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For those who're interested, here's my tale of woe-- bought a 97 GV brand new from Star Chrysler in Glendale (a 5 Star dealer, HA!). From the outset we had problems-- squealing brakes that wore out prematurely, a hiccup in the idle that the dealer could never fix (and which turned out to be a bad spark plug, which we found out when we took it in for it's required 60k tune-up. By the way, dealers want $500 to tune these cars!). Little things, like rear ac which didn't work (dealer eventually fixed), rear sliding door locks that jammed or didn't work (dealer fixed once). Finally, at 71k the transmission went out. Called DC 800 number and they said no good will fix. Spoke w/sales mgr. at Star and he promised to talk to the Zone Mgr. 4 weeks later, after we sent him a letter informing him that he needed to fix this or we'd sue, still no answer. Finally got him on the phone (he'd stopped returning wife's calls, but he talked to me) he said he'd turned it over to his service mgr and he assumed everything had been handled. Transferred me to the service mgr. who told me that I could have it towed in at my expense, but that he couldn't do anything and that DC wouldn't do anything. I said-- Let me get this straight, I can have my car towed there, and pay for it, so you can NOT do any work on it? Yes. Well, how about if I just see you in court? Fine, but you never gave us a chance to fix the problem! But you just told me you weren't going to fix it! Yes, that's true.
Again, this is a "5 Star" dealership! So we had it fixed by a reliable local tranny shop and are suing them and DC. Traded the lemon in for a Hyundai Santa Fe (5 yr. bumper to bumper and 10 yr. powertrain warranties, low price AND the whole family fits into it) and am VERY HAPPY. I advise anyone who asks-- DON'T BUY CHRYSLER PRODUCTS! They made these cars with shoddy transmissions, they know there's a problem, and they REFUSE to stand behind them when the going gets rough.
It is very clear to me that the design of the transmission in these vans is sorely amiss. I would blame the engineers, but I don't know what kind of parameters they were given from management. It seems that Chrysler is not capable of building reliable transmissions, since the later models also suffer(I have a 92' and people with 96's are complaining here). Does Chrysler not notice all the repairs? Or do they not care?
The story: I have a 92' Voyager with 129,000 on it. The first transmission left it at 55,000. The dealer was very nice about it and repaired the vehicle under warranty. They even let me have a free loaner car while they affected repairs.
The second transmission was at 122,000. Again, the dealer was nice enough to give me a free loaner while I paid $1500 to rebuild the transmission. The rebuilt lasted 30 days until something else went out on it. The dealer gave me another free rental car and repaired my van at their expense.
Let me state I am hardly a Ricky Racer. I drive the van as if it is an egg shell due to my understanding of the transmission issues. I drive 6 miles on surface streets to work and this van simply can't handle it. I am middle aged and have spent more money maintaining this vehicle than all other vehicles in my life. In fact I gave an 85' Toyota to my mother and I would rather have that back than drive this van any more. (That car has over 250,000 miles on it. The only thing that went wrong was a fan belt and the fuel pump. It still has the original motor and transmission.)
Then there is the brakes. The van simply eats brakes. Add to that the idler pulley from hell, that whines without interruption at idle. I have replaced it twice only to be greeted by the squeel soon after I get over the $160 replacement cost. If you own this van, you know of what I speak.
Finally, there is a bad clear coat on the paint job. The result is one ugly paint flaking, whining, transmission dropping mess (sad, but true). My van is a wreck and it is not due to neglect or mistreatment. I am just counting the days until I go out and buy a new non-Chrysler vehicle to replace it with. It won't be long... I was just checking out a new Toyota Highlander this weekend.
Never again. I am taking my business elsewhere.
What a Wonderful Feeling to Own a vehicle that will have Transmission
failure , Head Gasket Failure and to many more problems to list . Not like U
can keep your fingers crossed or go in the closet and say it won't happen to
my wonderful Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth vehicle :O))))))))
Keep wishing and Hoping cause Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth has your
money and they are investing it in other money making ventures instead of
investing it to repair your problem which they Manufactured for U. While U
have to make $300.00 + payments per month and come up with another $2000.00
to $3000.00 in repairs Yea, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth such a
wonderful Product...
