2009 GRAND CARAVAN/T&C FEED BACK

old · August 2009

Thanks for the info Shipo, I'll be sure to get this oil changed soon then.

Also ETP, thanks for the suggestion on the first free oil change. I'll check with my dealer.

I'll also check the manufacture date and let you know. thanks again!

btw, my last mileage check was 17.6mpg, mixed driving. lots of AC on.

vandemonium · August 2009

Feedback -
2009 4.0L SXT

Wife's van is getting around 19.0 mpg. (She's got a poor mileage driving style, prone to excessive idling, foot in the gas all the way to a red light, etc.) I also did not see the 89 octane recommendation, van seems to run well on 87. I will have to see if it has more power on the 89 octane fuel.

If you have ideas to share...
And at 1700 miles all the green VFD information in the instrument cluster (odometer, information center) has gone dark. Worked fine but then died overnight and would not work in the morning. Tachometer still seems to work, so perhaps I can drive it to the dealer.

Here's to hoping it's not a :lemon:

chracatoa · August 2009

I'm getting a dismal MPG - 19 MPG highway and 14 MPG city. I have the 25th Anniversary package + 4.0L engine. Tires are at 35 PSI. Any ideas what is happening?

I got the oil change message at 2600 miles, got the free first oil change as well.

Now I'm getting 'hood ajar' sometimes. Go figure.

etp · August 2009

It looks like they are doing these at 3k as my new sticker reflects that on the windshield. Also I changed from 5W30 full synthetic to 10W30 free crap bulk oil at the dealer and my HWY MPG went back up to 27.1 -28.2. 45-55 MPH is your best mileage BTW since I checked this today. My mixed city driving MPG went down with the bulk crap to 20-22 MPG was 24.5 MPG. So I will try another mixture with 0W40 and see what happens when my free coupons run out. It seems the synthetic 10W30 and 5W30 definitely improves my trip to work MPG but the 5W30 hoses my HWY MPG. Without more evidence it is hard to say for sure but it looks like the 4.0 needs a heavier oil at high speeds. When I change to 0W40 that may give me a clue. Maybe not!But the 44PSI in my tires does help my MPG in all driving conditions. When these tires wear out I will be switching to the Fuel miser tires / LRR that have a 51 PSI cold max pressure rating.. They will handle the high pressure better than my present tires.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Goodyear&model=Assurance+Fuel+Max&ve- - hicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&partnum=265TR7AFM&tirePageLocQty=%26partnum%3D- - 265TR7AFM
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Energy+Saver- - +A%2FS

Kirstie_H · September 2009

A reporter is looking to speak to consumers who purchased a Chrysler or Dodge minvan recently or are in the market for one. Please send your daytime phone number to ctalati@edmunds.com by Tuesday, September 8, 2009.
Thanks,
Chintan
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

etp · September 2009

Just completed two more trips and I got 14.2 in very heavy stop and go city driving and 16.8 in city driving. 27.2 to 28.1 on the HWY with two adults and baggage as well as 45-65MPH.

455ho · October 2009

Was reading the posts on the GC &TC minivans and I felt that I should comment. I just want to say thanks to all of the happy owners of these vehicles. I work for the company at the plant where they are built and I can tell you that our plant is always at the top of the corp's quality list. These things have been pumped out of here since '83 at a consistent rate and for good reason. We have done the best we possibly could through all of the cost cutting (since Daimler took over) and we still put out an outstanding product. Just want to say thanks for buying our product!

etp · October 2009

Best vehicle I have ever owned including my Prius. It is phenomenal how good the mileage is on this vehicle and the 4.0/6speeds performance. My daughter has one just like it and I would not hesitate to get another. If you have a family and need more than 4 seats this is it folks//period!

etp · October 2009

PS// back up to my normal mixed driving to work at 22-24 MPG and 27.5-28.5 HWY at 44 PSI.

peanut7 · October 2009

How good is it to put (40-42 psi) into the tires for the 2009 GC. Kinda scares me for that higher mpg. Thanks

xwesx · October 2009

As long as it is at or under the max PSI rating of the tire, it will not hurt the tires any. Higher pressure will result in better fuel economy, but also will transmit more of the "road" through to the inside of the vehicle. It is really a matter of finding a balance that works best for you. I tend to run my van at 40 psi.

etp · October 2009

Ditto // good advice // run your tires at the max cold sidewall PSI rated if you want the best MPG. Then as you get more data points adjust to suite your driving needs. On bumpy roads you would be better off at 38 PSI. If you do HWY driving on a smooth road then do what you need to do to get your best MPG. I can only speak for myself and no one else. I always run at the max PSI except my Prius which is 51PSI on the side wall. I am running 44-46 PSI on smooth roads only. This is strictly a personal preference and I can not tell you what you need to do. If you are overly concerned then run them at the door jam pressures.

etp · October 2009

I have developed a minor sliding door issue on the drivers side. Sometimes it refuses to auto close and I have to manually close it. Intermittent at best. It seemed worse when I was parked on an incline at staples on saturday. Still not bad enough to take it to the dealer until my next oil change.

