I bought my 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT in November 2009. It has the 4.0 litre engine with tow package. It has 100,000 km's on it of almost all highway miles.

The rear brakes are GARBAGE. Everything that can go wrong with them have. Replacing brake pads, calipers, and rotors every 20,000 km's is an utter joke.

When the van is paid off which is going to be very soon. I'm going to purchase either the Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey or Nissan Quest. I know I'm not the only one...If they promised people like me that the brake system will not melt away I would buy another Grand Caravan. Chrysler has done this to themselves. Stupid F**ks

 

Has anyone ever contacted Chrysler about their break issues? If so what was the verdict?

 

I dealt with my local dealer, who gave a shrug and told me the brakes should be serviced ever three to five thousand miles. In other words with every oil change.
I have never experienced such indifference with a new vehicle (2011)
Still waiting for a call about the sliding doors. They have been rubbing on the outer body. I reported it, in the shop, in mid August, while I was having the brakes looked at and was told "Spacers are on back order."
That was three months ago and the paint is down to the primer coat.
Perhaps there are so many vehicles with the same issue, they can't produce enough to meet demand?

 

Didn't get anywhere when I called Dodge customer service, was told that brakes are normal wearing, maintenance items.

Sure they're a normal wearing part, but what is taking place with the brakes on these vans is excessive or premature wear.

Guess our only option is to put up with it until we go out and replace the vehicle with one from another manufacturer as it seems Dodge/Chrysler doesn't value us as customers.

 

file a bb and ntsha recall on it so that they forced to do something. more people sign up the more they have to do something

 

I've had replacement pads crack and rotors warp on my other Grand Caravans with the disk brakes on the front only and had them replaced under warranty by Advance Auto Parts. I've had idiots try and only give me a replacement for one side as the other was okay but both sided should be replaced at the same time rotors and pads. I don't think they have found a compound equal to the old asbestos ones which were outlawed. Another theory I've heard is flushing the brake lines three or four times during the life of the van to remove sludge and whatnot from system prevents caliper pistons from freezing, however, I've never heard a dealer doing it. My other questions is are the drivers of Chrysler Town and Country's experiencing the same problem or is this a Dodge only thing?

 

Evidently from a check of the Chrysler Forum, 2010 Chrysler T&C owners are having the same problems we are. Though I've seen something I didn't see here - someone recommending painting the calipers to prevent brake dust build up. Also noted one owner saying Chrysler had gone to a 17 inch wheel on the 2012's and using larger calipers and rotors evidently in an attempt to correct this. Another owner said he was moving to the vented drilled rotors which someone here questioned as being a stopping issue....

 

SHAMU, I have friends who own Chrysler T&Cs and they go through rear brakes the same as I do with this dodge. They are basically the same vehicle it seems.
Anyway, to bring everyone up to date, I now have about 52,000 miles on my 2010 GC-SXT.
Last spring I installed new rear pads and kept the ESP system turned off most of the time this summer. It seemed to be better as I didn't "find" the wheel hot. However, last week I checked the pads to see how they were doing and found the drivers side worn down to about one eight of an inch!!! So, apparently that brake WAS staying on at times enough to wear the pads down. The passenger side was almost like new. SO, I took the rear brakes apart and CLEANED everything real well. I wire brushed the rotors and the caliper housing and guides. I ground the new pad tabs so they fit loosely in the guides and slide freely. I applied Never-Seize to all moving points. After reassembly the wheels spun freely. 3 days later I took the van to the dealer for oil and lube and even checked the wheels when I got there. They were cool. On the way home I stopped after driving about 10 miles. As I opened the door the burning brake smell hit me. I looked and Smoke was pouring out of the rear driver's side wheel. As I looked closer, I could see the Never-Seize in the pad guides boiling. The rotor was blue. I called to the man I has stopped to see, to come look at it. He is a good mechanic also and he said that since the caliper had been replaced last year and I had the ESP system turned off, the only thing it could be is that the anti-lock brake valve for that wheel, that allows the return of brake fluid to the reservoir is faulty. After it cooled, I continued on home and it stayed cool. I called the Dealer and talked to the Service Manager who had replaced the caliper last year and explained what had happened and our theory about the valve sticking intermittently. He said I was the only one experiencing this problem, but he would ask around the shop if any of the mechanics had seen or heard of this problem. He hasn't called back yet.
I still feel the ESP system may be sending intermittent wrong signals to these valves or the valves may be defective and sticking closed, keeping the pressure in that brake line.
For the brake to get as hot as it did, there HAD to be hydraulic pressure in that line. It is NOT, as Dodge tries to tell us, that the pads are mechanically hanging up due to rust or binding of the parts. I am not giving up on this problem. I will continue to hound the dealer until he provides some solution.

 

It is just a poor design. I have an 02 with rear disks yet I have 0 issues with warpage or early failure as my van uses a completely different type of caliper. On the 08+ vans, the parking brake is actuated by a lever that actuates the pads while on the 01-07 models the parking brake is a small drum brake inside the disk. I never liked the style calipers they use on the 08+ because when they adjust out they have a bad habit of over adjusting. In my mind, this is what is occurring, although there is almost no way to truly fix this. This makes more sense than the ABS holding brake pressure. I just don't see that being the cause.

The 08+ vans are showing more issues than the previous generation, enough so that I will keep rebuilding my 02 until there is just nothing left of it. Far too many reported problems with the 08+ vans that just don't exist on the older models.

If I were you guys, I would get those rear brakes checked with every other oil change if not every one. I realize that you shouldn't have to do it that often, but it is cheaper than a brake job every 4 months.

 

Just to clarify my previous post, I'll add a note about the above comment.

[I never liked the style calipers they use on the 08+ because when they adjust out they have a bad habit of over adjusting. In my mind, this is what is occurring, although there is almost no way to truly fix this. This makes more sense than the ABS holding brake pressure. I just don't see that being the cause.]QUOTE]

Since I backed off the parking brake piston when replacing the pads, and the wheels spun freely after completion of the job, AND I did NOT apply the emergency brake since doing all this, How could that be the cause of the burning brake??? There HAD to be hydraulic pressure in that line keeping that one brake on. Whether the fault lies in the ABS or a mechanical valve remains to be seen.
Also the fact that that the pads on that one wheel wore down so far while the others didn't clearly indicates that that brake is being applied or staying on more than the other 3.