Problems with 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan AIR BAGS

Nhtsa action number : pe05061 july 11, 2008 my mother and i were in a crash involving the front passenger side of the vehicle. the impact did about $5,000 worth of damage yet the airbags did not deploy. i am concerned it has to do with this investigation into defective sensors. how can i be sure my vehicle is safe? *tr

2005 dodge grand caravan mfg 6-05 the air bag light was on and the dealer said it was the front right sensor. i replaced the part and found the pin on the sensor was completely corroded off on the purple wire. i bought the connector kit to replace the plug to the sensor. when i stripped the white wire the wire is also corroded. it is black and tarnished. i checked back to 8 inches and could not find clean copper. i know that the senor was in a recall up to feb. 08, but i think there may be other issues involved in the failures. i still have the senor and connector. *tr

I bought a 2005 dodge caravan sxt in october of 2007 with 50,000 miles on it. the next week the airbag light started coming on at random when driving at slow speeds (< 20) and then would go out. i called the dealer and they said they could not diagnose it because it was occurring on a random basis. the light stopped coming on a few weeks later and did not come on again until last week. now it is coming on frequently and staying on at highway speeds. coincidentally, the weather warmed from the 40's to the upper 70's just before the light started coming on again. i checked the dodge website for recalls but it showed no outstanding recalls for my vin. *tr

Air bags sensors failures. *tr

2005 dodge caravan air bag sensor and wiring corrosion, a know issue internal customer satisfaction notice to dealer june of 2007 to repair no charge.. my vehicle did not meet the "date," it has the same issue/defect they are ignoring, covered part but not labor. should recall and inspect all vehicles. *tr

The airbag sensor light went on and the dealership told us they would run diagnostics on it for $89.00. after doing so, they said that vehicle has 2 airbag sensors that have an internal short. they said the parts would be $223.52 and it would take 2-3 days to order them. *tr

Tl*the contact owns 2005 dodge grand caravan. while driving approximately 35mph, the frontal air bag deactivation light illuminated. the dealer and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle identification number wasn't included the air bag sensor switch recall. the current mileage was 40,000 and the failure mileage was 38,000. updated 03-25-08 *bf updated 03/25/08 *tr

Air bag impact sensor failure. *tr

The vehicle was going approximately 55mph when it collided head on with a cow. the driver side frontal air bags deployed. the driver's legs were injured by the cover of the lower air bag. *tr

2005 dodge grand caravan sxt front passenger airbag and the airbag light. *tr

My 2005 dodge grand caravan i believe has a defect in the clock spring. i received a letter stating there has been an extended warranty for the front air-bag sensor control module. two weeks after i received this letter the air-bag light came on. after approximately 3 weeks after the light came on the horn stopped working along with all the other steering wheel components (cruise control, radio control). i took my van to the dealership to get it fixed under the extended warranty , they told me there was nothing they could do because the clock spring in the steering wheel had corroded and broke and that is what is causing this defect. my van's mileage just turned 70,000. i use my van to transport my 3 kids in and feel this is a safety hazard that needs to be fixed right away. not only do the steering wheel components not work but the driver airbag is disabled as well due to this malfunction. due to this defect there needs to be a recall issued as soon as possible before an accident occurs and the airbag does not deploy. there has been a recall on the clock spring for the make and model of my van for years 96-98 and feel this is the same thing that is happening to my 05 van. please help before anyone gets hurt. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. the air bag warning light illuminated. the dealer stated that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced and referenced nhtsa campaign id number 07v192000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module) for the 2005 dodge caravan. the failure mileage was 70,000 and current mileage was 79,000. updated 03-04-08 *bf

The first indication of a problem was the airbag light on the dash remaining on occasionally after the vehicle was started. the problem then progressed to the airbag light remaining on continuously and the cruise control function and horn (both of which are mounted on the steering wheel) not working. these symptoms were identical to those experienced by earlier years of this vehicle model that resulted in a safety recall for replacement of the clock spring in the steering wheel. i had the clock spring replaced, which corrected the problems. *tr