Still a very nice van in all respects.

old · October 2009

Etp,

we have that sliding door issue too, actually, ours is, when parked on an incline, when we auto open it, the door will open to the max point, and the motor will start to click for a few seconds and stop. it's as if the motor is still trying to open the door. This happened since day 1. We haven't taken it back to the dealer yet, but will do that before the 36K warranty is up.

Also, we're at 6K miles and the oil light is up again requiring the change. If that thing shows up at 9K, I'll be pissed, since the manual states change every 6K, not 3K.
Old

etp · October 2009

Mine is working for the moment. However my daughters TC 4.0 6 speed is in the shop for a final output shaft bearing. It was shifting fine and just had a beaing noise.

etp · November 2009

Just got back from Disney and we managed 25.5 MPG going down and 27.4 coming back. Still getting 23.2 in mixed driving. My daughters transmission was fixed and they have their van back. I am down to my last free oil change and will try 0W40 probably in January. A small plastic flange on the botton of the plastic surround on the drivers seat broke and is on back order. I forget to get the sliding doors checked as I was in a hurry.

I hope the transmission problem on my daughters van was a fluke as mine is running very well at this time.

etp · January 2010

UPDATE//my MPG is starting to creap up again and I have no idea why that is!

Sliding door is noisy but ok! If you turn the key off you may not get proper sliding door operation. I still think this is the best van so far on the market! Time will tell.

Seat is fixed and my daughters trans is fine so far.

qwikdrip · February 2010

My wife is only getting 11-12 MPG locally with our 25th Anniversary 3.8. She uses it with 2 cars seats and a double stroller. Anyone else having similiar MPG problems? Any suggestions as to what my options might be? Please let me know. Thanks.

etp · February 2010

Check your air at 40PSI or max cold inflation pressure.
Air filter
I just switched over to 0w40 Mobile 1 oil and my mileage is up
Don't know about the 3.8 as I have a 4.0 with the 6 speed.
With very heavy stop and go city driving that may be right.

xwesx · February 2010

Short trips, significant idling (such as warming up the vehicle before heading out), and stop/go, will wreak havoc on mileage. When my wife used our '98 DGC w/ 3.8L in the winter time, 13 mpg was not uncommon even with relatively long trips simply because the 10-15 minutes she let the van warm up before loading up the kids would offset any gains made down the road. :sick:

qwikdrip · February 2010

Thanks for your advice & comments. My wife uses van back and forth to school, about 3 miles each way in minimal stop and go traffic. I'm very disappointed in her MPG, I expected alot better.

xwesx · February 2010

Three miles isn't much, so that will certainly affect the performance - especially if there are not longer trips mixed in. When my wife uses our new Forester primarily to take our son to school (which is probably 4 miles), she gets as low as 18-19 mpg.... for a four cylinder manual, that's pretty bad.

In comparison, we get better than 30 on 60mph highway trips.

Translating to your situation, that van would likely break 20mpg without a problem if you ran it on the highway for a tank.

bhs3 · February 2010

My 09 town & country transmission went up yesterday with only 10k miles. Good thing is it is under warranty. Anyone else with this problem? looking through the post it doesn't look like there are to many issues. What a sad day.

wonderpets · February 2010

Just hit 10K last Sunday. No problem yet. (09 T&C 4.0) finger crossed.

old · February 2010

Just wanted to update:
We're at about 11K right now. The Nav system and VES system stopped working. the screen was blank, so that left my wife with no radio, CD, DVD (ie. music, movie), or any controls you would do with the NAV screen. Took it to the dealer and they did fix (not replaced) the NAV system. She got the van back in 24hours, but they didn't explain what the problem was.
Besides that, my wife says the Van is driving fine with no issues.

etp · February 2010

My daughters T&C had the same issue with the 4.0 6 speed. Mine works fine at 30K///4.0 6 speed.

