I purchased this vehicle used with 46,000km on it. since the test drive It made loud clunking noise when going into and out of reverse as well as shuddering in reverse. Dealership said its a characteristic of Dodge not to worry about it. So I brought it home and dealt with it for months and months.

When driving 80km an hour one day in December 2015 My car was feeling like it was going over rumble strips and so I pulled into a gas station and called the number in my manual. The van had hit 152,000km and was out of warranty. Dodge didn't have any record of me purchasing the vehicle and she said there was a recall on the TCM to get it in. This recall was on the van when I purchased it and the dealership said no such thing!

So I got it to my nearest joke of a dodge dealership where they updated the module and replaced spark plugs for 600.00 they called it fixed I called it WORSE! Before taking it home I asked what the TCM was and they told me it was the computer that tells the trans what to do. I said I've been driving this for 152,000 km what damage could this have done. they said some wear but its fixed now and out of warranty. it had continued to misfire sporadically after that but, I was broke after that bill and Christmas. They said I could bring it back for 150.00 hr. diagnostics.

In May 2016 barely 6 months after the module was updated my check engine light came on and i was experiencing very rough shifting and lagging. I had the code read and it was for the trans. I called Eastside Dodge and told them about it and they said yup bring it in for the diagnostic price and they'd look at it. pfft!

After research on line I decided to go to a transmission shop. they assessed it and it was BAD! the solenoid pack torque converter had to be replaced and the transmission worked on the prevent further breakdown quote 5,600.00 and that was a DEAL I learned! I called Dodge, the dealership everywhere and no one least of all DODGE would take responsibility for this VERY premature breakdown. Dodge wanted est. 7,000.00 and other trans shops were similar. I went with where it was currently sitting and thankfully the labor didn't cost as much as previously estimated and I ended up with at rebuild and replacement parts for 4,300.00. None of this Dodge covered or acknowledged.

After so many problems with this vehicle I'm dreading the engine trouble that causes a horrible accident and injures my children or worse or myself or someone else. these vehicles are not safe. (Oh ya... I write this and there's now another recall being addressed. Apparently airbags can go off unexpectedly.....) I want to drive it through Dodge glass showroom windows and burn it!!!!!!!!!

I have a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan bought brand new in June of 2012.The Flex Plate broke in the transmission making a horrible grinding, clanking, god aweful noise when in any gear but reverse and when you are at the idle position. Took it back to the dealership and they said they have to drop the transmission, tear down the transmission and replace the Flex Plate rebuild the transmission and put it back in the van. Then they are going to test drive it to see if anything else happens. This should not have happened in a new vehicle what so ever and event he technician agreed and has no idea he stated how it broke let alone it should never have! I have done my research and have found that this is because coming off the factory line multiple things were already wrong with it and it was not put together properly at the beginning. However, it gets shipped out and the customer is stuck paying the bill in the long run cause the dealership pulls the famous, " It's out of warranty or It's not covered under warranty" bull crap! What do the dealership's cover honestly? This is not right and a rip off from the dealerships so they can line their pockets and screw us hard working customers. I am very disappointed in Dodge big time. If this is not fixed properly, it will be the Lemon Law cause their has been so many issues from day one that the dealership has not noted when I took it back and they masked many problems cause they didn't want to deal with a women cause we don't know anything! HA!!! This one does.

After purchasing this used car from the dealership I noticed a large thump while downshifting (automatic) in lower speeds. Brought it back immediately to the dealership only to have the service adviser mention that it is normal for that the year and model vehicle. I do have a warranty and plan to bring it back for a second time to address this issue.

My concern is that I see lots of other similar complaints and don't want to be left stranded on one of my vacations somewhere. Is it a defect with the transmission, programming, etc.? Not sure, but I will be a thorn in the dealerships side until this is repaired. This is a common problem and that is not good for the consumer. Thanks for reading. DMoreschiFLA

Update from May 3, 2014: Finally got the dealership to update the computer system by flashing the latest updates. Well, it drives so much better in ECO mode and the shifting is smooth when slowing. Why can't Dodge/Chrysler send out notices for this free update?

....This is a follow up to my complaint about my 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan CVP that I bought July 4th 2012.

