Problems with 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed to new carlisle chrysler jeep dodge ram (580 n main st, new carlisle, oh 45344, (937) 845-1700) where it was diagnosed that the key fob needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred while it was still at the dealer. after further diagnostic testing, the contact was informed that the shifter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 147,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving various speeds, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal. the cause of the failure was not determined. an unknown dealer was notified of the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 170,000.

Van started shaking violently while driving. gets worse when i release the gas and when i put on the breaks. the shop has found that both the motor mounts and transmission mounts are broken.they said it is a known problem with this van and it is un safe to drive. also wire harnesses in sliding doors wont stay in the track

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate and shift out of second gear. in addition, the battery failed, the windshield wipers activated, the interior lighting flashed, and the horn sounded when the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (courtesy chrysler dodge, jeep, ram, fiat, 607 enterprise pkwy, breaux bridge, la 70517, (337) 909-2111) where it was diagnosed that the control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 87,159. the vin was not available. **tr *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving various speeds, the horn started to honk without warning. in addition, the windshield wipers and washer fluid activated independently, the air conditioning unit turned off independently, and the transmission failed to shift as intended. the contact was able to turn off and restart the vehicle. the vehicle operated as intended for approximately ten minutes before the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code or duplicate the failures. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 159,654.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v373000 (electrical system, air bags) and 16v047000 (air bags). when the contact attempted to shift gears, the transmission seized without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the wireless ignition node module and the occupant restraint controller needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the issue recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,222.

When driving the engine stalls, the anti slip sign is on, i lose all power. the steering wheel is locked and no brakes! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the horn, locks, and window wipers functioned independently and the tranmission failed. all the warning indicators were illuminated. the failure occurred various times. the dealer diagnosed that the tipm failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 105,000. the vin was not provided.

Van has been stalling out since i have owned it. i purchased new in 2008. it is at second dealer performing recall for the ignition for the second time. i have been with out a vehicle since 3/26/2016. first dealer dutch miller dodge kept van from 3/26/16 until 5/6/16. released vehicle back to me with same problem it went in for. i have filed a complaint with dodge . after having to schedule a appointment with a different dealer and wait for a service date of 6/20/16. the vehicle is at the new dealership i 77 ripley. they are redoing the recall from a year ago that dutch miller had performed. this is the fourth week they have been working on the vehicle and recall problem. i have requested many times for a rental car and both the lifetime warranty i purchased with the van and dodge have both refused to provide me a vehicle. i have been since march 26, 2016. without a vehicle and i have had to borrow cars from family and beg for rides because dodge can not or will not fix my recall on my van .i have been very patient with this situation but something needs to be done. if this vehicle i paid $41,000.00 for in 2008 is not repairable and not safe to be on public roads due to recall then i feel they need to reimburse me and compensate for my transportation problems. .

A few week ago, in the morning when me and the wife had just dropped one of our children off at elementary school, got back into the car, turned it on and started to drive away; the car did a hard jerk motion and then all the lights came on. so the next i took our van to firestone because cause my abs, brake, esp and other breaking information lights came and their was a strange noise coming from the from driver side of the car all at the same time. when firestone tech found the problem he told me that the abs system was faulty and i was also told that dodge company knows about the problem but is not a safety recall. so for a small part that helps with the safety of my four young children and wife i paid 675 to fix the problem. and at this date and time my van is now setting at transmission shop so that i can find out if the abs going out some how did something to my transmission.

Vehicle automatically downshifts from drive to 2nd gear above 35 mph and from drive to 1st gear below 35 mph. causing dangerous deceleration. this is not a once in a while situation but happens constantly. once you start the car and shift from park to drive, it will shift down while stopped or as described above within ten seconds. dangerous driving conditions. chrysler says not covered by lifetime powertrain warranty and say it can be fixed at my expense. unfortunately, it can happen anytime to anyone and should be a safety recall on all vehicles similarly equipped.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to shift when slowing down. the check engine light illuminated during the failure. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 160,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. after the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v373000 (air bags, electrical system), the gear shifter failed to shift out of park. the contact was able to switch the gear in order for the vehicle to be driven. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold gasket, the transmission, and the gear shifter assembly needed to be repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 119,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle lost power. in addition, while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. all the warning lights and interior lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v373000 (air bags, electrical system); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 137,000.