Cathedral city dodge refused to work on the recall because the vehicle was modified. the recall problem had nothing to do with the modifications but cathedral city dodge refused to work on it.. after several heated conversations with management cathedral city dodge returned my vehicle with a dead battery, and a leak in my engine and did not fix the recalled item. after i received my vehicle i noticed that the new problems with my vehicle had nothing to do with the modifications but were independent from any modifications previously made to my vehicle. after complaining to the dodge corporation i was referred to the dodge service center in laquinta. there my car was equipped with a new battery and the recall item was not fixed because the manager refused to work on the vehicle because of the modifications. i called laquinta dodge to complain and my vehicle was returned to me with the engine leak, the unserviced recall item and now in doesn't shift into gear. the cathedral city service center and the laquinta service center didn't even check to see if the problems were in anyway way connected to the modifications. they just refused to even look at it. now there is another recall on my dodge grand caravan that has to do with the airbags and laquinta is refusing to work on it. in summary my vehicle arrived in palm springs fully operational in june 2006 and ever since the first contact with cathedral city service center my vehicle has been inoperable. between the cathedral city and laquinta dodge service centers my car now has an engine leak, a bad heating coil, defected airbags problems shifting into gear and does not start. my vehicle was fully operational and had 80 miles on it when it arrived at cathedral city dodge in 2006 and now has 87 miles on it and is in operable. that?s 87 miles not 8,700 or 87,000 miles. it has only 87 miles because it hasn't been running since cathedral city and laquinta dodge have damaged my vehicle. *jb

The air bag light was on. i had recent recall repairs on the air bag sensors completed and it did not resolve the problem. the air bag system currently will not operate. the recall should have been more extensive to take care of the problem.*ak

Chrysler/dodge minivans 2005 and newer "knee bolster" airbag system, has a steel plate hinged at the bottom of the dash and is propelled by the deploying airbag into the driver's legs. the driver immediately and instinctively pulls the legs back and the assembly drops in front of the driver's legs preventing the driver from stopping the vehicle. that is if the driver's legs aren't broken by this, and then they can't stop the vehicle if they wanted to. this will lead to secondary and more serious collisions and possibly death for occupants in the vehicle because the driver cannot stop the vehicle. *tr

The knee blocker airbag in my 05 dodge grand caravan opened in a frontal collision. the airbag is behind a steel plate hinged at the bottom of the dash. attached to this plate is the hard plastic panel. the airbag propelled this plate and panel into my shins, disabling me, and when i brought my legs back from the pain, the hard plastic panel dropped in front of my legs and prevented me from returning my feet to the brake. had i been suffering from osteoporosis my legs would have been shattered and i could not have stopped my van, had it continued to roll after the initial collision. *jb

In the 05 and newer dodge/chrysler cars and minivans, there is a "knee blocker" airbag system installed on the driver's side below the steering column, that is defective in design and in it's intended use. the lower dash panel is attached to a metal frame that is hinged at the bottom and behind that is the airbag that deploys at just under 200 mph. when the airbag inflates in an accident, this hard plastic reinforce panel will slam down on a driver's legs causing injury. but that's not all... when the driver's legs are struck, the first instinct is for the driver to recoil and bring their legs away from the cause of the pain. when they do this, this panel drops in front of the legs and now the driver cannot get their feet back to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. if their vehicle continues to roll, there is a danger of a further collision with the driver having little control. one last consideration, is the potential for significant injury to diabetics (lower limbs are susceptible to lower leg problems, and those with osteoporosis who likely would have broken lower limbs. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. the contact was involved in a crash while driving 50 mph. the contact was rear ended and caused the vehicle to rear end the proceeding vehicle. this caused both the rear and front end of the vehicle to be completely destroyed. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact's child was injured and property damage incurred. the current and failure mileages were 24,930.

