Problems with 1999 Dodge Caravan ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Consumer took vehicle to the dealer because engine was not working properly. dealer stated, head gasket broke, vehicle was out of warranty. *ak

The vehicle experienced an oil leak. *jb

Dt: the contact stated that the drive belt came off on four different occasions. each time it occurred after a heavy rain while driving through a puddle. he had the belt replaced at a local service dealer. the next time it occurred they put the same belt on again. the third time they told him that the drive belt needed to be replaced. he had it replaced again. he is unsure of the exact cause of the slipping. the belt came off again. the vehicle is at the dealer now. *ak

While driving, the serpentine and power steering belt slipped off, which caused the consumer to lose control of vehicle's steering. *jb

The engine was running really rough. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they determined that oil was getting into the radiator. *ak the engine light did not illuminate to warn the consumer of the problem. *sc

While driving at 35 mph vehicle ran over a medium pothole which caused serpentine belt to came off. this resulted in loss of steering control/ crash. *nlm. *ak

The vehicle stalled without warning. vehicle was repaired and kept in the garage.*jb

The vehicle stalled without warning. *jb

Engine races, the transmission whines and changes gears while in the park position. the consumer also complained of another vehicle she owns a 1996 chrysler cirrus. the key lock was replaced 3 times and it accelerated on its own. *jb

Serpentine belt comes off while driving on wet roads. i replace pulleys belts several times this has happen since the van ran out of warranty. finally i took to chrysler and they put double pulleys on an a double side belt cost was around $300.00. chrysler knew of this problem. this happens in winter time also. *tr

My dodge caravan 99, stalls. i can be turning a corner, putting on the brake, slowing down and the car stalls. this has put me in very dangerous situations. my van has been at the dealership twice now. i had to ask for a monitor to be put on the engine to detect what was happening. this was not offered to me, but someone i work with had a dodge van with the very same problem and they had a monitor put on theirs. currently the van is stalling, i am pushing the button on the monitor hoping the problem will be detected. this is the third time the van has been in for this problem that they can not figure out. as someone i work with had a dodge van, an older one, but same van, with the same symptoms it makes me concerned that my van has some kind of defect. as this is my only car, and i can not afford a new one at this time i am forced to drive it never ever knowing when it will stall and i will loose control as i loose my power brakes and steering. incredibly dangerous.

While traveling on the highway and climbing up a hill the vehicle looses power. the campaign number is 00b26800. but his vehicle vin does not match. please furnish additional information dealer is aware of the problem. mr

I have a 1999 dodge grand caravan that the serpentine belt has come off of numerous times, because of a manufacture defect. whenever the tension wheel gets splashed with water the belt pops off. you immediately lose power steering, it is so dangerous!! the car overheats. i have talked to many mechanics and this is a well known problem with that particular vehicle. i have spent much money to have it fixed and not to mention the stress. i have also researched this on the internet and found that they have recalled these vehicles in brazil because of the same problem. *tr

While traveling 10 mph, the timing belt broke which resulted in total shut down of all motorized function(s) associated with the engine running. please describe details. *mr

While traveling on the highway without prior warning. the vehicle shut down and would not restart. the dealership is aware of the problem. mr

I began to notice oil underneath my 1999 dodge caravan on my concrete driveway. it appeared to come from the valve cover. the vehicle mileage was only 47,000 and the van less than two years old. allstar dodge service told me it could be the valve cover or the head gasket which he advised could cost around a thousand dollars to repair. my caravan was out of warranty (3yr/36,000 miles) i took the van to a mechanic. he repaired the valve cover gasket and notice no other problem at the time. two months later the head gasket failed. i contacted allstar dodge service whom advised me that there were no problems with the caravan and no recalls. i took the van back to my mechanic to have the head gasket repaired. my mechanic told me the engine in this van is the same 2.4l engine that was recalled in the dodge neons 1997 with faulty gaskets. he stated that i may want to investigate the problem. i have since found complaints about both the valve cover and the head gasket problem. i pray others with the same problems would file complaints so that something can be done to remedy these problems and before someone gets seriously hurt or dies. *ak

Dealer is refusing to allow me to talk to the dodge factor rep. no safety defect listed for above vehicle. *ak

Consumer noticed lack of power while driving. dealer determined head gasket was leaking and needed to be replaced.*ak

I was told by the independent mechanic that first diagnosed the leaking head gasket that he had repaired quite a few of these and thought there might be a recall. we took the van to the dealer and although the car is only 8k out of warranty agreed to only pay for part ($5 gasket) we would have to pay for labor ($600). if one mechanic at a small shop has repaired more than 1 or 2 head gaskets on a 1999 vehicle i can only imagine how many other people have had similar problems.*ak

While driving, a police car notified consumer that the vehicle was on fire, fire department broke the windshield to put out the fire, claim 22-v687-499. *slc

