Problems with 2005 Dodge Caravan ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the contact stated that all of the gauges on the instrument panel in the vehicle became inoperative. the vehicle also stalled intermittently. the dealer diagnosed that the motor harness needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect, but denied any assistance with repairing the vehicle. the failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

Power lock failed on all locks. the rear gate can not be locked. *tr

2005 dodge caravan interior dashlights flickering, radio turns on and off, gas light bell rings when lights flicker, now today the van is cutting off while slowing down or at a stop. *tt

1. no events leading to failure; event appears to be random. 2. headlights will not turn on and/or will turn off while driving. failure is random but mostly occurs just after startup. consequences are obvious; have had several nighttime failures where crashing was narrowly avoided. otherwise, just an aggravation upon startup. 3. headlight switch was replaced under warranty approximately 3 years ago. however, problem has been intermittent since then, with failures now occurring more often. have heard anecdotal evidence fcm connector corrosion appears to be the culprit. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the contact engaged the key control button to open the vehicle automatic doors but the doors would not open. the contact stated the front passenger side and the rear driver and passenger side automatic sliding doors were the automatic doors that had experienced the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer four different times. the technicians replaced the actuators and reprogrammed the body control module. the vehicle was repaired. the contact was concerned because the prior repairs had remedied the problem for a short period of time. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

Defective headlight switch - works intermittently. parking lights work, but neither headlight. the limp-home work-around was to hold the high beam switch lever on the steering column while driving; a safety distraction in itself as this is tiresome to keep the lights on, not to mention that opposing traffic does not appreciate the high beam. so it is high beams or nothing, so long as you hold the high beam lever. this is widely mentioned by other drivers on the internet. it is a safety hazard to lose your lights while driving! it is also a safety hazard to not have both hands available to drive with. for those drivers who did not have the luxury of discovering the high beam lever trick, they could easily end up in a crash before getting stopped.

Power door locks no longer work. neither the buttons on the key fob nor the switches on the inside door panels will lock or unlock the doors. if i disconnect the battery for a few minutes and then re-connect it, the locks will work properly, but only for short time periods. *tr

The door locks on 2005 dodge caravan do not work unless i pull a fuse out for 10 seconds. such an operation works only for 2 days. i have no warning that they are not working. i can walk away from my car and 'lock' the doors with my key fob. when i return i will discover that the locks were not working and my car has been open the entire time. i can be driving with my grandchildren in the back seat without knowing that the locks were not locked properly. the child proof locks could allow a child to fall from the car because the rear locks did not automatically lock. because of the latter, i do not understand why this safety issue has not been recalled by the company.

The automatic door locking system on my 2005 dodge caravan stop working . it can be reset by pulling the iod 20amp fuse in the main fuse panel for 5 seconds and reinstalling it which resets the system. it will then work for a short period of time before the problem reocurrs. i have had to reset the system many times. there are many caravan owners with this problem. i feel this a serious safety issue and more so if you have kids. while chrysler has apparently denied that this problem exists i have done research and found that it is a factory defect and chrysler possibly has a software update which can correct the problem. chrysler should be made to bear the cost of the repair to the automatic door locking system on my caravan via a recall. *tr

To whom it may concern: good day after vehicle is turned off, especially after using fog lights; i..e. vehicle is parked; secured; key out of ignition; lights are place in off position - the lights will seem to be off then within an hour randomly come on - go off - go on off thus draining the battery. i've also researched online and found many similar problems with 2005 dodge caravans electrical issue - like this same problem (which i experienced my self today) of the lights randomly go on/off while driving. i'm glad it was day time - but if at night with my pregnant wife driving - set a red flag off of a serious safety issue. please see the below links for other examples of similar problems - believe a recall is in order to fix this should have been years ago by the looks of it. please help ! ! ! http://autoforum.classifieds1000.com/dodge-grand_caravan/2005_dodge_grand_caravan_random_headlamp_issue http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/dodge-caravan/t5ihkiqmtbk2hcua7 thanks for your prompt attention. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the contact stated that the power door locks were defective. she was unable to unlock or lock the doors with the remote or the lock buttons inside of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who reprogrammed and reset the computer. the remedy failed to repair the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 95,000. updated 08/31/2011 *ln *tr

Door/sliders lock would not operate by remote. had to manually enter thru the back lift gate and unlock from inside. *tr

2005 dodge grand caravan - turn signal inoperative. turn signal (left and right) will intermittently cut out. emergency flashers and windshield wipers continue to work and fuse is functional. turning ignition on/off sometimes fixes problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the contact attempted to unlock the doors using the key fob but the doors would not respond. the contact was forced to use the keys manually to enter the vehicle. the contact stated that the key fob also would not lock the doors. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. the contact also stated whenever she would disconnect the battery for approximately ten minutes, the key fob would function normally for approximately two days. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 112,000. the vin was unavailable.