On my 2005 dodge grand caravan, the air bag warning light started coming on when the vehicle was going over 45 miles per hour. during the last oil change i had the dealer review the issue and it was determined that both front air bag impact sensors were corroded due to water getting to the sensor. i did a quick search for a recall and found that the 2005 dodge caravan was on recall for this exact issue (07v192000) however i was told that even though this was an issue on the caravans my vin did not match so i wasn't covered by the recall. so i wanted to make sure that the nhtas was aware of the problem which i also reported to the manufacturer.

I took my vehicle, a 2005 dodge caravan, to kempthorn dodge in canton ohio because the air bag light came on and the fob keys were making the left front and rear lights flash and locks click when you got the keys close to the vehicle. there was also a clunking noise in the right front suspension. kemthorns told me that there was a short in the passenger air bag, the key transmitters were bad and that the front sway bar links and bushing were worn out. the vehicle had 42,392 miles on it. they told me that to fix the short in the air bag, the dash board had to be pulled and the total cost to fix everything would be 1,000.00. i was charged 150.00 just to find the problems. i took the vehicle to another mechanic and he verified the short in the air bag but found that the sway bar links and bushings were in good shape. the problem was the right front strut at the top. he also had the two keys replaced at a fraction of the dealer's cost. since then the air bag light went out.

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2005 dodge grand caravan with (36000 failure mileage the air bag light on the dashboard turned on and would not turn off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who looked at the vehicle and they could not explain the reason for the failure. there was an open investigation on the air bags for this particular year, make, and model. the current mileage was 36,200.*ak

My 2005 dodge grand caravan sxt with 50100 miles on it had the airbag indicator lamp on the instrument panel remain on during normal vehicle operation. the vehicle was occasionally driven in heavy rain and seasonally was exposed to mid-atlantic winter weather conditions. the vehicle has never experienced any impact or disturbance to front end. the vehicle was brought to the local dodge dealer for diagnosis, and the technician found no communication from lf impact sensor. further inspection revealed corrosion on the pin connectors , located inside a supposedly waterproof weatherpac rubber connector, where the wiring harness plugged into the sensor. *ak the lf sensor and about 3" of the wiring harness was replaced at a cost to me of $240. after reading the number of instances of this occuring on other vehicles i assume that it is only a matter of time until the rf sensor fails as well. i strongly feel that this failure is a design defect and the cost to remedy the problem (past, present, and future) should not be bourne by the consumer. additionally, the method waterproofing the splicing of the new sensor wiring consisted only of hand wrapped electrical tape around the wires. if that method is standard replacement procedure for a component that is directly exposed to wheel spray, then it seems likely that there will be a second wave of failures when the wiring splices short out in vehicles that have been serviced. i do have the defective sensor and mating harness and would be happy to provide it for inspection if necessary.

Airbag light malfunction. at dealership, told likely bad wire, and this has been a frequent problem with this model

55,000 miles om my 2005 dodge grand caravan sxt and the air bag sensors already needed to be replaced. $99.95 for the diagnostic, an additional $205 for parts and labor. 2 years and these things go bad! *ak

Dodge grand caravan 2005 - airbag sensors failure very disappointed, only 2 years old van started having this problem - took it to the dealer, i was told that is not covered by warranty because i have 39000 miles. *jb

I have owned a used 2005 dodge grand caravan since aug. 2005. in dec. 05 the airbag system warning light came on. in jan. 06 a front sensor was replaced under warranty. yesterday, the light came on again, and i am assuming a front sensor will again be at fault. i am reporting simply to add another name to the file for your investigation into this problem (ea06003). *nm

