Dodge Grand Caravan Steering

srs_49

Sounds to me like you have the power assist in one direction, but not the other. If so, then it has to be something in the rack. The PS pump doesn't know what direction you are turning the wheel - it just pumps regardless.

ec25

I purchased a 2004 Town and Country with 64,000 miles. I've had it four years and it has a little over 77,000 miles now. The vehicle started to show signs of transmission trouble. We took it to the Chrysler dealer and they said it needed a new/rebuilt transmission. We had to wait without the van for two weeks because the rebuilt transmission had a problem and they had to order parts for to fix the new transmission (so I didn't feel I was getting what I paid for from the start). When we went to pick it up it was shaking very badly. They said it needed a tune up (it didn't when we brought it in) so they tuned it up. We had to wait a few more days to get it back. After the tune up we went to get it (they let us know they had pinched harness wires when they had installed the transmission and that was part of the shaking problem). Now when we turned the wheel there was a terrible grinding noise and a vibration. We walked right back in this time upset. It was getting ridiculous that each repair lead to something else. They put the van on the lift right then (because I complained to the VP of the dealership)...They said there was a service bulletin on the steering and that the had to order parts but that it was safe to drive. Now, I have had the van back for a few weeks. The steering still grinds, the van jerks in lower gears as before the transmission was replaced and it still acts the way it did when it had the "miss" that required them to perform a tune up. So, we have spend over $3,500.00 and the van is worse than it was before all the "repairs" were done.

I do not know whether this is just very poor manufacturing or whether it is poor workmanship on the part of the dealership but I am exhausted trying to get the vehicle to work properly. I am now researching other vehicles so that I can trade this one in. I have had two other Chrysler vehicles, another Town and Country and a New Yorker. This is the last Chrysler I will ever buy. The dealer blamed Chrysler for the bad transmission rebuild and the service bulletin (that they wanted us to pay for which still isn't fixed!) ...the dealership acted as though they were doing us a favor not charging for fixing the wiring harness problem they caused. All in all Chrysler and their "authorized dealer" do not seem to care about their customers or their vehicles. Is anyone else experiencing any of these problems? Is this a well known issue as far as the steering and transmission? And the automatic doors don't open in the cold weather either!