Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving 30 mph, there was a grinding noise coming from the front driver side wheel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the technician could not find a failure. the brake caliper was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
2008 dodge grand caravan. consumer writes in regards to vehicle brake issues. *smd the consumer stated over the past two years, the right brake pad and rotors were replaced several times. many of the replacements were done with less 12,000/15,000 in between. updated 09/17/13
Replaced front brakes at 21150 miles. told by smithtown dodge & chrysler(new york) that there is a service bulletin but no recalls on the brakes. did some research online and discovered this is a major problem with the 2008 dodge caravan. there are hundreds of stories of brake replacement with low mileage.the dealer even admits there is a design flaw that the pads are too small for the size vehicle.there is the same problem with the rear brakes,with stories of wheels locking up. being a retired mechanic i think this is a serious problem. just consider a van full of people not being able to stop, or worse have a wheel lock up at 55mph on a highway. i think there should be an investigation into this problem. people's lives should come first. *tr
Encountered brake failure at 11000 miles. repaired at my expense. failed again at about 23000 miles, repaired under warranty. failed again at 37,000 miles, my cost. all cases involved pads and rotors. *tt there has got to be design failure where chrysler/dodge developers under engineered the size and/or composition of the brake caliper/pad system. chrysler continues to deny that there is a design problem, yet there are hundreds of complaints here. without a doubt, despite owning caravans since the original 1984 model, never again. anyone interested in a class action lawsuit???
2008 dodge caravan purchased in august 2008. rear brakes rubbing causing squealing, a burning smell and very hot rims. dealer replaced both rear brakes in august 2009 at about 11,000 miles. same thing occurred in 2011. dealer refused to do anything on price and wanted $401. they claimed corrosion was the problem. car now has 27,000 miles. rear brakes only lasted 16,000 miles. there is a defect. everybody knows that. somebody is going to die. rims will heat up and cause a tire to blow. just a matter to time. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that there was a loud humming sound coming from the braking system. the noise would begin to sound while driving above speeds of 60 mph and cease once the brake pedal was depressed. once the brake pedal was released, the noise would resume. the vehicle had not been inspected. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage is 40,000. updated 11/16/11*lj the consumer stated the humming noise ceased. updated 12/02/11
We own a 2008 dodge grand caravan with 45k miles on the van. the van has been through 4 complete brake repairs within the 45 k and most recently we needed to replace the master cylinder. we were over 1000 miles from home on july 20th in miami when both brakes and master cylinder went out. by luck i noticed the problem and brought it in for service, this had the potential to be life threatening for my young kids, my wife and i. we are looking to you for help before we or someone gets hurt. we are averaging the need for brakes every 12k miles. we have paid for all of the repairs and dodge finally issued a repayment for a percentage of the cost. these brakes are underperforming and i believe it is an engineering issue. please research this issue. there is a lot of complaints about this issue and someone needs to make sure the public is protected. i appreciate your help in this matter. *tr
I bought a 2008 dodge grand caravan in june 09 with 5,000 miles. as of today, at 57000 miles it is on it is needing its fifth set of brakes and rotors. i have been driving for 20 yrs and have never had to replace brakes at a rate like this. by this time i should have had to replace maybe one set at a maximum. chrysler has failed to admit their mistake in undersizing brakes which clearly are being "eaten up" at a rate 5-6 times what they should. chrysler did reimburse me $100 for a $500 brake job one time stating that they realized that original brakes were basically shoddy, but they have failed to admit that there is a problem with the design of the van itself. in fact, they blamed the problem on the epa no longer allowing asbestos in the brakes. if this is the case, why isn't everyone else on the road replacing brakes at this astronomical rate? i have had numerous cars, both new and used, and i have never had to replace brakes like this. i am very angry regarding this and feel that this should be publicized so as to not put others at risk for becoming victims of the same disappointing situation of a van. i personally plan on trading this van as soon as i am able. *tr
Brakes "burning" again. *kb
