2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Power Train Problems

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 35 MPH MY VAN JUST DIED OUT IN TRAFFIC N WOULD NOT RESTART. THANK GOD I WAS NOT ON INTERSTATE

I JUST ACQUIRED THIS VEHICLE. I UNDERSTAND GAS 6 RECALLS BASED IN THE NHTSA. DOORS READ MODEL 2004. I CALLED CHRYSLER DODGE DEALER IN HEMET, CALIFORNIA AND THE SERVICE RECEPTIONIST STATED THERE IS NOTHING TO DO THAT ARE NO RECALLS FOR THIS VAN. PLEASE HELP. THE LIGHT ENGINE IS ON. THE POWER TRAIN KICKS SOMETIMES (DRAGS) SUDDENLY. AND I SEE THE 6 RECALLS APPLICABLE TO THIS MODEL

NEARLY EVERY TIME THE WE FILL THE TANK FULL OF FUEL THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN AFTER LEAVING THE STATION. TYPICALLY IT WILL HAPPEN MID TURN WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE STATION OR ELSE WITHIN A BLOCK OF LEAVING. WHEN IT HAPPENS THE STEERING STOPS WORKING NORMALLY. WE HAVE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE TO NEUTRAL AND RESTART IT AND THEN PUT IT BACK IN DRIVE AND GO. *TR

I ORIGINALLY CALLED DODGE WHEN THIS ISSUE STARTED AND THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BUT WHEN WE WOULD PUT THE VAN IN REVERSE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE AND IF YOU WERE NOT LISTENING FOR IT TO "CATCH" YOU WOULD PUT ON THE GAS AND BE GOING FORWARD. AFTER CALLING A FEW TIMES WE JUST GAVE UP AND BEGAN A HABIT OF SHIFTING INTO REVERSE AND MAKING SURE THE VEHICLE WAS INDEED IN REVERSE. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF THIS WE STARTED HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SPEED. THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO IF IT WAS UNDER ANY KIND OF STRAIN, UPHILL OR GRADE. AFTER REPLACING EVERYTHING FROM FUEL INJECTOR TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO SPARK PLUGS, WIRES AND SENSORS AND SPENDING CLOSE TO $1000 ON IT WE ENDED UP IN A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP WHICH FOUND OUR PROBLEM TO BE A...

THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS FAILED TO FUNCTION WHEN REACHING THE REQUIRED SPEED. EVEN WOULD NOT LOCK WITH THE KEY TOOK IT TO MECHANIC WAS ADVISED THAT WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER, BUT BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY THAT IT WOULD RESET THE COMPUTER, IT IS ONLY A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.SECOND PROBLEM WAS THE DOOR MOTOR STOP WORKING HAD THAT REPLACED. THIRD PROBLEM WAS THE FRONT AXLE BROKE WITH NO APPARENT WEAR, HAD THAT REPLACED. NOW IT'S THE GAS TANK, CAR WANTS TO STALL WAS ADVISED BY MECHANIC THAT THE GAS TANK WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED, THAT IT IS A DEFECTIVE VALVE THAT HAS SINCE BEEN CORRECTED IN THE NEWER MODELS. *TR

FLYWHEEL CRACKED AT AROUND 102,000 MILES CAUSING MAJOR JERKING OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A RECALL. I DID REPLACE THE FLYWHEEL WHICH COST CLOSE TO $800.00. *TR

MY DODGE MINI VAN BEGAN TO MAKE A STRANGE NOISE BUT I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER AS THEY HAD ALREADY RIPPED ME OFF FOR A PREVIOUS FAILURE OF THE EGR VALVE (AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES). AFTER THAT HUGE BILL I DECIDED TO ASK A FRIEND OF MINE FROM CHURCH WHO IS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC TO LISTEN TO MY DODGE. HE SAID THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS WEARING OUT AND IT WOULD EVENTUALLY NEED TO BE REPLACED! I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS AT ONLY 65,000 MILES. I WROTE A LETTER TO THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION AND HAD A CALL FROM ONE OF THEIR REPS. HE REFUSED TO CONSIDER THAT CHRYSLER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE PRODUCTION OF THE MINI VAN. I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL MY WARRANTY FOLKS (WARRANTY ALREADY OUT) AS MY POWER STEERING SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED. HELLO---DOES THIS NOT MEAN THAT...

POWER WINDOWS & POWER LOCKS DON'T WORK ON KEY OR DOORS AND HAVE NOT FOR THE LAST YEAR. NOW TRANSMISSION WON'T SHIFT INTO HIGHER GEARS, I'VE GOT 67,000 MILES AND LUCKILY IT CAME WITH A 7 YEAR 70,000 DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY, THIS THING IS AN ELECTRONIC NIGHTMARE !!! *TR

AT ABOUT 12,000 OUR 2005 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN DEVELOPED A THUMPING/BINDING IN THE STEERING/FRONT AXLE. WE HAD IT IN SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD FOR THE SAME PROBLEM; BOTH AXLES WERE REPLACED AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED ALSO, YET THE THUMPING/BINDING NEVER TRULY WENT AWAY. SHORTLY OUTSIDE THE COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY PERIOD, THE RIGHT FRONT AXLE BROKE. FORTUNATELY IT WAS IN A PARKING LOT, NOT ON THE HIGHWAY. THE RIGHT AXLE WAS REPLACED, BUT NOW THE THUMPING/BINDING IS BACK JUST LIKE IT WAS WHEN WE FIRST STARTED PURSUING GETTING THE PROBLEM FIXED. THE VAN ONLY HAS 30,300 MILES ON IT. *TR