NHTSA Complaint #700021 — 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

1. THERE ARE 2 PROBLEMS WITH WIPERS. 1.THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS GO ON BY THEMSELVES. IT OCCURS AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND DIFFERENT SPEEDS, EVEN WHEN IN PARK. TO TURN THEM OFF I MUST TURN IT ON AND THEN OFF AGAIN. 2.WHEN FRONT WIPERS ARE PLACED IN THE HIGH POSITION THEY WILL GO OFF BY THEMSELVES LEAVING ME UNABLE TO SEE. TO MAKE THEM GO BACK ON I MUST TURN IT OFF AND THEN BACK ON. HAVE HAD IT AT THE DEALERS NUMEROUS TIMES TO NO AVAIL. THEY CHANGE A PART BUT DON'T FIX THE PROBLEM. 2. WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE BELT WILL FRAY AND JUST FALL APART LEAVING ME WITH NO POWER STEERING AND NO ACCELERATOR OR GENERATOR. THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE I TRAVEL WITH MY 3 SMALL CHILDREN ON RURAL HIGHWAYS AND DRIVING ON ONLY WHATEVER POWER IS IN THE BATTERY AND WITHOUT THE POWERSTEERING THE VAN BECOMES ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. MY DEALER HAS INFORMED ME THAT IT IS THE TENSION PULLEY AND THAT IT IS A PROBLEM FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND WHEN ASKED IF IT WAS A RECALLED PART HE INFORMED US IT WAS NOT BUT SHOULD BE. IT IS A PART THAT CAN NOT BE CHANGED BY US(THERE ARE NO INSTRUCTIONS IN THE MECHANICS MANUAL WE WERE GIVEN). WE CALLED CHRYSLER AND WAS INFORMED THAT WE HAD TO HAVE THE DEALER REPLACE THIS PART AT A COST OF $90 FOR THE TENSION PULLEY PLUS LABOR. THIS HOWEVER WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE IS STILL A DEFECT.