Problems with 2000 Dodge Caravan STRUCTURE

2000 dodge caravan, left strut tower is rusting out terribly, must be replaced with strut cap. strut cap is avaiable thru c. hrysler and after market, costs is about $400 to repair if strut tower completely rusts out could cause severe damage to vehicle and possible injury to someone.

I would like to report a major problem with my 2000 dodge caravan the strut housing is very rusted out through and through and i have looked online to see many other similar complaints. *tr

2000 dodge caravan. driver side strut cap rusted through. this is not a normal rust pattern. still have a 95 caravan and strut caps are perfect. the rust is such that a good bump could poke the strut through the cap and through the windshield also causing loss of steering control. this is a dangerous safety issue that has not been recalled. again, this is not a normal rust pattern and dodge is aware of the problem having created replacement caps which are not installed under warranty. dodge however refuses responsibility for a manufacturer defect and steers customers to body shops. *tr

Strut towers rusting on 2000 dodge caravan. vehicle began wobbling severely while driving on the freeway. took it to a repair shop to find out that both strut towers are severely rusted. after researching the internet i found the technical service bulletin, which states this is a cosmetic repair! this is unbelievable! the strut tower is completely rusted and hardly anything is holding it in place. thousands of vehicles have been affected, but there has been no recall? dodge should be repairing this for free. *tr

This references tsb number:2304402 and nhtsa number:10000317 (tsb date: october 14, 2002). failing component: structure: body. cosmetic corrosion or perforation at upper driver's side strut tower usually between the strut and upper load path beam inner panel (inner fender). *tr

200 dodge caravan i've had it for 9 years and the strut tower on the driver's side is rusted to the point of breaking. i found this out at my inspection, and needless to say i didn't pass inspection. a strut tower breaking would cause serious safety problem during vehicle operation, as it would be undrivable. *tr

I bought the van used and nothing was noted about the strut tower on inspection however a friend of mine noted it within 6 months of me buying the car. as he was a licensed mechanic i took him seriously. the driver's side strut tower was rusting on the top where the bolts that hold it to the body exist. i continued to get worse and after witnessing a dodge caravan similar to mine literally fall apart while attempting to park i realized that i should get it fixed. i found junk yard to get them to cut out a strut tower off a junked caravan and then found a good welder to replace the top of the strut tower which was the only part of the tower that was rusting. the top the tower was paper thin and when he showed me the piece he removed i noted that i could push my finger through the metal that was left. if this had broken through while i was driving i believe a serious, injurious accident would've occurred as the front of my vehicle would've dropped to the ground and like the car i saw in the parking lot, my axle would've broken and i would've lost control of the vehicle..deadly at 60 mph. *tr

I have a 2000 dodge caravan that has a strut tower rusting through. it is my understanding that this is a common problem. shouldn't chrysler be addressing this? i had a 1996 that did the same thing. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. the contact noticed that the driver's side strut tower was corroded. the vehicle is currently operating properly, but the failure has not been diagnosed. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the current and failure mileages were 234,000. updated 01/07/09 *bf updated 01/07/09.*jb

I noticed serious rusting on the top of the drivers side and passengers strut towers. i read on a car forum chrysler knows of the problem with shock tower rust rot and has a tsb for it. however, chrysler will not fix this defects for free. dodge/ chrysler sells repair kits (caps with screws and glue) for the rusted shock tower caps. the repair kit doesn't seem strong enough for solving this structural problem. the forum says welding the caps is more structurally sound. i believe that this is a big safety issue due to a major structural engineering defect. *tr