Airbag sensor started coming on about 6 weeks ago. i took vehic le to dealer two days ago, and was told that the sensors were bad and would need to be replaced. i was also told that they were not covered under warranty, have approx. 39,000 miles , and will it will cost around $300. at the same time, the right passenger sliding door was malfunctioning , so they checked that one as well. the track needed to be replaced and was covered under warranty since it was considered electrical. why were the airbag sensors not considered electrical? the airbag sensors were on backorder, and could take 1 - 2 weeks. i was advised not to drive my car until the sensors were replaced. my car was only 2 years old and i bought it brand new. in march 2006 i had to have to fuel guage/sensor replaced as the light would not come on when i was low on gas. i ran out of gas twice.ak

The airbag light is on due to a corroded sensor. the left sensor failed while under warranty and was replaced by chrysler. the right sensor went out at 40k and is currently being repaired. it seems like these sensors are prone to failure, and i have much concern that that the airbags might not be deployed when in an accident. *tr

2005 grand caravan air bag sensors in front bumper corroded. dealer states that it is my problem. air bag light stays on. they want $450 to repair this safety defect. nhtsa #ea06003 describes this problem. *nm

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2005 dodge grand caravan a vehicle hit the contact's vehicle from behind. the contact was sitting at a railroad stop waiting for a train to pass when another vehicle hit her while driving at 55 mph which caused the contacts vehicle to hit the vehicle that was sitting at the railroad crossing in front of her. the contact stated that she hit the vehicle with a hard force that caused damage to the front end of the vehicle. the crash resulted in all passengers having both back and neck injuries. the contact stated that the she and her 3 passengers sustained injuries which sent them to the hospital. the airbags didn't deploy and the front passenger's seat belt didn't restrain the passengers . the contact stated that she felt that the airbags didn't do anything to protect the front seat passenger or driver . the failure mileage was 34618.*ak

My wife was involved in an accident on december 7, 2006 wherein her 2005 dodge grand caravan was rear ended by a truck while she was stopped in traffic. the impact was great enough to push her vehicle into the back of the vehicle in front of her. despite the degree of impact, which was enough to total her mini van, none of the airbags released. i am concerned as to why this was the case. *jb

I wrecked my 2005 dodge grand caravan into a hill side and struck a telephone pole hard enough to break the pole in two. my air bag system did not deploy. i did over $6000.00 worth of damage to my van but no air bags. i have had the van serviced twice in the past for the air bag senor light coming on. i am worried that the air bag system is faulty. *jb

Air bag warning light is coming on intermittently. the vehicle only has 22k miles. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 50 mph, the vehicle was involved in a head on collision, and the airbags did not deploy. 5 occupants sustained injuries, and a police report was taken. the airbag warning light was not illuminated prior to the incident. the vehicle had not been to a service dealer and was taken to a storage yard. (lawyer on behalf of his client) updated 01/09/07. *jb

About 2 weeks after my warrenty expired the light indicating that the air bag had deployed came on, but i have not been involved in an accident. i have not had it fixed yet because heard on the news that dodge was concidering a recall, but have not heard anything else. *ak.

Dt*: the contact stated the air bag lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the dealer determined the impact sensor for the front air bags were faulty and need replaced; however no repairs were made. updated 4/6/2006 - both the left and right air bag sensors were replaced on 3/14/2006. *nm

Have 2005 grand caravan. it has 24,000 miles. the air bag light came on. i am taking it to the dealer tomorrow. also, the driver interior map light doesn't work, eventhough the bulb is ok. (am having that checked tomorrow, too.) when the light first went out, the automatic side doors stopped working. they didn't work for about 2 weeks and when i decided i had time to go to the dealer to get it checked, the doors started working again and have seemed fine since. the light , however, still doesn't work. the rear passenger map lights also come on randomly (usually overnight). there is a clunking noise in the driver side front end. we had some parts repaired on it in dec. (though the dealer did say they weren't sure what the problem was), but the noise is still there. (am having that checked tomorrow as well.) *nm

Front air bag sensor replacement completed following multiple sessions of air bag light coming on, but going out after a period of time. by time it stayed on the warranty had expired due to high mileage that i drive. dealer had to solder wire into system to make repair. *nm

