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2008 Chrysler T&C & Dodge Caravan brake life expectancy!
I own a 2008 Town and Country, and I had all those issues about the front brake pads and rotors on both front and rear beggining at around 8K miles. I am Mexican and I live in Mexico. The van is US made and I sincerely tought the product was at the top of its class in quality and performance. I also had problems with the third row seats, it suddenly didn't work and the seats were stuck. The van was brand new so the dealer took care of that one. Now I'm facing with the problem that one of the sliding doors does not open. Don't even manually. The 2 year warranty that Chrysler gives in Mexico is over so I have to put money on it again. And Mexico is not US. There is no way Chrysler Corp. will pay me anything. We don't have any kind of lemon laws protecting customers against car defects down here. I will eliminate the original rotors and put bigger diameter ones instead. Also with better material pads. I think vehicle front weight is the factor.
Chrysler drug their feet, leaving me in a rental car from Friday to Tuesday night this past week. They agreed to do a good will repair with a $50 deductible from me. I can live with this but rest assured that the dealership will be inspecting these brakes every oil change, tire rotation, etc.
Regarding some of the other issues that I had, they repaired the sliding door (again) per a recent TSB. There was also a TSB on the rear seat. The frame is bent so they have ordered me a new frame. They somehow got the seat to its upright position while they wait for the frame to be delivered. When it goes back in, they will be looking at my radio because the problems are back now that I have paired my new cell phone with the UConnect system. NO SOUND from any radio component.
Hi gferrigno. I also have the same problem that you in my Minivan Chrysler T&C 2008. My Minivan has 36000 km (22000 mi) and needed new pads the past december. Well, yesterday a Chrysler dealer gave me my Minivan with the 4th front pads change. Before this repair, this dealer changed the rotors, disk, canipers, etc. They told me that this new pads was sent by Chrysler and comes with a new composition. Sincerely, I have not hope that this last repair will fix the problem, I feel that this brake problem is a major case. I live in Mexico DF too.
By the way, the Chrysler dealer told me that they have 4 Minivans with the same problem.
Our lemon-law case is progressing, albeit slowly. The brake shudder is getting worse but the pads still have material left. We give our deposition in less than a week and drop the van off for inspection by Chrysler engineers in a couple of weeks. No idea how much longer this will last, but I sure hope it's over soon. Summer is coming up and we really can't be stuck with only one vehicle to drive.
If you're as tired as we are about the repeated brake issues, I really suggest you consult a lemon-law attorney. Most operate on contingency with no out-of-pocket costs to you. I'm also curious to know what it would take it get class-action status. This is obviously a very wide-spread issue so I suspect it would be quite easy to get class-action status. If Chrysler won't listen, then perhaps they need to be forced to listen.
Anyone have any suggestions regarding the best aftermaket brake parts to install on the 2008 T&C to help counter the poor engineering? I put on Akebono ceramic pads at 30-35K and they seem to be holding up very well at 56K. I haven't measured the rotor thickness yet, but I'm sure that they will probably be the next part to go along with pad replacement again.
The lemon law is in place to get a consumer out of a vehicle that cannot be fixed after 3 attempts. Your van is being fixed by replacing the brakes. And what is the problem with 22-24K miles on front pads. That is well within the realm of reality. If you did nothing but highway driving I would say it's an issue but around town that is normal for a heavy vehicle like the Town and Country. I have been a professional mechanic for 20 years and that's consistant with normal. And what you are calling a shudder (I'm assuming it's when you hit the brakes) is a pedal pulsation that can almost always be corrected by cutting the rotors. I can understand brakes gone in 12,000 or 15,000 miles, but 22 - 24. That is normal for some cars!
My "professional" mechanic told me something just the opposite of you. In fact, I have had 2 "professional" mechanics directly state just the opposite from your statement.
To start with, a ferocious amount of our miles are almost 70% highway, at least 70%, probably a lot more.
Second, I have a 99 expedition with close to 80,000 miles that we have put on it and have never done anything with the brakes. We have done plenty of other things to it, but never the brakes.
My car is 16 MONTHS OLD! S-I-X-T-E-E-N M-O-N-T-H-S!!!!!! And I have already had to dump almost $500 into a problem that should be covered in the BUMPER TO BUMPER 36,000 miles/3 Year "You buy this car brand new and we will fix anything" warranty!!!
So, take your professional attitude...
