2003 Dodge Caravan Water Leak - WARNING

Hey All,

I just purchased a 2003 Dodge Caravan ES AWD about a month ago.
Whenever it rains I notice that water is coming in from the passenger
assist handle mounted on the front "A pillar." The dealership kept my
van for just over a week and they told me it was fixed (replaced the
drainage tubes on the sunroof and performed the water leak TSB for
2003 vans). About 2 weeks later I noticed that the problem persisted.
So, off I went to the dealership. They have had my van for a
week-and-a-half now and tell me they have been in contact with
Chrysler engineering (again). They say that this has only been seen
twice in all of North America and want to send a guy from the states
(I live in Canada) to document and fix it. They say this could take a
month!!!! Apparently the problem exsists because I have a sunroof and
rear A/C (this is the first year chrysler offers a sunroof in the
vans). The only reason I noticed this problem is because I have an ES
which has the passenger assist handle. Lower level trims DO NOT have
this handle and if you have a sunroof with rear A/C you could be in
for a shock in a few years when your roof rusts from the inside out!!!

I feel completely helpless! I called the customer service 1-800
number and was told they would document that I was unhappy but NO ONE
would be following up!!! I asked if they could give me a new van and
they could study mine all they wanted but they said "that was not
chrysler policy." I purchased a nearly $50,000 van which I have only
had 50% of the time and they could care less. What the heck am I
supposed to do? Any suggestions?!?

Kibosh

 

Sounds like you might want to involk the "lemon Law" if you have one in your
province

Pierre

 

In the US you could go into arbitration. It is explained in the
owners' manual. Perhaps they have a similar procedure by you. Check
your car manuals to see. You do not need a lawyer in the US and the
decision is binding only on the manufacturer. Typically the
manufacturer is given one more chance to fix the car and then must
either replace it or return money.

 

Above all, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT! Save your service recipts, copies
of all correspondence, and make notes of all conversations, both at the
dealer and on the phone, with dates, times, subject, and who you were
speaking with. Also, it wouldn't hurt to speak with an attorney, if
possible.

 

You need to speak to Chrysler Engineering directly in my opinion, it
will shortcut all the BS. Just tell them if Chrysler Engineering wants the
van that bad, they have to give you a loaner while they have it. Have
the dealer give you their contact # or better yet, visit the dealer and
plonk yourself down in the service manager's office until he makes a
call to Chryler.

Ted

 

Does your province have a lemon law? I don't know about how things
work in Canada, but in many states south of the border, there is a
lemon law which addresses situations just as the one you're experiencing.
Check on your province's web site or call your local consumer rights
agency, if one exists, to see what legal remedies may be available.

 

Surely to GOD the dealership would be willing to give you a loaner
car???

GM Gave me a loaner for a week while they worked on a pesky ignition
problem on my Oldsmobile.

I can't believe that you would not be offered a loaner - especially if
you bought the car new.

Talk to the Service Manager at the dealership.

 

That is part of the problem. People buy their vehicles new or
used from another dealership then expect some other dealer to
treat them as good as his own customers. Some people never go to
a dealership except when they they think the work should be free.
They may be the manufactures, or some other dealers, customer but
the are not his customer. Dealers have a tendency to take better
care of their own customer first.


mike hunt

 

Sorry if I led anyone astray . . . the dealership has provided a
rental car. But it is certainly not the equivalent of my van.
Actually I cannot complain about the dealership, just the fact that no
one at the supposed Chrysler "Customer Service" number seems to care.
I even asked to speak to a supervisor and they told me there was no
one else to talk to!!

Why should I be paying for a car loan for a car I have only had 50% of
the time? All they keep telling me is "at least I have a rental."
Well, what happens if engineering tries a fix and it doesn't work?!?!?
Am I supposed to be without my brand new van for another month until
they dream something else up? Obviously there is a design flaw with
the sunroofs (the dealership told me the engineering department
contacted the sunroof manufacturer to have the roof increased in size
by about 1 mm to give it a tighter seal). I feel like I have a tester
car that they want to play with so they can revise the 2004 design.

I think Ontario implemented a lemon law but I think that it gives the
dealership 3 tries at fixing the car before they have to give you a
new car or your money back.

 

Who said anything about taking the car to a different dealer?!?!?

 

Hey K,

Not much help but I purchased a 2003 ES FWD (not AWD) with the sunroof about
3 months ago ... I haven't noticed this problem and, yes, I do have a
passenger assist handle.

Also, I've taken it thru one of those "touchless" car washes (lots of water
pressure everywhere) at least four times and always examined the interior
for leaks afterwards. None to be found.

So, perhaps its not an engineering flaw as they claim but merely a "mistake"
done by manufacturing when they assembled your vehicle.

G.

 

I'm not sure I understand what your concern is, other than impatience.
They're treating the situation according to reasonably good engineering
practice, it seems to me- sending someone to look firsthand at one of
the two problem vehicles they have detected in all of North America to
try to positively identify (and presumably fix) the problem. Let them do
their investigation and solution, and then worry if it doesn't fix the
problem. Don't worry before it becomes necessary.

As for the dealer, that is EXACTLY who you have a beef with if they gave
you a loaner that isn't the equivalent of the car you bought.

 

in michigan your van falls into lemonlaw!

 

Personally I think he has been patient enough. He bought a car... not
a research project. Plus water/cars do not mix well. Who knows if
he'll have electrical problems, mold or rust resulting from this after
the warranty is over.

 

I would let them do their research and repair, but I would start asking for
some sort of compensation. IE a free 100,000 mile extended warranty or
something like that. Something to show they care about your Dodge
experience.

KS

 

A dealer who treats potential new customers poorly enough will not be getting
many new customers. Some folks will test a dealer by going in to get thier
car serviced and see who they are treated. If the dealer doesn't pass the
test, they take their business elsewhere.