This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. While operating the vehicle, the main drive belt would detach from the engine and the power steering would suddenly stop functioning. The steering wheel became very difficult to turn. In addition, while operating the vehicle, the front bumper would suddenly detach from the vehicle and fall to the ground. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. He has been experiencing a recurring failure in which the serpentine belt disconnects while driving under rainy conditions. Whenever he drove over a puddle of water the steering wheel became very stiff. The vehicle would either be cautiously driven or towed to an independent mechanic where the serpentine belt would be reconnected to its pulleys. The failure mileage was 103,422 and the current mileage was unavailable. Updated 12/14/2011 updated 03/03/11
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan sport. The contact stated while driving at 30 mph in rainy weather, he drive through a puddle and within moments, several electrical components on the vehicle failed. The window defroster failed, the battery warning light and the temperature warning lights illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and found that the serpentine belt had fractured from the vehicle. The contact was able to locate several complaints online pertaining to the failure and contacted the dealer to inquire about recalls. There was not a recall for the failure. The contact was concerned about the safety risk involved in the failure. The failure and current mileages were 172,000.
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that when the vehicle makes contact with water, the serpentine belt, which controls the steering, detaches. The manufacturer advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The dealer stated that they will charge a service fee to diagnose the vehicle. Updated 6/4/09 updated 06/09/09.
1. vehicle: 1999 Dodge Caravan serpentine belt slippage when road is wet. 2. the belt slips off the pulleys, steering power is lost and I get stranded in the middle of busy streets. This is a safety issue! (I wonder if I would have made it out alive if I was driving on I-95!) on the internet there are 100S - if not 1000S - of stories/complaints: Wives stranded in the snow with children, elderly people stuck in a street in a rainy night, and Caravan /Voyager owners changing belt and pulleys 2 or 3 times, without the problem being corrected. It seems that the Chrysler corporation has willingly ignored this problem since 1996! I am reading of misaligned pulleys and motor mounds. This issue needs a resolve and a recall! and.... there is a fix!!! please check gates part #38379K and Goodyear part #49215K. So, there is a problem which is totally ignored by Chrysler in a final note, I am going to buy "the fix" in order to be able to operate my vehicle with no fear of getting stranded somewhere in a rainy day or night. I believe that Chrysler corporation should reimburse me for the repair and replacement of parts - not my fault- their screw up! and just to let you know that I called Chrysler corporation to find out if they would reimburse me. I called the Washington, DC office and my called was routed to a call center in india (!). I asked to be transferred to a supervisor at the corporate office in the us, which I was. I spoke to a supervisor, who told me "I am sorry. Your vehicle is out of warranty, and Chrysler corporation will not re-imburse you for any repairs pertaining to this problem." I went out today with my husband's Ford aerostar, to check the roads after tropical storm fay (won't dare take my Caravan) and there were dozens of Caravan like mini vans stranded in the streets of our city. Suppose we had evacuation orders for flooding or a hurricane emergency..... please do something about this!
- Port St. Lucie, FL, USA
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Serpentine belt comes off while driving on wet roads. I replace pulleys belts several times this has happen since the van ran out of warranty. Finally I took to Chrysler and they put double pulleys on an a double side belt cost was around $300. Chrysler knew of this problem. This happens in winter time also.
Serpentine belt comes off pulley. Occurred four (4) times within the last 12 months. Twice during wintry conditions of less than three (3) inches of snow and twice during normal rainfall. Most recent occurred June 29, 2008.
Serpentine belt has fallen off on many occasions. Usually when it is wet out. I have had this vehicle to the garage about 12 times in the past two months and spent alot of money trying to fix this. I know there is a tsb on this issue. I feel since it is a safety hazard to be driving and lose all control of your vehicle that there should be a recall issued for this problem. I live in the northeast and it is impossible to avoid wet weather.