Oh an BTW, why did my mechanic have to reassure me they put great rotors and pads on my vehicle instead of the Nippon Seiki pieces of crap Chrysler threw on mine and 100s of 1,000s of other vehicles? Why not just install good ones from the beginning? I'll tell you why, it's to screw the customer out of safety and make an extra dollar.
You either didn't read my previous posts or are confusing posts.
First brake issues - 6000 miles - turn rotors Second - 10,000 miles - Replace pads and rotors Third - 18,000 miles - Replace rotors, replace pads with "updated" parts per TSB Fourth - 28,000 miles - Needs rotors again
Typical driving was around town with some long distance trips, not in hilly areas or hard braking.
Chrysler has had a number of chances to fix this and has failed to do so. Replacing brakes the first time at 22,000 isn't horrible but it is sooner than what I consider normal.
The short of it is there are a large number of people experiencing brake problems with these vans at abnormal rates. This is unacceptable and Chrysler needs to make it right. When Nissan had the same issues with the Titan/Armada back in MY2004/MY2005 they issued a recall, bought back vehicles, and basically did whatever they could to make the problem right. Chrysler? They're leaving their customers feeling dumbfounded with no resolution.
My brakes started squealing after just 10,000km. I didn't think anything of it because it had such low mileage (mostly highway). The severe grinding started at 25,000 km. I just spent $180 for a set of pads because I was told that it was not covered under warranty. The left front and back rotor was severely gouged. Both front pads appeared to be destabilizing. The back left pad was discolored and almost worn down to the steel. The right rear pad was still good. I contacted the parts department at the dealer to purchase a new back left caliper and they informed me that I would have to buy both the right and left as a pair. I was told that both had to be replaced because of a defect in the original calipers. When I address my concerns with the dealer’s service manager, he offered to install new back calipers and 4 rotors for $70. I had the work done and paid the $70 even though they didn't reimburse me for the pads I purchased. I WILL NEVER BUY A CHRYSLER VEHICLE AGAIN BECAUSE OF THEIR POOR QUALITY AND DECEITFULNESS.
"...The short of it is there are a large number of people experiencing brake problems with these vans at abnormal rates. This is unacceptable and Chrysler needs to make it right. When Nissan had the same issues with the Titan/Armada back in MY2004/MY2005 they issued a recall, bought back vehicles, and basically did whatever they could to make the problem right. Chrysler? They're leaving their customers feeling dumbfounded with no resolution. ..."
You are correct, and because I agree with you I intend to speak with my attorney on Monday to see if he would be interested in a class action lawsuit. I have already worked with him on a seperate CA in the past so I can vouch for his tenacity. But, I expect him to direct us over to someone else who is better at nationwide lawsuits such as this.
Then explain to me why I work on RT body minivans all the time and very rarely have anyone complaining about their brakes failing too soon. As a matter of fact the vast majority of the RT's that come through my dealership aren't getting front brakes until I would say on average abround 40,000 miles. All these vans have the same brake system and they are certainly not all having the problems that some of you are having. Yes, I am sticking up for Chrysler. Chrysler's quality was on an upward skyrocket until the idiots at Cerberus bought the company and screwed it all up. And before that when Benz treated the company as a redheaded stepchild. The bottom line is Chrysler has mostly solid engineering and now that Cerberus is gone things are gonna get a whole lot better. And by the way do you realize that the Volkswagen Routaan is an RT minivan, built by Chrysler and sold by VW. The van went through all of VW's quality checks and came up aces for them, so i'm just saying.
You're right, all of us with problems and the magazines reporting poor brake life on their long-term vehicles are lying. You caught us.
Instead of blindly defending Chrysler, maybe you should do your own research and look at the number of complains here, on the NHTSA website, etc and understand that there *is* a design flaw with these brakes. They're too small and overheat too easily as a result. Even our local Dodge dealer has admitted that they see a number of brake problems with these vans every week and admit the rotors are too small resulting in overheating.
Is EVERYONE experiencing a problem? I don't know, I don't speak for everyone. But there are enough people with a problem and enough people with experience with multiple vehicles previously that can attest to these vans having poorly-designed brakes that are simply crap.
I guess you know better than everyone, though. Sorry for doubting your supreme knowledge. *smirk*
I do do my own research EVERY DAY at work when I work on only Chrysler vehicles as I have done every day for the past 15 years +. Thats more research than any magazine or internet search could ever do. Yes, sometimes cars have brake problems and yes maybe the RT's have a probability of issues under certain driving conditions to appear more frequently than most other cars but give me a BRAKE.