1. electric door locks stopped working suddenly from both the key control pad and interior switches. the sliding side door also did not operate 2. it is persistent since it has happened. the lights blink so you think there is no problem. as a result you have to use the key and manually open or lock all the doors. safety concerns with a minivan designed to haul around families, security concerns with theft/vandalism and entering the vehicle, securing property while leaving. pulled the iod fuse and replaced after 1 minute as described in the below link. it seems like a common problem with over 150 documented complaints (under 2 separate titles) http://www.carcomplaints.com/dodge/caravan/2005/electrical/power_door_locks_quit_working.shtml. i plan to bring it to a dodge the dealer. *tr

I have a 2005 dodge caravan this vehicle has headlight failure, have been told its the module too the electrical system. this is just one of the many problems that dodge has with vehicles. from time to time the windows wont work . now only the high beams work and low beams are completely out. everything else but, the locks and headlamps wont work. no previous problems with this vehicle was noted . i was out of town 10 hrs from home when this problem with the low beams occured. scared to drive at night. this must be looked at. *tr

I have a 2005 dodge caravan sxt. power locks quit working. can not unlock with remote key, must use key in lock to open. i was told to disconnect the battery and the iod fuse for ten minutes and reconnect. locks work awhile then quit. i was told that dodge had a soft ware fix but, it would cost about one hundred dollars. i don't think it is right to charge for problem they created and seem to know about it. if there was an emergency and you needed to access the van quickly it would be impossible to do it quickly if you have to fumble with the key. also you couldn't lock it quick enough from the inside. i think there should be a recall on this problem. i noticed on the internet a number of people are fighting this problem as well. *tr

2005 dodge grand caravan bcm software failure ' the failure happened unexpectedly about a week and a half ago. it resulted in power door lock failure for the van and eventually the engine not shutting off when the ignition was turned off and the key taken out. when the vehicle was designed, it was designed to have 'power door locks'. with that in mind, there is only one key entrance for the van ' on the driver's door. therefore, without the power door lock feature enabled we cannot access our small children as easily as having the key and being able to open the doors automatically. also, about three nights ago i pulled my van into the garage, put it in park, turned the ignition off, and took the key out. the auxiliary features and fan motor were still running so i alerted my husband to come out and take a look. when he attempted to restart the engine, turn the van off and take the key out. the engine continued to run even though the key was out of the ignition. eventually, he had to disconnect the battery in order to stop the engine. i didn't have to research on the internet very long to see that this is a common failure for this make/model of van. there is complaint after complaint of people having to deal with this issue because someone has not taken control of it and made a mandatory recall on this product we took it to the shop only to find out that the bcm software failure (that chrysler is very familiar with) was our problem. after paying $70.60 for a rental car and $105.93 for the bcm update we now have working power door locks. *tr

Power door locks stopped working on my 2005 dodge caravan sxt. dealer claims no liability nor does dodge. this is a safety issue as the vehicle's back door/lift gate will not lock at all. *tr

The lights on my 2005 dodge caravan will randomly shut off, or not come on at all. after doing some research on-line, i find this to be a pretty common problem and the dealers don't appear to know what the issue is. this is a serious safety hazard causing me to drive this vehicle with no headlights after dark. *tr

Failure of headlights on 2005 dodge caravan. intermittently when the headlight switch is turned on, the parking and tail lights illuminate, however the headlights do not. the headlights can only be illuminated by holding on the temporary high beam lights. i have read of numerous similar complaints to dodge with only a response of a denial of the problem. this is an extreme safety issue in that loss of headlights while driving at night could easily result in an accident or fatality... *tr

There are 3 separate incidents happened to the vehicle. once while driving on the street and twice on the highway, 3 times the vehicle shuts down on its own in the middle of the traffic. *tr