9/8/2008 i was traveling on ir80 & i must of swerved a bit & the van struck a dot paddle marker @ humboldt mile marker 45 in nevada. the van became engulfed in flames & overturned sideways at least 4 times. my mother & father parrished as a result of this accident, burned so much they couldn't recognize their gender. my wife & i escaped with her getting severely burned about 76% & i about 68%, we was transported to humboltd hospital then air transported to u of u burn center salt lake city utah where she spent about 7 months in ccu burn unit & i about 3 months. the marker post was uprooted & struck the undercarriage of the van & detached the fuel line then punctured the cross member & depositing the fuel line in the hole the fire started then we overturned with a series of explosions. a mechanic explained the severed fuel line was a return line from the evap.canister to the fuel tank & that the fuel system stayed at 49 psi being fed by an electric fuel pump i remember driving speaking with my father, my wife & mom was sleeping in the back seat then i woke up on fire trying to escape the wreckage, i hollered @ my wife & i rolled out of the van. my wife checked mom she was dead then another explosion blew my wife to the front seat between where my dad & i sat, she grabbed dad but he wouldn't come cause of mom. two people moved my wife after my father shoved her out. i started back to the van when another explosion engulfed my father. i dropped to my knees & told a bystander i just killed my mother & father. my children & family hired a big time lawyer & it was looking good until chrysler filed for bankruptcy & cleared them from all lawsuits prior to their bankruptcy. my lawyer had to walk away with a $30,000 loss, she was 44 & i was 48 years old prime time of our life we still battle health issues from the burns & never got a red cent from chrysler. *tr

On my 2000 dodge grand caravan , the left front strut tower support rusted out and the strut pushed through the top of the support. this is a defect in design and should be recalled and fixed by chrysler free of charge. *tr

Have noticed the driver's side shock tower on the top rusting to the point where safety is a major concern. being that it is a possible safety issue before having any repairs done wanted to know if there is or is going to be a safety recall on this issue. *tr

Just purchased 2000 dodge caravan se and after purchasing i noticed rust-rotted holes in drivers side shock tower top. i can't safety it until repaired. i read on a car forum chrysler knows of the problem with shock tower rust rot and supposedly have a tsb for it. but i know how hard it is to convince chrysler to fix their manufacturing defects for free. the forum also mentioned chrysler sells repair kits for the rusted shock tower caps. but even their fix kit doesn't seem strong enough for a structural problem. they sell caps with screws and glue. but the forum says welding the caps is more structurally sound. tomorrow, june 9, 08, i will call chrysler to see if it's a free repair, which it should be because it's a safety issue. i would like to know who i can contact here in canada and find out about any other tsb's for this van. thanks. *tr

Not a "failure" yet but my 2000 dodge caravan has serious rusting through the top of the drivers side strut tower which at some time i can envision the strut tearing up and through the hood. i believe this to be a structural defect not a "cosmetic" defect which chrysler claims. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge caravan. while driving over a bump at 15 mph or turning the steering wheel, the contact heard a popping sound coming from the front driver's side. an auto shop repaired the idler arm during a test drive, but the noise still remained. a mechanic lifted the hood of the vehicle and discovered that the struts were rusted. the contact was advised not to drive the vehicle. she took the vehicle to another shop and received the same diagnosis. they stated that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect. the contact called chrysler and was informed that nothing could be done because the state she lives in uses salt on their highways. the vehicle is currently parked and has not been repaired. the dealer information and failure mileage were unknown. the current mileage was 72,600. updated 04/16/08 *bf updated 04/16/08 *tr

I have a nearly rusted-through strut tower (driver's side) in my dodge caravan '00. this rust problem became initially visible in '04. *tr

My 2000 dodge caravan has a safety issue because part of the unibody (bilateral strut towers) are rusting from the inside outward. the driver side is in such poor condition that it will not pass inspection due to a safety issue. the metal is so corroded you can poke a pen through the metal on the strut tower located on the driver side. according to dealership, mechanics, used part distributors: "this is a known problem with caravans of this time frame ('96-2000). the daimler chrysler corporation has even come out with a "patch kit" because of this issue although experienced mechanics recommend removal of struts and welding new ones in place. this is a costly fix due to being labor intensive. regardless... after several contacts with daimler chrysler consumer line, they are not willing to reimburse me for fixing this defect or for patching it. they do not feel it is a recall item and apparently are not concerned with the integrity of the frame as a safety issue. i will fix my vehicle at my own expense and will never buy a product from their line again since they are not willing to stand behind the safety/quality of their product. there has not been an incident or accident yet and i will not be driving this vehicle until it is repaired properly. *jb

