Chrysler Minivan Transmission Problems

steeleng · September 2002

No matter what vehicle you choose in the future make sure and do some homework first, do not just rely on past history. Chrysler had significant problems with transmissions into the late '90s. From what I have seen their transmissions seem to be fairly reliable after '98 or '99. OTOH Honda has had to extend the warranty on its transmissions because of problems they have had and Toyota has had to extend the warranty on some of its engines due to sludge problems. I'm not saying to avoid Honda or Toyota, just do your homework so you don't feel cheated like some on the Honda and Toyota boards who bought solely on perceived reliability.

goodbytes2 · September 2002

I owned a 1990 Caravan, V6-3.3L and used it for commercial purposes. Admittedly, we had way too much weight for what it was designed for. Bought it in 1995 at 186k miles as it was in great shape. Sold it 7 yrs later at 255k miles. We replaced the tranny twice, both times with a factory rebuild. The tranny mechanic told me that there had been 12 re-designs of that transmission, and "they still dont have it right". By his estimation, it was under-engineered and "they always seem to fail at about 50k miles". I dont know about the '99-2002 models. In our experience, the engines last forever, but you have to figure in the cost of a new tranny every 50k or so with these older Caravans.

We have also tried an '88 Aerostar and had similar tranny problems at 125k miles.

We finally switched to the Ford E-150 series, much better suited for our purposes and believe that the extra $ you pay in gas is well worth it in the long run considering the increased load capacity/ weight and cheaper maintenance costs.

So a minivan is basically a car chassis with more room. Most of them are not engineered for alot of weight, though the Chevy Astro is supposed to be a better hauler/ handle heavier loads.

If you're doing any kind of load bearing service, save yourself the headaches and just get the larger vans.

jc86 · September 2002

A friend of mine, from his own personal experience, told me never to jumpstart another car with the T&C. His transmission failed right after jumpstart another car. He was told by the service technician the jumpstart may be the cause.

Has anyone heard of this?

steeleng · October 2002

I cannot see any way that jump starting another car could physically damage a transmission. It could possibly cause electrical damage to the transmission control module. I had an experience a couple of years ago with my '95 Chrysler Cirrus (4 speed AT) where I was backed out of my driveway and when I shifted into drive it felt like my transmission had failed. I stopped the car, turned it off, restarted it and drove it for a couple of miles and everything was fine and I haven't had any problems with it since. The only thing that I can figure is that an electrical glitch caused the TCM to lose its settings (happens when you disconnect the battery) and it had to relearn its settings.

valerie05 · October 2002

We're in the market for a used minivan and thought we had made up our minds to go with the T&C (99-01). Then we discovered this site. If any of you were to buy a used van tomorrow would you even consider this as a choice? The trouble with the transmission seems overwhelming. We bought a new Chevy Astro in 91 and it has over 204,000 miles on it. We had 2 major repairs bills in 11 years (never trans). We wanted a little more luxury after our old workhorse but not at the expense of major repair bills. Any help/advice appreciated.

mrbizness1 · October 2002

Buying any used vehicle can be risky. Their are many complaints here about Chrysler vans, but their are also millions of them on the road. These vans are all over the place. I have70k on my van, had the battery replaced at 9k and the dealer replaced the trans solenoid pack because of a leak seal for no charge 8k past the warranty
without me asking while doing routine service.
I suggest you get the vin #s of any vehicle you like and run them through CarFax.com to get a vehicle history. Its worth $20.00 for 2 months. It isn't foolproof but can give you useful info on the vehicles history, flood damage and major accidents etc. I would also be looking at vehicles still under factory warranty, this makes it easier for a dealer to bill the mfg. to correct any defects. This was my first new minvan purchase and I will definitely do another when I run this one into the ground or when Publishers Clearing House comes knocking.
Good luck

royallen · October 2002

Valerie: I had the same feeling 3 1/2 years ago when considering a '95 Caravan. If you have looked at a few internet problem report sites, you will notice they attract venting by some disappointed owners, some of which probably have true lemons. My wife and I have driven her van from 48K to 88K with minimal problems- battery failure, water pump failure, cracked windshield and wear and tear type things. The majority of '95 owners have had transmission problems. We have done the following: 1) transmission cooler (added on '99 and later at factory), 2) service with OEM fluid every 15K (I only have filter done every 30K, siphon and fill myself between these), 3) turn off overdrive in city below 45 mph, 4)use parking brake when parking on grade before shifting to Park, 5) always stop backing up before shifting to Drive, 6) minimize wheel spin in low traction conditions, 7) avoid over heating when towing uphill in summer.
BE sure to get a competent independent condition evaluation on any used vehicle you consider buying. If you are still concerned about the transmission issue, add $1800 to your expected cost and see what the alternatives look like. 3 1/2 years ago, a comparable Odyssey was $4500 more, so even if I had to replace the transmission (which could happen in the next 50K) I'm still happy. My wife loves her van either way.