Driver side rear brake caliber mechanism. i has the caliber replaced in march and had new break pads and rotors installed. i drove about less than 3000 mile and had the same thing happen again. in this last episode i have paid out $1300 in just parts, not to mention labor costs, and two $100 tow bills and the problem is still not fixed. i have replaced the entire break caliber fully loaded mechanism and drove 20 miles and had to have the car towed due to the break caliber freezing again. this issue is a major safety issue that could cause death of myself my passengers, and others on the road. i bought this car used to get back and forth to work and family events. i got this car because of it size affordable for me as a single mother of three living on a fixed income. i thought because it was newer that i would be able to drive it for awhile before major issues would happen. i have only this car a year and have not been able to drive it more than 20 miles before having it towed to a garage since this last issue. i have had the pad and rotors replaced twice because of it in the last two weeks. this last time i had to tow it to my home as i cannot put any more money into it yet i still have 6 years of payments left. this is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. if they cannot fix it than they need to give me a new van. *tr
2008 dodge caravan se... brake caliper seized up. caused premature wear and tear on both the brake pad and rotor. vehicle begins to shake violently at 30 mph+. the calipers cause brakes to wear out between 8000 miles to 14000 miles, far sooner than normal wear and tear would cause. dealerships are repairing faulty calipers under "good will" tickets, which are treated like a warranty repairs in respects to charges to the vehicles owner. technicians at the dealership alluded that the 2008 and 2009 model year for dodge caravans and chrysler town and country vans are known for severe brake problems. seized calipers can also cause severe shifts in the steering while braking, which could cause collisions or accidents. this problem is widely known to owners who have reported it to many websites and dealerships. *tr
While on the interstate in wisconsin driving at about 65 mph, the left rear brake on my daughter's van suddenly seized. when i pulled off the interstate, the entire wheel was too hot to touch and there was a strong burning smell. fortunately there was a chrysler dealer right there. they told me that the left rear caliper 'hung up' on the brake. they said that the caliper adapter was new to this model (2008), that they have seen this before and that chrysler has a newer design but the part was on back order. they told me that the pads, calipers and rotors on both rear brakes needed to be replaced. they cleaned and lubricated the brakes and i continued to chicago to have the repairs done there. later my daughter told me that in april 2011, the same thing had happened but on the right rear brake. again this was on the interstate. she heard a very loud squealing. after tapping the brakes a few times the sound went away and she continued. this is why the dealer said that the right rear brake pads, calipers and rotor also needed replacement. worse, my daughter's brother-in-law bought the same model caravan in 2008. on a trip to virginia, also on the interstate, their brakes seized in the same manner. when we got to chicago, i took the van into roesch chrysler in elmhurst illinois. they replaced the calipers under warranty but charged me to replace the pads and rotors. the fact that this has happened twice on my daughter's van, that it also happened on her brother-in-law's same model/year van, that the caliper design was new in 2008, that since then a new caliper design has been released ' leads me to believe that the original caliper/brake design is defective and should have been covered under warranty. moreover, chrysler should have recalled these vehicles as a safety issue given an over heated wheel could have caused a high speed blowout.
Front brakes worn out at 18k miles - not covered under warranty - not considered defective? pads gone - rotors heavily grooved. *kb
The brakes on our 2008 dodge grand caravan sxt completely rusted at 26,500 miles. as of 5/26/2011. prior to that (05/27/2010) the brakes rusted and locked at 19,844. the car had to be towed on a platform truck because tires, wheels assemblies were completely locked at that time. brakes have been pulsating and started to make harmonic sounds in the most recent incident. brakes were spongy with the pulsating creating vibration in steering wheel. have formally filed a complaint to chrysler. clerk at chrysler indicated unusual number of calls but no detail, just that they're experiencing problems with the brakes involving dodge caravan and town and country. van is at dealer being repaired at this time. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact was driving 55 mph when the vehicle started to jerk and burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. the contact also mentioned that the headlights would fail sporadically without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the front passenger side caliper was defective and needed to be replaced. three months later, the rear driver caliper needed to be replaced as well. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 38,000 and the current mileage was 55,643.