Power locks stop working both by remote keychain and on doors, requiring doors to be manually locked and unlocked, and leaving the rear hatch door unlockable manually and occupants and property vulnerable. this has been an ongoing problem for about 2 years now, and only corrects when the 20 amp fuse is pulled and reinserted. this "correction" is progressively lasting less time, and has probably occurred 3 dozen times over the past 2 years. "corrections" last less than a day now, and with 2 young children in my car, this is a safety issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the contact stated that the sensor for the door locks did not function properly and doors would suddenly lock on their own. the contact had to unlock the doors manually. when the failure occurred and someone approached the vehicle, the panic alarm would begin to sound. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that repairs would have to be performed at her expense. the failure mileage was approximately 49,000. the current mileage was approximately 49,500. updated 11/19/10. *lj the consumer stated the connection from the battery were removed several times. finally, after three times the sensors started to work again. the consumer stated there have been no problems since. updated 12/01/10

My 2005 dodge caravan sxt power door locks fail to lock or unlock with the remote or door switch. the manual door lock is the only way to lock or unlock the doors. with there only being one key hole, this is a huge inconvenience and safety factor. what if you have several children and are trying to get everyone in the van and can only open the driver's door? this could pose a potentially dangerous situation as you're trying to get everyone inside the van, one of the kids could wander away, possibly into traffic. i'm sure you have heard all of this before because every 2005 caravan owner i have talked to has this problem and more. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. while putting grocery into the trunk of her vehicle, the vehicle started then stalled on its own. she was holding the keys in her hand and there were no occupants in the vehicle at the time. she also does not have a remote key starter. the failure occurred twice. while driving approximately 20 mph, the automatic door locks activated and within a few minutes while driving the alarm engaged. the manufacturer was unable to offer any assistance. no repairs were made to date. the failure mileage was 101,000. the current mileage was 102,062.

Parking lights stay on when switch is off. took to dealer and they changed switch. lights have been ok since. problem may be solved. had this problem from time to time in the pass. had to turn lights on and off several times to get lights to turn off. *tr

Door locks actuate up and down while vehicle is in motion. door locks unlock while vehicle is in motion. door locks actuate up and down while vehicle is not running. these issues are safety concerns as the doors unlock while the vehicle is moving. i have two small children and this is unacceptable, it has been documented hundreds of times on line. two door locks have failed completely and will not work using power door lock button or keyless remote. this is also a theft concern as at any time of day the doors could unlock rendering the vehicle open. occasionally the power doors do not work. power rear vent window passenger side does not work any longer. using the power window buttons cause the locks to cycle up and down.

Remote door locks fail. won't open with remote. have to pull the iod fuse for 5 seconds. a possible safety concern if locks don't work properly. *tr

The passenger side sliding door will not unlock using the key or the driver or passenger door's electric unlock button. the manual button on the door also will not unlock the door. i have not be able to open the door for over a month. i have seen suggestions on the web of taking out and then put back the iod fuse, but that did not work. *tr

Automatic door lock/unlock failed to lock/unlock on my wife's 2005 dodge caravan. this is apparently a common failure on this model as i determined from a web site. http://www.carcomplaints.com/dodge/caravan/2005/electrical/power_door_locks_quit_working.shtm the push buttons on the key give the indication of locking/unlocking the vehicle doors as the headlights blink and the horn signals a receipt of the signal, but the doors do not lock. also, the door lock switches on the inside of the door do not activate the locks. you can lock and unlock manually by using the buttons on each door - manually pushing them down to lock or raising them up to unlock. however, that is hard to do on a van as lock buttons are not easily reached. while there was no accident or damage from our failure, i can see the possibility of a problem, as an example : 1) a person thinks the doors are locked and a child is able to open the door while the vehicle is moving, 2) a person leaves the vehicle in a parking area thinking the doors are locked when they are not and someone breaks into the vehicle to steal it or to hide an attack the driver when they return. our dodge dealer was aware that this is a common failure and offered to apply a fix for around $50. apparently, the fix is to disconnect the battery or pull a 20amp fuse which as far as i can determine from the above web site "resets the computer module". so, i did the 20 amp fuse removal myself and that fixed it. however, from the complaints in the web site - this fix apparently does not last (that is sometimes it lasts for hours and sometimes for day or weeks). i will add that a few on the web site discussed having their computer "reprogrammed"and my dealer mentioned that term when i let him know i had been reading the web site. my extended warranty folks mentioned that probably the activator module would need to be replaced. all i know is-it is a class problem and as far as i am concerned should be fixed by a recall. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. intermittently all of the warning lights and gauges on the instrument control panel fail. usually they flicker on and then back off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the technicians have not developed a remedy for the failure. the failure mileage was 78,000.

