2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Wheels Problems

THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON THIS VAN IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM AND IS COSTING US THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON THIS VAN IS RUNNING VERY HOT EVEN ON COLD DAYS. THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS FAIL PREMATURELY AND THE WHEEL HUBS FAIL FROM CONSTANTLY OVERHEATING. THE ABS STARTS FEEDING TOO MUCH PRESSURE TO THE WHEEL CALIPERS AND CAUSES THE BRAKE PADS TO CONSTANTLY TOUCH THE ROTORS WHICH CREATES EXCESSIVE BRAKE PAD AND ROTOR WEAR AS WELL A OVERHEATING OF THE GREASE IN THE WHEEL HUBS WHICH CAUSES THEM TO FAIL. NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE BRAKES EVERY 7,000 TO 10,000 MILES. THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT IN THE DESIGN AND CHRYSLER IS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WILL COST THEM TOO MUCH MONEY.

VALVE STEM CORRODED AND CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED. I WAS LUCKY IT DIDN'T END UP EMBEDDED IN MY FACE.

HUB BEARING ASSEMBLY FAILED.THIS A SAFETY ISSUE HAVE CHILDREN AND THIS NEED TO BE FIX HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT REPORTS BY SEVERAL CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE TO COME OUT OF POCKET WHEN THIS IS A DEFECT FROM MANUFACTER.

TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND THEN WENT SOLID WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH. I PULLED OVER TO CHECK MY TIRES. WHEN I STARTED TO UNSCREW THE CAP ON ONE OF THE TIRES, THE VALVE STEM BROKE AND THE TIRE WENT FLAT. I HAD JUST DRIVEN THROUGH A TUNNEL AND WAS HEADED TOWARDS ANOTHER. HAD THE STEM BROKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE THAT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SENSOR NOT READING THE CORRECT TIRE PRESSURE WHICH CAN LEAD TO OVER INFLATING AND A TIRE BLOWING OUT, BUT NOT ON THIS WHICH SEEMS TO BE AFFECTING A LOT OF PEOPLE.

PREMATURE WEAR AND FAILURE OF FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS, ALL ROTORS, BRAKES AND PADS. POSSIBLE FAILURES ARE DUE TO INFERIOR PARTS BEING USED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. *TR

TIRE PRESSURE WAS A BIT LOW ON 2 PASSENGER SIDE TIRES SO ADDED AIR. END OF VALVE STEM (ABOUT 1/4" OF THREAD) BROKE OFF IN THE PUMP NOZZLE TAKING THE VALVE CORE WITH IT IMMEDIATELY RELEASING ALL THE AIR IN THE TIRE IN A SUDDEN RUSH. ON INSPECTION UNIT WAS CORRODED BADLY, SAME SITUATION ON REAR TIRE. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE 2014 DODGE RAM TRUCK FOR THIS VERY ISSUE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS SITUATIONS RECOUNTED ON THE INTERNET OF EXACTLY THIS ISSUE FOR VARIOUS MODEL YEARS OF THE DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. ASIDE FROM THE COST AND INCONVENIENCE OF HAVING TO REPLACE THE TPMS SENSOR, IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN AT HIGH SPEED A CRASH POSSIBLY WITH FATALITIES WOULD LIKELY OCCUR. DODGE/CHRYSLER REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBABLY BECAUSE IT WOULD BE VERY COSTLY FOR THEM TO RESOLVE AND LIKELY SUITS FOR WRONGFUL DEATH AND NEGLIGENCE. *TR

VAN BEGAN MAKING LOUD, GRINDING NOISE. NOISE SEEMED LOUDER WHEN STEERING MORE TO THE RIGHT. ON VISIT TO DEALERSHIP FOR IGNITION RECALL ISSUE, THEY LOOKED AT WHERE NOISE WAS COMING FROM - SINCE THEY HEARD IT WHEN THEY DROVE VAN BACK TO THE SERVICE AREA. THEY SAID IT WAS A WHEEL BEARING / HUB ON RIGHT FRONT. DEALERSHIP SAID VAN WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE ENOUGH TO BE A RECALL ISSUE? *TR

