1997 Dodge Caravan Interior & seats Problems

DT: CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. INSTRUMENT PANEL DID NOT WORK. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS DIGITAL. BUTTONS FOR AIR CONDITIONER AND REAR DEFROSTER FLASHED CONSTANTLY. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO GARAGE, AND THEY RECOMMENDED DODGE DEALER. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON THEIR OWN. VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE TO BE ON RUNNING FOR WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO COME ON. THEY CAME ON ABOUT EVERY TWO WEEKS. ALSO, TRAVELING INTERIOR LIGHTS CAME ON. CONSUMER STOPPED LIGHTS FROM COMING ON BY PUTTING TAPE ON DOOR. CONSUMER BELIEVED THESE WERE DIFFERENT ISSUES. HE REPLACED FAN CONTROL MODULE LAST YEAR, AND THAT DID NOT HELP.*AK CONSUMER ADDED THAT POUNDING ON THE DASHBOARD MADE THE DASH LIGHT ILLUMINATE. *TT

NHTSA ID

10125113

Incident

Jan 15, 2004

Mileage

70,000 mi

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL. MY VEHICLE WAS MET WITH AN ACCIDENT ON ROUTE 516, OLD BRIDGE, NJ. MY VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BY A SCHOOL BUS AND PUSHED INTO A LAMP POLE. MY VEHICLE IS TOTALED AS PER STATE FARM INSURANCE. BOTH AIR BAG FAILED TO WORK. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS COLLAPSED BACKWARD INSTEAD OF PROTECTING OUR NECK AND BODY. THE VEHICLE IS WITH STATE FARM INSURANCE. *JB. ALSO, DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS COLLAPSED BACKWARDS, RESULTING IN TWO INJURIES. *AK

NHTSA ID

10101469

Incident

Nov 16, 2004

Mileage

120,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WHEN TURNING CORNERS CENTER SEAT LIFTED UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE. CONSUMER REMOVED THE SEATS, AND REPLACED THEM ACCORDING TO HER IN THE PROPER WAY.*AK

NHTSA ID

10075801

Incident

May 25, 2004

Mileage

130,000 mi

WE BOUGHT THIS VAN ONE YEAR AGO AND SO FAR WE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH OXYGEN SENSOR, SPEED SENSOR, HEAD GASKET, WATER PUMP, THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, DOORS LOCK AND UNLOCK WHENEVER THEY WANT NOT JUST THE 16 MPH THING, BALL JOINTS ARE CLUNKING, THE CD PLAYER QUIT AND THEN SOON AFTER FM RADIO ONLY AM WORKS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10056554

Incident

Feb 4, 2004

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND THE THIRD ROW SEAT SEPARATED FROM THE TRACK AN SLID FORWARD. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. *AK *NLM

NHTSA ID

10039798

Mileage

30,000 mi

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT. AIR BAG LIGHT HAD BEEN ON SINCE SHE OWNED THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE DEALER WHICH ASKED HER TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. WHEN THE CONSUMER ARRIVED AT THE DEALER IT WAS TOO LATE. ON THE WAY BACK HOME SHE SMELLED SMOKE BUT KEPT DRIVING UNTIL SHE REACHED HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND THE CONSUMER LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND SAW FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. SHE GOT THE HOSE AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. THEN, CALLED THE MECHANIC/DEALER. THERE WERE ALSO PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10038453

Incident

Sep 8, 2003

WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON BY THEMSELVES ALL THE TIME, SOMETIMES THEY STOP AFTER A FEW SWIPES AND SOMETIMES I NEED TO TURN THE SWITCH ON AND THEN OFF AGAIN TO MAKE THEM STOP. SO FAR THEY HAVE WORKED WHEN I NEEDED THEM BUT IT MAY ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM, IT IS VERY UNSAFE! (1999) AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON NEARLY ALL THE TIME NOW. (JUN 2003) SLIDING DOOR LOCK DOESN'T ALWAYS ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE WHEN USING THE POWER LOCKS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10023634

Incident

Jun 1, 2003

CONSUMER STATES THE MIDDLE VEHICLE SEAT MOVES LEFT TO RIGHT AND BACKWARDS DUE TO THE TRACKS UNDER THE SEAT. PH

NHTSA ID

10002153

Incident

Apr 15, 2002

WHILE DRIVING THE RECLINE LATCH BROKE. THE DRIVER SEAT FULLY RECLINED BACK CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. TS