valerie05 · October 2002

Thanks for the info/advice. I think we'll definately go the CarFax route as well as the independent eval.
Thanks again.

steeleng · October 2002

I bought a used 2001 Grand Caravan back in June with 14k miles on it. Only time will tell for sure if the transmission problems have been resolved but my research has shown that the problem has decreased in the last couple of years. My personal experience and the experience of those around me has shown that Chrysler reliability is definitely on the upswing.

BTW - congratulations on your success with the Astro. I have seen those go both ways. A lot of them seem to run forever but I have seen quite a few with problems (mostly electrical).

johnnyc4 · October 2002

I have a T&C '02-Ltd-AWD 5000 miles. Last night while I'm driving home @ 55MPH I heard the engine growled and I found out that the shifter shifted from Drive to Neutral while the vehicle was running. I felt scared on this situation - what if it shifts from Drive to Reverse? I used to drive Japanese vehicles and I don't experience this kind of occurrence. I think I have to bring this van to the dealer but first I would appreciate if you guys will give me some ideas about this matter. Thanks.

pluto5 · October 2002

Our older GC with same model trans made a lot of growling noises before it failed. This was a factory reman with only 15K miles. DC gave us another reman for "only" $600. There must be a cottage industry somewhere rebuilding these units. You no doubt have a warranty so the issue now is to convince the dealer to replace your trans before it fails.

mrbizness1 · October 2002

Since you are used to import vehicles is it possible you didn't engage the shift lever completly? It would be unlikely it could go into reverse on its own since you must pull the lever back in order for it to be moved past neutral

mrbizness1 · October 2002

" service with OEM fluid every 15K (I only have filter done every 30K, siphon and fill myself between these)"

Royallen, How much fluid can you get out with a siphon, and what brand of fluid do you buy?
I have only seen Quaker State for Chryslers at Pep Boys.
thanks

royallen · October 2002

Philip: I get 3.5 qt using 6' of clear 7/16OD, 5/16ID tubing down the filler tube. I refill it, drive it 5-10 miles then repeat the drain and fill. This should exchange about 85% of the capacity. I buy AMOCO ATF+3 at Auto Zone.

troyhayesdoyle · October 2002

My wife and I are proud owners of a '02 Caravan SE with the 2.4 4 cyl. We just turned over 8000 miles and have noticed a problem with the A/C "freezing up" after about 30 minutes of use. The local 5star said that we were using the recirc to much and to switch it off of recirc on extended trips, etc. I have owned a 01 300M and Jeep Wrangler 4.0 and never heard of this being "a Chrysler condition".. Any ideas?

vcheng · October 2002

.. may be a cause of AC freezing as well. The evaporator orifice may freeze if the factory fill PAG oil in the AC system is too low.

steine13 · October 2002

...why should they? It seems folks keep buying those vehicles regardless.
It's not the cost so much that makes me stay away from them, it's the fact that with transmission failure, you don't know where and when it's going to hit you. Give me GM valve stem seal failure any day, I can fix it at my leisure...
The DC minivans are pretty nice otherwise and have lousy resale, so they're attractive used, but no thanks...
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI

annie1964 · October 2002

This same thing happened to me the other day. All of a sudden, engine began revving. Looked down and it was in N. Dropped it to D and has not happened again. This problem had happened several times before but always in a parking space or my driveway. Just figured shifter was sensitive and maybe I didn't lock it in. But after travelling 4 miles from home while going 55 MPH!?!? Something's not right here. Also have had a problem with the turn signal not working. Anyone experienced this problem?

