NHTSA Complaint #10153868 — 1996 DODGE CARAVAN

IN 2003 BCM REPLACED FOR MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT OPERATE. OVER $600 . LAST YEAR MY BATTERY CABLES AND BATTERY WERE SMOKING AND I WAS LUCKY I GOT TO THE DEALER JUST IN TIME AS BLACK SMOKE WAS GUSHING OUT FROM UNDER MY HOOD.... ANOTHER $600 REPAIR. IN JANUARY 2006 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CRAZINESS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND IT COULD NOT BE SMOGED. THEY REPROGRAMMED THE MODULE AND I WAS ABLE TO GET IT SMOGED 2 DAYS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD TURN OVER AND DIE ....I RETURNED AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A PCM MODULE REPLACED $719. GETTING THE CAR BACK WAS ONE ELECTRICAL MISHAP AFTER ANOTHER....THE GAUGES WENT CRAZY...TAKEN BACK TO DEALER....REPROGRAMMED ....AND THEN TOLD THEY WERE NOT SURE HOW TO FIX IT...THEN GOT THE CAR BACK AND THE CLOCK AND RADIO INTERMITTENTLY WENT ON AND OFF.. THE COMPUTER SHUTTING DOWN AND NOT ALLOWING THE REMOTE TO OPEN THE LOCKS USING THE KEY THE ALARM WOULD GO OFF AND I COULD NOT SHUT IT OFF UNTIL THE COMPUTER CAME BACK ON AND I COULD USE THE REMOTE....I WAS THEN TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT I NEEDED A BODY CONTROL MODULE(BCM) WHICH I REPLACED IN 2003. HE WAS NASTY AND RUDE. I TOLD THE GENERAL MANAGER I REALLY DID NOT BELIEVE THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING ....FOR EACH TIME I BROUGHT THE CAR IN WITH ONE PROBLEM THEY RETURNED IT TO ME WITH ANOTHER. HE COULD ALSO NOT GUARANTEE THAT IF I PAID ANOTHER $550 FOR A NEW BCM THAT IT WOULD SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS.... ...AFTER 6 WEEKS AND FOUR TRIPS TO THE DEALER HAVING MY CAR OVER 2 WEEKS I WAS FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY....AND AFTER READING ON THE INTERNET COUNTLESS OTHER DODGE CARAVAN OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS I AM OUTRAGED DODGE HAS IGNORED ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO ITS CONSUMERS. .WHEN I DROPPED IT OFF THE CLOCK, RADIO, LOCKS AND ALARM WERE THE PROBLEM..BUT AN HOUR AFTER I PICKED IT UP IT STARTED RAINING AND GUESS WHAT....THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE NOT OPERATING. *JB