NHTSA Complaint #10676608 — 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS BEGINNING IN JUNE '14 MY 08 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SXT WOULD HAVE RANDOM ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS INCLUDING SYNCED, INTERMITTENT ACTIVATION OF HORNS, FRONT WIPERS, REAR WIPERS, FRONT WASHER FLUID SPRAY, REAR WASHER FLUID SPRAY, AND DOOR LOCKS. THESE ISSUES WOULD GENERALLY COME TOGETHER IN "EPISODES" THAT COULD LAST FROM ABOUT A MINUTE TO ABOUT 10 MINUTES. THESE EPISODES COULD OCCUR IN RAPID SUCCESSION, SEPARATED BY ONLY A FEW SECONDS, OR THEY MIGHT HAVE 5-10 MINUTES OR SOMETIMES DAYS BETWEEN HAPPENINGS. THIS WOULD CAUSE SUDDEN LOSS OF VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING, AS THE SPRAYERS WOULD COVER THE WINDSHIELD WITH DROPS BUT THE WIPERS WOULD NOT COMPLETE A PASS TO REMOVE THE FLUID. IT WAS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT, SINCE THE DROPS WOULD REFRACT LIGHT AND MAKE VISIBILITY ALMOST ZERO. THIS ALSO RESULTED IN BEING LOCKED OUT OF THE VEHICLE ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, ONCE WITH CHILDREN TRAPPED INSIDE!! WHILE THE PROBLEMS WERE HAPPENING, THE REMOTE "CLICKER" COULD NOT BE USED TO UNLOCK OR OPEN DOORS OR LIFT-GATE. THE ONLY WAY TO ENTER THE VEHICLE WAS TO USE THE PHYSICAL KEY AND FORCE THE LOCK TO TURN AGAINST THE PRESSURE OF THE POWERED DOOR LOCK MOTOR REPEATEDLY RE-LOCKING THE DOORS OTHER INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS: TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ADVANCE BEYOND 2ND GEAR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WOULD FLASH AND FLICKER, THE BACK-UP CAMERA WOULD FLICKER (THE IMAGE IS DISPLAYED ON THE RADIO'S SCREEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE), THE DASHBOARD DISPLAYS WOULD ALL BE TURNED OFF OR TO ZERO (INCLUDING TACHOMETER EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING), AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF WITH THE KEY SWITCHED TO "OFF" AND COMPLETELY REMOVED. NOW, THE WIPERS HAVE STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY, WHICH IS A PERPETUAL SAFETY ISSUE, UNTIL THE PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED. KOONS DODGE OF TYSONS CORNER SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE TPIM (TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE). *TR