My problem could have started some time ago, the horn sounds and lights flash like the car is locked but I just noticed that it was not locking. I will try pulling the BCM #1 fuse and replace the IOM 20amp fuse. Has been a good mini van but will not be spending a lot of money on this problem.
Door locks quit working while we were at the beach. Thank goodness we found this site with info to pull 20 amp fuse to BSM. It's working now, but based on other complaints we're just waiting for it to happen again.
I'm joining the club with the door locking issue. All of a sudden they stopped working. I was able to lock the front doors and sliding doors manually, but unable to lock the rear hatch door either manually or with the key because there is no lock knob inside the vehicle and using the key outside the vehicle you can only open the door not lock it.
I removed the battery cables cleaned the terminals and cables and replaced them and it is working now.
This Is a piece of Sh-- I purchased as used, I had earlier Chrysler VAn 1994 worked fine till date. This is Chrysler'd quality control problem they shoul fix it free of charge or may be nominal fee $10 max
I have two boys 1 and 4. My wife uses the van most. We want to dump it in the ocean because of this. We got a base van, and paid extra to have power locks. Now we are still paying extra every month for nothing...thanks a lot Dodge...oh whats that? they suck and took all of the tax payers money, and still could not make it work! wow thanks yet again Chrysler for screwing me twice! We used to do the disconnect battery trick, but now it wont last more than a few hours. Not even worth it now. Cant wait to dump this piece of sh*t. But no one wants to buy it because its not a Toyota or Honda. I think that makes 3 times Im getting screwed with this van.
- Mike F.,
Santa Maria, CA, US
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Door lock quit working. I checked out this website and took the advise to diconnect the negative battery connection for a few minutes and then reconnected. It worked!!! I hope this does not become a problem again, it's a real pain to climb trough the care and manually lock all doors.
First of all my van started stalling...it would start and run fine...then after driving somewhere, it wouldn't start when I turned the ignition...it just clicked...after several times of being stranded, I had it towed into dodge service center at no cost...ha ha ha...they said they would probably have to do a computer scan...ha ha ha...I said o k...they said it was the battery and they replaced it...HO HO HO...it cost me $379.87...I checked that battery over quite closely and have yet to find any gold on it...and now my power locks have stopped functioning...I have checked everything and everything checks out o k...am I missing something...THIS IS QUITE A PAIN...I don't want to pay $379.87 for a fuse...someone HELP
Dodge needs to recall this and fix it for their customers. I have been pulling the fuze since April and sometimes it lasts two days other times only a few hours. It is very frustrating and inconvenient since there is only one body lock on the car, drivers' side.
Haven't had any problems with my caravan until now. Power locks are very important to me because of the inconvenience of crawling around inside to get the doors locked and unlocked. I am so glad I found this site so we could remedy this problem ourselves and eliminate a costly repair bill.
Chrysler does need to recognize this problem with a recall to stop this problem. Within the next year I plan to replace with another vehicle, and although this has been a good one (first dodge owned), I don't know if I will get another Dodge.
I have my Caravan since new and yes, I am one privileged with the locks problems. Disconnecting the battery or the fuse is a short term solution. I have done all this after the warranty expired. Disconnecting the battery too often may cause other problems. You should connect the positive first and then the negative, otherwise you could damage your vehicle computer and ending with more repair bills.
The windows and door locks stopped working when "monsoon" season hit Arizona. I looked at this site and someone said to check the fuse and clean with rubber eraser. Good advise for me! Everything works just fine since. Cleaned all fuses while I was at it.
Made appointment at dealership with estimate of $90-$300. Problem had existed for about 2 weeks. I decided to try the locks again and they worked. I canceled appointment but 2 weeks later, they do not work again. I am going to wait a while and try again before I make a trip to the dealership which is in another city. Mileage is still well within the warranty mileage but unfortunately is beyond the warranty time. I love my van, but being a senior citizen widow, I must have a vehicle in which I can feel safe.
After the battery went dead, I replaced the battery and then soon after the power door lock stop operating. I am not sure if the replacement of the battery have caused the problem or it is just a design flaw. Anyway, I found a suggestion in the internet. The solution is to remove IOD (20amp) fuse from main fuse box located in the engine compartment next to the battery for at least 5 (five) seconds and then replace it. Make sure the fuse is still good. This solved the power lock problem for me for now.
I paid the dealer mechanic $150.00 and all he did was pull the battery cables off for a few minutes to reset the computer. This fix lasted about 2 weeks. I started pulling the battery cables myself and that seemed to work for a while, Now that doesn't work anymore. My wife and I babysit 3 of our grandchildren they are all under 3 years old. I'm afraid that one day one of the doors may be accidentally opened by one of them. We have to crawl all around the inside of the van and over car seats to lock and unlock all of the doors. This is very frustrating and as well as painful for my wife's arthritis. I'll probably be getting rid of this minivan soon, it really is a safety hazard. This seems to be a wide spread problem and Dodge should be held accountable for it's fix.
Typical complaint of other reports involving BCM failure with accompanying door lock failures, with temporary fix with battery disconnect or pulling the 20 amp fuse to the BCM. Royal Gate Dodge (St.Louis) wants a $70 "diagnostic" charge plus an unspecified amount to "fix" the problem. The diagnostic charge is a scam since restoration of door locks is accomplished with pulling the fuse or battery disconnect. Is that not enough of a diagnosis? I refuse to pay Chrysler for a non maintenance related defect on a car with 48,000 miles. My suggestion is (1.) to definitely call Chrysler at 1-800-992-1997. The more you make a nuisance of yourself with the
calls and complaints they get, the sooner a recall might come out. (2) Contact
the Attorney General's office of your state and (important) formally file your complaint there. The dealership and Chrysler is more likely to respond to pressure from the AG's office than from us as individuals. Remember this can be seen as a safety issue as well.
I have been trying to find out why my locks don't work any more cant fine it and don't really have the money to fix it but i have a child and i don't need them trying to open the door if im moving down the road i think dodge needs to get up and fix this problem before some gets hurt
This is my third Caravan and have always been pleased until I bought this one. Very dismayed to see the number of complaints and lack of action by Chrysler. Will try the battery solution and the fuse disconnect but am not overly optimistic.
Power door locks not working. Same as everyone with this problem-----removing and replacing 20A IOD fuse takes care of problem for a short time. Haven't heard of a permanent fix yet. Wonder if Dodge will step up to the plate on this problem?
I took the van to the Dodge Dealer to get an estimate for fixing the power door locks-they told me it would cost $550.00- so I declined to get it repaired.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My problem could have started some time ago, the horn sounds and lights flash like the car is locked but I just noticed that it was not locking. I will try pulling the BCM #1 fuse and replace the IOM 20amp fuse. Has been a good mini van but will not be spending a lot of money on this problem.
- mwoerner, Thurmont, MD, US