So i said when I bought it new ...right away it had a transmission clunk / knock/ bang whatever you want to call it when you are slowing down or coming to a stop.

Well in 2013 Chrysler sent me a recall notice saying the car had to have the computer reprogrammed for the transmission to fix the shifting issue. (sorry i don't have the notice handy, i'll post the recall name later if i find it) '

Anyway being as my car was due for it's very first oil change I took the car in at the same time for the reprogram around may 2013 ( so at this point the car is not even 1 year old).

Well it's now August 12, 2013 and the van is still the exact same. I have the paper that says they re-programmed the car.

So obviously there is a design issue or the supposed fix doesn't work.

Next oil change I'll be complaining to the dealer. the car has 3852miles or / 6,200 km on it.

My dealer is sorta far from me so that's why I haven't called and gone in. I'll wait till the next oil change.

I know what they will say. Oh there is nothing we can do. That's what I am expecting.

I am thinking of selling the van. I should have known better than to buy a Chrysler. Transmission problems have been rampant since the 90's. I actually have a friend who has the same year van as i do. Same model and everything and he has the exact same shift issue.

Update from Mar 24, 2015: Iti is now March 24th, 2015.

Had the 2012 Caravan in for it's second oil change at the Chrysler Dealer I bought it from (now has 10,477km on it) and the car is still shuttering & clunking especially on the down shift when slowing like i earlier said.

I agree with - carguy d h , Orlando, FL, USA , shifts are rough and so forth on upshift too.

This car is warranted, but I am worried about the day it comes out of warranty & i'm thinking Dodge just didn't make these well.

They need to figure something out.

Update from Jun 26, 2015: So to sum this up. It really should be titled as Transmission Shifts rough/clunks

on braking/stopping & Acceleration from stop position.

Update from Dec 8, 2015: Update to my last UPDATE.

--------------------------------------

As of Dec 2015 i have had the 2012 Grand Caravan back into the dealer in Dec and they couldn't find anything relating to the transmission.

I find that if you were to drive around a wal-mart parking lot because the van will down shift and you aren't at high speed that the loud clunk on the down shift presents itself somewhere in 1-2 gear. Happening with more frequency but no check engine lights or anything. I am going to either let the problem persist as i have 2 more years warranty on the transmission or take it to another dealer to see if they tell me what's wrong.

Each time i take it to the dealer i let Chrysler Canada know by calling them i've taken the van in and i want you to document that there is a ongoing problem. Just in case at the 5 year cut off they can't find anything.

Update from Sep 22, 2016: >>> BIG SEPTEMBER 2016 UPDATE <<<

(2012 Dodge Caravan CVP - 3.6L Pentastar, 6-Speed Auto 62TE Transmission , Stone White)

FINALLY MADE SOME PROGRESS!

Quick Recap of what's above ^ - Bought this Van in NEW July 2012 @ Glassford Chrysler Ingersoll -Transmission Rough Shifting / Knock/ Slam on downshifts and rough upshift, stutters in Reverse Clunks when put in Gear. -Took van to have Transmisison Re-Flashed/Re-learn at least 2x @ Glassford , complained another few times. they couldn't seem to see the problem. -Decided to start taking the Van to a Dealer in London Ontario instead & asked Chrysler Canada if that was ok...they said yes. -Has 19,500 kilometres on it as of Sept 21st 2016. Powertrain Warranty runs out July 2017. (except for the Recall Notice stating the valve Guides warranty has been extended on the left side cylinder head for 10 year / 240,000km instead of 5yr , 100,000km

So to the UPDATE -Last week took the van to the local Dealer and was fed up with this van said can i book a road test with your Transmission Guy/Mechanic/Technician. -Took him for a drive in the van , got the van to coast on a parking lot steep hill.....at about 20-21km/hr and it then shifted but somewhat replicated the clunk/bang that it sometimes does in traffic. This will sometimes happen softer or really hard. At this point i am in Regular mode....NOT IN ECO (the mechanic said he recommended no one use Eco-Mode...simply like everyone else says...the shift points are changed and tends to be screwy) -So booked it in for him took at a few days later & he said it showed up having a UNDERDRIVE COMPOUNDER as a problem and needs replacing > SEE this for more info > http://www.allpar.com/mopar/transmissions/62TE.html OR > https://www.scribd.com/doc/112608066/Auto-Trans-62te