That's great that you've been doing your job for 15+ years, but that doesn't really say much about your experience. I've known people to do things for just as long or longer, it doesn't mean they do them right. Not saying you're doing things wrong, just saying numbers like that are meaningless. These vans have been on the road for about 2.5 years, not 15. Vans prior to MY2008 have different brakes and your experience with them doesn't apply. It's a well known fact that the vans prior to MY2008 have better brakes, heck there are even people in this thread that had previous years with no brake problems UNTIL they bought an '08+ van. Their driving didn't change. The conditions didn't change. The van did, and the van hasn't performed at expected levels. Argue all you want, but your "experience" doesn't make any of this any less real or any less of a problem. Open your eyes a little more and accept that a LOT of us have problems that Chrysler has NOT been able to resolve after REPEATED attempts.
The number of complains here and all over the internet speak volumes, if this were a problem only for a few people then you wouldn't see hundreds of registered complaints with the NHTSA.
BTW, you're aware of the TSB for the brakes, right? Right. So tell me, if there were no problems with the brakes then why would Chrysler issue a TSB with revised parts to try and solve the problem? That's what I thought...
I had 2008 dodge grand caravan for 27 month. I didn't have any issues with the brake pads and rotors. When I returned Dodge to dealer(lease end) it had 30.000 km and brake pads were in a very good conditions. My friend has 2006 Dodge Caravan. He change them every 15.000 km
and I am not trying to be a smart aleck. A simple answer will suffice.
Do you know where the bumpers are on these cars? Could you please explain to me (us) where exactly a bumper begins and ends?
BTW, I don't care if the TC, VW, GT are 1 and all the same. Means jack and squat to me. Bottom line is, I bought a brand new vehicle and less than 17 months had a major flaw.
That is Chryslers way of dealing with disgruntled owners. Ignore them until they give up the fight. They have been doing that for many many years. :lemon:
My 2008 T&C brakes started squeeling and were wore down to nothing at approx. 20,000 miles. Took it into dealer and he said their wasn't a massive recall, but their was a "code" sent out on the T & C vans for brake problems. They replaced all brakes and rotors with new better quality ones, supposedly. Now, at nearly 35,000 miles, the brakes are vibrating every time we step on them and feel uneven, I will have to take it in again for new brakes it feel. Their is a problem going on here since I and several people are experienceing this........
Dad38, if it is vibrating, it sounds more like a problem with the rotors and maybe not the pads. When they changed them at 20,000, did they replace the rotors as well as the pads? You should confirm this before you take it in.
Bought a 2008 T&C new. Here's the rundown (mileage approx):
4,000 miles - A/C fails due to bad line (recall item - mine failed before I got the notice) 12,000 miles - front pads and rotors shot 18,000 miles - rear pads and rotors shot 25,000 miles - front pads and rotor shot again 30,000 miles (98% highway) - tires shot 34,000 miles - both front wheel bearings shot on a vacation trip 42,000 miles - 3.8L engine starts consuming over 1 qt per 1000 miles
However, I bought this vehicle AFTER my 98 Grand Prix with a 3.8L engine caught fire and burned my house down. So, my expectations may a bit lower.
We have owned our van for 4 years and I can't even tell you how many brakes, pads, rotors, calibers etc, etc, we have gone through. My dad (who is a mechanic) kept telling me I brake too hard (hugh? funny none of my previous vehicles had a driver braking problem..) but anywho, after the second or third replace he also became skeptical. Thanks Dad! Actually my husband replaces everything at my dad's shop, but seriously, it's getting ridiculous and driving me absolutely insane. I am going to get rid of the stupid thing although we will be losing some money (and seriously, who is going to buy the piece of crap?) but it will save me tons of sanity hopefully. I would have loved to join the lawsuit, but don't think I can handle driving this any longer. Another poor vehicle decision. Ugggg. Wish I could blow the thing up instead of selling it to another poor consumer.
