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.
2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle brake issues. The consumer stated over the past two years, the right brake pad and rotors were replaced several times. Many of the replacements were done with less 12,000/15,000 in between. Updated 09/17/13
Dealership informed me that front and rear brakes needed to be replaced. Minivan is not driven in the city, no stop and go traffic, majority of miles were done on the interstate.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the brakes made a grinding noise when depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the brake failure several times. The dealer replaced the brake pads and calipers twice but the failure was not corrected and there was a significant increase in braking distance. In addition, the air conditioning unit failed and would not blow cold air. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 28,296.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact was driving 45 mph when the brakes were applied and the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact believed that both rotors were replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 13,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.
I have had to replace the brakes on my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan multiple times since purchased on 11/14/2011. The van only has 69000 miles on it. The problem is that even after the brakes are replaced the brakes makes squeaking sounds & grinding almost immediately. I take it back and they say nothing is wrong. I wait a little longer and they say brake pads & calipers need to be replaced. Good thing I brought it in. This vehicle is poorly designed and if we can't tell then the brakes are going bad, a serious accident could result. Have replaced brake pads 5 times. And have also replaced rotors and calipers.
- Noblesville, IN, USA
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Replaced front brakes at 21150 miles. Told by smithtown Dodge & Chrysler(New York) that there is a service bulletin but no recalls on the brakes. Did some research online and discovered this is a major problem with the 2008 Dodge Caravan. There are hundreds of stories of brake replacement with low mileage.the dealer even admits there is a design flaw that the pads are too small for the size vehicle.there is the same problem with the rear brakes, with stories of wheels locking up. Being a retired mechanic I think this is a serious problem. Just consider a van full of people not being able to stop, or worse have a wheel lock up at 55mph on a highway. I think there should be an investigation into this problem. People's lives should come first.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, he heard a squeaking coming from the brakes. The vehicle was maneuvered to the shoulder and stopped. The contact noticed that both rear brakes were smoking. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the rotors were replaced. The failure recurred twice. The contact also stated that on one occasion, the brakes unexpectedly engaged while driving 60 mph. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 10,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the brakes wore prematurely and were defective. The dealer made three attempts to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was aware of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. The contact was awaiting repairs to the vehicle at the dealer. The current mileage was 82,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 12,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact was driving 55 mph when the vehicle started to jerk and burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. The contact also mentioned that the headlights would fail sporadically without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the front passenger side caliper was defective and needed to be replaced. Three months later, the rear driver caliper needed to be replaced as well. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 38,000 and the current mileage was 55,643.
I have had to replace the front brakes on my 2008 Grand Caravan three times since purchasing it in 2009. In addition the rear brakes have been replaced twice. The first time the front brakes were replaced was in October 2009 at 27,933, then 12/31/2010 at 58,000 and now at 74,500 we are replacing them again. The rears were replaced on 10/29/2009 at 28,653 and now at 74,500. Understand that Dodge knows there is a problem because I received a letter in 2010 saying they would pay a percentage of the replacement cost for the front brakes depending on the mileage of the vehicle. However besides repaying for some of the costs incurred for the first replacement nothing else was done because the problem keeps occurring ever 30,000 miles or less.
The brakes on this vehicle are wearing out rapidly. The front brakes and rotors had to be changed at 13,000 miles. When the service was done it was noted that the front left rotor was grooved and was replaced along with the brake pads. The right front rotor was not changed. It was also noted the front end allignment was pulling to the right. The dealer rotated the tires and noted tire wear was the problem. The vehicle had 17144 miles and the allignment was still pulling. The dealer checked and stated the front end was set at manufacturers specs. The vehicle had 23,922 miles and the front brakes were sqeaking and grinding again. The dealer changed the front rotors and brake pads. The vehicle had 28,343 miles and the front end was sqeaking and shuddering when braking at any speeds. The dealer checked the alignment and reset the toe. By this time the tires on the vehicle were completely worn below 3/32 tread depth. The dealer stated this was the cause of the alignment problem. The dealer changed the front rotors and brakes due to them being grooved and warped. The dealer was told the noise sounded as though it was coming from the rear brakes. The dealer told me the rear brakes and rotors were warped and the pads were severely worn and should be replaced. The rear brakes were not even inspected at any time when the front brakes were completely ground down to metal. The dealer could only tell me the rear brakes were no longer under the warranty. Please help!!!
