Serpentine belt comes off during wet weather, making minivan very difficult to steer.

- Austin, TX, USA

I have had the belt tensioner replaced 3 times since I owend the vehicle because of warpping.the third time I wrote to customer service thay told us that the part has meet Dodge warrenty requirements.thay was sorry but nothing thay could do.I thank the is a serious saftey problem because when the belt comes off you lose your power steering.which could cause a accident. Plus the wippers come on by them self or when you put on the turnlight on.this has be going on since the vehicle has been new.

- Gray, LA, USA

Consumer stated the serpentine belt fell off causing the vehicle to shut down and not restart. Please fill in additional information.

- Cary, NC, USA

Sepertine belt and tensioner make a constant squeaking noise. The belt came off while traveling on a rainy day through a small puddle of water. When it came off, I lost power steering but was able to muscle it over to the side of the road. My wife would not have been as lucky. It was replaced (under warranty) in 1999. It is now thirty thousand miles later and it has been squeaking off and on again for quite some time. The dealer does not want to replace it again under warranty since the last one lasted for 12 months or 12,000 miles. I have a friend that had his belt and tensioner replaced 8 times before having Dodge buy the van back. It is a problem, so please look into making Dodge recall the faulty parts. Thank you.

- Bossier City, LA, USA

While traveling steering wheel became hard to turn and engine overheated. Vehicle was serviced, and technician noticed that engine belts had broken.

- Mcfarland, WI, USA

Serpentine belt broke while driving 20 mph, dealer and manufacturer were notified. Vehicle no longer under warranty.

- South Bend, IN, USA

Serpentine belt has been destroyed 3 times and come completely off twice while traveling 65 miles per hour on the freeway. The result has been a loss of power steering, the alternator light activated, and is a safety hazard. I was told the problem was the failure of the manufacture to include certain parts.

- Corona, CA, USA

Belt tensioner had to be replaced 18 months ago by dealership. Then, three months ago, belt tensioner came off again, this defect was repaired by dealership again.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

Heard a noise while driving about 5 mph. Then, power steering went out. Pulled over, and had vehicle towed to dealer. Serpentine belt had too much tension and broke.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

Catastrophic failure of drivebelt tensioner caused instant loss of control of vehicle by failure to drive either power steering or the alternator. This caused instant and total loss of hydraulic power to the steering and loss of electrical power to the lights. The electrical power did come back up but only sufficient to give less than half the normal illumination to the headlights as both airconditioners were operatiing as were the lights and wipers. The incident happened on a twisting wet road in the everglades with a canal on the outside of an approaching bend in the road. Sudden loss of power steering required a superhuman effort to keep the vehicle on the road and prevent what would have been a tragic finale had the minivan gone into the canal with its 3 adults & 4 children. Discussion with two Chrysler dealers as well as several tow truck drivers indicates that this is a very frequent cause of accidents. One dealer said they have to replace one of these tensioners every day but it seems to take 36 or more months for the defect to show up hence it does not appear on Chrysler' warranty list of frequent failures although Chrysler must be aware of the problem due to the inordinate number of replacement tensioners they have to ship to their dealers. Mechanical inspection of the part shows not only poor design but also, in my case, defective manufacturing of the high tensile bolt used to attache the tensioner to the engine. When the tensioner breaks of off it allows the drive belt to detach from the pulleys it is driving which include the power steering, airconditioning compressor, water pump and alternator the first and last of which are critical to vehicle control. Further research indicates that this problem in Chrysler minivans appears to be confined to 3.8 and 3.3 liter engines. Defective part was made in Canada.tow truck drivers told us that if they have to pick up a Chrysler minivan, 4 times out of 5 it is for a broken drivebelt tensioner.

- Pompano Beach, FL, USA

Serpertine belt broke as I was rounding a curve at 35 mph. I got the vehicle to a complete and safe stop.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

Had shifted to reverse prior to backing and heard a clunk. Shut off engine. Looked under vehicle and saw the serpentine belt hang down. Looked under hood and saw the belt tensioner had snapped off and had dropped down to the right axle. Was informed by mechanic that this is a common problem with the 3.3L engine. Was thankful that it did not happen at highway speeds.

- Swansea, IL, USA

The tensioner for the serpentine belt broke off while the car was waiting to enter an intersection--the car was disabled. I have talked w/3 people since who reported the same problem. Including repetitive broken belts. I see a trend but Dodge won't cover in their extended warranty.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

Fuel pump broke while in motion. Had no control of vehicle. Also, belt tensioner broke while driving approximately 40mph/computer chip had failed & this caused the vehicle to stop functioning at 65mph, and battery went dead & can not be recharged.

- Dublin, OH, USA

The fan belt is knocked off of it's track when the vehicle goes over even small puddles, making it very difficult to drive when it is raining. And even more frustrating is just the threat of rain, makes the vehicle not even worth taking out that day.

- Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA

While driving in rain the fan belt comes off continually, causing complete loss of power. Mjs

- Belton, TX, USA