I have replaced my brakes 3 times since i bought utter and motors 1 time they get very hot and smell like their burning also a possible hub bearing is going out on passenger side last but not lease my light on radio is not working as well. i've observed on the web site several dodge grandcaravans have been having. *tr
Here we go again. front brake problems at 18,000 miles on a 2008 grand caravan. then the recall, now the rear brakes at 35k. after discussion with the service manager he stated the rear brakes could wear out at 8k miles(r u kidding me) some service manager. back brakes should last at least 40-50k when not towing. the rear brake calibers and pads have the same defects as the front. i changed the rear pads and 1 glide was missing and that pad was worn alot more than the other 3. thanks dodge, great vehicle. also who was the genius that came up with the 225 65 16 tire size, nice job. *tr
My wife came home friday(3/11/11) complaining that her front brakes were making a grinding noise. so the following day i jacked the 2008 dodge grand caravan up to inspect for a problem and found that both front brake rotors were worn down with metal to metal contact from the brake pads. the van has only 29,000 miles on it. back during october we got a letter from dodge stating we needed to bring our van in for a brake inspection for the front brakes because there were issues of premature front pad failure so we complied. at that time they noticed no problem,but now i have to replace both front rotors and front pads on a vehicle that only has 29,000 miles. this is a known issue from dodge, but they state there is only a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty for brake parts/problems. *tr
I was driving my vehicle down the road, it had been about 10 minutes since i had left the service department of my local dodge dealer to have my a/c serviced. my rear brakes had been serviced less than 6,000 miles previously and had been checked the night before by a just brakes technician. as i was driving i began to hear some squealing. when i stopped at a red light i noticed a huge amount of smoke pouring out of the rear of my car. i was able to accelerate enough to coast in to the just brakes shop where technicians looked at my vehicle and discovered a total brake failure of my rear brakes. the temperature had reached so high that the assembly itself was white hot and smoking. had i not been closer to the shop my brakes might have failed because the pads were totally destroyed when they took them off. i have the old pads in my possession. *tr
Dealership informed me that front and rear brakes needed to be replaced. minivan is not driven in the city, no stop and go traffic, majority of miles were done on the interstate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated the rear brakes failed prematurely. the brakes, front brake pads and calipers on the front wheels were replaced at 22,000 miles. the contact stated smoke was coming from the rear brakes. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated the rear brake pads and calipers needed to be replaced as well. the vin was not accepted. the failure mileage was 22,6000 and the current mileage was 27,986. the consumer stated the rear brakes were replaced again at 28,000 miles. updated 03/08/12
We purchase our 2008 dodge grand caravan new on 12/22/2008. we have had to get our front pads replaced and front rotors resurfaced at 20,306 miles and chrysler sent out a front brake limited warranty extension so we received a refund back minus the 50.00 deductible for this repair. however now we've had problems with our rear calipers & rear brakes which we would like to have our repair refunded or a recall done on this matter. here is the info: first complaint:--the rear calipers seized which caused the second complaint-- the pads wore out quickly. the rear calipers seized and the rear brakes failed and both had to be replaced. the rear rotors and drums had to be resurfaced at our expense($446.38 parts & labor, not including tax).