My van has started having problems changing gears between the speeds of 30-60 mph. this most frequently occurs around the speeds of 40-50 mph, but have, however, occurred at all speeds within the 30-60 mph range. the van also often accelerates slowly after coming to a full stop. during both given instances, it will be sluggish and sounds like it needs to shift gears yet does not do so. this process also greatly depletes my gas as the transmission isn't shifting properly. i have inquired about a recall on this issue but have found that there aren't any. i, however, have found many complaints online from other owners with this same issue. the date i will provide below is approximately when this started occurring, but does not imply that this situation only occurred once as it continues still.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the transaxle was rough when switching gears and when the brake pedal was depressed. in addition, the vehicle jerked when shifting gears. the contact also stated that the sliding doors failed to close. the contact had to manually open and close the doors as the failure progressed. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 10v235000 (electrical system). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v373000 (air bags, electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. when attempting to place the vehicle in park, the brake pedal would have to be depressed at abnormal pressure and several attempts to shift the gear would have to be made. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. parts distribution disconnect.

Overheating when driving. coolant leaking at heater hoses, shift over heat. problems after recall repair service performed.

I was coming home from visiting relatives out of state, and got caught up in some traffic. i tried to accelerate once the traffic cleared up but the transmission just whined. after pulling over, shutting the car off for about 10 minutes, the car began to drive as normal for the next hour or so. once i was about 5 miles from home, it seemed to start doing it again, but stuttering this time. over the course of the next 4 miles or so, i had to repeatedly stop, turn the car off, wait 5 minutes or so, then go again. took me an hour to go 5 miles pretty much. i was unable to check the transmission fluid as it is a "dealer only" item (ridiculous!).

I was driving home from out of state and got caught up in traffic for about twenty miles. after clearing traffic, i tried to accelerate but the vehicle was not changing from low gear. i had to pull over for about ten minutes before i was able to drive at a normal speed again.

Premature wear and failure of front wheel bearings, all rotors, brakes and pads. possible failures are due to inferior parts being used during vehicle assembly. *tr

I was driving at 45 mph when suddenly van revved up from 1500 rpm to 3500 rpm, and speed went down to 30 mph. somehow i got my car to my work place and parked it. i suspected my transmission had gone bad. i decided to take my car to a transmission shop. i drove the van at 30 mph at 3500 rpm to the transmission shop. their technician drove the van around, did some other inspection and reported that there was no problem with my transmission. however he mentioned there was a electrical power loss which made my van go into limp mode. remarkably my van started driving normally after the inspection. i took my van to authorized dodge dealer. they pulled some codes from the computer which indicated power loss to several equipment. they suspected the tipm module, but did not have hard evidence from the codes. they advised me to leave van overnight at the service area, and have them check it out. i declined because arranging alternate transportation was difficult. today morning, while driving the van, wiper blade suddenly started running. it stopped on its own after few cycles. now i am unable to start the van. reading through forums where drivers have experienced similar issues, i am confident it is the tipm on my van. it is a safety issue, since i drive on the freeway a lot, and if van goes into limp mode, it will be a hazard. looks like dodge is aware of this issue. why don't they accept the situation and deal with it by issuing a safety recall and fixing the tipm. please force dodge to issue recall, else i will need to spend $1000 atleast to fix tipm. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the wireless ignition node control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 11v139000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 78,000. the consumer stated the key would get stuck in the ignition and the shifter would have to be slammed back and forth between drive and park repeatedly until the key released. the shifter has slipped out of drive on its own twice. *js