deweysmells · February 2010

I have a 2008 T & C Touring with the 3.8, 45,000 miles, 3 car seats, one double stroller. My wife and I consistently get 21 mpg in combination driving, and 25-27 on strictly highway driving. We drive the speed limit, so we're not just poking along. These vehicles are heavy, and city driving will devour gas if the van is not driven smartly. If I'm gonna catch a light, have a turn coming up, or going downhill, I let the van coast some and can maintain most of that speed easily. That saves gas. We don't make jack rabbit starts in city driving since that drinks gas. I'm amazed at how many drivers do that, race from redlight to redlight, burning gas and then wearing out the brakes. Anyway, that's all we do, no special tricks, and the van gas mileage is the same week in, week out. On a side note, my brakes are fine, no problems, because of how we drive it. If it wanted to wear the brakes out, that would be easy. Good luck !!

tsu670 · March 2010

I posted the following question on the "Chrysler T&C/Dodge Grand Caravan brakes" back in mid-February. Didn't get an answer, so thought I'd try here (sorry for double posting):

Any idea as to whether Chrysler has found the cause of the premature brake wear issue on its minivans, and fixed the problem on current 2010 production models?

etp · March 2010

We have not had any reports on this thread for the 2009 year.

reddarlene · March 2010

I bought my 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan in December 2008. It was a slight used 2009 model. We are now about to put the 3rd set of brakes on the van. They wear out in just a few months. I drive 47 miles one way, 5 days a week mostly on the interstated. Suggestions as to how we get it to stop wearing out brakes? I was told by a man at the auto parts store that this problem is very common with this vehicle. He said I should be prepared to replace them about every 35,000 miles. :mad:

tsu670 · March 2010

Actually, I wouldn't be too upset getting 35k out of the brakes. That's about what we get with our '96 T&C LXi. But owners of '08 models have complained all over the Internet of getting less than 15k, and Chrysler doesn't pay for the first repair because it is beyond the 12k/12 month warranty and is considered a wear and tear item (although there are testimonials among many who got C to cough up a refund after loudly complaining). If the problem is indeed fixed on '10 models, we would definitely be interested in getting one. Thanks for the replies.

hummer1940 · March 2010

We have had some major problems with the transmission on our 2009 T&C. Last June, when it was about 6-8 weeks old, a thrust bearing broke in the transmission while we were vacationing in Florida. They fixed that while we were down there. It had been running okay since, but yesterday the van would not move and we had it towed to the dealer. He said that something has come apart in the transmission (he didn't even bother to take it apart to look inside), and they are going to replace the entire transmission. We'll see how it runs when we get it back tomorrow.

We really like how the van rides and all the conveniences that it has in it. But these transmission problems have us worried. I am glad that there is a lifetime powertrain warranty on this model/year.

etp · March 2010

My son's 2000 TC limted brakes are even worse.

etp · March 2010

quote///We have had some major problems with the transmission on our 2009 T&C. Last June, when it was about 6-8 weeks old, a thrust bearing broke in the transmission while we were vacationing in Florida. They fixed that while we were down there. It had been running okay since, but yesterday the van would not move and we had it towed to the dealer. He said that something has come apart in the transmission (he didn't even bother to take it apart to look inside), and they are going to replace the entire transmission. We'll see how it runs when we get it back tomorrow.

We really like how the van rides and all the conveniences that it has in it. But these transmission problems have us worried. I am glad that there is a lifetime powertrain warranty on this model/year. ///quote

My daughters TC did the same and the mechanic replaced several items in the transmission and seems to be ok now. What engine and transmission do you have?

My GC is perfect so far with the same setup.

hummer1940 · March 2010

We have the 4.0 L engine with the 6 speed automatic. We just got the van back now and the service advisor said something came apart in the "Rear Planetary". Hopefully this will cure our problems.

candriver · March 2010

Just took 2010 Dodge GC. On my first long trip MPG 26.6 on 70 MPH and my best result is 27 MPG on 65 MPH. Now van has 1500 miles and MPG will be better soon

etp · April 2010

Me and my daughter bought our 4.0/6 speed at the same time and her T&C had the tranny problem and my GC has had none so far. Seems the T&C assembly run at a particular time period had problems.

Strange!

etp · April 2010

25.8 on this trip. 16.4-18.6 in city driving. Trans is ok so far!

Anyone think its time to stock up on brake rotors and pads?

etp · April 2010

Dealers are selling oil change packages from $15 to $9 per change depending on how many you buy.. Good deal folks.

