NHTSA Complaint #713571 — 1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

THE VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAUSES IT TO LOSE ALL POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. MOST OF THE TIME THE ENGINE HAS TO BE RESTARTED BUT THERE HAVE BEEN OCCASIONS WHERE THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES INITIALLY LOST POWER, WHICH MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WILL THEN JUST KICK BACK ON HOWEVER, AGAIN CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE SINCE WE ARE TRYING TO OVERSTEER IT DUE TO THE ORIGINAL LOSS OF POWER. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THE FAILURES OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING AND WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DODGE DEALERS ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS FOR REPAIR BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED BECAUSE THE DEALERS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THE POWER LOSS HAPPEN WHILE THEY WERE DRIVING IT. THESE FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 8 TIMES SINCE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW. *AK