Does anyone know what they did in the 2009 model year to fix this? I have 30K and so far so good on my 2009.
quote However, I bought this vehicle AFTER my 98 Grand Prix with a 3.8L engine caught fire and burned my house down. So, my expectations may a bit lower. quote
PS// my son has a 2000 Limited and goes through brakes every 20-30K
I had 4 rotors and 4 pads replaced at 3800 miles under warranty and now at 9600 miles the same thing happens again. Chrysler pays for it under warranty and I get a free loaner for the day. The dealer says he's doing brakes on 30 vehicles per day mostly vans under warranty. I call Chrysler to advise them and ask if they will extend warranty on brakes to 3/36. They nicely said "sorry". Chrysler is providing warranty assistance up to 12K miles on these brakes after that you're on your own. Dealer said he suggests putting on Mopar "value line" pads now as they have a lifetime guarantee but what about these crumby rotors? I'll probably replace all the compenents after the 12K warranty with ceramic pads and aftermarket rotors and not play around with these Chrysler/Mopar parts any longer. 6th and last Chrysler product for me when the lease is up.
at 10,000 my front bakes were dead and rotors needed replacing, never heard the squealing, just grinding and by the time we got it to the dealer it was too late.
at 16,000 miles the same happened to the rear, the dealer assured us this was normal on this size of minivan, oh and btw you can get our unlimited brake pad warranty!!! just pay labor every 6k miles apparently for us to replace the pads, wtf? they really expect me to do that? i got a better idea, sell the $#@#! chrysler.
the problem got slightly less worse when i decided to stop using chrysler for my pads and went aftermarket.. they last longer but still nowhere even approaching what i've gotten out of my toyota Sienna or Tundra.
then at 45k miles the AC went out thanks to some bad hose.
the automatic doors have been a never ending source of frustration, we don't even use them as automatic anymore because 1 in 3 times they'll refuse to close or open.. the dealer of course can't seem to replicate the problem...
now at 60k miles the HDD jukebox has died.. can't wait to see how much this'll run. good thing i got that extended warranty that costs $100 every time i want them to fix another piece of the puzzle.
bottom line, the brake life has been unacceptable for me as a consumer, chrysler's answer's all seemed to revolve around pay us more money to do nothing about it, the doors suck and the rest of the issues are fit and finish more or less... if it had been only fit and finish i'd be accepting of it all.
i wont be returning to the chrysler brand with my next vehicle, why should i?
I bought my Caravan new. It now has 15,000 miles without any major problems. It does collect a lot of brake dust on the rear wheels. I mainly drive the van in the suburb with 1 or 2 passengers. I try to be light on the brakes.. I've read that you can replace the manufacturers pads with ceramic pads that have a longer wear and less dust. Good luck!
2009 t & c I have been so curious to know if anyone else has had brake issues, I have complained from my first free oil change from the dealer, told them the brakes where grinding, they said they were fine, this went on every 3,000 miles they ground rotors once, one time put some anti sqeak stuff, the last time I did the oil change they told me both front and back need to be done, front more than back (since I am a single unemployed mother of three) I did the front and then the following month I would do the back this was at at 19k - well on April 5th I rear ended another car since I could not stop..... I want chrysler to pay back Allstate for repairs and need the back brakes done yet. I hate the brakes and the dealer says they are working fine.... :sick:
AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! Today my 2008 Town & Country returns to the Dealer for its 5th change of pads in less than 5000 mi. free of charge (as warranty), but I hate to return many times to the dealer to change it over and over again. Here in Mexico, the Dealers said that Chrysler, in USA, does not have any answer of this situation and the recomendation is to test several kinds of pads; that means, that they do not have any idea of the problem!!!!:mad:
Mine just turned 20,000 miles. The left front is squealing pretty bad. After doing a search I read all these brake stories and called the dealer to see how much to replace the pads and rotors. They said $780.00. Wanted to know worst case. They said I should at least get 30,000 out of them and they have not seen any problems. Yeah, ok!
The only issue I have had was with the air conditioning line.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the ESP. Doesn't that use the brakes?
I am sooo disappointed with the brakes and rotors on this van. My husband and I had waited a long time to buy a new car and have a payment again. I love everything else about this vehicle but I have had it for less than 10 months and have had the rotors replace TWICE, good thing they are always under warranty. I have owned vehicles where I have never had to replace the rotors and now it's all I have done (every 9,000 miles) ridiculous. If Chrysler wants the American people to keep buying their product they had better get off their butt and fix problems like these. There is NO excuse for this poor quality.