99 Dodge Caravan in repair shop to have 4th or 5th belt tensioner & 7th serpentine belt replaced loss of power steering rendered vehicle dangerous, barely avoided accident Dodge customer service denied any knowledge of problem with this part until, after second call & demanding to speak with manager, I directly asked: 'are there any publicly available notices, warnings, recommendations, etc, related to the 99 Dodge Caravan and serpentine belts or belt tensioner'. finally, this 'manager' told me that there was a technical bulletin (available to repair shops, not car owners) which stated that the vehicle should not be driven in heavy snow (deepest snow it's ever been in was 3-4"). if the co. Had no idea, then why is there a factory-made part to correct it" and why is there no recall? why is this information so difficult to get from the company, as their customer" this seems to be a failure both on the part of the company (for hiding, not repairing this serious flaw) and the government (for not forcing a recall, thereby putting the general public at risk of injury or death).
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. While driving 15 mph, the contact noticed a loss of power in the vehicle and its power steering. The mechanic stated that the serpentine belt detached from the vehicle. The contact stated that the serpentine belt detached on four occasions and the road conditions were snowy or wet each time. The current and failure mileages were 106,000.
During a rain the serpentine belt fell off causing loss of power steering, water pump and other equipment. This is a serious safety issue, and Dodge has a tsb out. But they are making no effort to correct this flaw. It seems that anytime water gets on this belt it will come off. How many crashes is it going to take before something is done to remedy this situation?
1) pulley / tensioner / serpentine belt failure in a 1999 Dodge Caravan replaced 3 times. 2) driving in rainy weather, drove through a small puddle in the road and the belt came off the car leaving me stranded. No power steering, no oil pumping through the car, etc... 3) Dodge claims they have no fix for the problem - we just have to keep putting on new belts and replacing tensioners. 4) www.topix.net/forum/autos/Dodge-grand-Caravan/ttrejj5uag0sp62tj - see this link for complaints all around the country on the same issue with this vehicle.
: the contact stated while traveling various speeds in wet conditions, the battery light illuminated and the steering wheel locked up. The vehicle was towed to multiple independent repair shops, who determined the serpentine belt slipped off and the belt was replaced. There had been no inspections into what caused the serpentine belt to slip off.
The contact states the when it rains and he drives through a rain puddle the serpentine belt falls off. This has happened twice. The vehicle was taken to dealer for repairs. The manufacturer was contacted, and they offered no free remedy.
I had pulley/arm tension replaced three times, on that third time I then found out there was a bracket made to correct the problem.but during the times of all these repairs (in the past two and half years of buying the van) I have had many breakdowns causing the van to be very difficult to manage(almost hitting a telephone pole once) no power steering or brakes and the battery quickly died out, the last two times my 16 year old was driving, not safe for an inexperienced driver! there were also several broken serpintine belt during this course also. I work in a hospital and have at times be called in any hour of the night and where I live that can be in the middle of a blizzard, actually it truely happened to me during the blizzard of 2005 here in ri (I have repair statements to verify the dates) its sad to know the when cars truely have problems consumers cant just be notified just for safety sake. I was told at the dealership that the information about the bracket was found on a service bulletin (? Dodge)and the same weekend the secretary at the service desk told me three other minivan were brought in due to their serpentine belts falling off. My neighbor who has a 1998 Caravan has also replaced his tension/arm pulley. I never realized how much trouble one part could cause. But please just one more thing my van also was just worked on again, due to a component in the radiator the works with the transmission, well it ruptured causing my van to breakdown, I needed a new radiator and my transmission flushed.($$) hopefully this has not caused any harm to my transmission. Could it be realted to the previous problems?
The contact stated that the drive belt came off on four different occasions. Each time it occurred after a heavy rain while driving through a puddle. He had the belt replaced at a local service dealer. The next time it occurred they put the same belt on again. The third time they told him that the drive belt needed to be replaced. He had it replaced again. He is unsure of the exact cause of the slipping. The belt came off again. The vehicle is at the dealer now.
When raining the serpentine belt completely disengages. The vehicle will lose power. When the belt comes off the vehicle will jerk to the left. Consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and she was told that there was no solution for this problem, and put the belt back on. There is a manufacturing problem with the Dodge Caravan. The most common factor is when water touches this belt it will come off.
When driving 60 mph on wet road the serpentine belt came off the engine pulley. This caused power steering assist problem, engine overheating, and stalling. Dealer was notified, but was unable to resolve this issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Tulsa, OK, USA