2013 Dodge Grand Caravan problems

“My vehicle caught fire on 10-14 after being parked for 2.5 hours. Three weeks prior I had bumped into a light pole while backing up and my airbag light triggered on. The airbag did not deploy and nothing seemed wrong with the van. Then my battery died so I had to have it jumped. It died 3-4 times before I replaced it with a fresh battery 10-7. I did smell heat, but I attributed it to my oil leak, but I think I was smelling wires, not oil. I went by an autoparts store and they read my old battery temp and it was at 173 and didn’t say it was hot or anything. I don’t think that was safe to put a new battery in when there was obviously a problem. The airbag light consistently dinged off and on but since the airbag didn’t deploy I didn’t think it was any problem. But now I think it was slow draining the battery and then the new one kept charging it causing something to overheat and catch fire.”

“The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who replaced the motor mounts and transmission. Five months later, the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle began driving roughly. The PCM update was completed by another local dealer, but the failure recurred. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The transmission was shifting through the gears erratically. The vehicle was not drivable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The coil packs and spark plugs were replaced at an independent mechanic. Several days later the RPM was fluctuating, and the vehicle lost motive power while driving up an incline. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the torque converter failing. The local dealer was previously contacted, but no longer accepting calls. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated there were no codes retrieved. The dealer informed the contact that there was no warranty coverage for the issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted.…”

“The Active Head Restraint on the front passenger side headrest failed. The headrest thrust forward at a high velocity, injuring the occupant of the seat. The car was stationary at the time of the incident.”

“The vehicle randomly and dangerously stalls while driving at various speeds and locations. The vehicle will not restart until battery is disconnected and then reconnected. It then starts right up and runs fine until the next episode of stalling. This has been addressed by NHTSA campaign # 19V813 recall for bad fuel pump relay but my VIN # has not been included in this recall even though the vehicle is in the same year as the other vans covered under the recall. This is a very dangerous condition that keeps happening even after leaving the van with the Chrysler dealer for a week to diagnose and they say they don't have a definitive fix for it but offered to replace the entire TIPM for $1700 without a guarantee that the problem will be permanently fixed! The faulty fuel pump relay is well known and has been addressed with an external fuel pump relay kit covered by this recall. Please help us get our vehicle covered under this recall as we are retirees on a fixed income and have already spent too much money (close to $1000) trying to fix this known problem. Already replaced the ignition module which was another known possible cause but the problem still remains.”

“The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jolted and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Upon further inspection, the contact became aware of excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.”

“The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact’s son stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's head restraint became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact’s son stated that the head restraint inadvertently imploded. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was needed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V282000 (Electrical System, Air Bags) The contact was referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 121,887.”