feldmanbd · October 2002

I went to the Chrysler Route 2002 test drive event last weekend in Philadelphia. All of the vehicles I got to drive were very nice (with the exception of the Ford Mustang :-) ) Chrysler definitely has a great product lineup. Anyway, there was an automotive engineer there who has done some work designing Chrysler vehicles (although he doesn't work directly for Chrysler), so I asked him about the minivan transmissions. According to him, the seals and sealing technology was completely changed in 1998, along with some other minor improvements. The failure rate for the 41TE throughout the 90's was about the same as you'd find in GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, etc. But after 2000 he claimed that the new transmissions had the lowest failure rates in the industry. He also said that starting in 98 the big three began to design vehicles with a design life of 150,000 miles. Personally I'm curious how many of the transmission failures could have been prevented by proper care - such as changing the filter and fluid (with the correct fluid, of course), not slamming the transmission into gear, stopping before going from reverse to drive, using the parking brake, checking the transmission fluid level once in a while, and perhaps throwing on an additional transmission cooler. Is that really so much to ask? and I'm also curious how many unscrupulous or unknowledgable mechanics told people their transmissions needed replacing when something small like a solenoid pack, filter or fluid change, sensor, wire, or computer upgrade would fix the problem. Plus there's always the possibility that a replacement transmission is put together improperly or worn parts are used or the computer isn't upgraded to the correct version. So, there's already a lot of factors going against these (or any) transmissions before you even take reliability into account. It's clearly evident that Chrysler did a heck of a lot of innovation on every other part of the minivan, so it's incredibly doubtful that they haven't put some of those engineering efforts into the transmission. Plus, I've heard their warranty costs are way down since the mid 90's. So I think things are definitely getting better. Just my two cents, for whatever it's worth. BTW I'm 19 and I want to buy a used T&C to haul all my stuff back and forth for college and whenever I move... I really need a comfortable vehicle for all the highway driving I do and a T&C fits the bill much better than my stripped 94 Saturn SL1! I don't care if everyone else my age has a stigma against minivans. They'll think it's pretty cool if they ever need to move something :-)

dtownfb · October 2002

I wouldn't put too much faith on what an engineer who has worked for Chrysler has said. Even though he does not work for them, he obviously is connnected to them. Only time will tell if the DC trannies have gotten better. It does appear that their reliability has improved but they really need to do some work on their domestic car lineup.

pluto5 · October 2002

Because Honda and Ford got worse..............LOL

dustyk · October 2002

For ten months I visited our three local transmission repair shops at least twice a week to see what kind of vehicles were requiring transmission service. Although I was primarily interested in full size pick ups at the time, I did record every vehicle make and model I saw.

I will tell you that vehicles made by Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth were way in the minority. There were a number of older chrysler minivans, and from what I can tell these were of the 4-speed electronic version. The three speed versions were rare. I saw many more GM minivans, especially the Lumina series, Cavaliers, S10 Blazers and pickups, full size Ford products, a number of Windstars, and full size F150s.

One of the transmission techs did mention to me that "a good number" of failed Chrysler transmissions had been filled with the wrong fluid. Chrysler owners should be aware that these transmission require a fluid called "7176" or ATF+3, and on newer vehicles, ATF+4. There is a local couple who successfully sued one of our local quick lube places for filling their Chrysler minivan transmission with the wrong fluid, causing a failure almost 10,000 miles later.

Dusty

pluto5 · October 2002

is because they're at the dealer shops where DC is picking up part or all the tab.............LOL

ceo1 · October 2002

I have a 96 and the transmission failed when it was 55K miles. Cost: $2500 for a rebuilt one.

Now the whole electronics is going crazy. First, the wipers came on with no reason. Then the air bag light would not go off. Then, the ABS light stayed on. Then the speedometer behaved strangely.

Chrysler builds cars from hell, and they don't give it a d*** about the customers. They make profits both ends: selling and repairs!

steeleng · October 2002

Sorry to hear of all of your problems. Unfortunately, 1996 was one of the worst years for DC vans. The phantom wipers are a known problem that can be repaired but can be costly. It is my understanding that it can be caused be either the switch in the steering column or the body control module (one of the vans computers). The air bag light is probably caused by the clockspring in the steering column. I understand that it is a fairly easy fix. My guess is that the ABS light and the speedometer problems are related to one of the other problems but I haven't heard as much about those two issues. Good luck getting things straightened out.

tboner · October 2002

Rent a van or truck to move your stuff.

If you own a van, you'll be enlisted for moving detail by all of your friends. (More often than you'll get to help the cheerleading squad, for example.)

So keep the car, get a van twice a year when you need it, and save the gas money and aggrivation for later.

