NHTSA Complaint #11362443 — 2015 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

REAR BRAKE CONDITION, 2015 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE (DUAL FRONT PISTON BRAKE VERSION): A TIRE CHANGE AT 85752 MILES AND SLIGHTLY MORE THAN FOUR YEARS OF ROAD USE REVEALED NORMAL FRONT ROTORS WITH 8MM OF BRAKE PAD MATERIAL REMAINING ON THE FRONT PADS BUT AS LITTLE AS LESS THAN 1MM ON THE REARS WITH BOTH REAR ROTORS HEAVILY CORRODED ON THEIR FACE AS WELL AS HAVING SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF MISSING MATERIAL ON THE FACE DUE TO CORROSION AS LARGE AS 1.5' X 1' AND AS DEEP AS 1MM. (THIS CONDITION IS ADDITIONALLY UNUSUAL AS IT IS COMMON FOR THE FRONT BRAKES TO WEAR BEFORE THE REAR BRAKES DUE TO WEIGHT SHIFT UNDER BRAKING REQUIRING THAT THE FRONT BRAKES ENDURE THE BULK OF THE BURDEN OF SLOWING ANY VEHICLE, AS WELL AS BY DESIGN WHERE BRAKE BIAS IS SHIFTED TO THE FRONT TO PREVENT THE REARS FROM LOCKING UNDER BRAKING VIA THE USE OF A PROPORTIONING VALVE; THE CORROSION ON THE ROTOR FACE SEEMS TO BE INDICATIVE OF A LACK OF ADEQUATE REAR PAD CONTACT.) THE LARGE AREA OF MISSING ROTOR MATERIAL CORRESPONDED WITH THE MOST-WORN PAD, PROBABLY DUE TO THE SHARP EDGES OF THE DEPRESSION ACTING TO SLICE, RATHER THAN ABRADE, THE ASSOCIATED PAD. ANECDOTALLY, MECHANICS SPOKEN WITH INDICATED THEY HAVE FREQUENTLY SEEN THIS GENERATION OF DODGE GRAND CARAVANS WITH SIMILAR REAR ROTORS AND PADS. THIS CONDITION IS UNSAFE DUE TO THE APPARENT LACK OF APPLICATION OF THE REAR BRAKES DURING THE BRAKING PROCESS, AS WELL AS BEING POSSIBLY INDICATIVE OF A DEFECT DUE TO PREMATURE AND ABNORMAL WEAR OF A BRAKE COMPONENT, ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF THERE BEING AN ERROR IN THE BASIC VEHICLE BRAKE DESIGN/ENGINEERING AS THIS CONDITION MAY BE DUE TO AN IMPROPERLY SPECIFIED OR INCORRECTLY FUNCTIONING BRAKE PROPORTIONING VALVE. DUE TO THE SAFETY CRITICAL NATURE OF THIS DISCOVERY, IT MAY BE OF VALUE TO HAVE THE REAR BRAKES OF ALL 2008-2020 DODGE GRAND CARAVANS INSPECTED.