I AM A FEMALE MH.*AK

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP TRANSMISSION JUMPED AND SLIPPED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER STATED THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHEN THE CONSUMER DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE HAD NO ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INDICATED THAT VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *AK WHEN THE VEHICLE PASSED ANOTHER, IT WOULD SOUND AS IF THE CLUTCH WAS OUT OF GEAR AND THE MOTOR WOULD RACE AND SLOW DOWN. *SC *JB

WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION SURGES-AT START WHEN I ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE-THEN IT CATCHES AND GOES. AT LOW SPEED IT DOWNSHIFTS HARD AND THEN UPSHIFTS HARD. HAPPENED MANY TIMES-DEALER REPLACED FRONT PUMP IN THE TRANSMISSION-LAST TIME "UNABLE TO DUPLICATE". *LA

WHEN DRIVING WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON LIGHTS DIMMED, AND THE HEAT FROM THE AIR VENTS TEMPERATURE DECREASED. THIS OCCURRED WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, OR IF CONSUMER REMOVED FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE MODULE/ALTERNATOR, TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, AND THE MAIN COMPUTER, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED. *AK

EVEN ON THE SLIGHTEST INCLINE, VAN ROLLS BACKWARDS WHILE IN DRIVE. THIS IS THE FIRST AUTOMATIC THAT I EVER HAD DO THIS. IT COULD BE DANGEROUS IF YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND SOMEONE WALKS BEHIND YOU OR ANOTHER CAR IS TOO CLOSE. I NOTICED THIS THE FIRST DAY I DROVE IT. *LA

THE MAIN PROBLEM WAS THE VEHICLE NOT GOING INTO GEAR OR MOVING, PLUS WE NOTICE THAT ON ANY INCLINE THE VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARDS IF YOU HAVE TO STOP AT A LIGHT. THE FIRST PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED, ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC THERE WAS A LEAK AND THE SOLENOID WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE INCLINE, WHICH THEY SAY IS NORMAL AND THE TRANSMISSION IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. I TOTALLY DISAGREE, I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR A WHILE AND ONLY MANUAL TRANSMISSION REACT THIS WAY ON AN INCLINE. THUS FAR THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THERE HAS BEEN NO COST. MY WIFE REFUSES TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AFTER THESE PROBLEMS.

TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR AND WHEN IN DRIVE EVEN ON A SLIGHT INCLINE CAR ROLLS BACKWARDS. THE LATTER COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF THE CAR IN BACK IS TOO CLOSE. *LA

AT SLOW ACCELERATIONS VEHICLE SHUDDERS/HESITATES TO SHIFT. WHEN DOWNSHIFTING IT "BUMPS" DOWN. AT 35-40 MPH ENGINE RACES WITHOUT ACCELERATING. DEALER SAYS CLUTCH PLATES NEED 5-10,000 MILES TO BREAK IN AFTER TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AT 2,400 MILES. VEHICLE STILL NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY AFTER MANY SERVICE ATTEMPTS AND 11,000 MILES.*AK

ON 6/18/03, VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING. DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM WITH CONTROL MODULE AND REPLACED. THE NEXT DAY, VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN WHILE DRIVING.*AK

TRANSMISSION FAILURE - RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR WARRANTY SERVICE. DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM, REMOVED TRANSMISSION, AND OVERHAULED THE TRANSMISSION REPLACING THE FRONT PUMP, SEALS AND FLUID. *TT