TB

feldmanbd · November 2002

I've thought about renting, but problem is I'm only 19 so no one will rent to me without a hefty surcharge, and the $300 - $400 extra a year in gas is probably about equal to the aggravation and time of picking up and dropping off a rental vehicle, paying for it, etc. Plus I also do a lot of highway driving and I desperately need something that's more comfortable, powerful, and has cruise control - all of the time. Plus, if 3 or 4 people need a ride to or from college, as was commonly the case since anyone with under 28 credits can't have a car on campus (I came in with more than that so I had my car), they usually bring a lot of crap with them anyway that you have to find space for. just my twisted logic :-) but the Saturn is a pain in the butt (literally) for all the highway trips I take - at least a 3 hour trip home once every 3 weeks and then I drive on most business trips so I can get reimbursed 36.5 cents/mile and have a vehicle on the other end (and it's faster than flying :-) )

hobiebob · November 2002

I just washed my engine and did not cover any of the wiring as Chrysler recommended. I started the engine soon after (minutes), then took it for a drive.
The speedometrer will not work, all it shows is "0" mph, and the transmission will not gear up. It stays in first gear all the time, at least that's where I think it is. At approx 40-45 mph the engines turning at 3000 rpm.

I'm wondering if the Speedometer is linked to the transmission (sending a signal, when to upshift), or are these completely unrelated.

Appreciate any help. Thanks, Bob

ayuh1 · November 2002

After driving both the Honda and the Dodge GC, my wife is convinced the Dodge seating is more comfortable. We own a 98 Odyssey that has been nearly flawless to 85K. I have heard so many horror stories about DC transmissions and electrical problems, I never imagined owning one. Am I crazy to buy a DC product??

pluto5 · November 2002

You could be lucky and get a DC van with few problems but it's a crapshoot in IMO. As far as the seats, the new ones seem harder and less comfortable to me. IMO opinion neither new van will be as reliable as your '98.

max1970 · November 2002

When looking to buy a crysler minivan do not get a van with overdrive the tranny will go out on you. I have a 91 T/C with overdrive it went out at 96,000 miles my father as 2 vans one with O/D and one without the van with O/D tranny went out at 68,000 the van wothout O/D is still running fine at 107,000 miles. One of my buddies has a 93 van with 168,000 mile on it with the original tranny it does not have O/D. So beware of the overdrive trannys they are junk.

miata94 · December 2002

Feldmanbd, are you really only 19 years old? It takes one heck of a young guy to value a car's practicality and comfort over its style and "chick magnet" potential. I'm 32, and even I took almost two years to make up my mind to get a Dodge Caravan Sport. (I first test drove a Caravan in March, 2001 and couldn't believe how quiet and secure the van felt. I can definitely picture myself doing 500 Mile+ road trips in the Caravan. Like a lot of the poster says, once you drive one, you won't go back to a plain old car.) After much going back and forth, I finally put a deposit down on a used 2002 Caravan Sport, and I'm doing that only because I'm also keeping my fun car.

As for the transmission, www.allpar.com shows that all '99+ Chrysler 4-speed autos need ATF+4 fluid, and I think I'll get a transmission cooler and buy an extended warranty once the factory warranty runs out.

feldmanbd · December 2002

Yep, I really am 19. Maybe there's some kind of award I can apply for for being the world's youngest T&C owner. I'm a student at Penn State (mechanical and nuclear engineering) and I've been co-oping at GE in Schenectady since May and saved up enough to buy my T&C last week on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1873475273&category=5352

My view on chicks is:

a.) I certainly wasn't picking up any in my Saturn, so things can't get much worse

b.) The T&C LXi isn't a bad ride to take girls in

c.) any chick who would want me just because I drive a sports car is not who I want anyway

d.) any chick who can see the value of a T&C over a sports car is worth that much more

e.) I can fit 6 of them in this van

on top of all the really cool things about T&C's is that my insurance went from $370 every 6 months to $255 (no collision or comp) - which makes up for a good chunk of the extra gas this burns (not that it takes a lot! $25 a tank...) I calculated it out and if I drive this for 8 years, 15k/yr, vs my old 94 Saturn for 3 years, 15k/yr, both cost 19.3 cents/mile to drive. (If you're really interested, just ask and I'll post the calculations I used) Guess which one I'd rather spend my 19.3 cents on?

not to mention I got a 3 year 45000 mile powertrain warranty (Penn Warranty - $540, the dealer included the one year $300 warranty and split the $240 diff for the 3 yr with me so it cost me only an extra $120), add PA tax on it and I'm still under $9500 for a 3 year old (96k) vehicle that was well taken care of and runs like it's brand new.

