Had the tranny uploaded with a patch, changed the valve programming still same old crappy shifting....

Was told next I am will be charged!!! It has 40,000 miles I should have known better as this is my 2nd Caravan and 2nd transmission problem. My wife is scared to drive it I have a Toyota FJ with absolutely NO issues!!

I am glad I didn't buy a Jeep I was close.

Dodge you guys are losing return buyers to the Japanese ask yourself why????

Randy a happy Toyota convert.

 

Hmm. My neighbors Tundra is at the dealer getting a new tranny only after he threatened to go public. He's a tech at a radio station.

 

Guess it comes down to number of recalls as well. We have had recalls on power doors, front bearings, AC grommets. Had the sliding door repaired, brakes replaced, plastic mouldings replaced that blew off while driving, My GIG replaced, battery replaced. My FJ had a recall it was for a door decal for tires.

Oh well time will tell don't know much about Tundras just Tacomas and FJs really comes down to which product will last and which one will not.

All I know for what we paid for the SXT van with the supposedly new tranny design I have lost faith. The dealer stated it was normal for the gear searching, clunking from 2nd to 1st, the shuddering, and high revving.... When I offered for the Manager to drive my FJ for shifting comparison he declined saying Japanese vehicles shift differently????

After the kids get bigger we will most just move to a Pathfinder or 4runner.

Randy

 

Any idea on how many 2011's were made? I'm guessing in the 10s of thousands. I'm wondering if this transmission issue is specific to a plant or batch? Knock on wood, i havent had any of these symptoms but have been keeping an eye on this thread.
I've got 15800 KM on my 11.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but It's my understanding that all GC are made in the same Ontario plant. A problematic batch is possible and early productions runs of a new model are usually more at risk of problems.

From what I have seen on this forum and a few google searches a lot of affected models appear to be from early 2011 but one or two people have mentionned that 2012 lowners have presented a similar transmission problem.

I really don't know what to think anymore. I was looking to purchase a GC early next year since it's almost 10,000$ cheaper in Canada than a base V6 Toyota Sienna but I'm not sure anymore.

 

It is a tough question for sure. We bought our SXT GC for the same reason it was alot cheaper but in 3 years what we saved we have lost in terms of depeciation.

Our SXT:


Seems like you get what you pay for there are are no deals.

My FJ is 5 years old now and still drives like new and still has no issues it just drives the same all the time.

My FJ:

But the only thing a person can do is read the number of consumer complaints on each make to get an idea I did not do my research on my SXT....

We did buy additional warranty coverage after what we have seen the last couple of years.

Randy

 

HI everyone following the transmission post on the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. I've had the van back for a week now. I am driving it out of the economy mode and it seems to be shifting good. The service dept at Dodge told me not to drive it in the economy mode until Dodge comes out with a new computer program or solution to the transmission problem while driving it in the economy mode. I have noticed a slight difference in the fuel economy, going from 18.5- 20 mpg to 17.5. I do alot of around town driving. I will see what happens next. Still haven't heard from the Dodge Specialist that I have left 5 messages with. I wish I had kept my old 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3 motor and 4 speed tranny. Why do they change a good thing? Competition and fuel economy. How about getting these fuel prices lowered instead.

 

Well there are definitely things I like about our 2011 GC and everything is fine at the moment but we have had our problems like many of you. Prior to this we were a toyota family and I do wish now I had just paid extra for a new sienna, or bought a second hand sienna. Maybe its luck of the draw but our Toyotas were less hassle than the GC has been. Although I will say every time we have had a problem they the dealer has given us a rental and warranty has covered the issues so far.

Once the warranty runs out though I sure don't want computer and tranny problems.

 

I found it too embarassing to drive around town in the "Economy" setting, as the huge 1st to 2nd (3rd?) "thuud!" was so noticeable to my passengers (note to Dodge: not good for GC reputation). So I drive without the Economy button on, except on the hiway.

I wonder what the setting was when they did the MPG or L/100k testing?

 

Are the transmission problems also present when not in eco mode?
To be honest I never plan to drive the vehicule in this mode. I like having some "oopmh" under the foot so I have problems with the idea of artificially cutting down the power with slower shifts. I'd probably just end up giving it more gas to compensate thus defeating the purpose of the eco mode.

As for the "projected" fuel economy well... they probably put the van in a wind tunnel, waited for it to hit the economical sweetspot and then start recording the fuel economy. According to the factory numbers, my 2.4L pontiac vibe should never go over 8 or 8.5 L/100km but I usually have an average combined driving number closer to 10L/100km. Although I won't deny I have a somewhat heavy foot.