Here's my issue (s)...

I bought a used 2008 Grand Caravan about two years ago. It only had 22,000 miles on it at the time and was still under warranty. A few month of driving and both a front and a rear break calipers seized up creating a very unsafe experience for my wife and toddler. A little research on the issue and it seems that this is not an uncommon problem for Dodge. Luckily, the warranty covered two new calipers, and since the pads and rotors we also junk and the local dealer wouldn't reuse them they replaced them all under the warranty. Pretty cool I thought.

Months later, and now just out of warranty, check engine light goes on. I happen to own a scan tool and found out the code indicated the EGR valve stopped functioning. And this is at around 37,000 miles. Really? So a trip to autozone and a few hours of my time the EGR valve is replaced and the engine light went away.

A few more miles down the road and what's this? Another light on the dash. Yup, it's a tire sensor. $100 later and the light goes off. Not a big deal, but annoying.

I should also mentioned that I do my own oil changes. Very easy for anyone to do and a great way to save a little money if you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty. The reason I mention this is because over the months and years of owning this vehicle, I've come to find out that this little 3.8 motor really uses the oil up. I honestly have to add about 3 quarts of oil between the recommended changes. It's weird too because I didn't have any drips of oil in the garage and it sure wasn't blowing smoke out the tail pipe like you'd expect with that kind of consumption. A little more research online including this website and yep, pretty normal for a dodge... Really???

So around 40,000 miles and now what? Oh crap, the automatic sliding door that my wife is so fond of has failed. Take it to the dealership and $50 later, Holy Crap! They want $500 to fix it??? Uh, sorry honey, no more automatic sliding door for you.

Okay, now present day, 52,000 miles on the odometer. Now we start to see oil leaking onto the garage floor. Is that motor oil or tranny fluid? It's actually hard to tell. I put the van up on ramps and got under with my flashlight. The entire oil pan gasket seems to be leaking or is at least moist, but I can't pinpoint a specific spot. It all just seems to be wet. Also, looking around a little more I notice that the driver side axle boot is very wet. A possible transaxle seal failure? It's so hard to tell since the oil on the garage floor looks and smells more like motor oil, but the leak coming from the axle seal is very obvious. And thanks to Dodge, they've made it impossible for the "garage mechanic" to check the transmission fluid level. I actually have to take it in to have it checked. Digging into this any further is moving out of my comfort zone so needless to say I've got to get it in to have it checked out.

Soooooo..... Now I possibly have to drop a ton of money on having the seal replaced in the near future and pray that there hasn't been any internal damage requiring a replacement of the transmission. Yep, all within 52,000 miles... I cannot believe that this is normal for dodge, but if it is, why no recalls? I've looked into lemon laws and they don't qualify for second owners. And what about that awesome 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty Dodge offered with this year vehicle? Nope, doesn't cover second owners wither. How convenient...


So I ask again, why does Dodge make such crap?

I truly believe this is a valid question. I'm not going to name brands, but my other vehicle is not a Chrysler product. It is an 03, and has over 100,000 miles on it. Other than oil changes and a break pad replacement at 65,000 miles I have done nothing to it.

Chrysler is quickly making me "brand loyal". And unfortunately it's not for them...


For Sale:

2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT
52,000 miles
Has automatic sliding door on drivers side
new tires!

Call today!



Lastly, another way to validate my question, "Why does Dodge make such crap?"

Just look at all the other posts over the last few weeks or months. Why so many problems Dodge???


Okay, I'm done venting. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to get that off my chest.

Thanks for listening!

C

 

You have every right to vent. It appears you've gotten stuck with a porker. Dodge has been the number three domestic manufacturer forever for a reason.

That said, thousands have had little to no problem with their Chrysler Corp minivans. Yes you see many threads on this and other Dodge forums about problems with these vans. Trouble is if you take a look at Toyota, Honda and others forums, there's plenty there too. That's the thing about forums, people come here to post problems. It's a rare event when someone posts praises of how wonderfully their van is running.

Your sliding door problem could be the typical open wire in the wire harness in the frame at the base of the door. Heres a video that tells you all about it:
Not sure why the 3.8s in the 4th generation vans have that oil leak problem. I have the 3.8 in my 3rd generation 96 with 212K miles. It has never leaked a drop and I might need to add half a quart in 5000 miles. Wish I could say the same for the transmission. It's had a drip pan under it for years. The drivetrain has been great. The accessories not so much. I've owned 3 Toyotas. The 87 Camry was absolutely free of problems for the 14 years I owned it. The 94 Camry not so much though I'd still call it a decent car. The current 06 RAV4 has had the steering gear and shafts replaced. The battery died out of the blue leaving us stranded, and the electronic power steering failed. It fixed itself at the dealership so now that's a nightmare waiting to happen again at 80 mph on a freeway. Even Toyota, a benchmark of reliability at least in the past, have their headaches.

 

Thank you Cougar for the input and the video. Unfortunately I don't think the video will help my situation. I was told that the motor needed to be replaced because a cable broke? Is the track system in an 08 different than the earlier generation vans? I don't think my door is gear driven like the video shows. Either way, being a little mechanical myself, I figure I've got nothing to lose by tearing it apart some evening this week and see what I can find. As far as the oil leak goes that I'm having, I'm going to need to take it in for an estimate.

I agree that every manufacturer has their own problems, but how a manufacturer deals with it is very important. I can't believe all the issues my van has had, and turns out a lot of others have had as well, and yet no recalls? Other manufacturers, as you mentioned Toyota, are often very quick to respond to customers complaints with recalls. Why not fix a customers issue so they can be happy and possibly buy more in the future rather than **** a customer off so he'll never buy again? Doesn't make sense to me... But like you said, some people have been lucky owners of their Chrysler products and have put many trouble free miles on them. I wish I could have been so lucky...

Anyways, thanks again for the response, and if you have any addition info on the sliding door issue I'm having I welcome the input.

Thanks!

C

 

Oh, and also, why can't I find or locate a 2008 or newer repair manual anywhere? Neither Haynes or Chilton seem to offer one for these newer generation vans. Anyone know where I can find one?

Thanks!

 

Sorry to hear about all the issues that you're having. Click below for Chiltons library online, it's free.
Put in the year, make, and model, and you find information for Repairs, Maintenance, and Bulletins/Recalls.
You can print out the information too. Hopefully it'll help you out.

Chilton Library Online

****Log in using the Michigan Drivers License format, which is the letter a, then number 1, followed by any 11 numbers. (Ex.- a134564982371)

 

How much would you sell it for? I LOVE that generation!

 

Why spend the time to make this post?

 

Well it sounds like he made this thread to show people the lousy record of reliability he's had with his van. Maybe as a warning to prospective buyers or maybe because he just wanted to vent. Nothing wrong with that. I've read hundreds of threads like this on many forums over the years and not just Dodge forums.

 

Probably Blue Book Value minus a grand. The van is in excellent condition cosmetically.

 

Why spend the time to ask that question?