Approximately 20,000 miles front brake recall letter received, took to local dealer and repairs made. at 23,000 mile rear left locked, total replacement at the cost of $299.29 to repair one brake, rotor and caliper. very disappointed, was informed by dealer repairman that there should be a recall for the rears soon. told to keep receipt for reimbursement. *tr
I bought a used 2008 dodge caravan with 34,000 miles on it. there was a recall on the brakes and rotors at 38,000, carmax never told me that. i ended up replacing my rotors twice since nov 2010 and my brakes 4 different times. i sent dodge chrysler a letter with my invoices for refund with no response. and now again dodge is telling me that i need to replace the rotors and brakes. i don't have the money, and i should not have to continue to pay for this. i drive a special needs daughter and two sons in this van and feel it is unsafe but its the only car we have and no one will help us. thank you *tr
2008 dodge grand caravan 32k miles front brakes were squeaking so we took it to local dodge dealer. said the front rotors and pads needed to be replaced. this car is new and the first brake job needs rotors? we paid for it and later dodge sent out a reimbursement letter in the summer to pay half of the costs. i wonder if they put the same junk rotors back on? now, 6k miles later the front right brake squeals like the pad is low but the dealer said it is ok and that is "normal". it is not normal to hear a grinding pad on rotor sound when the pad is good! the only thing he said they could do would be to resurface the rotor and put stop squeal on the pad. it would cost around 120.00 bucks. poor parts are obviously on this car...i will not buy another dodge or suggest anyone do so. other problems with this new car so far are: 1. when first bought, trans fluid leak, warranty fixed that. 2. rotors and pads on front (as described above), reimbursed for half 3. now at 38k miles, the front left wheel bearing is bad, have to replace, 220.00 dollars, i am talking to chrysler to see if they will pay for or not. two dealers and two repair shops cannot get this part for a week to a month, they are on backorder. *tr
2008 dodge grand caravan with 27,000 miles on it needs to have all four sets of brake pads and front rotors replaced for the second time. the front pads have were replaced 13,000 miles ago and have already worn down so far that they are cutting grooves into the rotors. i am a professional mechanic and have never seen brakes wear out in 12,000 miles. dodge refuses to replace the brakes citing that they are wear items. they should wear out in 50,000 miles, not 12,000. i feel that this is a serious safety problem as even when new, the brakes are seriously under engineered. i have to press the pedal almost to the floor for normal stops and in the event of panic stops, i have had more than enough near misses where the van just didn't stop in time and i wound up off the road on the shoulder. *tr
Going on my 3rd set of brakes at 32k miles. dodge service center said they knew of this being a problem on all grand caravans 2008 and later. told me i was out of warranty . at this rate i will have over $3000 in brakes in less than 4 yrs. need to be a recall for a longer lasting brake. this is to dangerous and costly for the owner and mothers who drive their children. *tr
2008 dodge grand caravan. 90,000 miles on vehicle. heard a grinding noise coming from rear when brakes are applied. investigated and found both rear wheels, inside discs pads were completely worn. outside pads were still good. replaced pads and rotors. believe its the design of the calipers, never seen caliper pistons that turned out when brakes are applied. had to have a special tool to turn the pistons back in to replace pads. i don't think that the pistons can retract very well because of the design causing more pressure on the inside pads. the new pads also smoked for a few days afterwards. after talking to a dealer no info or reason could be found for the excessive wear. *tr
In july2010, i had the front brakes replace after only 30000 m iles. also a front caliper was replaced due to it not releasing after applying the brakes. in aug, 2010 on a return trip from florida, the rear brake calipers froze , would not release, causing the rear brakes to overheat, causing rear brake failure. repair of the rear brakes cost aprox.$ 580.00. a complaint to chrysler corp. was initiated, and they reimbursed a total of$280.00. i was told by 2 dealers that there has been an abnormal amount of problems with the brake calipers on the chrysler/dodge vans. since we were transporting oxygen that my wife needs for medical purposes a fire or other failure of the rear brakes, ie fire, seizing of the brakes causing a wreck, or being disabled on the highway, miles from a repair facility could have had serious results. at the present time the only remaining caliper has failed, froze to the rotor, and is in need of repair which has been scheduled at a non dealer shop. the cost has been estimated at $100.00. chrysler corp has not given any acknowledgment as to the cause or why this is occurring, only the $280.00 reimbursement. the question is: will this happen if i purchase another chrysler van and has the brake caliper been acknowledged and fixed? 4280.00 reimbursement. *tr
Premature brake wear. rear brake pads replaced (15000 miles). front brake pads replaced twice in 32000 miles. rotors replaced at 32000 miles. now rotors are warped again. travel around town and minor highway only. no heavy breaking, etc. no accident yet! *tr
Brakes pads wear out fast and rotor keep warping. have had brakes replaced 5 times already. i am only up to 54,000 and i need brakes again. the last brake and rotor job was at 39k. *tr
