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 door locks, horn, headlights, A/C, windows and mirrors stop working. We have to remove the fuse or disconnect the battery and then it works again for a while. This is very unsafe when we get in the car at night and cant go because the lights wont go on. We live in Arizona and that is unsafe when the ac and windows wont work at the same time. After a five minute drive my kids were about dying. Its unsafe when the door locks go out and we cant lock the vehicle. I understand that the vehicle needs a software upgrade, but that the dealership charges $200. I shouldn't be forced to pay for a defect that Dodge knows is defective.
The automatic door locking system on my 2005 Dodge Caravan stop working. It can be reset by pulling the iod 20amp fuse in the main fuse panel for 5 seconds and reinstalling it which resets the system. It will then work for a short period of time before the problem reocurrs. I have had to reset the system many times. There are many Caravan owners with this problem. I feel this a serious safety issue and more so if you have kids. While Chrysler has apparently denied that this problem exists I have done research and found that it is a factory defect and Chrysler possibly has a software update which can correct the problem. Chrysler should be made to bear the cost of the repair to the automatic door locking system on my Caravan via a recall.
Headlights turn off on their own causing a very dangerous situation when driving in the dark. I googled this problem and found that several people have had this happen. This make, model and year obviously have a flaw and needs to be recalled before some one gets killed.
- Lancaster, OH, USA
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My 2005 Dodge Caravan smelled strong gasoline odor in and out. When I took it to the mechanic he knew exactly what was wrong because he serviced 3 vans like mine with similar issue. When he lifted my van and started the gas started to pour. The fortunate part was that I am lucky that it didn't explode on me while driving. Here is the worst part, I called rancho Jeep Chrysler in san diego to order a new fuel pump, I was told that the parts is nationally back ordered and it will take 3 to a month waiting period and nowhere available as per parts technician. If it is back ordered nationally, will it constitute recall? this situation is a major safety violation just waiting a major explosion to occur. My van only has 50K miles in it and I bought it brand new and always service timely. I am hoping that the company will take some action immediately to prevent costly lawsuits. I am receiving all my receipts as a proof when something happen. I will be the first one to come forward. My second complain is the lock, it is very uncomfortable if you manually lock and unlock all doors. I have to pull out the iod fuse every time to reset, this is also a national issue because I found this from the blogs of other Dodge Caravan owners. My 3rd complain is why is my front brakes always shake no matter what I do to it. I replaced both rotors and pads 3X and still warping.
My 2005 Dodge Caravan smelled strong gasoline odor in and out. When I took it to the mechanic he knew exactly what was wrong because he serviced 3 vans like mine with similar issue. When he lifted my van and started the gas started to pour. The fortunate part was that I am lucky that it didn't explode on me while driving. Here is the worst part, I called rancho Jeep chryler in san diego to order a new fuel pump, I was told that the parts is nationally back ordered and it will take 3 to a month waiting period and nowhere available as per parts technician. If it is back ordered nationally, will it constitute recall? this situation is a major safety violation just waiting a major explosion to occur. My van only have 50K miles in it and I bought it brand new and always service timely. I am hoping that the company will take some action immediately to prevent costly lawsuits. I am receiving all my receipts as a proof when something happen. I will be the first one to come forward. My second complain is the lock, it is very uncomfortable if you manually lock and unlock all doors. I have to pull out the iod fuse everytime to reset, this is also a national issue because I found this from the blogs of other Dodge Caravan owners. My 3rd complain is why are my front brakes always shakes no matter what I do to it. I replaced both rotors and pads.
While driving home last night going down a country road doing 50 mph, my low beams went complete out and I almost wrecked my van. Once I got stopped and my heart returned to beating normal I found that only the high beams worked. I have since changed the relays around in the pms/fuse box under the hood, and the low beams still don't work. I had changed out both headlamps less then a year ago, so I am sure that the problem is not that both low beams went out on the lamps at the same time. I have read online that this problem has happened to many others owning this vehicle. This vehicle was purchased new from the dealer in July of 2005.