I am sooo disappointed with the brakes and rotors on this van. My husband and I had waited a long time to buy a new car and have a payment again. I love everything else about this vehicle but I have had it for less than 10 months and have had the rotors replace TWICE, good thing they are always under warranty. I have owned vehicles where I have never had to replace the rotors and now it's all I have done (every 9,000 miles) ridiculous. If Chrysler wants the American people to keep buying their product they had better get off their butt and fix problems like these. There is NO excuse for this poor quality.
I'm a professional mechanic as well. What?!? You never heard of the Audi issue of sudden acceleration? You might not be old enough to remember, but they blamed the drivers too. Yes, is was a driver issue... related to a poor design decision that cost them millions!
This is just another cases of poor decisions by Chrysler (Daimler or Cerberus doesn't matter since the same management team below the chairman were running the place into the ground) when they cut the costs out ( we called it MCM as "Make Customers Mad" instead of Material Cost Management that they told the press). And the VW isn't EXACTLY like the T&C. Same platform but various part changes. That includes several brake components. I don't know if they are having the same problems, but you don't hear about them as much. Could be how they handle the issues instead of leaving poor component choice for the consumer to live with. Sad part is Chrysler isn't winning anyone over by ignoring this same issue for several years. TSB's should be the first indication something needs to be fixed. But all those people who worked on the RT are probably; contractors who were eliminated, knowledge workers early-retired, or informed workers being shoved out the door just prior to their bankruptcy filing. Oh by they way, I've been driving minivans since he AS body. Never this issue on brakes before.
Soooo....
How about some ideas or comments from people having the OEM parts switched to aftermarket parts to help extend brake life?
I'm investing in a set of EBC Ultimax rotors and pads. No the dealer won't be installing them since they won't. So a local shop will get my "out of warranty" work on this component. I will post an update in 6 months since that's how quickly the factory parts fell apart.
Has anyone else tried other brands of replacement parts? What are your experiences with these other parts?
Bought a 2008 T&C. Thought it was going to be great. Boy was I wrong. The breaks had to be replaced the first time at 18k miles. Called Chrysler and they said it was my problem so my husband did the repair. 7k miles later the rotors went. We called Chrysler again. this time they said to bring it to the dealer and they will replace the rotors at no cost. Well they decided not to pay for it because my husband changinf the pads casued the problem. So we took it to Goodyear and put aftermarket top quality rotors on the vehicle. They only lasted 6k miles. This past Saturday we were told the front rotors needed replaced again, we needed new brake pads and our rear rotors were cracked. Also our AC has went once already and the back hatch does not open correctly. We took a hit but traded it in for a Honda. I will never purchase Chrysler again!
I just got hit up for my rear brakes. I have 17000mi on my 2008 dodge caravan. That's after I had the front brakes and rotors redone at 12000 miles. Has anyone ever considered a class action lawsuit? I just saw in the paper the other day that kia is facing one for brake issues. I think this is something they(Dodge management) thought long and hard. Most cars take at least 50000 miles on back brakes. The guy at the dealership told me they put pads in with less meat on the pads. How easy too hit a person up for work when you tell them their brakes are bad. Whose going too risk the lives of their children and say no don't fix them.
I also asked the guy at the dealership if he ever had a car that needed brakes that soon. He looked down and said, " No".
I agree 100% with you. We have to fight the big dealers as consumers. I was so disgusted with having to replace my pads, and turn the rotors at 18000. I was in complete shot when I had it done. I also pitched a fit and got life time pads. But I've owned 3 dodge caravans and have always loved my van. Now, after all this fuss, I'm ready to just give it back!!! report them to the National Transportation Safety people, and that's all we can do so far. :confuse:
Our new chrysler town and country had the front brakes replaced at 12500 miles - on our dime b/c it was out of the warranty period. Then the brakes and rotors replaced again at 22000 - chrysler picked that one up because it was within the 12000 warranty period on the brake pads. They replaced the front rotors 3 months later because they were warped and causing the car to shimmy on stops. Last month we had to have the rear pads and rotors turned.
All but the first set of pads have been covered by chrysler, but only after spending hours on the phone constantly pushing my case that this is unacceptable performance for brakes.
