1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Electrical System Problems

THE VAN WILL START THEN IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF. IT DOES THIS MORE WHEN IT IS HOT OUTSIDE. IF YOU LET THE VEHICLE SIT FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS IN THE SHADE IT WILL START AND GET YOU TO YOUR NEXT DESTINATION. IF THE WEATHER IS TOO HOT IT WON'T START UNTIL THE WEATHER CHANGES TO COOLER. I HAVE REPLACED THE STARTER, TWO COMPUTERS, GOT THE CIRCUIT BOARD COLD SOLDERED. REPLACED THE BATTERY AND CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE REST. IT STILL HAS THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON. THERE IS A WEB SITE TOPIX.COM THAT HAS A FORUM JUST FOR THIS PROBLEM. NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT COMPLETELY. SOME ONE SOME WHERE HAS GOT TO KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. ALSO THE CLOCK SPRING IS UNDER RECALL. ONCE YOU GET THE RECALL DONE AFTER A FEW YEARS THE SPRING BREAKS AGAIN AND THEY DON'T FIX IT...

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND ALSO STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE FAILURES GRADUALLY BECAME WORSE AND OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE WIRING IN AN ATTEMPT TO REMEDY THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AWAITING A FUSE BOX REPLACEMENT.

MOTHERBOARD HAS STOPPED WORKING AND HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. IT FAILED A THIRD TIME A WEEK AGO; LAST TIME THE MOTHERBOARD WAS REPLACED WAS OCT 2003. WHEN MOTHERBOARD FAILS, ALL DISPLAY ITEMS CEASE TO WORK - NO SPEED INDICATOR, NO FUEL GAUGE, NO TEMP GAUGE, NO MILEAGE. THIS IS A $700 REPAIR AND SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. HAVE NOT REPLACED PART A THIRD TIME, AM CONSIDERING REPLACING THE VEHICLE. *NM

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ON MAJOR HIGHWAY MY 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SHUT DOWN, AND LOST ALL POWER. SAME THING OCCURRED 1 MONTH LATER. I WAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH 4 CHILDREN ABOARD. MECHANIC HAS CHANGED 2 RELAY SWITCHES. DO NOT KNOW IF AND WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.*AK

SERPENTINE BELT OR TENSIONER CLIP HAS HAD TO BE REPAIRED 4 TIMES (TOWED EVERY TIME) ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SINCE THE BEGINNING; TURN THE KEY AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS START GOING, TURN THE KEY OFF AND THE WIPERS "KEEP" GOING, TAKE THE KEY TOTALLY OUT OF THE IGNITION AND THE WIPERS GO AND THE "DINGING" ALARM THAT TELLS YOU THE LIGHTS ARE ON OR THE KEY IS IN, STARTS.(I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THE CAR WAS POSSESSED) OR TURN THE KEY AND "NOTHING" COMES ON EXCEPT THE ENGINE. I'VE REPLACED THE BATTERY 5 TIMES AT LEAST - IT'S USUALLY BETTER W/ A NEW BATTERY FOR A LITTLE WHILE. HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE WINDOW MOTOR AND ASSEMBLY REPLACED ON DRIVERS SIDE TWICE AND 5 TIMES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. MOST RECENT WAS 4/04, WHICH WAS REPLACED 7/04 AGAIN. THE SIDE SLIDING DOORS ON BOTH SIDE DO NOT LOCK, IF YOU PUSH THE BUTTON DOWN,...

I OWN A 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WITH SEVERAL ELECTICAL PROBLEMS. FIRST THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND WILL NOT RESET. ALL OF THE FANS FOR THE HEATER AND A/C DOESN'T WORK. THE REAR WIPER IS CONTINUOUSLY WORKING. WE HAVE HAD THE VAN TO THE MECHANIC SEVERAL TIMES(TOO MANY TO COUNT) AND THEY CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE COMPANY REALLY NEEDS TO RECALL THIS ISSUE.*AK

I OWN A 1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WITH THE MILEAGE AROUND 128,000 MILES. STARTING IN APRIL , WE SMELLED AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD . WE TOOK IT TO AAMCO AND THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AT THAT TIME USING THE DIAGNOSTICS. A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON STEADILY AND THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VAN AT THAT TIME EITHER . THE *CODE* THEY FOUND SAID *OXYGEN SENSOR* BUT THEY RESET IT . FOUR DAYS LATER, WE WERE HEADING BACK TO CHARLESTON (100 MILES) AND HAD MADE IT AROUND 40 MILES ON INTERSTATE GOING AROUND 65-70 MILES AN HOUR WHEN, WITHOUT NOTICE, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER . WE HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE EMERGENCY LANE AND WAIT...

WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND GOING 65 TO 70 MPH, THE CAR LOSES RPM'S, BACKFIRES, JERKS, LOSES SPEED. I AM UNABLE TO GIVE IT GAS. I HAVE TO PULL OFF INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND IT SLOWS TO A STOP AND STALLS. I CANNOT START IT BACK, HOWEVER IF I SET FOR A FEW MINUTES, OPEN AND SLAM THE HOOD, IT WILL START BACK. MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CODE THAT WAS FOUND SAID THAT A MISFIRE WAS FOUND IN CYLINDER 6. IT HAS HAPPENED SINCE FIXING THAT PROBLEM, BUT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO TRY TO FIX MANY DIFFERENT PROBLEMS BUT NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP CAN TELL ME FOR SURE WHAT IS WRONG AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. THIS IS AMAZING TO ME, BECAUSE I CAN FIND MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, AND NOT...

