NHTSA Complaint #10651856 — 2009 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 35M/HR IN LOW TRAFFIC, VAN STEERING WHEEL STIFFENED, NO WARNING LIGHTS ON DASH, THEN ABS SIGNAL WENT ON AND BRAKES WERE OUT. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE STREET AND THE VAN HAD COMPLETE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I HAD 2 CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THANK GOODNESS WE WERE NOT ON THE HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC WAS LOW. THE VAN RESTARTED AND WE DROVE HOME. CALLED MY MECHANIC WHO HAD ME GET THE BATTERY CHECKED OUT, WHICH IS ONLY ONE YEAR OLD. WE BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY A YEAR AGO BECAUSE OCCASIONALLY THE VAN WILL NOT START RIGHT AWAY, WAS STRANDED SEVERAL HOURS AT A BASEBALL GAME, THEN IT STARTED. HAD IT PUT ON COMPUTER AT MECHANIC WHO CANNOT FIND ANY CODES COMING UP FOR REASON. VAN HAS HAD AT LEAST 5 EPISODES OF FAILING TO START ON FIRST TRY. SECOND TIME THIS MONTH, OCT. 29,2014. PULLING TO TURNING LANE TO GO DOWN OUR HOME STREET, WHEN AGAIN, STEERING STIFFENED, I LOOKED AT DASH BOARD, ABS LIGHT CAME ON, BRAKES OUT AND ENGINE SHUT OFF. I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING SO I STOPPED BEFORE TURNING AND RESTARTED VAN. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAD MY DAUGHTER IN CAR. AGAIN, THANK GOOD NESS NOT ON BUSY STREET WITH TRAFFIC OR HIGHWAY. I TRAVEL A LOT WITH CHILDREN AND I AM NOW AFRAID THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND A SERIOUS INJURY OR WORSE WILL HAPPEN. DODGE NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS IMMEDIATELY. *TR