UPON NOTICING MY TIRE WAS LOW, WE STARTED TO UNSCREW THE VALVE CAP AND THE STEM FELL APART & PART OF IT SHOT INTO MY HUSBAND'S SHOULDER. THE TIRE WENT IMMEDIATELY FLAT. THIS WAS ON MY FRONT TIRE. THE PIECE JUST DISINTEGRATES IN MY HAND. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR

BOTH OF THE WHEEL BEARINGS WERE COMPLETELY WORN OUT, CAUSING GRINDING, HARSH ROAD NOISE, AND CLICKING WHEN TURNING. THE BEARINGS ASSEMBLY HAVE BEEN REENGINEERED BY DODGE BUT THEY ARE NOT ISSUING ANY RECALLS. DODGE IS MAKING YOU REPLACE BOTH HUBS AT THE SAME TIME. FAILURE OF THE WHEEL BEARING WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER INSTALLING REPLACEMENT TIRES ON THE VEHICLE, THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ADD AIR TO THE TIRE BUT THE VALVE STEM FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TIRE SPECIALIST WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT ALL FOUR OF THE TIRE VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

WE PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH @ 15K MILES IN MAY 2010 - IN JANUARY 2011 AT @ 30K MILES WE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKES AND ROTORS THE WHOLE WAY AROUND. I SPOKE WITH 3 MECHANICS WHO 1) SAID ROTORS AT THIS LOW MILEAGE WAS UNHEARD OF AND 2) THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. THEN, JUST 3 WEEKS AGO, AT 55513 MILES, MY LEFT FRONT AXLE / CV JOINT SNAPPED. FROM (PLENTY OF) ONLINE RESEARCH, I LEARNED 2 THINGS - 1) THIS BREAK SHOULD NOT OCCUR IN A VEHICLE SO NEW AND 2) ALL 2008 CHRYSLER / DODGE VEHICLES ARE KNOWN FOR THIS! IN FACT THERE WAS A RECALL IN 08 FOR A LOT OF VEHICLES (NOT THE CARAVAN) FOR JUST THIS! WHEN I CALLED CHRYSLER/DODGE - THEY FIRST SAID THAT THIS WASN'T A PART OF THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY (UM, IT'S AN AXLE!!! ATTACHED TO THE DRIVE...

2ND INCIDENT - TIRE STEM (VALVE) BROKE WHEN REMOVING PLASTIC CAP TO ADD AIR. I REPORTED WHEN THE FIRST VALVE STEM BROKE (TO THIS SYSTEM) ALSO. *TR

FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE VALVE STEM FRACTURED WHEN THE PLASTIC CAP WAS REMOVED, EXPOSING NEEDLE VALVE. *TR

THIS IS THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. LOW TIRE LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN WE TRIED TO PUT AIR IN TIRE THE STEM WAS CRACKED SO COULD NOT PUT AIR INTO TIRE. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIRE ON THIS VEHICLE TO DO THIS. CALLED DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL- WE WERE TOLD NO RECALL. FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED IT WAS SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE THEY COULD REPLACE THE STEM FOR US BECAUSE THEY WERE ON BACK ORDER...THERE HAD BEEN SO MANY PROBLEMS THEY COULDN'T KEEP UP! THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. WE WILL CHANGE OTHER TWO TIRE STEMS RIGHT AWAY TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. *TR

FRONT HUB BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 47,155 MILES. *TR

THE TIRE VALVE STEM TIPS (THE END METAL PART), WHICH ARE INTEGRAL WITH THE TPMS, BREAK OFF LEADING TO A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE LOSS OF AIR FROM THE TIRE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE ON TWO DIFFERENT TIRES ON OUR 2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. ONCE AT ABOUT 25K AND THE SECOND TIME AT 33K. THE DODGE DEALERSHIP SAYS THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE BUT WILL NOT COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2008. LEFT FRONT HUB/BEARING ASSEMBLY BAD AT ~38,000 MILES. *TR

I HAVE AT 2008 DODGE CARAVAN WITH 45,000 MILES ON IT AND EXPERIENCED A WHEEL BEARING FAILURE ON THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IF THE BEARING HAD FROZEN I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A SAFE STOP. *TR