-THE SOLUTION / THE PROBLEM FIXED/ SOLVED-

-So I took the van in for a Tuesday and they said they needed it for 2 days. -They dealer paid for a rental car which was the same but a 2016 Dodge Caravan and it drove way smoother and i dunno if it has different suspension setup but handled a lot nicer too. It had 10,000km on it compared to my 19,500km. I noticed it didn't have the harsh shift my van did ...but it did clunk a bit from Park to Reverse & Drive as other owners i have talked to mentioned.

-Picked our 2012 Caravan up after the 2nd day and talked to the Mechanic/Technician and he said he dropped the Transmission pan -Saw Clutch material , knew that meant torque converter was bad. -Replaced Torque Converter -UnderDrive Compounder -Internal Transmission Seals -Replaced Transmissio Filter -Complete Replacement of All Fluid ( as per replacing the torque converter) -New Axle Seals -Re-Learn again on the transmission -There may have been some other stuff as well, but i will upload the Service Paper work they gave me....N/C just means no -

-Charge ( i presume this would have all cost between $2.5-$4 thousand dollars + Sadly they didn't put down what they will end up billing the warranty company. I didn't have to pay anything as I still have Warranty until July 2017.

He told me to drive it and let it break in a bit and then report back. So i really have no miles on it, just wanted to upload what had been done.....but i did notice it still clunks from Park, to Reverse to Drive. I think sadly that is the nature of these. However the rough shifting hopefully this replacement torque converter & other parts listed above will solve the Clunk/Bang/Slam shift felt at lower speeds.

I also prior to the Mechanic performing the transmission work had asked The Chrysler Parts Department what a UnderDrive Compounder is worth...i uploaded that also on a separate quote sheet and it was $500+ dollars.

The black lines you see are just me blocking out my vin# and the service people just for privacy sake...so there is no info you are missing there.

(I had also mentioned to them about a popping noise heard at idle with the motor...but they were unsure...so i said i would

worry about the transmission for now. So i plan to take care of that also.)

So In closing ....i will be driving it and hoping it works ok and will report back on how it is.

Update from May 30, 2017: (2012 Dodge Caravan CVP - 3.6L Pentastar, 6-Speed Auto 62TE Transmission , Stone White)

It is now May30th 2017 and i have spend the majority of my month chasing chrysler dealers around.

Been to the dealer i originally bought the car with in Ingersoll & the dealer i've been dealing with the last 2 years after i gave up on the ingersoll dealer.

I went to them both this month because After my September 2016 update above in the last post where the Torque Converter etc was replaced, the transmission still gets a rough shift/clunk once in a while under the same scenarios listed above....the main concern right now is still the Reverse to Drive (R to D ) bang, clunk , thud. So i went into the dealer and mention and engine popping all this.

Basically they couldn't find anything or hear what i was talking about.

Anyhow 1 month left on the warranty , and i am going to post here the Original TSB that was sent in the mail for the transmission about rough shifting. Chrysler knows these have issues as pointed out by their star case for the reverse shudder as they call it.

I am so sick and tired of this piece of junk , i just want to blow it up and and sent it to a crusher.

Currently has 23,6xxx kilometres on it

If you are frustrated like me Sign a Petition hopefully Chrysler will recall or replace these hunks of junk https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mopar-62te-transmission-needs-to-be-retuned-or

So I bought a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan July 4th when they were offering the CVP packages on TV for $19,999 Canadian.

So i noticed right away once i had the car that coming to a stop sign or slow in the parking lot from speed the transmission clunks or bangs/ bumps when you it downshifts.

The car literally had less than 1,000km/ 621 miles on it at the time. It was BRAND NEW.

A little more than 1 year later August 12th 2013....with 6,200km / 3,852 miles it still is doing it.

Now it still does it even if you press the economy mode button as well. So it can be on or off...doesn't matter.

Just as a point of note. Mine is one with the new Pentastar 3.6L v6 and 6spd auto.

I will post a follow up.