When i stop the van, put it in park & shut it off, the key is stuck in the acc position and will not move to the off position. in order to get the key to release, i have to start the car multiple times, move the shift in & out of park, move the steering wheel and eventually i will hear a "clicking" noise and the key releases and will then move into the off position. i contacted chrysler and asked if this could have anything to do with the current recall for the ignition switch and was told no. has anybody else experienced this problem? *tr

My father has a 2008 dodge grand caravan and on may 14 2014 he went shopping stopping at 3 different places and then returned home picked up the mail and drove to the top of the driveway. he put the van in park and shut it off he got out and walked over to my mom and handed her the paper then he turned around and walked back to the car and reached over the seat to get the rest of the mail when the car started rolling backwards dragging him with it for around 30 feet and then hitting the porch on the house next door. he was pinned underneath the vehicle and my son was home at the time and called 911. the fire department and ambulances came and they had to use air bag pumps and wooden blocks to get the car off of him. he was rushed to the hospital with a crushed leg and cuts to the bone. he had to have surgery on his leg and he was in there for 4 days and then they sent him to a rehab for his injuries. then he came home after 2 weeks and then 8 days after with the home health nurses checking on him and changing bandages it got a massive infection so he ended back in a different hospital for another surgery this time they removed all of his skin on his leg in the front on the affected areas to the bone and muscle. he now has a phony skin graft on the open holes that are at least a quarter of an inch deep and he has to go to the wound center once a week until further notice and also the home health nurses are now back every other day to keep an eye on it and change bandages my mother is so disgusted no one will listen to her we told the state police who came that day that the car was in park and after rolling back 30 feet was locked in park and would not come out but the steering wheel and tires were still turning. he admitted that yes there is something wrong with this car but that is as for as it went. also when we called geico we told them the whole story. ...

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while driving at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed that the door module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 11v139000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 125,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. while parked, the vehicle went into auto reverse without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Vehicle intermittently does not start. turn the ignition key and hear the starter click, but does not engage starter and engine does not turn over. sometimes, on next try (turn ignition switch to off position and then back to start position) will start. sometimes after many tries it will start. sometimes turn the key to on, place shifter in drive, then hard back into park and will start then. have replaced battery, starter, relays, and made no difference. codes do not come up and dealer has no idea of how to correct. *tr

I was stopped at my church for a women's banquet when i realized i could not remove my key from the ignition. after about 20 minutes of playing with it, i became frustrated. i then turned it on and tried to put it in reverse so i could leave, and it would not budge. my husband has had to insert a butter knife in the top in order to force it to change gears so we could get it home. we will be getting it looked at tomorrow and hopefully repaired. *tr

I had the win module and the gear shift assembly replaced 11 months ago. complained and chrysler refunded the $1200 charge. currently the car shifts by itself into first or second gear while driving. i called the dealership and they say that is not related to the work listed above! these issues are all inter related and i should not have to pay again to have the car shift properly! *js

When my wife was driving on the highway at 70 mph, with my child. the car died. wife rolled to side of the road and attempted to start it again. the car started and promptly died again but wipers were going at full speed along with the windshield washer fluid pumping out, and the horns and lights turning on and off, she removed the key and it continued. she had already called me and by the time i got there (approx 15 min) it had shut itself off. i tried to restart it with the same problems as mentioned before. i opened the hood and there was a lot of noise coming from the relay box ( tipm ), i unhooked the battery, and the problem "self resolved" fired up car and drove it the 15 miles home. after looking up problem on line, have found that this is a ongoing issue and that the repair part is back ordered nationally, tells me that this is an ongoing issue, chrysler does know about but has not done anything about it. this is a major safety issue. *tr

Vehicle down shifts hard and shuts off while driving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that he was unable to remove the key from the ignition and was unable to shift gears. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 76,648.