And back to the topic of chicks once again, I took a trip this weekend with a bunch of guys up to Montreal, and took a few of my (male) neighbors out for a ride the other night - all the guys seem to think it's pretty cool. Anyway, when I get back home for Christmas I'm gonna put a new set of plugs in it and a K&N air filter... then a tranny cooler when I get around to it. My fuel mileage so far (I know there's a separate board for this) is about 19 mpg combined - 17-18 city in below-freezing weather, and about 20 on the trip to Montreal (mostly 75 mph+) in 20F weather also including some city driving. I love the way it rides and drives and all the features... I'm an engineer so I really appreciate all the small engineering touches Chrysler puts in their vehicles. I know the 3.8L engines are really good, and I'm just hoping that Chrysler fixed the bugs in the tranny by 99. Hope you guys are having as much fun with yours as I am with mine!

billmckinley · December 2002

And many happy and trouble-free miles on your T&C. You have to rank as one of the sanest 19-year-olds I've ever met. I loved your rationale about chicks and minivans, and LOL'd at {e}.

Good luck with it.

RJ

steine13 · December 2002

"e.) I can fit 6 [chicks] in this van"
LOL! Yeah, right.

If this van's rockin', don't bother knockin'

You get the prize for the most insane post of the day.
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI

royallen · December 2002

This has become a sort of quarterly report on my success keeping my wife's '95 Caravan & 4 speed transmission healthy. It now has 90K, including 3 trips from Denver to Lake Powell pulling a 1750# trailer+boat (over Loveland and Vail Passes). 1. Service every 15K. (I cheat a little-filter & fluid every 30K, siphon 3.5qt and replace every 10K) 2. Insure the proper fluid is used(AAMCO ATF+3 from Auto Zone in my case) 3. Turn OD off in city driving <45 mph and other times it is not needed-climbing hills west of Denver. 4. Add a transmission cooler if not a factory item (pre '99 I believe) 5. Stop backing before shifting to "D". 6. Minimal wheel spinning if stuck or on icy streets.

leebea · December 2002

I hope you have a 3.8L engine to climb those mtns. around State College. I used to stay in State College to visit a company in Milroy. One time when I rented a car they gave me a Plymouth (I forgot the model). I thought I was going to have to push it over the mountains. After that, I specified no more Plymouths. I had stayed away from Chrysler after that until last year when I bought my Sebring Convertible Limited and this year my T&C Limited. I really enjoy both vehicles. Good luck on yours and on your career -good choice of school and field(s) of study.
Lee B.

badgerfan · December 2002

Your post was written only as a good young engineer would-your head is screwed on right.

I am a fellow, but much older, mechanical engineer who has a 96 Caravan and has no macho hangups about driving it.

PS: Your only fault is your Penn State affiliation--just kidding

miata94 · December 2002

Ah, yes, us engineer types tend to calculate value propositions without much emotion.

I live in Downingtown, so I know what you mean by wanting/needing a larger vehicle for the expressways around Eastern PA. The Caravan is a completely different animal than my Miata on the PA Turnpike.

BTW, Michigan all the way (but not this year obviously)!

badgerfan · December 2002

Well, actually the Caravan is my wife's car, but we usually take it for long trips-it definitely is a smooth highway cruiser, and very comfy with the upright seating position. My wife wouldn't consider anything else, as this is her second Caravan-first one was an '85 we had for 12 years.

The newer 96 Caravan SE Sport, by the way is at 63,000 miles with no transmission problems (3.3L engine w/ 4-speed automatic). Only failure so far was the AC which was an expensive fix. (I figured I better put something on topic in here.)

My car is a 2000 Taurus SES with Duratec DOHC. Yes that old value decision making crept in again. (But I do like a good looking car as well) Bought it new for $18K+TTL at end of model year. I felt it was the most bang for the buck, and has been flawless so far. My second Taurus as well.

Definitely the Caravan is more comfortable for long trips and short trips to the lumberyard.

