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Comments
May not be as dumb as it sounds. They already did that with gas lawnmowers so to speak. When you let go of the handles it either quits or goes into a neutral so the blade quits spinning to say the hands of the stupid jerks who want to put there hands in harms way. If it wasn't for shift interlocks you wouldn't be far off.
By the way, the ignition key only has to be in the On-position to shift out of Park, the engine does not have to be running. Some of the older kids (3-4 years), are turning the key from Off to the On-Position, and some of them, wanting to imitate their parents, will get the key, insert it, and turn it on. But roll aways can't happen if the brake pedal has to be applied.
(If they can handle a computer mouse, they can turn a key)
Also, it was the 1970-1980 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury vehicles that were in a huge safety recall because the Park gear was not properly engaged, even though it appeared to be in Park. We have worked on Audis for many years, they never had that problem.
As much horror stories I hear about Chrysler vans, I still like them. You don't get your money back as much as you will do with Honda Oddessy in 2-3 years if you decide to sell, but if you keep the van for 10 years, it does not matter what you drive. At that point, it comes to which one is better taken care of.
At least I thought it was because they were lazy. Turns out some GM cars (to my knowledge, Buick) designed the foot brake so easy to set and release with a push (maybe for those arthritic knees?) that seriously half the time it's push to set-release. In other words, surprise, you think you set the brake -- it felt & sounded like you did -- but it follows your foot right back up, and it's not set.
I conjecture that some people will conclude something like: "if they intended to have the brake set all the time, the thing wouldn't do that," and a habit is born. They don't realize that a five dollar tab of metal is all that is between them and suddenly rolling into traffic.
Talk about having a "DUH" moment.
What I'm describing happens only in the last few feet before the car comes to a stop. Would the tranny actually be shifting into 1st at that time? It seems more like a design flaw in the torque converter that it's not releasing when it should. The two SWB vans I've driven had only a slight version of this sensation. But the one LWB I drove had a really pronounced jerk that you could feel. It was really annoying.
Good luck, just don't hold your breath. They burned me twice. Will never get the third chance.
all in all his experience has been good.
I can honestly say I were dmathews3 I would not buy another DC van after having problems with 2 previous ones if and only if it was a FACT Chrysler had not done anything to improve their product's quality and reliability. But that just isn't the case and dmathews knows it himself. Talk about putting down another product to make yourself feel better about what you have!
We've had two Chrysler vans and no problems. I know some owners who have had problems and are driving something else now, like the Odyssey. But I know many more people who love their DC vans and would never trade it for anything else. Carelton has also owned two DC vans that have never had any transmission problems.
-Adam
I shopped for a new van earlier this year but decided to postpone purchase until DC puts safe (Gen 4) buckles on its seatbelts. Waiting for 03 model now. Then will compare DC and Honda again. Would be nice if DC offered an SE with quad seats like they used to so I could avoid some of the power options that add electrical gremlins.
and have had a 1994 all wheel drive at work. I presently own a 1999 Grand Caravan ES
and it will be the last.
The others had their problems but it seemed the folks at Dodge were more open and willing
to help. The 1991 went 185000 miles but got too expense to put any repairs into. The 1999
seems to be even more prone to problems. Here is the list of problems.
Master cylinder reservoir replaced twice, steering column replaced twice, transmission
sensors replaced once, serpentine belt tension idler pulley replaced twice, rear wheel bearing
replaced once, Anti-sway bar bushings once, first set of braked lasted 64000 miles had them
replaced last April(01) second set lasted 31000 miles this April(02) I had a new set of brakes
install, they lasted 1000 miles, had another set put on under waranttee they lasted 1200 miles
and they had warped rotors.I pick the van up today with another set of brakes, new rotors, drums,
and pads. How long will these last is anybody's guess. I asked the service rep if maybe there was
a problem with the ABS system that was taxing the front brakes too much. He said the tech said
"No it was working fine" . When I asked him why I got 64000 mile on the original and have so
many problem now he stated , to my dismay, that DC uses a lower quality brake set-up on repairs
because"Dodge people do not want to pay for extra quality parts". I seems to me that
factory replacement parts should be the same quality as original equipment. If I want original
equipment I have to special order and pay more for the better quality. Since April I've
put over $2000 in repairs to this vehicle. My problem is not only the repairs and cost but also
with the attitude they have. In addition to this vehicle I also have a 1997 and a 1998 Pontiac
Grand Prix. These two vehicles have been rock solid with just normal maintenace. You be
the judge. Also as a special note, the 1999 ES comes with 17" wheels/tires.
(215-60-17) there is only one tire that is made for that rim, that is a Michelin MX4. There is no
other Michelin, Goodyear, Cooper, Toyo, Yokohama or any other tire in the whole world that
will fit on. The Michelin MX4 is a fine tire except in snow then driving become real interesting
especially if the front rotors are warped.
there is a problem with my parent's 1997 sliding door. the door will not lock by using either the power lock switch or by manually locking.
is there a way to open/remove the door panel to get to the locking mechanism?
my goal is to at least be able to lock the door manually.
I have gathered also that these minivans have AC problems?
I am in the market for a used minivan. Am I right that post 1997 minvans are better?
Good luck!
-Adam
Thanks in advance,
Lei
>>Did you take the little plug out on the inside of the wheel and manually back off the brakes?<<
Which little plug ? on the wheel or on the brake housing? and how to manually back off the brakes? could you please describe more details?
Thanks a lot,
Lei
Some parents are being told by dealer and manufacurer that only one [or two] child/carseat may be installed in the 3rd row of the 2002 models. In addition, Chrysler apparently switched the number of factory installed tether anchors from three to one from MY2001 to MY2002.
Any information on this would be appreciated. A scan of the relevant pages in the owner's manual would be great. Please no flames or attacks, I need the information to assist parents with proper carseat installation information. If you do have information, I'd appreciate a copy to the email address in my profile in addition to a response here. Thanks!
I have sent letters to the Head of NA Sales and the President in Germany. The offer was made before the President received the letter. Any suggestions on how to handle this. The car has been at the dealership for over a month and is unsafe to drive (although the dealership will tell you otherwise)
You should compare their offer to what you can read on http://www.carlemon.com/lemonstat.html.
Furthermore, any current incentives (rebates, etc.) don't enter into the picture at all.
I believe that the dealership has a limit on how many buy backs they are allowed without jeapordizing their 5-star status or whatever, but that the funding comes from the 'factory' not the dealership. That's why the incentives don't figure in.
Consider yourself lucky that you have their offer to consider; now you just have to evaluate your alternatives.
--rolfe.