Call their customer service group at 1-800-992-1997 and open a vehicle or dealer complaint case. have your repair records ready and don't take no for an answer. odds are you will get paid back, it'll just take some effort on your part.
same here, let me know if this happens, if chrysler doesnt want to own up to brake issues and one has to argue and document premature failure, class action is the only way to go . . . let me know at
I have a 2008 Town and Country Touring that I bought new in October 2008. In November 2009, I had 30,000 miles and needed to have my back brakes done after the left rear tire nearly caught on fire while 1600 miles from home. I was on the Florida turnpike with a car load of family - mostly kids! The repairs at a Chrysler dealership cost me $620.00. They claimed I left the parking brake on. But, the parking brake didn't need to be replaced. I filed a complaint with Chrysler and was told "too bad". They would only cover until 12,000 miles. I filed a complaint with NHTSA too!
I was pleased, downright happy, to see the recall announced yesterday regarding these vehicles. I truly love my van, but as a single mom, I spent a lot of money to buy this and thought I was buying dependability. Wrong! I am leaving in 2 weeks to drive to Nebraska and I am hoping, no praying, that I don't have any issues.
Thanks to this site for the information to push this and file complaints! Hopefully a class action suit will materialize.
Tiffany, what happened with the ac and how was it fixed. Mine went a couple weeks ago. They have ordered a "high pressure hose" and go figure - they are on backorder from Chrysler. Think there is a problem????!!!
I have had 2 high pressure lines replaced on our van they each lasted about a year, the first one was warranty number 2 cost me $166, they wouldn't cover 2nd one because we put on over 12k in the year. I fought with chrystler but they said too bad! Last week at last oil change they told me they just issued a recall on that part! The service advisor told me they made the hose too short!! What a bunch of f ups, hope to get my money back! :lemon:
Guess what? It's only 12 months, 12,000 miles now on the brakes..Hmmm, isn't that convienient! I loved all my Dodge minivans.. this is my 3rd one. I will not be buying a 4th. The kicker is, I got a recall notice yesterday and was jumping up and down that finally they listened to us all. It was a recall on a darn radiator cap... I want to know how many people have been injured or killed by their radiator caps over the last 2 year. I am now going to write a long letter to air my frustration, and I'm going to CC everyone I can think of.. Attorney General, NHTSA, DMV, and anyone else who will listen to us all. Bump the radiator cap people, we want better brakes!!
My right side power door of my 2007 t&c just stoped working and when i was looking at it moving it back and forth i pushed the button and it worked half way then stopped again, and it has not worked at all after that.
I have a chrysler t& c 2008 i heard a nosie sound like it was my breaks and my husband changed the breaks and guess what the noise is still there. it seem to only do it is when u step on the breaks. does anyone knw what it might be.
Comments
The van is US made and I sincerely tought the product was at the top of its class in quality and performance. I also had problems with the third row seats, it suddenly didn't work and the seats were stuck. The van was brand new so the dealer took care of that one. Now I'm facing with the problem that one of the sliding doors does not open. Don't even manually. The 2 year warranty that Chrysler gives in Mexico is over so I have to put money on it again. And Mexico is not US. There is no way Chrysler Corp. will pay me anything. We don't have any kind of lemon laws protecting customers against car defects down here. I will eliminate the original rotors and put bigger diameter ones instead. Also with better material pads.
I think vehicle front weight is the factor.
Chrysler drug their feet, leaving me in a rental car from Friday to Tuesday night this past week. They agreed to do a good will repair with a $50 deductible from me. I can live with this but rest assured that the dealership will be inspecting these brakes every oil change, tire rotation, etc.
Regarding some of the other issues that I had, they repaired the sliding door (again) per a recent TSB. There was also a TSB on the rear seat. The frame is bent so they have ordered me a new frame. They somehow got the seat to its upright position while they wait for the frame to be delivered. When it goes back in, they will be looking at my radio because the problems are back now that I have paired my new cell phone with the UConnect system. NO SOUND from any radio component.
Jenn
By the way, the Chrysler dealer told me that they have 4 Minivans with the same problem.
If you're as tired as we are about the repeated brake issues, I really suggest you consult a lemon-law attorney. Most operate on contingency with no out-of-pocket costs to you. I'm also curious to know what it would take it get class-action status. This is obviously a very wide-spread issue so I suspect it would be quite easy to get class-action status. If Chrysler won't listen, then perhaps they need to be forced to listen.
To start with, a ferocious amount of our miles are almost 70% highway, at least 70%, probably a lot more.
Second, I have a 99 expedition with close to 80,000 miles that we have put on it and have never done anything with the brakes. We have done plenty of other things to it, but never the brakes.