NHTSA ID

10001808

Incident

Dec 25, 2002

NO SUMMARY. DT

NHTSA ID

769421

Incident

Oct 1, 1996

INSTRUMENT PANEL IS ELECTRICAL AND LIGHT APPEARED ON AND OFF ON DASHBOARD INTERMITTENTLY. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

8013575

Incident

Nov 1, 2001

FIRST TIME CLOCKSPRING FAILURE RENDERED DRIVER AIRBAG INOPERATIVE. SECOND FAILURE RENDERED CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE. A NON-WORKING AIRBAG IS A SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

NHTSA ID

763822

Incident

Mar 13, 2002

WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CLOCK SPRING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WORKS PART TIME, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON. *SCC

NHTSA ID

8012108

Incident

Jun 1, 2002

Mileage

67,000 mi

AT 15-20 MPH VEHICLE WAS HIT IN REAR. SEATBACK BROKE AND RECLINED BACKWARDS. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK THERE WERE 2 INJURIES*YH

NHTSA ID

8009946

Incident

Apr 12, 2002

THE MANUAL DRIVER SEAT WILL JUMP BACK INTERMITTANTLY WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. NLM

NHTSA ID

8008122

Incident

Sep 1, 2001

WHILE DRIVING HORN STOPPED WORKING, AND ALL DASH WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT UNDER THE DASH THAT CAUSED WIRING TO MELT. DEALER SAID WIRING AND COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID

8004975

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: WINDSHIELD WIPERS INOPERABLE DUE TO A SHORT IN SWITCH, RADIATOR FAN RELAY REPLACED, GROUND WIRE LOOSE IN ENGINE CAUSING DASH CLUSTER TO GO HAYWIRE, HORN, POWER WINDOWS, RADIO, SPEEDOMETER, AND AIR CONDITIONER INOPERABLE AT TIMES. *SLC

NHTSA ID

561449

Incident

May 18, 1998

SLIDING DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM FAILS--DOOR REMAINS LOCKED AND DOOR WILL NOT OPEN, OR DOOR IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCK. JUST BEFORE FAILURE DOOR HAS PROBLEM LATCHING SUCCESSFULLY. AUTO DOOR LOCK MAKES BUZZING NOISE WHEN LOCKING IS ATTEMPTED. AFTER SECOND FAILURE, DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT IT IS COMMON TO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF ROCKWELL ACTUATOR PART FOR THESE VEHICLES. WE'VE HAD 3 FAILURES OF DRIVERS SIDE AND 5 ON PASSENGER SIDE. LATEST WAS TODAY, 10/11/00. VEHICLE IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT THE FAILURES KEEP HAPPENING.

NHTSA ID

734098

Incident

Oct 11, 2000

THE DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR WILL NOT OPEN SEVERAL TSB'S ON THE DOORS DEALER SAID IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. *AK

NHTSA ID

726118

Incident

Jul 22, 2000

DEAL SAID CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, BUT I NOTICE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE LACTH MECHANISM BETWEEN THE RIGHT AND LEFT DOORS. THE RIGHT DOOR HAS ONE LATCH AND THE LEFT HAS TWO LATCHES. *AK

NHTSA ID

724264

Incident

Oct 9, 1998

DEALER SAID SEAT IS NOT COVERED BY WARRENTY WILL NOT FIX IT. *AK

NHTSA ID

721439

Incident

Jun 15, 1998

DASHBOARD INTERIOR LIGHT SWITCH (PART NUMBER P04685630 36033E) STARTED BURNING WHEN IGNITION SWITCH WAS TURNED ON. THE UNIT STOPPED SMOKING ONLY AFTER SWITCH WAS UNPLUGGED.

NHTSA ID

714119

Incident

Jul 1, 1999

I FEEL THIS MODEL, CARAVAN SE SPORT, NEEDS ALOT OF UPGRADES. I FEEL THAT THIS VEHICLE IS NOT A SAFE VEHICLE FOR FAMILIES. I BELIEVE THAT DODGE IS

NHTSA ID

713241

Incident

Oct 12, 1999

DOME LIGHTS JUST START FLASHING RAPIDLY WHEN EVER THEY WANT DEALER CAN NOT FIX PROBLEM ,HAS HAPPENED EVERY FEW THOUSAND MILES.

NHTSA ID

712731

Incident

Jun 1, 1998

VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM THE REAR IN WHICH DRIVER'S SEAT RELEASED FROM THE UPRIGHT POSITION. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

847623