1998 Dodge Caravan Heating & air conditioning Problems

I PURCHASED A USED 1998 DODGE CARAVAN VAN AT WESTSIDE DODGE 1672 CASSAT AVE JACKSONVILLE FL 32210 AND WAS TOLD BY THE SALESMAN THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS SUPPOSE TO STAY LIT AND THE A/C LIGHTS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BLINKING. WHEN I FOUND THE OWNERS MANUAL THE DAY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VAN I READ THAT THE`AIRBAG LIGHT IS SUPPOSE TO GO OFF IN 8 SECONDS AFTER THE CAR IS STARTED AND I ALSO READ THAT WHEN THE A/C LIGHTS ARE FLASHING THE A/C NEEDS TO BE SERVICED. I ADVISED THE SALESMAN AND WAS TOLD TO BRING THE VAN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHEN I DID THEY TRIED TO CHARGE ME $119.00 TO CHECK THE AIRBAG AND $49.95 TO CHECK THE AIRCONDITIONING. I REFUSED TO SIGN ANY CONSENT AND TRIED TO SPEAK WITH THE USED CAR SALES MANAGER AND WAS TOLD "WE ONLY SELL JUNK CARS TO THE PUBLIC AS A COURTESY", AND THAN HE HUNG UP ON ME. I ALSO FOUND ANOTHER COMPLAINT FROM ANOTHER CUSTOMER OF THIS DEALERSHIP WHO BOUGHT A NEW CAR AND HAD THE SAME EXACT AIR BAG PROBLEM AND TO THIS DATE IT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. PLEASE HELP ME GET THIS RESOLVED, I AM DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND HAS NO AIR CONDITIONING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10273745

Incident

May 2, 2009

DT: AIR CONDITIONING LIGHT IS BLINKING; ENGINE CHECK AND AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON, NOTHING ON THE DASH (SPEEDOMETER ETC) DOES NOT WORK. DOOR LOCKS DO NOT WORK; IT'S LIKE IT ALL WENT OUT AT ONCE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10120105

Incident

Mar 6, 2005

Mileage

135,000 mi

I HAVE A 1998 DODGE CARAVAN WITH ONLY 66,332 MILES THE PROBLEM'S THAT HAVE COME UP IS FIRST THE TRANSMISSION HAD A INTERNAL PIN BUST WHICH CAUSED SEVERAL PARTS TO COME APART. THIS CAUSED THE TRANSMISSIONTO BREAK, IT HAD TO BE REBUILT ON 2-17-04 WITH 61995 MILES AT THE COST OF $1685.25. THE SECOND PROBLEM IS THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM HAD A FAILURE WITH THE EVAPORATOR WHICH SEEMS TO BE VERY COMON ACCORDING TO SEVERAL SERVICE CENTERS THAT I HAVE CONTACTED OUTSIDE THE CHRYSLER COMPANY. WHICH SPITZER DODGE WANTED TO CHARGE $1100.00 TO REPAIR. I KNOW THE VEHICAL IS 6 YEARS OLD BUT WITH THE LOW MILAGE I THINK THIS IS A LITTLE UNCALLED FOR AND THOUGH IT SHOULD BE REPORTED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10088699

Incident

Feb 17, 2004

Mileage

61,995 mi

AIR CONDITIONER EVAPORATOR FAILED TWICE WITHIN A TWO YEAR PERIOD. ALSO, SERPENTINE BELT WAS REPLACED 6 TIMES. WHEN THE SERPENTINE BELT FAILED VEHICLE HAD NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. *AK

NHTSA ID

10046425

I'VE GONE THROUGH 5 BELTS IN THE PAST YEAR. MY A/C JUST WENT OUT AGAIN. I HAD THE EVAPORATER COIL REPLACED JUST AFTER MY 3 YEAR WARRANTY GAVE OUT 2 YEARS AGO. MY VAN ONLY HAS 58,000 MILES ON IT AND I BOUGHT IT NEW IN OCT.97. I WILL NEVER BUY A DODGE AGAIN. I'VE NEVER FELT SO UNSAFE IN A VEHICLE AS I DO IN MY VAN. *LA

NHTSA ID

10045269

Incident

Oct 15, 2003

AT APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES, THE AC UNIT NEEDED TO BE RECHARGED. THIS WOULD BE AROUND AUGUST OF 2001. WHILE OUT OF THE NORM WITH A RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLE, I CHALKED IT UP TO ROUTINE MAINTENANCE HAD COOLANT ADDED AND WENT ON MY WAY. IN JULY OF 2002, THE AC AGAIN WAS NOT COOLING THE VEHICLE. MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS AROUND 60,000 AT THIS POINT. I SPOKE WITH AN EMPLOYEE OF THE THEN DAIMLER CHRYSLER (I BELIEVE THAT UNIT HAS BEEN SOLD TO BEHR CORPORATION) HVAC UNIT IN DAYTON, OH. HE ASKED ME TO HAVE THE EVAPORATOR UNIT CHECKED. A CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE IS A MECHANIC; I HAD HIM DO THE WORK. HE PLACED DYE IN THE SYSTEM TO CHECK FOR LEAKS AND DYE WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING FROM THE AC DRAIN, POINTING TO THE IMPENDING FAILURE OF THE EVAPORATOR. I RELAYED THIS INFORMATION TO THE CHRYSLER EMPLOYEE AND HE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS INDEED THE EVAPORATOR THAT WAS CAUSING A COOLANT LEAK. AT THAT TIME HE ASKED ME TO CONTACT MY DEALER TO SEE IF ANY SERVICE BULLETINS OR RECALL NOTICES HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO CALLED TO VERIFY MY WARRANTY, ETC., TO COVER MY BASES. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND THAT I WAS INDEED OUT OF WARRANTY. I ALSO ASKED FOR AN APPROXIMATE PRICE TO REPLACE AN EVAPORATOR AND WAS QUOTED A PRICE THAT WAS APPROACHING $1000.00 I DID NOT REALLY GET AGITATED OVER THIS UNTIL THIS PAST JULY. FIGURING THAT THE ROUTINE OF RECHARGING THE UNIT FOR THE WARM MONTHS WAS A PRUDENT WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM, I WAS PREPARED TO SPEND ABOUT $25.00 FOR COOLANT AND GO ON MY MERRY WAY FOR THIS SUMMER. ONE SLIGHT PROBLEM. THE COMPRESSOR FAILED AT 66,000 MILES. AS I STATED BEFORE, I UNDERSTAND WARRANTIES AND I GET THE PROCESS. BUT FOR A TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE, RELATED ONLY TO NORMAL OPERATION, IN MY OPINION IS UNACCEPTABLE. ESPECIALLY SINCE THE CHRYSLER EMPLOYEE TOLD ME THAT THE EVAPORATOR ISSUE WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM IN BOTH MY 1994 VEHICLE AND MY 1998. *JB

