NHTSA Complaint #10008374 — 2000 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

IN JANUARY 2003 I EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM GETTING MY VAN TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE AFTER I HAD BACKED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. ON FEBRUARY 17, 2003 MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VAN AND EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS GETTING IT TO SHIFT GEARS WHILE HE WAS DRIVING IT. HE ADDED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND LATER THAT EVENING I DROVE THE VAN TO A STORE TWO MILES FROM OUR HOUSE AND AT 35 MPH THE RPMS WOULD NOT GO BELOW 3 AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FIRST THING TUESDAY MORNING AND TOOK IT THE SHOP ON THURSDAY. THEY REPAIRED A LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION (WHICH WE HAD HAD REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY) AND REPLACED THE WATER PUMP. TWO DAYS LATER WHILE OUT RUNNING ERRANDS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I HAD TO EXIT THE FREEWAY BECAUSE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS AGAIN AND AT 50 MPH (IN A 60 MPH ZONE) THE ENGINE WAS AT 4 RPMS. BEFORE I COULD GET HOME THE ENGINE QUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY INTERSECTION WITH TRAFFIC COMING AT ME FROM BEHIND AT 55 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED BUT IT LURCHED FOR ABOUT A QUARTER MILE OR SO AND I JUST DROVE NO MORE THAN 30 MPH FOR THE NEXT 5 MILES TO MY HOME. MY HUSBAND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SOLENOID (SORRY IF I MISSPELLED IT) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE VAN HOME AND THEY WOULD CALL WHEN THE PART CAME IN. ON MONDAY, MARCH 3, HE CALLED AND SPOKE WITH THE PARTS DEPARTMENT AND THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THERE ARE 24,000 OF THIS PART ON BACKORDER NATIONWIDE. *NLM