smitty1829 · May 2010

We have recently bought a 2008 T&C with the VES dual screen system. I have, on two occations, the VES DVD go to sleep. That is no power lights at all. Then after an undermined amount of time, it comes back. The first time I think it was the next day. The second time took nearly a week. I had an appointment at the dealer to look at it but low and behold it started working again. I asked if there was a software or firmware upgrade but was told not for that DVD and to bring it in if it happens again. I guess maybe there is an update for the DVD behind the display on the dash. Has anyone seen this? We are trying to determine if it is DVD related (new or used) but I don't think that's it.
Thanks
Smitty :confuse:

candriver · May 2010

Go to
http://mofv.com/mygig/

You will find a lot of information about MyGIG(your DVD)

kope49 · July 2010

I am looking at used 2008 and 2009 models. All the brake issues worry me - I hope the new extended warranty doesn't just apply to original owners. One thing I have found is the resale value on the 4.0 equipped cars seems much higher. I am tempted to pay the difference for the additional power and 6 speed automatic without a loss in MPG. I have owned 4 vans with the 3.3 and 3.8 without a single engine repair issue in about 400,000 miles among the 4 vans - that engine seems bulletproof. My last 3.8 Lxi with AWD was a nice vehicle but got crummy gas mileage 12-13 in town and 17 on the highway. One thing I did on each of my vans was buy an extended warranty, as great as the engines were I had to put a new transmission in 3 of the 4 when they were out of the factory warranty.

drdavidbowman · July 2010

The 2008 seemed to have more issues. We have a 2009 4.0 with 20k so far no issues brakes are fine. I track mpg per tank in a ledger. Loaded with 4 passengers we get 30 mpg highway a bit less if the Air is on. city is 19 to 21 and can be as bad as 17. We did a lot of research before getting our 2009 new it was an outstanding deal as Chrysler was on the brink at the time. Go for the 2009 with the 4.0 you will get much better mpg and have a more powerful vehicle. We tow our boat and have never had a problem getting out at a steep wet ramp where trucks and SUV's will be spinning there wheels for lack of traction. The 6 speed is a wonderful transmission no idea about longevity but so fare so good. Glad we got the Dodge over the town and country, fewer recalls, also gald we dident get the Honda as I would alwaues have been second gessing its mpg. I usually drive about 72 on the highway and have wondered if a hyper miler could push this van past 30mpg? Maybe on a long stretch in a 55mph zone?

Dave

kope49 · July 2010

That highway mileage seems unbelievable - but I realize there is considerable variation between similar vehicles. Just watch I will buy a similarly equipped GC and get 13 city and 21 hwy like some others are reporting.

Glad to hear you like the 6 speed. My 2002 Lxi with 4 speed always downshifted very roughly when you stepped on it.

Dave in Minnesota

etp · July 2010

38K and no brake problems. However , I am stocking up and shopping the sales for parts.
As far as MPG, my two 4.0 6 speeds vary. The GC get better MPG than the TC but they have different wheels and drivers. Non synthetic sludge from the dealer bulk tank gets worse MPG in town. I think 5w30 synthetic may be as good as it gets for all around MPG. Tire pressure always affects mpg. And lastly, if I ever wear out these tires I will get LRRs from SAMS. Also time for some fuel injector cleaner.
It seems the trans problems were a specific lot of 2009 TCs that went through the factory line in late 2008.

gavrik · August 2010

I began experiencing uneven braking at around 7500 miles. Took the vehicle to my local dealer and they said one of the rotors needed to be machined after which everything was Ok. Several days ago, at 11500 miles, heard a whining noise coming from the front which was separate from engine noise. After doing research on the internet, noticed quite a growing number of owners having problems with front wheel bearings. Sure enough, my dealer said front wheel bearings need to be replaced, they are on backorder (I wonder why?) and should be here within....1 MONTH!!!. He said I am OK to drive the vehicle until the parts arrive. I am not taking any chances, luckily have another vehicle to drive in the meanwhile. I smell another recall in works.

etp · August 2010

Be advised that they have extended the warranty on brakes for the 2009 model year. You should get a notice in the mail. 36K is the max listed on the form. Mine are doing so well that I do not think I can take advantage of this good deal. Just finished my stash of brake parts for my first brake job. The way we drive I should need brakes at 60K (TBD). My son's 2000 limited needs brakes all the time.

etp · August 2010

My daughters transmission went out on her 2009 TC and had that noise you describe. Seems the TCs and not the GCs had problems with the 6 speed/4.0 combo.

tsu670 · August 2010

The 4.0LV6 6-speed powertrain is identical between the GC and T& C.

kope49 · August 2010

I guess I am one of the "unlucky" ones as far as gas mileage is concerned. I bought a 2008 GC SXT with 3.8 and 6 speed. On the first three tanks which are about 50-50 city highway I have gotten from 16.6 to 17.9 mpg. With the onboard computer cruising at a steady 65 it shows only about 20.5 so I will never get the kind of mileage some of you are claiming.

2009 GRAND CARAVAN/T&C FEED BACK

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2009 GRAND CARAVAN/T&amp;C FEED BACK

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2009 GRAND CARAVAN/T&C FEED BACK