Dodge caravan 2005 automatic door locks don't work properly. with small children this could be a real issue if they unlock or lock themselves in the car and the adult doesn't have the actual key on hand. only way to get the doors or trunk open is manually with a key now and only driver's side door has a hole for the key. the automatic side doors work half the time and seem dangerous for toddlers since they are erratic open/closing. *tr

I own a 2005 dodge caravan and i have problems with the headlights going out will i am driving and sometimes them not turning on. i have had the van for 3 years and had the problem for the last year. i tried replacing the relays in the van and it doesn't work. i have had it looked at and they can not seem to find anything wrong with it. this is very unsafe to be driving at night and i have 3 children and this is the only vehicle that i have. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the vehicle was parked and shut off when the contact attempted to lock the doors using the key fob. the doors would not lock. in order to lock the doors using the key fob the contact disconnected the battery for approximately 10 minutes. upon reconnecting the battery the contact was able to lock the doors using the key fob. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. when driving or idling all of the warning lights would illuminate on the instrument control panel, and the head-lights would fail. this failure lasts from 30 seconds up to one minute. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no remedy was provided. the technician at the dealer was well informed about electrical failures for her model type. the manufacturer was notified, but she was still waiting for a response. the current mileage was 106,987. the failure mileage was 106,701

My 2005 dodge caravan's power locks stopped working about a yr ago (2009) i tried replacing the fuse, new battery. this did not correct the problem. there is only one keyed entry into the vehicle which is on the drivers door which forces you to crawl all around the vehicle to open the other 3 door. in the even of an emergency this would be a huge safety issue. i know from reading other forums that thousands of other 2005 dodge caravan owners have this same problem. apparently dodge is aware of it because they have a software program update for it. *tr

I have a 2005 dodge grand caravan that consistently has power lock failures. i have been to many forums on the internet and it appears to be a common problem with 2005 dodge grand caravan owners. there are no recalls for this defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. the contact stated that the doors failed to open when he used the keyless entry. he was able to open the doors manually with the key. the dealer informed him to bring in the vehicle for inspection. the vehicle has not yet been inspected or repaired. when the contact disconnected the battery cables from the battery and then reconnected the cables, it resets the keyless entry system. the keyless entry will work for approximately one week before it fails again. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 58,000 and current mileage was 61,000. updated 07/24/09 .*lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. when the contact starts the vehicle, the speedometer dial, fuel gauge, and temperature gauge increase and then goes back down and resets. the contact called the dealer and they stated that an appointment to inspect the vehicle could not be scheduled until may 27, 2009. the contact will try another dealer. the failure mileage was 63,000.

Power door locks on my 2005 dodge caravan have quit working. there is only one door that has a key hole to use a key in. i have to unlock the driver's door, then reach over and unlock the other doors. this has been going on for over a year now. i can't afford to trade my vehicle in or i would. i have seen numerous complaints about the same problem on countless websites. dodge needs to be do something to fix this problem. *tr

Failure of electrical system on 2005 dodge caravan, namely power door lock failure, including with key fob, switch on inside of vehicle and automatic locking mechanism. can be remedied by disconnecting battery and reconnecting or removing fuse and replacing. this only helps for up to 2 days. bought my van used at 115,000 miles, but every complaint i have read started at 40,000 miles. more than 40 complaints on one website alone. widespread problem among this model. my almost 2 year old son was able to open the door and climb out of the van on his own. thankfully we were stopped and parked. could have been a tragedy had we been in motion, and if i did not keep him securely fastened in his car seat until the vehicle stops. this was after resetting the battery for about the 20th time in the less than one year since i purchased my van. but again it had failed and the automatic locking mechanism hadn't engaged. i know that many have complained to dodge directly, but they refuse to acknowledge it as a safety issue and recall the electrical system. not the only problem i have found with the electrical system. others include headlights going out while driving, and turn signals not working properly, etc. people with small children (especially multiple small children) are a huge number of consumers for this vehicle and it would be a shame to have someone get hurt because dodge doesn't think it is a safety concern. i do and many others do as well. will it take a death of a small child for someone to get a recall initiated? *tr

