10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 38,400 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
I own a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, which has cruise control installed. There are two buttons on the left side of the steering wheel, engage/disengage which engages the system, and set, which sets the system on the speed selected. There are three buttons on the right side of the steering wheel, accel/resume, cancel which cancels the last setting set, and decel. About 50% of the time when I 'cancel' the last setting engaged, after 1 to 3 seconds the system will re-engage and accelerate toward the speed previously selected. It will not re-engage if the system is de-activated by either the brake application or by pressing the disengage button.
- Red Wing, MN, USA
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving between 10-20 mph, the brakes squealed and made a grinding noise when applied. However, the vehicle still stopped normally. A police report was filed. The front brakes were replaced, the front rotors were cut, and the rear drums were cut and adjusted at 9,000, 22,000, 33,000, 45,000, and 61,000 miles. The dealer stated that the failure was caused by the brakes having a lot of weight on the front end. The failure mileage was 9,000 and current mileage was 67,000. The dealer stated power steering noise, vehicle revving on hills. Updated 11/14/07
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
At 7,600 miles in November of 2002 the automatic transmission failed. Dealer replaced the transmission with a rebuilt one. Since then the speedometer reads incorrectly. At lower speeds it reads under by 4 to 7 mph, at higher speeds -- 60 mph it reads 15 - 20 mph under. I discovered this when on a road trip I was stopped for going 85 when I thought I was going 68 in a 70mph zone. I thought the police officer was crazy -- even protested and had him verify the callibration of his radar. His reading was confirmed when I passed a roadside speed indicator, and was stopped again. Speedometer was reprogrammed at a dealer in Michigan after which it read 4 mph under for the most part. Had it looked at by dealer in Florida again in April 2004, they replaced a sensor. Since, it again reads 4 to 10 miles under at lower speeds -- e.g. when I think I'm going 35, I'm really going 42 or 43, at 65 mph actual speed is 76mph. Dealer says its "the way you're driving" -- a poor excuse for shifting the blame and not making the repair correctly the first time when the transmission was replaced. This is a real hazard and safety issue not just for myself but for other family members who drive the van and people on the road.
- Lake Worth, FL, USA
My van was bought new and is just about 1 year old. I have been having many problems with this vehicle. The vehicle would go 30 mph by itself although I was pressing the brake. This even happened while I was driving on an icy road. The dealer said that this is normal. All the vehicle's locks would lock and unlock by themselves, sometimes locking my keys in it before I can get them out. Three months after the vehicle was purchased it was returned to the dealer because the heater and air did not work properly. A fire burned the driver's door, seat, floor rugs and window. The fireman said it was an electrical fire, which started in the driver's door by the wires. The fire happened on the weekend therefore the dealer is not aware of the fire yet. I plan to go to the dealer on Monday to see what can be done. The vehicle cannot be driven and the smell inside the vehicle is overwhelming. Everything on drivers side is burned. I will ask for a new replacement vehicle.
- Jordan, NY, USA
After making a left or right turn the vehicles steering wheel did not return to center and as a result the vehicle hit a curve. While the driver depressed the gas pedal there was a delay in acceleration. Once gas pedal caught the vehicle jumped forward.
- Lexington, MA, USA
When accelerating from a full stop the car will either sputter and almost stall or it will in fact stall. This has happened as close as the end of our block to 15 minutes into a trip. It has usually occured in the first drive of the day, but lately it has been happenening at any point of the day.
- Tampa, FL, USA
- San Pablo, CA, USA