On numerous occasions my 2008 dodge grand caravan sxt will shut down unexpectedly while driving. plugs, wires and battery have been changed. win module has been changed at my request and not covered under warranty. the vehicle has been to the dealership numerous times and they have been able to find anything because no codes have been thrown. i replaced the fob recently thinking the key my be worn out but that has not improved the situation. dodge is aware of the issue but refuse to do anything about it until i guess someone id killed. thanks dodge. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the key would remain stuck in the ignition switch and fail to power on or off the vehicle. in addition, when driving the steering wheel seized and the vehicle stalled. the contact mentioned that the speedometer, the tripometer, the cruise control and the power doors failed. the power door locks only operated when the vehicle was powered off and the security door lock feature activated intermittently. the contact also stated that both the accelerator and brake pedal traveled to the floorboard as a result the vehicle delayed to come to a stop. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the control module, the transmission leak on the transmission line, the oil pan and the molding needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 14v373000 (electrical system) and nhtsa campaign id number: 11v394000 (air bags and equipment). the approximate failure mileage was unknown. djr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the transmission failed. as a result, the transmission shifted hard and the check engine lightilluminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced due to the second gear failing. the failure mileage and the current mileage was 37000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while turning at an intersection, the vehicle hesitated and stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who performed a diagnostic, which located the failure at the transmission. the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 71,000.

The transmission started slamming into gear when starting the vehicle from a stop (both forward and reverse). according to the technician at the dodge dealership, there was a significant amount of metal shavings in the transmission oil pan indicating the transmission was grinding itself apart. two repair options were given - replace the transmission entirely or have it rebuilt at the dealership. since there was the possibility of more significant damage internally, we opted to have the transmission replaced to ensure safe and reliable operation in the future. the vehicle has less than 50k miles, has not been driven roughly, and is not used for towing or hauling heavy loads. essentially, there is no reason the transmission should have self-destructed on this vehicle. *tr

There is a heater hose assembly leading from the top of the engine to the heater cores in the passenger compartment. a hose comes out of the engine and into a y-coupling, where it splits into two hoses. one hose leads into the firewall and the front heater core. the second goes under the vehicle to the back heater core. a coolant leak developed in the y-coupling, leaking coolant onto the exhaust. after leaking for some time, the check engine light came on to indicate low coolant. this appears to be a common problem, as a simple google search turns up many results like this: http://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-caravan/275625-2008-grand-caravan-coolant-leak-3.html either the y-couplings are defective, or are not designed to handle the stress and heating/cooling cycles inherent in carrying hot coolant. *tr

Upon start of vehicle, wipers turned on(switch pos off), washer fluid sprayed(button not pressed), horn sounded (not pressed), could not get it to stop. started vehicle, continued to do all three, vehicle placed in drive, would not shift out of 1st gear. shut vehicle off, started again, same things. in days prior to this incident, the vehicle would stall unexpectedly, fortunately while approaching stop sign, or stop light and not on highway, resulted in loss of power steering, and all engine/speed indication. dodge dealership in valdosta duplicated problems, replaced $500 electrical box. been two days since repair, no repeats yet. *tr

2008 grand caravan having dangerous electrical / powertrain problems. van suddenly loses electrical control. horn blows, windshield wipers run, washer fluid sprays, doors latch (or fail to unlatch) transmission goes limp. several other reports of exactly the same issue are listed on this site. according to some posts on the web, there is an update for similar issues on the 2010s. also, i am finding these same reports on dodge weblogs for other dodge vehicles, not just the grand caravan. this may be the causing accidents since there are so many reports. <http://www.jkowners.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-72505.html> <http://www.faqs.org/car/dodge-caravan-2008/power-train/> <http://www.fixya.com/cars/t11260762-2008_dodge_nitro_winshield_wipers_horn> <http://www.fixya.com/cars/t6933198-2008_grand_caravan_every_once_in_while> . *tr

Driving about 60mph with three kids in car when key switched to off position. steering hard until i switched the car into neutral and restarted it. the key had done this once before in park and once while driving aprox 20mph on a dirt rd. *tr

