NHTSA Complaint #10121871 — 2000 DODGE CARAVAN

PURCHASED A DODGE CARAVAN NEW, DELIVERED 03/19/00. 12/21/00 LEAKING TRANS SOLENOID PACK (NOT SURE IF THAT WAS RELATED TO CONSEQUENT FAILURES OF THE SERPENTINE BELT). THE SERPENTINE BELT, WHICH, ACCORDING TO DODGE MECHANICS SHOULD LAST 70,000 MILES, HAS FAILED FOUR TIMES ALREADY; MILEAGE AT LAST FAILURE: 68,145 MILES. THE BELT BREAKS WITH VERY LITTLE WARNING AT ALL, AND ALL POWER IS LOST, BRAKES, STEERING - WHICH COULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, CAUSING MY DEATH OR THE DEATH OF OTHERS. FORTUNATELY, AFTER THE FIRST TIME, I RECOGNIZE THE SOUNDS - LIKE A TWIG BEING CAUGHT IN THE ENGINE - AS THE BELT SUDDENLY FRAYS, AND PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY.THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS FAULT. DATES AND MILEAGE OF FAILURES: 04/19/01 18,456 - I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP REPAIRING THE VEHICLE THAT I "HAD A BETTER CHANCE OF WINING THE LOTTERY THAN THIS HAPPENING AGAIN!" 05/18/02 32,229 MILES 02/17/03 40,349 A SHIELD, WHICH HAD NOT BEEN PUT ON THIS YEAR'S MODEL, WAS PUT ON BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE SHIELD WAS ON MODEL YEARS BEFORE AND AFTER 2000, BUT WAS OMITTED FROM THE 2000 LINE. THE SHIELD STOPPED RAIN AND SNOW FROM GOING INTO THE ENGINE, FREEZING THE BLOCK, AND/OR MIXING WITH THE OIL WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE BELT TO SLIDE ON THE PULLEYS AND THE BELT TO BRAKE. IF THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THIS FAULT, SURELY THE MANUFACTURER IS. WHILE THERE IS A LONGER TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THE BELT BRAKING AFTER THE SHIELD WAS PUT ON, IT STILL BROKE AGAIN IN UNDER 20,000 MILES. 05/21/05 68,149 INTERNET SEARCHES HAVE REVEALED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON ALL 1997-2000 CARAVANS/GRAND CARAVANS FOR ALL AC COMPRESSOR REPAIRS, PUT OUT BY CHRYLSER IN OCTOBER OF 2003. (HTTP://ALLPAR.COM/DEALERS/WARRANTY.HTML) CAN THIS CAR BE DECLARED DANGEROUS AND A LEMON?