Oh I almost forgot the Priceless Wonder of owning a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep,
Plymouth Yea, this is Great Your Family and Loved Ones they may get Caught
in a Fuel Tank Fire due to a faulty Fuel Filler Grounding Strap or maybe
just Pop out the Back Door of your wonderful Family Mini Van. Chrysler,
Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth Oh Yea Definitely get life insurance for all your
Loves ones riding in your New And Wonderful Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth
vehicle.
So yes Go out and tell all your friends How Wonderful a vehicle Chrysler,
Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth really is Oh yea and here is the Sad part of this
whole Story.
U know Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth dealers they won't give U anything
for a Trade in they already know what U just found out that they are the
Worst Vehicles ever Engineered But hey what's Losing a few Thousands of
Dollars on repairs or at Trade In Time? U own a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep,
Plymouth vehicle and are proud and honored to give Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep,
Plymouth more of your easy earned money to pay for there mistakes :O))))))))
Even Better what could be better then Losing your Loved Ones Yea, That's Why
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth they are Wonderful and Priceless :O(
Enjoy the ride who knows when U may find yourself on the side of the road or
Worse in a Hospital Hoping and Praying your Loved Ones will recover :O(
Thanks!
I'm not saying all these vans have been flawless but that 10 vans that I am very familiar with have had no transmission problems. Also worth noting is that in those million miles the vans have never stranded any of my family. I would whole heartedly recommend the Chrysler line of minivans to anyone. Ever since the start they have easily been the best.
Sorry, I don't feel much better, I just sometimes forget how touchy the Honda crowd has gotten now that they have real life reliability numbers to deal with not "expected reliability"
Keep it civil guys! No name calling or personal attacks, please. Thanks,
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
Try and keep the transmission together the fist time, once you have it torn apart and rebuilt you are looking for more frequent problems. Think about it, who is going to be able to assemble transmissions the best? The techs at the factory doing many a day in a clean enviroment with only transmissions, or the guy down at the dealer who has to tear it out spread it out on the bench, throw a couple of new parts in it and put it all back together? The fluid thing posted (and quickly blown off) above is the key here. If your not going to service the transmission correctly then don't do it at all, you will be better off.
If you think taking your van to a Chrysler dealer guarantees you will get the correct fluid, then think again. Better ask the mechanic that's doing the fluid change what type fluid is being used, and make sure to get the fluid type used printed on your receipt.
Check out the links below, especially the first one. You would think a so called Chrysler master mechanic would at least know how to spell Dexron.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chryslers_MiniVans/message/691
http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html
http://www.autosite.com/garage/repairqa/ques123.asp
http://www.carshowtomt.com/tc/?article=Effects_of_Heat
http://www.autoshop-online.com/cchtml/prev.fac.cons.html
.
By all means, baby it - change the fluid and filter properly, and on time - and you may see 60,000 miles before needing major repairs on one.
Would a 1/4 risk of spending $1500 in transmission repair in 60 or 70K miles (and down time) spoil the deal? Would a brand X risk of 1/7 be worth $3000-$5000 more money? Is brand X truely that much better? I know it is hard to judge. Check out the Edmunds reliability ratings for the choices you might consider. Also check on those you have personal experience with. When I bought my '95 Caravan used, it had 48K and cost $4000 less than the next best option(in my opinion). Since I have three cars in the family of 3, down time is inconvenient but manageable. I serviced the vehicle, installed a transmission cooler, towed my boat and am still happy after 2 years and 19000 miles with minimal problems. I would be sure all accessories are working properly and expect to spend .10 a mile on maintenance and repair, maybe more if you have someone else do every job.
Our 1996 Town & Country is losing it's second transmission. The vehicle has 39,600 miles on it. This transmission has 17,800 miles on it. Chrysler has offered to pay for half the cost to rebuild or replace the transmission under a goodwill' program. I don't think that's good enough.
I'd like to get rid of this van, but outside of the engine and the air-conditioner, most of the mechanical parts and some of the electrical are only two years old. I've tried talking to Chrysler, but I didn't get anywhere. So, I want to take our Chrysler dealership to small claims court to get them to pay all of the cost. I'm not sure what my chances are of winning in small claims. The transmission, although brand new, came out of warranty when the van reached 36,000 miles. And, Chrysler is offering to pay half.
What do you think? Has anyone else tried taking Chrysler to small claims court? I've read some of the other web sites suggesting this, but has anyone out there actually tried this and won?
Chrsyler builds a very pretty and very comfortable van. I just don't think quality is part of the package, and it's not just the transmission I am talking about. I expect some things to wear out with time, but I have never had a vehicle with so many problems, especially one that just sits in the garage most of the time. This van only has 39,600 miles on it! The only reason we've kept it is we keep thinking that there can't be anything else go wrong. It's all been replaced once. That's not 100% accurate, but it sure feels that way.
If you're going to be seduced by the Chrysler's good looks and sumptuous interior, I think you've got to protect yourself and buy an extended warranty.
As for us, it's too late. We'll pay our half for the re-manufactured transmission, and gamble that nothing else major will break on it. I'll try to get some additional money from Chrysler through small claims court. And, I think I'll start parking the van in our driveway. Too many things have broken on it just sitting in the garage.
You buy this Chrysler minivan with an overdrive transmission. It craps out after 60k miles. DC doesn't stand behind their product. That's clearly wrong, but it isn't exactly a surprise either...
They've been putting crappy transmissions in the vans for over a decade now. Why do you folks keep buying these things? And if people keep buying them, why should DC change anything?
If you want a longer transmission warranty, you need a Toyota or a Mazda.
Chrysler garage says they never heard of problems like that wanting to charge me 2700$ to fix the thing. I went to an automatic specialist (there aren't much around) That guy tells me it cost 1600$ to repair. He even states that the chrysler garage brings the transmission to him to rebuilt. Torqueconverter is blown. He shows me the new piece and tells me he immediately takes it to a welder to have the piece welded like it should. He also put 100% synthetic oil in it and I did not have one problem with it yet (110000miles). He even tells me that over 50% of his work is for chrysler transmissions, he even wished me good luck because I'll need it with that transmission. But besides that I've had and still have windshield wipers starting to wipe when they feel like it, the car vibrates when i brake, except when i brake very hard, then it doesn't do it. (changed brakes and disc several times without result) The belt tensioner just broke of one day. aircontioner went bad, now I'm having problems with the starter, sometimes i have to start it 3 or 4 times before it engages,I had to take off the car alarm because it would immobilise the car while I was driving, now recently the car hasn't a stable iddle (even just stalls now and then) I even had a fire in the cockpit, couldn't see anymore of the white smoke, turned of the car, it stopped smoking, but never found where it came from, never had it again.
But besides that I can live with it.
very disappointed dodge driver
It anoyed me for almost 2 years before it finally gave up on me.
This was probably the best thing that could happen to it.
According to Consumer Reports, which collects statistical data from a larger sample pool (say, 50-100,000 times larger), the 1999 Accord rates much better than average in transmission reliability, meaning a failure rate of 2.0% or less.
The Caravan, et. al., were rated as better than average for 1999 transmission reliability, one notch lower than the Accord, with a failure rate of 2.0-5.0%.
When taking off it(tranny) seems like it is slipping, then after a few secs it grabs good.
wondering if it could bethe band wearing out or if it would onlybe the filter, other than this NO PROBS PROIOR
ANY HELP???
This leads to 2 questions:
1. Has anyone had a similar problem?
2. Has anyone had experience in applying the Ohio Lemon Law?
If you want to reply to me directly, my e-mail address is hkass@oh.verio.com.
Thanks for your help.
Howard Kass