The door locks on my 2005 dodge caravan sxt are going on and off without activating the button . in my opinion this is a safety item that needs to be addressed . along with other people complaining about the same thing this should be a recall on this vehicle. *tr

The door locks on my 2005 dodge caravan had stopped working. i naturally figured it was the fuse that controlled the door lock circuit. i could not find the door lock fuse, or even any instruction where to find the fuse in the owners manual. i went online and did a google search containing "2005 dodge caravan fuse location". i could not find any info on where the fuse is located, but i did find numerous other complaints regarding the exact issue i have. i turns out the 'fix' for this issue is a software upgrade to the vehicles bcm computer, as the installed software is bugged. i read it is a $130 charge to perform this update. my complaint is, why should the consumer have to foot the bill for a known defect with one the vehicles safety systems? it is obviously known that this problem exists as there is a fix for it, when will the company back its product? i am positive my complaint is not the only one of this nature, please have the company address this safety issue! *tr

Central locking system does not lock or unlock the doors even though it gives the beep letting driver think it does the job. sometimes this problem can be cured by removing iod fuse, but the problem comes back after a few days or even almost immediately. this appears to be a very common problem, however it is not listed as a recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. while activating the keyless remote on the vehicle, the doors failed to lock. the exterior lighting flashed and the horn sounded, but the doors did not lock. while driving between 18-20 mph, the doors were supposed to lock, but did not. the vehicle has not yet been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 80,000. updated 10/03/08 *bf updated 10/06/08. *jb

Power door locks stopped working about 2 years ago. i read on the internet how to fix it, most suggestions were to replace the fuse. we have cleaned and replaced the fuse several times, but the door locks still go out erratically. this is a major safety issue as we bought the caravan because we have young children and the power door locks are convenient to getting them in and out all at one time. there are too many complaints for dodge not to take this seriously. will someone have to die or be seriously injured before they do something?

I have a 2005 dodge caravan, i continue to have multiple issues with this vehicle.. last year my car kept staling so i took it in.. only to find out my egr valve needed to be replaced( of course not covered under my extended warranty)... now my power door locks have stopped working completely, and now my power windows quit for a period & then start working on there own again.. i have taken it to the dealership and was told this is a known computer problem & it needs to be reprogrammed @ my cost of over 350.00.. when other vehicles that had not been sold were upgraded prior to the sale... now on top of all of this my vehicle is making a horrible noise in my front end while driving & when my engine is turned off.. could poss be my transmission... at this point i am so frustrated im ready to turn my car back over to chrysler & let them deal with it...im not getting any help at all.. *tr

The power door locks stopped working. the only way to lock or unlock the car is with the key, and there's no keyhole except on the driver's door. dealer fixed it once: $89. second time, he charged $400 for a new body module. each time it stopped working again after about three months. he fixed it once more without charge, then said $89 each time thereafter. another mechanic went over the wiring all the way to each door and found no problem. i have stopped paying for the fixes. i have tried the unhooking the battery and unplugging the fuse tricks but they don't work. so i drive without power locks and deal with the nuisance of manual locks. (the electric window motor on the driver side also failed - another $400 bill. this is my ninth chrysler product but from now on i wouldn't take one if they gave it to me). *tr

Headlights do not come on have to turn switch many times before you get them to come on and then sometimes it still does not work. lights will also dim on their own while you are driving have actually gone off and had to pull over until i could get them back on. mechanics say they can not do anything until they see it happen. there are never any mechanics open when it is dark so you can never prove this really happens. they have checked switches and things all seem to be fine. automatic door locks just stopped working one day. tried the other key thought maybe the battery in my key was dead. nothing. the lights will still flash and the horn will sound when you use buttons on the key but locks do not open or close. the back door hatch seems to work but other four locks do not. very frustrating and unsafe these days to be in some areas we drive without having our doors locked. also you can only get into one side of the car and the have to reach over to unlock all others very inconvenient! i'm actually afraid they will lock and never unlock at this point. i've read many complaints about the locks and think dodge should be looking into this seriously. i have also read a report about the lights and am glad someone else has experienced this so i know i am not crazy. this is also a very huge safety issue and should be looked at immediately! *tr