NHTSA ID

10039193

Incident

Aug 23, 2003

Mileage

50,000 mi

THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR WHICH WAS BROKE AND RUBBED AGAINST THE SERPENTINE BELT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CATCH ON FIRE, ALSO THE HEAD GASKETS FAILED. *TS *JB

NHTSA ID

10011644

Incident

Nov 26, 2002

Mileage

3,700 mi

WHILE DRIVING SMOKE STARTED TO APPEAR IN VEHCLE AND ALL AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER THOUGHT VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED EVAPARATOR SWITHCH. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

8013002

Incident

Mar 8, 2002

AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSOR FROZEN. *AK

NHTSA ID

756640

Incident

Mar 1, 2001

THE CLOCK SPRING THAT CONTROLS THE AIRBAG, CRUISE CONTROL AND HORN FAILS OFTEN.*JB

NHTSA ID

785748

AIR CONDITIONER WAS NOT COOLING . VEHICLE WAS SERVICED BY TECHNICIAN. TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT AIR CONDITIONING EVAPARTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.THIS WAS SECOND REPAIR ON AIR CONDITIONER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

894649

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

744673

Incident

Apr 15, 2001

SERPENTINE BELT FAILED FOR THE 4TH TIME WHILE DRIVING. HAD HEARD A FUNNY NOISE PRIOR TO NO STEERING. THIS CAUSED A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. FIRST 2 TIMES WAS AT 35MPH. 2ND 2 TIMES WAS WHILE STARTING VEHICLE. BEEN TO DEALER EACH TIME TO HAVE BELT REPLACED.*AK POWER STEERING, WATER PUM, ALTERNATOR AND AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. *YH

NHTSA ID

874186

THE RECIRCULATING LIGHT AND THE A/C LIGHT ARE CONSTANTLY FLASHING.

NHTSA ID

733457

Incident

Sep 30, 2000

AIR CONDITIONER STARTED TO NOT COOL THE AIR. TOOK IT TO GOODYEAR (GEMINI) DEALER IN WADSWORTH, OH WHO CHARGED THE UNIT AND ADDED DYE TO PINPOINT THE COOLANT LOSS POINT. ON RETURN THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS THE EVAPORATOR WHICH BY INFERENCE FROM THEIR COMMENTS IS QUITE COMMON. COST WAS $742.00 PLUS THE PREVIOUS CHARGE OF $75.00. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT SOMETHING THIS COMMON IS A FAULT THAT SHOULD BE REMEDIED BY THE MFG. NOTED A 94 COMPLAINT ON NHTSA ABOUT THE SAME THING WITH COSTS ALMOST IDENTICAL.

NHTSA ID

731903

Incident

Aug 1, 2000

ON DATE 03-30-98 TOOK CAR IN STATING WHEN A/C IS ON SURGING AND HESITATING AND TICK TICKING IN ENGINE FOR A NEW CAR. THEN ON 04-13-98 TOOK CAR IN AGAIN A/C CYCLES AND A WHISHING SOUND IS VERY LOUD WHEN CYCLE GOES ON AND STILL SURGES AND HESITATES. THEY REPLACED GASKET ,EVAPERATOR COIL AND TUBE. AND H-VALVE SAYING THIS WAS A COMMON NOISE AND PUT PARTS ORINGS ETC,SAYING THIS MAY HELP OR NOT HELP. THEN ON 06-24-98 STILL SURGING AND HESITATING WHEN A/C IS ON BUT WAS TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL. WHICH WE DONT SEE HOW. THEN ON 12-07-98 TOOK CAR IN AGAIN FOR THE SAME REASON THEY SAID NO PROBLEM BUT WE STILL FEEL IT IS.THEN WE GOT TIED OF TAKE IT AND WENT FOR AN AR

NHTSA ID

709714

SPEED SENSOR FAILED.

NHTSA ID

543915

Incident

Apr 7, 1998

CONSUMER HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEM WITH AIR CONDITIONER; WHEN A/C IS TURN ON IT FROSTED THE WINDSHIELD SO BADLY THAT IT TURNED WHITE. AFFECTED CONSUMER'S VISIBILITY. DEALER NOTIFIED AND UNABLE TO FIND ANY THING WRONG. *AK

NHTSA ID

826456

Incident

Aug 2, 1998