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Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Minivan Problems & Solutions - READ ONLY

4276 messages,  Last post on Oct 23, 2006 at 1:11 AM

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What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler Town and Country, Van

#41 of 4276 cfaulk by dogtrainer Dec 17, 1999 (3:29 pm)
A friend owns a 4 cylinder Voyager. He describes it as a dog, that is, seriously underpowered.
#42 of 4276 cfaulk by dogtrainer Dec 17, 1999 (3:31 pm)
Another point about buying the 4 cylinder...most people whgo buy a minivan want at least 6 cylinders. This may lower the resale value of the 4 cyl.
#43 of 4276 4 cyl vs 6 cyl by mrbizness1 Dec 18, 1999 (12:55 pm)
Go with the 6 cyl. A 4 Cyl is to small for a van. While you may not notice the difference on a test drive, when you add passengers, cargo, and turn on the a/c you will really feel the difference. The fuel mileage will not be much less with the 6 but the performance is night and day. good luck
#44 of 4276 by guitarzan Dec 18, 1999 (3:10 pm)
A classmate of mine works for a company that tests vans for Chrysler. Apparently, for the test facility, there is a failure rate of over 50% for the front end assembly (struts, support). I don't know if other makes have similar problems. These guys must catch most problems, because I don't see people here posting about front end problems in general with their vans. Guitarzan Community Leader/Vans Conference
#45 of 4276 Most reliable american make van by walterchan Dec 18, 1999 (4:03 pm)
We are going to purchase a 2000 minivan. Can someone tell me which is the most reliable american make van. Is it Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette, Pontiac Montana, Chevrolet Astro, GMC Safari, or Ford Windstar. Any feedback would be appreciated.
#46 of 4276 So far - so good by reiner4 Dec 18, 1999 (9:08 pm)
In March '98 we dumped a very tranny-troubled '93 Aerostar and opted for a 5 year lease on an upgraded '98 Grand Caravan SE with the 3.3L 4spd. We haven't had any serious problems (yet)and it currently has +/- 30,000 miles. Other than the normal maintenance items we have returned the vehicle to the Dealer for the following extraneous issues: - 376 Miles: One side of the metal strap that holds the gas tank to frame re-bolted. Actually it was never originally bolted due to the bolt hole not being properly threaded. Found out the hard way when we heard strange metal scraping noises as if bottoming out through minor dips in the road. - 4,805 Miles: Returned vehicle for Satisfaction Notice # 771 - Radiator Fan Relay & Reprogram PCM (?) - 5,156 Miles: a) Dealer finally agreed to re-align front-end which had been pulling badly to the left since shortly after taking it off the lot. The alignment did not fix it 100% - so they rotated all of the tires which miraculously seemed to cure the problem. I'm hoping it's not one of those tire issues I read about in other posts. b) Front windshield replaced due to 'bubbles' in the upper left-hand corner lamination (tinted area by visor) - I thought it only cosmetic, but they initiated the replacement - thank you very much ! c) Finally got them to detail the vehicle to clean up overspray from the Permaplate they applied at the time of purchase, and other interior grease/dirt left from their mechanic. - 13,071 Miles: a)'Check Engine' Light came on - some 'L/R Valve not latching' - Trans. pan removed and inspected for metal - Valve Body Assembly required replacement. Hope this isn't a prelude to the notorious Transmission problems I've read in this and similar Chrysler related posts. (I thought it was just Ford Aerostars that had the tranny problems !?!) b) CD Player intermittently wasn't working - has since 'corrected itself' no thanks to the Dealer. - 16,427 Miles: Dealer installed CD Controller coming off dash due to sloppy install - finally fixed. - 17,213 Miles: 'Check Engine' Light on again ! This time for 'Evap Monitor Flow Failure' - found that the 'Purge Solenoid Connctor' was not making good contact - the pink/black wire crimp at the 'Evap. Solenoid' repaired The only other intermittent issues we have noticed are: - Kind of a shimmy at various speeds. - Strange 'squelching' noise when cranking the wheel out of a drive-way. Tends to be the combination of turning the wheel when the front-end is descending down a surface like the sidewalk portion of a driveway. - Right sliding door doesn't always slide as smoothly as it should - most likely just needs some lubrication. Other than that we have been very happy with all aspects of this vehicle - power, comfort, roominess, etc. I do have to admit I'm impressed with the new Honda Odyssey and actually tried to trade-in the GC for one in a package deal with our CR-V purchase, but we were still 'upside-down' on it's lease. Oh well, we'll enjoy for a while longer - not sure if we'll opt to buy at the end of it's lease in 2/2003. Depends on what's on the market.
#47 of 4276 Decision Time by jpwiseman Dec 19, 1999 (6:59 am)
I'm on my 3rd DC minivan ('88 Caravan, '90 Grand Voyager SE and '94 Grand Caravan ES). The ex got the '88 which ran great. I kept the '90 until about 185k miles when I decided I wasn't going to fix the A/C again. BTW, it got a new tranny at 90k and the paint was beginning to peel. Now the tranny on my '94 is going out. It's at the ford dealer right now while I'm test driving a '98 Windstar but the problems posted about Windstar's on the Ford Town Hall seem to outnumber the DC problems many times over. I read an article on-line about an attorney that's going to file a class action lawsuit against DC for the trans problem. He's sending me the info but I can't wait for the help, if it ever comes, from a lawsuit. This Windstar seemed like a good deal but now I'm not so sure I shouldn't just replace the tranny on the GC and go on.
#48 of 4276 walterchan by dhaxton Dec 19, 1999 (5:50 pm)
Why are you limiting the field to American vans?
#49 of 4276 1996 DC intermittently refuses to go into gear by mphat Dec 21, 1999 (6:53 pm)
I've got a 1996 DC Sport 3.3L that occasionally acts up. My wife will back it out of the garage onto the driveway and then shift to D to pull out our circular driveway. The van will just rev, then she will try reverse again (again it still revs)she will then coast backward into the street and shift to D again and really rev it up and then it will finally engage. Our driveway is on a slight incline 2 foot rise over 35-40 feet so its not steep. If anyone has experienced this and knows which Technical Service Bulletin to suggest I would appreciate some help. It goes in to the shop next Monday for a recall and I want them to see what they can do for the intermittent problem. I still love the rig I just wish a diagnostic code would accompany the problem tranny. Mark H. send me an email at gocougsgomsn.com
#50 of 4276 Should I purchase any extended warranty for my 98 Dodge Caravan by xingze_cai Dec 23, 1999 (12:44 am)
I'm currently considering the warranty from WarrantyGold (the one from internet) for my 98 Dodge Caravan. It seemed that they offer cheaper price than the Chrysler. Does anybody has experience on this? How good it is? And is it worth to buy? Many thanks!

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