Strut tower on 2000 dodge caravan totally rotted. *tr

2000 dodge grand caravan sport, 3.3 l engine driver side strut tower rusting at alarming rate, will have to be rebuilt or reinforced or strut and spring assembly will eventually not be supported resulting in front wheel not being supported. this vehicle is only 5 years old and has 75k miles.*jb

While visiting a family friend consumer discovered a water leak t in his caravan. this leak resulted from water running down the exterior roof grooves and down to the back of the van. it had a crack in the weld that was found on both sides of the upper portion of the van body, where the rear hatch was located. the water entered the crack and ran down the inside of the van . also, puddles were found underneath the carpet, which results in a mild wet carpet, but even worse, rust.*ak i lifted the rear carpet in my van and there was water and the carpet pad was wet. i hadn't noticed it before because we have a plastic liner tray in the back. i believe many people have this problem but are unaware of it.

A conversion top was put on my dodge grand caravan. the tv has never been properly secured. while driving, the tv flew out of the top, ripping cords, swinging back and forth, while hanging from a cable. the tv just barely missed the head of my child. no one is taking responsibility for this problem. someone could have been killed. this tv weighs about 10 pounds. the tv bounces around while driving. while bringing this car in for other unrelated service problems, i would always ask them to secure the tv. it was secured by velcro!. *ak

Unknown water was coming through the dashboard/instrument panel on the passenger's side, and consumer was unable to locate the problem. dealer informed the consumer that this vehicle was outside the warranty, and there was no manufacturer's recall on that issue. *ak

Subj: copy of letter sent ~ rear end low-impact collision/seats breaking subj: re: daimler chrysler customer assistance ([xxx]) date: 6/25/03 9:09:50 pm pacific daylight time from: usfromcalifornia to: [email protected] dear daimler/chrysler, it seems unbelievable that a company that is suppose to be as reputable as yours, and can spend billions, and billions of dollars on advertisements to sell your cars, but will do nothing to help someone when you know that your seats have been a problem since the 1960's (just check the nts&h website, and you will see all the problems that are now already well-known, that you have known about for years, with your front seats breaking in low-impact rear end collisions! i am now permantelty disabled due to your seats causing a severe concussion & traumatic brain injury from this problem! and the real thing that we just cannot understand is that your so called trusted and safe automobiles have caused me and my family to go through a living [xxx] for the past 11 months, and your reputable company is refusing to take your adult responsiblities and acknowledge your problems and compensate us and our families for our tragedies!!!! most of all, your lack of fixing this front seat problem, so that others will be saved from being hurt! we were hit in the rear end of our 2000 dodge minivan, at a low speed, and both of our front seats completely broke backwards, and now i will never be the same from the concussion and brain damage i incurred from the seats breaking! unfortunately, we cannot afford an attorney to help us get some type of compensation from your company, so we are at the mercy of friends and family trying to help us get through all this. thank you! sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

This vehicle has a recurring problem within the air conditioning control system, component has been replaced three time in two years. the dealer blamed the problem on a design failure wherein plastic bags can be sucked up into the interior a/c draft system blocking the fan from working. in addition, the sunvisors were defective , reported, and never replaced. dealer has for the most part been very receptive to vehicle problems, however, this vehicle is uninhabitatble without an a/c

Consumer stated there is a knocking noise in the steering when turning hard and when turning and not moving, consumer also complained that there is vibration in the steeing, dealer balanced front tires from a previous complaint about the steering.*jb

The ignition assembly needs replacement. the key constantly wont turn. the safety switch to prevent the left rear door from opening when the tank is being filled is defective. the dealership had it removed. i refused replacement. the door would not open when it was jammed.

Strut tower drivers side - rust through -structural failure eminent. *tr