Consumer Complaint Detail
DODGE / GRAND CARAVAN / 2005
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 006085646 | Incident Date: Nov, 07 2006 |
| Consumer's City: BELLE PLAINE | Consumer's State: MN |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| Model Name: GRAND CARAVAN | Model Year: 2005 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Steering:rack and pinion:rack |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 1D4GP24R55B | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Nov, 15 2006 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Jul, 11 2005 |
| Was Original Owner: No | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 6 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: This letter is in regards to a 2005 dodge grand caravan, which was recently serviced because of a failed power steering rack. the power steering rack was diagnosed as leaking due to bad seals and the unit was replaced. the power steering reservoir was also replaced because of a restriction of flow. according to dialogue with the dealership, it was determined that the screen in the reservoir was plugged, which caused the squeaking sound i was hearing. i believe the screen was plugged with debris generated by the failing seals in the power steering rack, since this is a recirculation hydraulic system. the mileage at the time of failure was 38,256 miles, and i believe this type of failure was premature. i also believe that the failure could have had serious consequences had i indeed lost all the fluid from the system prior to my discovery of the problem. i had the power steering rack replaced on my 2001 dodge caravan this year, but the mileage was considerably higher, around 80,000 miles. neither the previous owner nor i influenced the premature failure of the power steering rack, nor the plugged screen in the reservoir; even though the mechanics attempted to place the blame on me stating that the reservoir failure was due to improper maintenance. since i have had this same problem on a 2001 caravan, i feel that this problem is a design flaw, and should warrant a design change to avert future hardships by caravan owners. furthermore, there is no maintenance interval specified for this system at this mileage. power steering system failures are prevalent across their entire model lineup. i believe this steering problem should be investigated by the nhtsa. *jb |