On a recent trip from florida, our 2008 dodge van experienced rear brake failure. while traveling on i-75, at highway speed, 70mph, the rear brakes seized, causing smoke , the rotors heating to the point being red hot, all causing difficultly in stopping. after letting the brakes cool and making our way to a repair facility, we were told that the rear calipers had seized, frozen in place causing the brakes to overheat and burn. the cost of replacing the brakes, calipers and other parts cost over $575.00 plus the loss of a day traveling and over night stay. we were told that t the brakes were failed and could have easily caused a fire due the amount of heat generated or a crash. *tr
Had front brakes done at 7,000 miles found out they were going to be covered because there was a satisfaction notice that just came out...now i have 10,386 miles and the rear brakes had to be done. never had to had to do rear brakes until i needed my third set of fronts done....this is my third dodge grand caravan. dealer said they don't know of any problem. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. after attempting to stop, the wheel vibrated causing difficulty when the contact tried to stop. the dealer stated that all four rotors and brake pads had failed; the front brake pads and rotors were replaced under warranty and the rear parts were replaced at a repair shop at the contact's expense. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that the failure was common but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 25,817 and the current mileage was approximately 29,000.
Brake extended warranty for 2008 grand caravan. *tr
Brakes have been worn out twice in 24k miles. *tr
We bought a 2008 dodge caravan brand new and at 12,000 miles it needs brand new brakes. the brakes have been making a grinding noise for months. chrysler has extended the warrenty on the brakes for that year. we believe this should be a recall! they also don't have the parts to fix the problem so i am driving on bad brakes with 4 children in the vehicle. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated the rear calipers began to heat up and the rear wheels also locked. the tread came off of both tires because of the failure. the contact took the vehicle to a mechanic who stated the calipers failed and were a manufacturer's defect. the manufacturer did not inspect the vehicle. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that both the front and rear rotors were wearing prematurely and excessively. the dealer replaced the rotors in july 2010 and the rotors were worn again and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 74,000. the approximate failure mileage was 33,000. the vin was unavailable.
Driving at highway speeds noticed the vehicle felt with less power than usual. i came up to a traffic jam and had to reduce speed to 0 mph. at this point i notice a large amount of smoke coming out of the rear right wheel well and began noticing a burnt brake smell. i pulled over to the side and saw the brake pads were smoking profusely. visual inspection showed the rotor had acquired a light blue color all around. rotors and pads have less than 300 miles since being installed, i had installed aftermarket ceramic pads instead of dealer's semi-metallic compound, new rotors are also aftermarket since i refused to give dodge any more money for what i considered sub par components since i had to do a total brake replacement well under 30,000 miles and my previous request for servicing brakes under warranty went unanswered.. van was inspected by two different dealers before brake replacement and both dealers said there was nothing wrong with the brake system , that it was normal wear and tear and they could not find anything wrong with the calipers and or other brake system components. once brake pads stopped smoking i resumed minimum highway speed until reaching an exit two miles ahead. van did not feel sluggish at this point and brakes did not smoke again. this could happen at any time again because dealer was not able to find anything wrong with the brake system previously and they have no known root cause for this failure. in my opinion this has to be related to what i consider a premature brake replacement done earlier this month. *tr
2008 dodge grand caravan. 3 incident of premature brake failure. rotors and pads metal to metal at 27250 miles. rear brakes 90 gone after 11,000 miles. *tr
We own a 1998 dodge grand caravan. we had to replace the front brake pads at 20,000 miles. to which the mechanic said that was abnormally soon to need new pads. now at 35,000 miles the pads need to be replaced again and it appears the rotors are warped. a recent discussion with a friend who owns the same year, make and model has the same situation of premature brake pad erosion and needs a second replacement with even less miles than we have on our vehicle. originally we believed we were just harder on our brakes than normal but with two replacements and warped rotors within 35,000 miles we believe there's a bigger issue. additionally there are strange noises from the front brake area and there's a concern that there could be other issues. due to the importance of the braking system and how quickly the 2008 grand caravan's are failing we believe it's only a matter of time until someone is hurt due to this abnormal condition. thank you. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact was driving 45 mph when the brakes were applied and the vehicle started to shake abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact believed that both rotors were replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 13,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.