And--go Badgers! (Well, only in the Alamo Bowl this year, and I'm not sure their record justified that)

handyville · December 2002

My van is a 1993 Town and Country. This past week, off and on, it will not shift out of third gear. After we added fluid, it shifted for the rest of the day. Next day same problem. It will drive fine for a while, then the next time we get in it, it will have the shifting (no shift) problem again. This is the second transmission for this vehicle which has an amazing 195,000 miles on it. We love this van. Could it be time for transmission # 3? Previous owner had last transmission installed around 90,000 miles. Also, any ideas on cost to replace transmission.
Thanks, D. Pettit

pluto5 · December 2002

Could be--we are on our third with much fewer miles. Cost is under $2K in most cases for a reman but shop around; I got an estimate from a reliable local trans shop--dealer will likely match their price if it's lower.

daschie · January 2003

I had the first transmission replaced at 80,000 and that was covered by my extended warranty. My second transmission was put in just under 110,000 and that was June '02. I've had my van back in the same shop 6 times since June trying to figure out the intermitten problems with my transmission. In sept it started with the not shifting in overdrive after a few hours on the road. It was in again in Oct, Nov, Dec and now they have had it for the past week. I'm spending a fortune on rental cars. They can't seem to keep it running smoothly over a few weeks at a time. Any suggestions? I really love the van, and would like to keep it for at least another year. I have around 130,000 miles now.

daschie · January 2003

Hey, I just got the recall letter for the clock spring. This should cure the air bag light problem, and horn not working, and who knows what else!!

feldmanbd · January 2003

What problems specifically are you having? Check out http://www.allpar.com, they have a whole list of things you can try to fix the infamous 4 speed minivan transmission. My suggestions, not knowing anything else about your problem, are:
1. Try installing an auxillary transmission fluid cooler if you haven't already. This shouldn't cost more than $50 and it's easy to install. Overheated transmission fluid kills tons of transmissions, and if you're having problems after driving long distances perhaps the fluid is getting too hot.
2. Fluid and filter change, if this hasn't been done already - with the correct fluid (Chrysler 7176 - NOT Dexron!) of course. Also not incredibly expensive, and it's about time to do this anyway after 30,000 miles. This is also fairly inexpensive.
3. If the first transmission the shop put in only lasted 30,000, and they can't get the second one they installed working properly after only 20,000, maybe it's time to find a different shop to do your tranny work for you.
Hope this helps! keep us posted!

badgerfan · January 2003

Some time ago I posted about a problem with my 96 Caravan(3.3 L with 4 speed automatic) hesitating to drop into the "Park" position. Monday, my wife took it in to get the "clockspring" (in the steering column) recall replacement done and she had them check out the hesistation to go into park.

Turned out the problem was very minor. A screw holding the bracket on the end of the transmission shift cable, which connects the shift lever to the transmission, had come loose. This was under the hood below the air filter housing. They found it, adjusted the cable and fixed it for $45.00. Not bad considering it is hard to get anything done for less than 3 figures these days.

She didn't even get any high pressure sales tactics by the dealer service rep to pack on unneeded service. I was pretty impressed, since the previous time they tried to sell her several hundred dollars worth.

dtownfb · January 2003

Glad ot hear that badgerfan. Not all service departments are out to get you.

badgerfan · January 2003

Well, this same dealership service department was the one that wanted to pack a lot of unneeded service when she had the van in for a previous minor recall. However, the service rep was different this time, so whether the better experience was just a result of a different rep or a change in the dealership procedures is still unresolved.

At any rate, I was glad it was a minor repair and not some symptom of a developing major expensive transmission problem.

'96 Caravan is at 64K now and after nearly 6 years of ownership (we bought it as a new leftover in March, 1997), the only other non-routine maintenance that has been required was a fairly expensive AC repair last summer. Otherwise, it drives like new.

tm152 · February 2003

Regrettably, we have a 2000 Grand Caravan with a 3.8. I had a 3yr / 36 warranty. It was always serviced as required. Without warning at 43,000 miles the tranny blew while the family was driving down the freeway. It was so badly damaged that the "core" was unusable and there was collateral damage. Of course I called Dodge and they said I was on my own. The cost of the repair is going to be around $3400. The experience has been sickening and I will never ever buy or ride in a Dodge product again.

arjay1 · February 2003

I have posted here before with our tranny problems in our '96 Town & Country.
Lean on Chrysler about this. They have been covering the cost of out of warranty transmission service for years. They paid for 1/2 of my transmission service when ours went out with 49,000 miles on the van. In '96 we only had the 12/12 warranty.
Call and tell them that you know that they have covered these costs for others. Don't give up, they will pay for at least part of it.

Chrysler Minivan Transmission Problems

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