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 were on the way to our vacation destination on 7/30/02 and pulled off the freeway for gas. The "service engine soon" light came on as soon as we pulled into the gas station. Once we were on the road again, the van would not come out of second gear. We were then forced to stop in a parking lot and got directions to the closest full service repair shop. (this all took place at 8:15pm in barstow, ca) the mechanic ran diagnostics on the van and thought it might be the sensor but would have to run more tests the following morning. We were, at that point forced to stay in barstow for the night. We called the mechanic in the morning and got the unbelievable news. After running more diagnostics he found two additional errors in the transmission related to a pressure problem and informed us our transmission was the problem and needed to be replaced. The mechanic was able to order a factory rebuilt transmission and we were charged a mere $2,750 for parts and labor. In the mean time we had to rent 2 cars to get to our destination (no vehicles were available to fit 6 people). We had to stay an additional night in a hotel, as our van would not be ready until Friday night. Our van has less than 43,000 miles on it and should have been more reliable than what it was. We now have the factory rebuilt transmission, probably from someone else van and therefore cannot be trusted. We do not feel the rebuilt transmission is reliable and now will not drive this vehicle unless absolutely necessary. It is unsafe!! we feel fortunate that we had exited the freeway at apparently the right time, who knows what would have happened had the van shifted in to second gear at 70mph. The story would have been much different.
While in traffic traveling aprox.35mph vehicle suddenly dropped to lowest gear, rpms shot up, speedometer failed, service engine light came on.to shop immediately where mechanic said he has seen many Dodge carvan transmission failures and to take it back to the dealer.I am the 2nd owner and don't know if the original owner had this problem and perhaps thats why he traded it with only about 40K miles on it?dealer says probably a sensor, can't fix today - come back Monday.
While driving 25 mph a loud noise came from underneath vehicle, and then vehicle stopped moving while engine was still running. Dealer was notified. Dealer found broken pin possibly with the transmission.
Stopped at intersection car would not engage forward or reverse. Had to tow to dealership. Dealer service manager knew problem before I had car towed to his shop. Differential pin hadcome through the casecausing internal damage and case is broken. Problem diagnosed before van was at the dealership. Thats hard to believe. Transmission expert knows that engines are too powerful for transmission and service manager claims that pin disengages because it spins faster than it should and come free or breaks. Chrysler immediately admitted to be at fault but only covered half of the cost to replace with a rebuilt transmission with the same faulty pin. Not acceptable.
- Hamilton Ontario Canada, MI, USA
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While driving on the highway, I noticed my van sounding like it wasn't shifting out of 1st or 2nd gear. I made a left turn as required to make an exit off the highway ensurining oncoming traffic was safely at a distance. As I made the turn, my transmission slipped out of gear and the car didn't go anywhere for a moment, and then finally slipped back in gear. I almost was hit by an oncoming car who probably didn't slow down assuming I'd finish my exit.
Speed sensor malfunctioned, and transmission not able to shift gears, was told to drive to shop for repairs. Very low miles for a transmission to start failing.
Vehicle can be put into gear without engine running and no safety feature like brake depression before care can be put into gear a small child can easily do this as my 2 1/2 yo did much to my surprise.
Design defect as per certified transmission repair shop: Vertical pin breaks off which causes a slippage for the main rotating mechanism causing it to puncture the transmission.
A drift pin in front axle will come loose and slide out, knocking a hole in transmission case, which can cause fluid to leak, and possibly front wheels to lock up. Dealer replaced transmission with same manufacturer's defective design.
The transfer pin in the transmission broke causing total failure of the transmission. It would not even stay in park. At first we thought we had hit something because of the jolt that this caused. After the insurance company's investigation it discovered that the damage was from the pin. I contacted daimler/ Chrysler after having the vehicle repaired at a local shop. They seemed willing to help with the repairs through a local dealer. When I informed them that I had already had it fixed through a local shop they were completely unwilling to even discuss the matter. A mechanic that we know only works on these transmissions. He was not shocked that this happened. He has seen it many times.
Without warning, while driving 55mp, heard clunking, grinding, felt jerking. Pulled over to find transmission fluid pouring out. Found large pieces of transmission on highway. Thankful we weren't going faster or on a freeway. Car continued to roll easily while in park. Had to use emergency brake to park vehicle. Had daimler extended warranty, but extremely dissatisfied with them now. Been 1 week now, still being repaired. Warranty only gave a too small replacement vehicle for 5 days(we needed all the van's 7 seats to Transport our family). It is expected to take a total of 11 or more days to repair. We have also had trouble with the key in this van. We will probably never buy another Dodge vehicle, as we have multiple problems with our last van too. We thought that was because it had been previously wrecked, before we bought it. We would be glad to discuss this with anyone. Thank you.
Transmission rebuilt once, but problem persists. Vehicle stutters when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. After dealer investigates complains the vanruns smoothly for about 3 months; then problem starts again. Dealer says they can't find anything wrong when they run diagnostics.
Transmission is not working properly. While consumer was pulling out of drive way, and putting transmission in gear it felt like it was in neutral. Consumer had to play with it before it caught a gear. Contacted dealer, and dealer replaced transmission three times, and problem was still occurring.
Complete transmission failure while on highway. Would not move in any gear after coming to a stop. Had to call tow truck. Day before jumped in and out of gear while coming to a stop and nearly caused collision with vehicle in front of mine.
We have been complaining that there is something wrong with the transmisson since September 1999. The dealer said that the computer shows in spec. The speed sensor went and the van could not shift gears. Replaced and failed again taking out the speedometer. Told it was just a lose wire this time. The dealer told me that all 1998-99 vehicles have the same rev of sensor and Chrysler will not replace them until the fail. At the same time the airconditioner failed -told that the condenser failed due to leaves rotting the system. A vacuum hose failed and another one came lose. Now the trans shudders when shifting. Told that the tran is built like this and most people don't notice it. Chrysler is aware of the problem but won't fix it. Dealer suggested that I not keep this vehicle past warranty as it will continue to fail and become costly to me. They also told me my expectations were too high and I should have purchased a foreign vehicle if I wanted reliability. I contacted Chrysler. Their cust service said that they are only concerned with fixing the vehicle and not building customer relations. I was told that managers will not speak to customers. My wife was almost rear ended when the transmission failed and is afraid to drive the vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Santee, CA, USA