My car is 16 MONTHS OLD! S-I-X-T-E-E-N M-O-N-T-H-S!!!!!! And I have already had to dump almost $500 into a problem that should be covered in the BUMPER TO BUMPER 36,000 miles/3 Year "You buy this car brand new and we will fix anything" warranty!!!
So, take your professional attitude...
Oh an BTW, why did my mechanic have to reassure me they put great rotors and pads on my vehicle instead of the Nippon Seiki pieces of crap Chrysler threw on mine and 100s of 1,000s of other vehicles? Why not just install good ones from the beginning? I'll tell you why, it's to screw the customer out of safety and make an extra dollar.
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually feel a bit better.
Just this week I had my first opportunity to talk someone out of a T and C purchase.
God, that felt GREAT!
Hope to do it again and again and again.....
First brake issues - 6000 miles - turn rotors
Second - 10,000 miles - Replace pads and rotors
Third - 18,000 miles - Replace rotors, replace pads with "updated" parts per TSB
Fourth - 28,000 miles - Needs rotors again
Typical driving was around town with some long distance trips, not in hilly areas or hard braking.
Chrysler has had a number of chances to fix this and has failed to do so. Replacing brakes the first time at 22,000 isn't horrible but it is sooner than what I consider normal.
The short of it is there are a large number of people experiencing brake problems with these vans at abnormal rates. This is unacceptable and Chrysler needs to make it right. When Nissan had the same issues with the Titan/Armada back in MY2004/MY2005 they issued a recall, bought back vehicles, and basically did whatever they could to make the problem right. Chrysler? They're leaving their customers feeling dumbfounded with no resolution.
I contacted the parts department at the dealer to purchase a new back left caliper and they informed me that I would have to buy both the right and left as a pair. I was told that both had to be replaced because of a defect in the original calipers.
When I address my concerns with the dealer’s service manager, he offered to install new back calipers and 4 rotors for $70. I had the work done and paid the $70 even though they didn't reimburse me for the pads I purchased.
I WILL NEVER BUY A CHRYSLER VEHICLE AGAIN BECAUSE OF THEIR POOR QUALITY AND DECEITFULNESS.
You are correct, and because I agree with you I intend to speak with my attorney on Monday to see if he would be interested in a class action lawsuit. I have already worked with him on a seperate CA in the past so I can vouch for his tenacity. But, I expect him to direct us over to someone else who is better at nationwide lawsuits such as this.
Instead of blindly defending Chrysler, maybe you should do your own research and look at the number of complains here, on the NHTSA website, etc and understand that there *is* a design flaw with these brakes. They're too small and overheat too easily as a result. Even our local Dodge dealer has admitted that they see a number of brake problems with these vans every week and admit the rotors are too small resulting in overheating.
Is EVERYONE experiencing a problem? I don't know, I don't speak for everyone. But there are enough people with a problem and enough people with experience with multiple vehicles previously that can attest to these vans having poorly-designed brakes that are simply crap.
I guess you know better than everyone, though. Sorry for doubting your supreme knowledge. *smirk*
The number of complains here and all over the internet speak volumes, if this were a problem only for a few people then you wouldn't see hundreds of registered complaints with the NHTSA.
BTW, you're aware of the TSB for the brakes, right? Right. So tell me, if there were no problems with the brakes then why would Chrysler issue a TSB with revised parts to try and solve the problem? That's what I thought...
Have a nice day.
Do you know where the bumpers are on these cars? Could you please explain to me (us) where exactly a bumper begins and ends?
BTW, I don't care if the TC, VW, GT are 1 and all the same. Means jack and squat to me. Bottom line is, I bought a brand new vehicle and less than 17 months had a major flaw.
It is not an LED dome light burn out.
Bought a 2008 T&C new. Here's the rundown (mileage approx):
4,000 miles - A/C fails due to bad line (recall item - mine failed before I got the notice)
12,000 miles - front pads and rotors shot
18,000 miles - rear pads and rotors shot
25,000 miles - front pads and rotor shot again
30,000 miles (98% highway) - tires shot
34,000 miles - both front wheel bearings shot on a vacation trip
42,000 miles - 3.8L engine starts consuming over 1 qt per 1000 miles
However, I bought this vehicle AFTER my 98 Grand Prix with a 3.8L engine caught fire and burned my house down. So, my expectations may a bit lower.
