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.
We bought our 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan SE (3.3 liter) used from the original owner in 2000. At that point, the tensioner had been replaced once at least. Since then we have had the unfortunate and dangerous circumstance of being stranded on a major highway with our 3 children because of the tensioner belt falling off, not once, but twice. It coincided with rainy weather both times. I have read several other reports on the internet with other consumers having the same exact problem with their Dodge Grand Caravan. This is a serious problem. This could lead to deaths very easily. We were lucky enough to get across 3 lanes of traffic, with no steering or power, and park in the break down lane while traffic passed by us at 75 miles an hour. We were nearly rearended a couple times, which would have meant our children would have been hit first, and I doubt that they would have survived that kind of impact. In the meantime, my husband literally stood in back of our van waving our detached serpentine belt in the air desperate for someone to help get us off of the busy and potentially deadly highway. The next 30 minutes were scary, I cried the entire time scared for the safety of my 3 young children (a newborn, a 2 year old and a 3 year old). The next time the belt fell off, luckily I was nearer to our home on a quiet street. I could only imagine what would have happened had I lost the belt while on a back country road in Maine, in the middle of the winter, with my 3 children by myself. A family van should never lose it's serpentine belt 3 times in 4 years. With all the recorded statements from others who have had this same exact problem, several times over, there is ample proof that Dodge is aware that there is a huge problem. Losing power, steering, etc. Is a major issue that cannot be ignored. We were lucky to survive our incident. There will come a day, if this situation is not resolved, where a person or whole family, will die because of this careless defect.
While driving, consumer noticed smoke coming from under the hood, consumer parked the vehicle and called the fire department who put out the fire, claim 35-W772-194.
While driving, consumer noticed smoke coming from under the hood, consumer parked vehicle and called fire dept, vehicle experienced fire in engine compartment, claim 35-W772-194.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Morrill, ME, USA