Reference NHTSA action number EA11010. This is the exact problem I am having with my 05 Caravan. Headlights turn off while driving on occasion, don't come on at all on other occasions. Highbeams work when the lever is pulled but do not stay on. Dealer wants $88 just to diagnose the problem, but based on NHTSA info, that won't help: "confirmed that the headlights fully extinguish, and remain extinguished, on an intermittent basis. In most cases this occurred while the vehicle was in motion" bought the van used and after this problem occurred a few times I searched the web and found many forums discussing this known issue.
The passenger side sliding door will not unlock using the key or the driver or passenger door's electric unlock button. The manual button on the door also will not unlock the door. I have not be able to open the door for over a month. I have seen suggestions on the web of taking out and then put back the iod fuse, but that did not work.
The doors will not lock/unlock with the key automatically nor will the doors lock when driving as they normally do. The car "beeps" so you think the doors are locked but they are not. The first few times it occurred, we removed the fuse and reinserted. Eventually this "fix" worked only briefly. This failure is unsafe for personal safety and also for property in the car. This is a common problem with 2005 Dodge Caravan.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the doors could not be locked automatically. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the door body control module. The mechanic replaced the door body control module twice but the failure was not corrected and the doors still could not be locked automatically. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 42,900 and the current mileage was 43,000. Updated 01/24/12 the consumer stated the BCM has been replaced three times. Update 01/27/12
My 2005 Dodge Caravan SXT power door locks fail to lock or unlock with the remote or door switch. The manual door lock is the only way to lock or unlock the doors. With there only being one key hole, this is a huge inconvenience and safety factor. What if you have several children and are trying to get everyone in the van and can only open the driver's door? this could pose a potentially dangerous situation as you're trying to get everyone inside the van, one of the kids could wander away, possibly into traffic. I'm sure you have heard all of this before because every 2005 Caravan owner I have talked to has this problem and more.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the automatic power door locks were inoperable and the contact would have to manually lock and unlock the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle would not respond to the keyless remote when attempting to lock or unlock the vehicle. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the defect. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 153,122 and the current mileage is 153,600. Updated 11/16/11 updated 11/30/11
My power locks stopped working about a month ago. They will work manually but will not operate with the remote or the power lock button. Tried disconnecting battery and then re-connecting, tried remedy in handbook (turning key in ignition 4 times on and off, without actually starting it, and then depressing the power lock switch) which worked for two days. This is a safety issue!!! the locks are designed to automatically lock when reaching speed of approximately 20 mph. It does not. This is a safety issue!! why doesn't Dodge admit to this problem and provide a free software upgrade! many people are experiencing the same problem. Google it, it's there plain as day! is Dodge hoping the problem will just go away by itself? this is a safety issue! fix it!
I was driving home and all of a sudden the headlights went out, I was able to get them on by manually using the high beams, but if I let go of the high beam shift, the lights went out. This happened about 10 times in 20 miles. It did it again yesterday on September 28, driving home and I am too scared to drive at night any more which is a problem as it is getting dark earlier. I was driving along and the headlights just went out. I could pull the high beams on which is an issue as I live in a small city but as soon as I let go of the high beam switch -- no lights. Also the high beams would go to low and back to high intermittently. I am so scared to drive my car.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that all of the gauges on the instrument panel in the vehicle became inoperative. The vehicle also stalled intermittently. The dealer diagnosed that the motor harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect, but denied any assistance with repairing the vehicle. The failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Caravan. While driving approximately 18 mph the contact noticed the automatic door lock failed and would not lock the doors automatically. The door fob also would not lock the doors when the lock button was engaged; however, the horn would blow. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact stated after disconnecting the iod fuse and later reconnecting it the automatic door lock function would activate. After two days, the automatic door lock would failed again. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. Updated 09/27/11 the consumer contacted the dealer and was informed there was no recall and therefore, he would have to pay for the repairs himself. Updated 10/31/11 updated 3/30/12
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Glendale, AZ, USA