2008 dodge grand caravan rear brakes. upon visually inspecting brake system on the rear driver side uneven wear was detected mostly on the inside pad. semi-metallic compound located towards the back side of the pad was almost worn down to the metal while the front side of the pad still had enough compound on it that the wear indicator is not making contact with the rotor. brake failure is imminent and the wear indicator will is not providing any sound warning that the compound is worn down to the metal. dealership was not able to explain the reason for uneven brake pad wear on the rear brakes. they were not able to explain why the wear indicator was not making contact with the pad even though the technician stated the pads are 95% worn. chrysler offer to fix the problem is to replace pads and rotors with similar materials. front brake pads are also worn down 95% and dealership acknowledged a tsb# 05-006-08 did apply to my make and model of vehicle however they refused to apply the service based on the mileage on the vehicle (27,288 mi). while the issuance of the tsb indicates a concern for the front brakes on the van, having my driving habits extend the brake life up to the 27,288 mile point disqualified me from having such tsb applied to the van. my concern is there is no prior warning of brake failure since the wear indicators do not make contact with the rotor when there is potential for having metal to metal contact between the rotors and pads. *tr
Calipers hanging up causing brakes to heat up. has been occurring for several months. when taken to the dodge dealer they initially stated nothing wrong. then 1 week later state i need new calipers, rotors turned and brake pads. they state the only thing covered under warranty is calipers. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan se. the contact was applying the brakes when the brake pedal began to vibrate abnormally and the brakes were exhibiting an unusual chattering. the dealer was notified who advised that the failure was common in his year, make amd model vehicle but unless the manufacturer was willing to assist, there was not much he could do to assist. the contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure nor was the vehicle repaired. the current mileage was 32,000 and the failure mileage was 12,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the brake pads and rotors had to be replaced at 20,000 miles. the vehicle also had a hard vibration in the steering wheel and brake pedal. the road conditions or speed of the vehicle had no affect on the failure. the failure and current mileage s were approximately 20,000.
At approx 45k miles, i have now replaced brakes and rotors 4 times!!! this is absurd...you buy a caravan because you have kids, therefore you don't have the excess money for this constant repair...each time it's $350 or more!! just had rotors cut again....brakes are squealing soooooooo bad. this is insane. i've spent so much money on this van. i was told dodge makes the best caravan...honestly, it's a piece of crap if i'm going to keep getting new brakes every 10k - 15k miles. chrysler really needs to do something about this before someone gets killed. i drive in a mountainous area and applying the brakes and having my steering wheel shake doesn't make me feel safe or my family! i always have my kids in the car. does someone need to get killed before a recall is made????? no wonder why american cars have the worst reputation....you people do nothing for the consumers! *tr
Premature and immediate brake pad failure. no indicator warning and severe safety issue. all brake pads failed within the first year of owning the van and still no recognition from dodge of major safety problem. safety of my children is of no concern to dodge. *tr
Air conditioner failed prematurely, at this time the car has 45,000 the failure must have happened before 40,000. cooling a/c is not working, blowing warm air. looking online found many 08 grand caravan owners with same complaints. car after warranty will cost $135 to inspect and refill. i asked the dealer to pressure check the hoses for leaks, they said they will do a color dye check on the a/c system hoses. brakes were done at 12,000 miles failed again at 35,000, this time i am not going to have the dealer fix it, i am ordering reybestos hybrid rotors and advanced performance brake pads. warning - dodge oem brakes and rotors are pos, do not let dodge install them. i am also considering replacing the calipers with reworked caliper from another source. horrible noise from rear brakes, when driving and the brake is not engaged. slight right turns also cause squeaks/grind noise that sound like its coming from rear. when brake is engaged the noise stops. *tr