Powetrain-automatic transmission. 1. made grinding noise when in drive or reverse gears 2. occurred all the time up until the transmission finally gave out. 3. teardown of automatic transmission and rebuild/replacement of "thrust bearings" and other parts determined by the dealerships service department. *tr

Transmission is going out at 64,000 miles. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. upon restart, the vehicle operated as normal. the dealer advised the contact that they would upgrade the computer; however, they were not sure that this repair would correct the failure. the manufacturer had not been notified. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

We purchased vehicle with @ 15k miles in may 2010 - in january 2011 at @ 30k miles we had to replace the brakes and rotors the whole way around. i spoke with 3 mechanics who 1) said rotors at this low mileage was unheard of and 2) this was a known problem with dodge grand caravans. then, just 3 weeks ago, at 55513 miles, my left front axle / cv joint snapped. from (plenty of) online research, i learned 2 things - 1) this break should not occur in a vehicle so new and 2) all 2008 chrysler / dodge vehicles are known for this! in fact there was a recall in 08 for a lot of vehicles (not the caravan) for just this! when i called chrysler/dodge - they first said that this wasn't a part of the powertrain warranty (um, it's an axle!!! attached to the drive shaft) and second - if i was the original owner, it'd be covered, but since i'm not, it wasn't. this was a $500 repair job. 2 weeks later!!!!!!! at @ 56000 miles, i started having front end problems again - back to the garage - this time, i'm surprised with the fact that i need brakes and rotors the whole way around again. and, abs sensors, a new caliper and brake hoses. new brakes - again?!?!? here comes the online research again... i found a website (carcomplaints.com) that had 1027!!! entries from 08 grand caravan users that have had to repair or replace their brakes and rotors at an average of every 10000 miles - that is not normal! *tr

2008 dodge grand caravan. consumer states rapid deceleration *tgw the consumer stated while driving with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly down shifted to what he believed was third gear. the braking effect of the lower gear caused a substantial increase in the engine speed to around the red line area. the rapid acceleration lasted about five seconds and the cruise control was disengaged as quickly as possible. the consumer stated the same incident happened three weeks prior. according to the dealer, it was a normal operation of the vehicle called interactive cruise control and it was more noticeable due to the vehicle having a 6 speed transmission and the vehicle would up and down shift more to keep the vehicle at its set speed. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge grand caravan. the vehicle was parked in the residence driveway. when the ignition was started the gear was shifted into park. the contact exited the vehicle and unexpectedly the vehicle began to roll approximately twenty feet at approximately 3 mph, crashing into the front of a garage. there were damages to the front bumper and the garage. there was no personal injury. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. the failure mileage was 64,740.

When took vehicle in for a replacement wheel bearing hub assembly, was informed by mechanic that an additional wheel bearing was also bad and needed to be replaced as well. the vehicle was making low pitched noise at about 40 mph+ and shaking upon braking. mechanic said that it was unusual to see wheel bearings go at less than about 80,000 miles. called chrysler, said even with full powertrain warranty, these wheel bearings would not be covered, should have purchased extended warranties. *tr

There was no warning signs as to the following happening. my husband & 2 year old daughter were in the car and about to get on highway 101 ventura ca., in our 2008 dodge minivan. miles on vehicle: 50,000. the van was running but would not accelerate & he had to coast to the side of the road. i am the mother of the 2 year old that was in the van, i am also a nurse who has worked in a level one trauma hospital & have seen the results of terrible accidents. my concern is that if my husband & daughter were on the highway & trapped in a lane that they could not get over in this could of been a fatality. dealership tells us that there is a crack in the transmission that caused the above situation. we had our van at a the local dealership in june 2010 for a different recall & they did a diagnostic test, so they said.... and now this. 2. my inlaws just bought a 2008 dodge minivan 43,000 miles & one week after they bought it the same thing happened to them on vacation. *tr