Consumer Complaint Detail
DODGE / GRAND CARAVAN / 1997
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 003276870 | Incident Date: Jul, 14 2003 |
| Consumer's City: EVANSVILLE | Consumer's State: IN |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| Model Name: GRAND CARAVAN | Model Year: 1997 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Power train |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 1B4GP54L0VB | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Jan, 14 2004 | Complaint Type: CAG |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: - |
| Was Original Owner: No | Anti-lock Brakes: No |
| Number of Cylinders: 0 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: At 91,000 miles the vehicle had a sudden and catastrophic transmission failure. given the fact that we have had a number of neighbors & friends also experience grand caravan transmission problems in 97 & 98 models, there obviously is a major design problem. i had owned a 1989 grand caravan that had two transmissions replaced under warranty. i took a chance going back to chrysler and lost the bet. while chrysler "customer no service" has told me "sir, when you signed the dotted line, you knew the warranty was 36,000 miles", clearly the public perception is that transmissions in $30,000 automobiles should last more than 90,000 miles. while chrysler can hide behind the warranty all they want, they clearly are breaking with the public''s trust. the fact that chrysler has had 100,000 mile drivetrain warranties on other years of grand caravans bespeaks to the levels that they: 1. had to go to gain public trust 2. the recognition that they may have design problems. lastly, as i have learned, their "customer no service" department is a very short one way street. when i called, i described the problem and inquired about the process to file a complaint. i was shocked to learn in very short order that the first person i talked to was also the last person that i would to talk. he quickly made the decision the chrysler was not interested in helping in any way and that his decision was final. there was never any "i am sorry about this problem, but there is not much that i can do". it was "you knew what you purchased, and i am not going to help you in any way". in fact he kept reminding me how long we spoke on the phone and that i was wasting mine and implicitly his time. all in all a very poor experience with a lousy product and non-existent customer service. |