Hi, m first post on this forum. I would like to know if any of you have noticed that the Dodge Caravan makes a little noise and a jerk when is starting to move, or when you make a stop and then you start to move forward ???. I have taken this van to the dealer almost 5 times and looks that nobody had a precise answer. The last trip to the dealer they told me that they found that the transmission was overfill by 2 quarters. Now I noticed this, last week I filled the tank with 93 octane grade gas, yesterday my wife filled again but she put 87 octane grade and start acting with the noise and jerk. Can anyone shed some light with this.... I'll appreciate it very much...

 

Take another Caravan for a long test drive, it might be the characteristic of that specific vehicle.

And it had been discussed many times before, the 6-speed Minivan Trans shifts rough, and that's the norm. You may not like it, but there isn't anything wrong with the car.

 

Glad to hear someone finally say it. Trouble is you spend $25K and much more of your hard earned bucks and that's the best Chrysler can do? Sergio has the company headed in the right direction but these trannys appear to be not quite ready for prime time.

 

I have tested another 2012 caravan and didn't act like the other one.

 

well, they were meant to be designed for trucks and Full size Van. If you want to see what has a horrible shift quality is, try Dual dry clutch trans. Sometimes it shift like someone just start driving a stick shift.

At least these 62TE trans last long, unlike the old Chrysler trans that needs to be rebuilt every few year.

 

If the noise is from the rear of the van, I'd suspect the rear brake pads are not releasing fully from the rotor. That's a common problem on 5th gen vans prior to the HD brake + 17" wheel change.

 

This generation of caravan has a hill holder that keeps the brakes applied on a hill when you release them to hit the gas. I think the noise comes when the hill holder releases the brakes as you start to move.
BTW-- On mine at least, the hill holder only works for a short time. If you take your foot off the brake and just hover over the throttle, it will release the brakes after a few seconds without your touching the throttle. I almost rolled into a car behind me the first time this happened.

 

Couldn't agree more. The tranny is the one thing that keeps me from awarding an A+ rating to my GC. I wish MoPar would outsource the trannies to GM or someone who knows how to build one to shift right. Maybe they'll stick the ZF 9 speed in them in a year or two.

 

Well, didn't Dodge or Chrysler offer a solution for this situation. I called Dodge and I told them the problem and they said the van is not supposed to do any noise nor a little pull when it starts to move or to stop..... I feel that they are not listening to the customers.

 

luis1270,

In regards to a shifting concern, the ability to duplicate and demonstrate the issue for the dealer can help the diagnosis procedure along. A discussion with the Service Manager can provide further technical details about the transmission as well.

In addition, the Fuel Economy Mode may also be set on the vehicle. This feature will adjust the way your van will shift including when it upshifts and downshifts, as well as, skip gears to allow the engine to operate at lower speeds.

I have attached a page from the Owners Manual that provides additional details pertaining to the Fuel Economy Mode.