Feb 2001 serpentine belt tensioner arm broke tearing up the serpentine belt. arm replaced and new belt installed. no determination of cause given. dec 3, 2001 belt jumped off pulley's/tensioner-dealer states no problem found, belt in good condition, probable cause-water intruded tensioner and cause belt to walk, re-installed belt. dec 28, 2001 belt again slipped off, took to dealer who said problem was water intrusion causing the belt to slip, replaced the belt again though. seems to me that if the dealer is telling me that the problem is water intrusion, and i've heard this problem from other owners of this vehicle/year, shouldn't they engineer a fix before someone gets killed on the freeway?*ak

Engine head gasket is defective there is oil leaking from vehicle. contacted dealer, and the dealer has tightened up some of the parts. please provide more information. *ak

Was filling vehicle with fuel and checked the tires noticed split about 1 inch from rim on all tires. contacted tire manufacturer, and was urged to take vehicle to tire retailer. retailer indicated tires worn over 40% and would charge on prorated basis for replacements. goodyear, wrangler st, p215/75r15, with 10,625.*ak

Warranty 36,000 miles/3years. dropping van off for routine brake job, van died in garage parking lot, temp guage had no indication anything wrong,tailpipe smoking, , had police stop by to see, garage looked at engine fly wheel fell off and head gasket melted. car only has 54,000 miles on it. contacted chrysler nothing they would do. the garage i have it at is not more than 5 minutes from a dodge dealer, they would not even send anyone to look at the engine to agree or disagree what had happened. cannot get the car towed because the engine is apart and will cost $800 to put the broken engine back in the car and that again to have dodge take it apart. it is amazing that the temprature guage would not indicate that my engine had gotton so hot that the head gaskett melted and the fly wheel fell off. this car had regular oil changes ect at walmart. they never indicated fluid problems.*ak

Consumer was resting along side of road and smelled smoke, upon starting vehicle it ignited in the engine compartment, injuring consumer, claim 22-v641-822. *slc

While driving 60 mph vehicle lost all gears. dealer determined linkage between shifter and cable to clutch had broken and needed to be replaced.*ak

Oil leaking at head gasket at 43,000 mi (3yr 36k warranty) wanted a second opinion as i could not believe it. mechanic who looked at it then wasn't sure but kept an eye on it. just brought it to a new mechanic now have 60,000 miles on it. new mechanic says he has seen this problem multiple times in this model and the neon. we bought this car brand new. upon delivery it had a dent which had to be repaired on my time, we had a/c repaired twice, power train control module replaced(kept stalling while driving),and visor broke, all during first 6 months. now this. chrysler says there are no recalls or extended warranty for this. i plan to keep fighting this one. *nlm

First time car stalled on local street on 27th may 00 after few attempts, it start again. dealer could not figer out, it stalled again on 06/11/00 on highway so scarry, then they changed computer pc it happened again on 07/23 &07/28, 01 which tey blamed carbon build up which i don't trust them because only 23400 miles and i never heard that car turned off due to that reason during normal speed. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

At 36,150 miles serpentine pulley broke while pulling out of the garage. dealer was notified and repairs were made. feel free to provide any further information on this matter.*ak

Head gasket and transmission malfunctiouned. vehicle has only 74000 miles. problem started also immediately after he purchased vehicle. *ak

Blown head gasket at 48,000 miles/not covered by warranty??!?!*ak

Engine pressure built up due a faulty pcv valve, causing oil to leak , also, crankshaft and valve cover to blow out. dealer has repaired vehicle. *ak

My dodge caravan has 47,000 highway miles on it and is two years old. i just brought it in for an oil change and was told that it needs a new head gasket. my mechanic tells me that this is a recurring problem with these vehicles and that he has seen at least twenty other cases of this problem in cars with less than 50,000 miles. i am certain that this is worthy of review for a recall if it can be assumed that every mechanic has seen twenty such instances. *ak

Head gasket started leaking in october 2000. currently, it needs replacement. *ak the dealer had already replaced the head gasket. *yh

Consumer was traveling on highway and a gasoline smell was coming from inside of vent area. also there was a puddle of oil underneath vehicle. dealership was aware of problem.*ak

While driving tie rod broke, causing loss of control. also, the engine stalled without a warning. *ak

While consumer was in for other services, was advised by technician that vehicle had a defective tire, consumer is now requesting reimbursement for the tire. *jb

While traveling at 40 mph, consumer heard a clunk noise. consumer pulled vehicle over and could not put vehicle in gear. vehicle was towed to dealer, dealer stated that a pin in transmission broke and transmission needed replaced. *ak check engine light illuminated. *slc

Consumer states that engine makes loud noise and it idles erratically, vehicle has stalled while travelling 60 mph, on one occasion, dealer found that a piston had failed, however problem still exist. brakes squealed, dealer cleaned and sanded pads and rotors. vehicle shook at speeds above 70 mph, dealer balanced and rotated tires. consumer smelled strong odors through the ventilation system. passenger side sliding door inoperable. alternator belt came apart. accelerator rattles. vehicle experiences deceleration. carpet buckles. *slc

Vehicle tends to stall at various speeds when the check engine light stayes on. consumer will contact manufacturer.*ak

While driving 60 mph on the highway the vehicle stalled without warning. cause unknown. dodge repurchased the vehicle under the lemon law after several failed attempts to fix it. *ak *ml