Rack and pinion steering assembly is leaking clock spring for airbag light is broken. *nm

On jan 22,05 i had my 05' dodge grand caravan in the dealership because my air bag light had come on, they supposedly replaced my sensor along w/ my wiring harness, well on feb 26 06 my air bag light came on again, the dealership deal maker said i could bring my car in but i'll have to pay for it to be checked along w/ any repair, and this is because my warranty had expired. i don't feel i am responsible to pay for any repair on this. none the less for them to supposedly replace my sensor last year, along w/ my wiring harness and spark plugs beause of misfiring etc. to have bought this car used in nov of 04 and then to have it in on jan 05 is a little ridiculous. i have 40 some thousand miles on my car. and this issue should of been done correct the first time. *nm

This is a copy of an email i sent to chrysler concerning an accident on 2-3-06 my wife was involved in. chrysler held up repairs and sent a "special investigator" to look at the van. to make a long story short chrysler now says the air bag worked as designed and they are denying our claim. we are getting the run around on the phone and chrysler will not discuss it with us now. all i was asking was for them to recall this feature and make it deploy to cause less injury and or disable it on our van. thank you jimmy sutherland my wife was involved in an accident in our 2005 dodge grand caravan, all the air bags deployed and i was impressed with the way the vehicle performed with exception to the drivers knee airbag. this airbag is located under the steering column and behind both a metal and plastic dashplate, when deployed these dashplates were forced into my wife's lower legs causing injuries from the knees down. no other injuries were suffered by anyone in either vehicle other than these leg injuries. this leads me to believe that if this air bag wasn't there she would have had no injuries either. or if this air bag was installed similar to the drivers steering wheel air bag and not behind the two plates then no injuries would have been suffered. i have pictures if you would like to view a sample at this link http://www.rebelwithaclue.com/cindys%20accident.jpg i have always been pleased with the dodge product i do own a 2000 dakota quad cab along with the 2005 grand caravan and these are not our first dodges. i would hate for them to be our last because of this airbag situation, my wife is now afraid because of the injuries and wonders what could have happened if it had been at high speed. amputation? i hope not. i usually would not suggest disabling a safety device but i feel this would be safer if disabled. thank you jimmy sutherland. *nm

Air bag light problem 1/12/06 went to dealer 5 times problem still not fix now i am passed the warranty and short 500$ *jb

The airbag sensor in our 2005 dodge grand caravan is defective and, according to the dealer, needs to be replaced at a cost of about $300.00. *jb

Dt: the contact stated there have been problems with the brakes since he purchased the vehicle. he felt a jerk while driving the vehicle. he pulled off the road and found the back wheels locked. there was smoke coming from the rear passenger side wheel. the dealer made several attempts to repair the vehicle. the repairs consisted of: bleeding of the brakes, replacement of the master cylinder, and replacement of the air bag wiring. none of the repairs have corrected the problem. *ak

Air bag warning light has come on. 9000 miles est. dealer took three weeks getting part. would not give loaner car because the air bag may or may not work is not a safety issue. light has come back on a second time.*ak phone interview update (oct 20, 2005): the passenger side weight indicator sensor was faulty.

Vehicle experienced problems with electrical odor constantly appearing to be burning, and the air bag light would intermittently illuminate while driving. vehicle had been to the dealer shop on several occasions, and they were unable to locate the cause of the problems.*ak phone interview update (oct 24, 2005): the dealer replaced both air bag frontal impact sensors (part # 4686957ac) one at a time. however, the air bag warning light still comes on during wet weather conditions.

My airbag light on my 2005 grand caravan went on this past spring. we took it into the dealer and they fixed the problem. the manual stated that the light could come on if there was a sudden change in temperature and that is what we attributed the problem too but i just wanted to report it since i heard it was being investigated. *jb

Air bag warning light came on. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the senor or the electronic control device was faulty. *bf the dealer did not have the part in stock to repair the vehicle. *nm

Air bag lights come on when driving. *nm