HAD THE 1696 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS , ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS I THINK. THE SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, GEAR SELECTOR, WATER COOLANT GAUGE, FUEL GAUGE STOPS WORKING WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN I SHUT CAR OFF THE GEAR SELECTOR AND ODOMETER STAYS ILLUMINATED EVEN WITH THE CAR OFF AND LIGHTS OFF , OR ON.. ALSO THE TACHOMETER FREEZES UP ON A CERTAIN RPM . DEPENDING WHAT THE RPM WAS WHEN EVERYTHING STOPED WORKING RIGHT.. WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURN ON AUTOMATICALLY BUT 99.9% OF THE TIME THEY WONT SHUT OFF EVEN IF I SELECT IT TO SHUT OFF , THEY KEEP GOING AND GOING EVEN ON DRY DAYS AND NO RAIN .TOOK IT TO MECHANIC AND THEY CANT FIND WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT AND THEY CHARGE ME 60 TO 90 DOLLARS JUST TO TEST IT AND THEY NEVER COME UP WITH A SOLUTION UNLESS THEY DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND LET IT SIT...

RE:DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE, L996 CONTINUAL PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. SUDDEN LACK OF POWER WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY, NARROWLY AVOIDING SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. IN RESEARCHING ON VARIOUS WEB SITES, THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR OTHER OWNERS AS WELL. THE DEALER HAS KEPT THE CAR TWICE SO THEY COULD 'DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM', THEY REPLACE ONE SENSOR OR ANOTHER. LAST REPLACEMENT SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED BUT STILL DON'T TRUST THE CAR AND WON'T DRIVE ON FREEWAY OR FAR FROM HOME. NOW HAVE TROUBLE STARTING THE CAR, THE DEALER SAID IT'S PROBABLY THE CRANK SENSOR. THEY SAY SINCE I ONLY HAVE 33,000 MILES ON THE CAR, IT SHOULDN'T BE THE STARTER. ALSO, I HAVE HISTORY OF THE WIPERS TURNING ON AND OFF WHENEVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT. THEY ALSO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RHYTHM WHEN WORKING. THE WIPER SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. THE COMPUTER NEVER SHOWS AN ERROR CODE SO...

STEERING COLUMN ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS; TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSES VARIOUS ELECTRICAL INPUTS SUCH AS TURNING ON WINDSHIELD WIPERS, HONKING HORN, CAUSING THE ABS FAILURE LIGHT TO COME ON AND CAUSING ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO SHORT OUT INCLUDING ALL GAUGES AND EVEN CAUSING THE ENGINE TO TURN OFF. *NLM

DODGE '96 MINIVAN STALLING PROBLEM WHILE IN OPERATION. START UP TIME 5-10 MINUTES LATER (VERY DANGEROUS). TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR; PROBLEM ESCALATED TO FULL REPLACEMENT. NOT SATISFIED WITH REPLACEMENT -"BUMPS" ON SECOND AND THIRD GEARS UP AND DOWN. THESE HAVE BEEN COSTLY REPAIRS. SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OUT NO MATTER WHAT REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED - FULL FUEL AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. RPS RACED TO 15K. REPLACED CAM SENSOR, HARNESS, HOSES ETC. *NLM

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THE FAILURE OF TURN SIGNALS, THE COMING ON OF WIPERS BY THEMSELVES AND SHORTING OUT THE BATTERY AND THE VEHICLE STALLING WERE A FAULT OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHICH THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. *YH

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS ACTIVATED WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON. DEALER HAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRED VEHICLE, HOWEVER PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. *AK THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START DUE TO BATTERY FAILURE. THE SLIDING DOOR DOES NOT SHUT PROPERLY. PASSENGER DOOR DOES NOT LOCK DUE TO DOOR LOCK MOTOR FAILURE. DRIVERS WINDOW MAKES NOISE DUE TO REGULATOR FAILURE. *YH

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH MALFUNCTIONING OF THE DASHBOARD, SPEEDOMETER, RPM, FUEL GAUGE, AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE. *SLC

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT COMING ON/ HORN FAILURE AND CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE. *AK

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO ACTIVATE WHILE ON "OFF" POSITION/ TAIL LIGHTS TO FAIL, AND PROBLEMS WITH AIR CONDITIONER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE, CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, RADIO AND DOOR LOCKS TO ACTIVATE THEMSELVES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THE CAR IS ALSO HAVING TROUBLE STARTING BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL FAILURES.

FRONT/REAR WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.

ELECTRICAL FAILED.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILS WHEN VEHICLE IS NOT WARMED UP SUFFICIENTLY, CAUSING LIGHTS/TURN SIGNAL/POWER WINDOWS/RADIO/ AIR CONDITIONER TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.