Encountered brake failure at 11000 miles. Repaired at my expense. Failed again at about 23000 miles, repaired under warranty. Failed again at 37,000 miles, my cost. All cases involved pads and rotors. There has got to be design failure where Chrysler/Dodge developers under engineered the size and/or composition of the brake caliper/pad system. Chrysler continues to deny that there is a design problem, yet there are hundreds of complaints here. Without a doubt, despite owning Caravan since the original 1984 model, never again. Anyone interested in a class action lawsuit"?"
Consistent brake and rotor failure..scraping, grinding, locking and shimmeying of the wheel when braking. Was informed by Chrysler corporation that this year, make, model has a known "design" flaw in the braking system. Their solution is to temporarily keep replacing the brake pads and rotors, however after 36000 miles the consumer is responsible for full replacement and payment of these parts every single year as they fail to operate correctly every 12,000 miles. Chrysler corporation knowingly sold this vehicle to consumers and refuses to do anything but put a bandaid on this issue. They should issue a recall and completely rehaul the braking system or give the consumers a brand new vehicle and reimburse for all expenses surrounding this issue. They are putting the lives of children at risk as well as others.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel began to vibrate and the vehicle exhibited an abnormal grinding sound while applying the brakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician stated that the brake pads and rotors would have to be replaced. After the repairs the failure recurred four times. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that both front and rear brakes were wearing prematurely, causing the vehicle to shake violently. In February 2009, the dealer repaired the brake pads and in October and December 2010, the dealer repaired the front and rear brake pads and rotors. The failure continued to recur. The manufacturer was aware of the failure yet no repairs were performed. The current mileage was 80,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 18,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated the rear calipers began to heat up and the rear wheels also locked. The tread came off of both tires because of the failure. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic who stated the calipers failed and were a manufacturer's defect. The manufacturer did not inspect the vehicle. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that both the front and rear rotors were wearing prematurely and excessively. The dealer replaced the rotors in July 2010 and the rotors were worn again and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. No repairs were performed. The current mileage was 74,000. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000. The VIN was unavailable.
2008 Dodge Caravan purchased in August 2008. Rear brakes rubbing causing squealing, a burning smell and very hot rims. Dealer replaced both rear brakes in August 2009 at about 11,000 miles. Same thing occurred in 2011. Dealer refused to do anything on price and wanted $401. They claimed corrosion was the problem. Car now has 27,000 miles. Rear brakes only lasted 16,000 miles. There is a defect. Everybody knows that. Somebody is going to die. Rims will heat up and cause a tire to blow. Just a matter to time.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that there was a loud humming sound coming from the braking system. The noise would begin to sound while driving above speeds of 60 mph and cease once the brake pedal was depressed. Once the brake pedal was released, the noise would resume. The vehicle had not been inspected. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage is 40,000. Updated 11/16/11 the consumer stated the humming noise ceased. Updated 12/02/11
We own a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with 45K miles on the van. The van has been through 4 complete brake repairs within the 45 K and most recently we needed to replace the master cylinder. We were over 1000 miles from home on July 20th in miami when both brakes and master cylinder went out. By luck I noticed the problem and brought it in for service, this had the potential to be life threatening for my young kids, my wife and I. we are looking to you for help before we or someone gets hurt. We are averaging the need for brakes every 12K miles. We have paid for all of the repairs and Dodge finally issued a repayment for a percentage of the cost. These brakes are underperforming and I believe it is an engineering issue. Please research this issue. There is a lot of complaints about this issue and someone needs to make sure the public is protected. I appreciate your help in this matter.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Amboy, IL, USA