1996 Dodge Grand Caravan — Known Issues & Recalls

Your front strut towers show severe rust, which you're concerned could eventually collapse and allow the strut to push through, causing the front wheel to move upward and backward and potentially result in loss of vehicle control. While this hasn't happened yet, the extent of rust is unusual compared to other vehicles of the same year and model. Addressing this would likely involve replacing the rusted strut towers and possibly the struts themselves.

Your front strut towers have rusted completely through. While nothing has failed yet, if the rust continues to spread, the front suspension could lose its support structure, which could cause an accident. This will require replacing the rusted strut tower sections, likely through welding or full structural repair.

You noticed rust and corrosion on the front driver's side strut tower of your 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. A dealer technician told you there's a repair kit available to fix this issue, but you haven't had the repair done yet. This corrosion could potentially weaken the structural support for your suspension components.

Your brakes failed to respond when you pressed the pedal while driving at 10 mph, though you were able to avoid a crash. After inspecting your vehicle, you found that the brake line was rusted and leaking brake fluid, and the rear axle was also rusted. The fix will likely involve replacing the corroded brake line and refilling the brake system with fresh fluid.

Your brakes didn't respond when you pressed the pedal, even after adding brake fluid. A mechanic found that the strut tower had rusted and the wheel cylinder failed, which prevented your brakes from working properly. The dealer said repairs would be at your expense. Fixing this will likely require replacing the wheel cylinder and inspecting or repairing the rusted strut tower.

After purchasing four Kenda tires from a dealer in January 2009, you experienced two separate blowouts—the first was replaced, but the second blowout occurred on the highway and caused you to hit a tree, totaling your vehicle. You have the failed tire available for inspection along with photos documenting the incident. The tires may have had a manufacturing defect or quality issue that caused them to fail prematurely.

Your steering wheel wobbles side to side when driving slowly, and the tread is separating on all four of your Toyo Spectrum tires at just 12,000 miles of wear. You've already had to replace the rear passenger tire once, and the tire manufacturer has refused to replace the other three failing tires. You'll likely need to replace all four tires and have your wheel alignment and suspension checked to address the steering wobble.

Your serpentine belt keeps coming off when moisture gets into the engine during rain or snow, causing you to lose power steering, the cooling fan, and other engine-driven systems. This has happened 8 times and nearly caused accidents on 5 of those occasions, including two times when you lost steering control. The engine overheating from lost cooling capacity creates a fire and burn risk. Fixing this will likely involve replacing the serpentine belt, pulley, and tensioner to ensure proper belt tension and alignment.

Your serpentine belt separated from the engine while driving in rain, leaving you without power steering, air conditioning, and other engine-driven accessories. Even after replacing the belt twice, the problem kept happening. This suggests an underlying issue with how the belt is tensioned or aligned on the pulleys.

Your fuel line in the engine bay is cracked and leaking fuel, which poses a serious fire risk. The owner reports that other vehicles with this same issue have caught fire, and they've already paid out of pocket to repair one vehicle. This issue may affect 1996-2000 Dodge Caravans and Chrysler Town & Countries. The fix will likely involve replacing the cracked rubber fuel line with a new one.

Your steering has become impossible to turn multiple times after the serpentine belt came off, particularly in rainy conditions. This has happened at least three times since March 2010, leaving your vehicle unresponsive and stranded. The mechanic has replaced the belt, idler pulley, and tensioner, but the problem may recur if the belt continues to slip off.

Your serpentine belt has slipped off twice in wet conditions (rain or puddles), causing you to lose steering control both times. This is a serious safety issue that has left you and your family concerned about driving the vehicle. The belt may need to be replaced or the belt tensioner may need adjustment to prevent it from slipping during wet weather.

Your tie rod end separated while your wife was parking, causing a complete loss of steering control. The rubber seal on this 'lifetime lubricated' part deteriorated, allowing the grease to escape and the ball joint to corrode and fall apart. You'll need to have the tie rod ends replaced and inspected for any additional steering damage.

Your serpentine belt keeps falling off when it rains due to a design flaw—Dodge used smooth pulleys instead of grooved ones, which don't grip the belt properly in wet conditions. This is a known widespread issue with your model year, and aftermarket companies have created repair kits specifically for this problem. Chrysler has not addressed it. The fix will involve replacing the pulleys with grooved versions or installing an aftermarket correction kit to keep the belt secure.

Your speedometer needle jumps around erratically while driving, and your RPM gauge fluctuates slightly. When you reach about 40 mph, the engine revs stay high and your transmission won't shift into the next gear—almost like the vehicle has entered a safety mode. The owner suspects a faulty wheel speed sensor may be causing this issue.

You purchased a tire labeled as "new" from Grave's Tire in Carthage, TX, but discovered it was actually 6 years old and had dry rot. The tire failed and blew out after only 2 months of use on your van. The tire shop owner refused to honor the 60,000 mile/1 year warranty, claiming you hit something in the road instead.

Your fuel tank and fuel injector base are leaking gasoline. This problem started in January 2014. You'll need to have the fuel system inspected and repaired to stop the leak and prevent fuel loss.

Your windshield wipers don't work consistently — sometimes they work, but most of the time they don't. A mechanic diagnosed the problem as a failing body control module, which costs around $500 to replace. You mention this appears to be a common issue with this vehicle model. Fixing this will require replacing the body control module, which is the computer component that controls the wiper system.

Your strut mount has rusted and failed inspection. An inspector told you this could be dangerous in an accident and that your children could be at risk. You've found online that many other owners report the same issue, and you believe Chrysler is aware of the problem but hasn't issued a recall. Fixing this will likely require replacing the rusted strut mount assembly.

Your windshield wipers have been unreliable for some time, turning on and off randomly without your control. As of November 29, 2010, the wipers no longer work at all. The issue likely involves the wiper motor, electrical connections, or the wiper control switch that need to be inspected and replaced.