quote However, I bought this vehicle AFTER my 98 Grand Prix with a 3.8L engine caught fire and burned my house down. So, my expectations may a bit lower. quote
PS// my son has a 2000 Limited and goes through brakes every 20-30K
at 16,000 miles the same happened to the rear, the dealer assured us this was normal on this size of minivan, oh and btw you can get our unlimited brake pad warranty!!! just pay labor every 6k miles apparently for us to replace the pads, wtf? they really expect me to do that? i got a better idea, sell the $#@#! chrysler.
the problem got slightly less worse when i decided to stop using chrysler for my pads and went aftermarket.. they last longer but still nowhere even approaching what i've gotten out of my toyota Sienna or Tundra.
then at 45k miles the AC went out thanks to some bad hose.
the automatic doors have been a never ending source of frustration, we don't even use them as automatic anymore because 1 in 3 times they'll refuse to close or open.. the dealer of course can't seem to replicate the problem...
now at 60k miles the HDD jukebox has died.. can't wait to see how much this'll run. good thing i got that extended warranty that costs $100 every time i want them to fix another piece of the puzzle.
bottom line, the brake life has been unacceptable for me as a consumer, chrysler's answer's all seemed to revolve around pay us more money to do nothing about it, the doors suck and the rest of the issues are fit and finish more or less... if it had been only fit and finish i'd be accepting of it all.
i wont be returning to the chrysler brand with my next vehicle, why should i?
I want chrysler to pay back Allstate for repairs and need the back brakes done yet. I hate the brakes and the dealer says they are working fine....
:sick:
The only issue I have had was with the air conditioning line.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the ESP. Doesn't that use the brakes?
This is just another cases of poor decisions by Chrysler (Daimler or Cerberus doesn't matter since the same management team below the chairman were running the place into the ground) when they cut the costs out ( we called it MCM as "Make Customers Mad" instead of Material Cost Management that they told the press).
And the VW isn't EXACTLY like the T&C. Same platform but various part changes. That includes several brake components. I don't know if they are having the same problems, but you don't hear about them as much. Could be how they handle the issues instead of leaving poor component choice for the consumer to live with. Sad part is Chrysler isn't winning anyone over by ignoring this same issue for several years. TSB's should be the first indication something needs to be fixed. But all those people who worked on the RT are probably; contractors who were eliminated, knowledge workers early-retired, or informed workers being shoved out the door just prior to their bankruptcy filing. Oh by they way, I've been driving minivans since he AS body. Never this issue on brakes before.
Soooo....
How about some ideas or comments from people having the OEM parts switched to aftermarket parts to help extend brake life?
I'm investing in a set of EBC Ultimax rotors and pads. No the dealer won't be installing them since they won't. So a local shop will get my "out of warranty" work on this component. I will post an update in 6 months since that's how quickly the factory parts fell apart.
Has anyone else tried other brands of replacement parts? What are your experiences with these other parts?
And have a nice day dasboot!
I also asked the guy at the dealership if he ever had a car that needed brakes that soon. He looked down and said, " No".
All but the first set of pads have been covered by chrysler, but only after spending hours on the phone constantly pushing my case that this is unacceptable performance for brakes.
Call their customer service group at 1-800-992-1997 and open a vehicle or dealer complaint case. have your repair records ready and don't take no for an answer. odds are you will get paid back, it'll just take some effort on your part.
and I'm never buying another chrysler again.
thegreener@yahoo.com
I was pleased, downright happy, to see the recall announced yesterday regarding these vehicles. I truly love my van, but as a single mom, I spent a lot of money to buy this and thought I was buying dependability. Wrong! I am leaving in 2 weeks to drive to Nebraska and I am hoping, no praying, that I don't have any issues.
Thanks to this site for the information to push this and file complaints! Hopefully a class action suit will materialize.
The service advisor told me they made the hose too short!! What a bunch of f ups, hope to get my money back! :lemon:
I loved all my Dodge minivans.. this is my 3rd one. I will not be buying a 4th.
The kicker is, I got a recall notice yesterday and was jumping up and down that finally they listened to us all.
It was a recall on a darn radiator cap... I want to know how many people have been injured or killed by their radiator caps over the last 2 year.
I am now going to write a long letter to air my frustration, and I'm going to CC everyone I can think of..
Attorney General, NHTSA, DMV, and anyone else who will listen to us all.
Bump the radiator cap people, we want better brakes!!
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6535I220100607 :lemon: