Dodge and Chrysler...the WORST vehicles??

Question

I've been wanting to buy a new Dodge Grand Caravan, but according to consumer reports, and all online personal consumer reviews I have read, they are truly shoddy made vehicles. Horror stories of bad transmissions, bad breaks, bad doors and windows, bad electrical systems, on and on and on...I have read reviews on all vehicles, but none are worse than Chrysler and Dodge. Why do you think that Chrysler complaints are 10 times more prevalent, than all other vehicles?Are they really garbage?? Even when I talk to co-workers--they all say NO!!! Don't buy Chrysler or Dodge unless you want to be in the garage fixing them all the time! Consumer reports pictographs for quality show Chrysler/Dodge to be riddled with black failure marks for almost every model--while Toyota and Honda recieve almost all white passing marks! I have seen this for myself. Question: Why are Chrysler and Dodge products synonomous with poor quality, in the general publics eye?--and is it wise to ignore these warnings?

Answer 1

they do have a bad reputation,and its getting worse each day,their like any other vehicle though if you take care of them they will last a while,but as far as break downs you are right they do break down a lot,and cause problems,i like the older dodges,the newer ones aren't very reliable,when i recommend someone buy a new car i usually recommend a Nissan,sad but true,Chrysler corporation isn't getting any better with the quality ,looks yes ,quality no ,people don't like me because i say what i feel,and speak what is true,right now a Chrysler product would be on the bottom of the list if i was looking for a new vehicle,its the truth,and other people are seeing it also,i buy what last ,that's what counts,good luck.

Answer 2

I don't think Dodge or Chrysler are any better or worse than most other vans out there. Most of what you see in stats is due to the increased sales of those minivans. They are some of the best selling vans for a reason. Also, is it being compared apples to oranges. For instance is and $18,000 Caravan really the "same" as a $30,000 Honda minivan? Had I paid an extra 12g I would expect better quality and not only that, but I believe those same buyers are probably first to persuade you that a domestic van is junk. Maybe they are just trying to justify their overpaid purchase. There are also other factors to take in especially if talking a used van. Domestic vehicles are more likely to be worked on by their owners than similar foreign made vans. Maybe the lack of qualified servicing may contribute to vehicle performance. I think some of the domestic van buyers seem to buy for the long haul. Meaning they tend to hold on to their van longer and as a vehicle gets older people tend to start avoiding the shop on their used van and try to fix it themselves. So may also be where some of the frustrations come from with domestics. I know whenever I work on anything I cuss like a sailor. So maybe we keep our frustration close to our chest. While foreign van owners may be quick to take it to the dealer, get scheduled maintenence etc etc etc. They trade in a few years later and avoid any real frustration or issues that may be associated with an older vehicle. I think it is all perception.

Answer 3

As far as the consumer reports go, I take them with a grain of salt. I remember the Honda minivan test years ago, the testers raved about it having something like 13 drink holders. I guess if drink holders is your measure of quality, then it was tops. I currently have Mercury (Ford) Chevy and Chrysler products. Over the years I've had the best service from the Fords and Chryslers. All have had their weaknesses but any make or model will.

If there truely is a problem with Chrysler's quality, I figure it's an after effect of ownership by Mercedes Benz. Harley Davidson's quality went down the tubes when AMF owned it and it wasn't until the management bought themselves out did it improve. Incidently, all my vehicles have been bought used, well used, so I'm talking about longterm reliability, not the trade every two year kind of stuff. If I had the money for a new car or truck, I wouldn't think twice, it would be a Chrysler product hands down.

Answer 4

I don't think so. I would have to say your information is ficitional. You don't get repeat buyers of vehicles (espically the vans) if they were junk. Look at how many people buy a Chrysler van, use it, and then buy another one. Why don't you go here and read how great a honda minivan is. You will find everything from good reviews to bad reviews. Including "gasp" a transmission issue on a Honda??? Wow how could that be.

http://www.edmunds.com/honda/odyssey/2002/consumerreview.html

Answer 5

To be honest... our 97 Chrysler Van is the WORST car we have ever owned. All of those problems you have listed it's had. We've had problems with doorlocks, brakes, air conditioning and heating, transmission, and the engine overheated 7 times! It only has about 90,000 miles on it too, which is pretty low for a car of it's age. I've been shocked by all the problems! Especially since we take good care of our cars. Consumer Reports is definitely right! I am never buying a Chrysler or American Made car again! They clearly have fallen behind foreign competition. I'm really not surprised people aren't buying they're cars and they are in trouble.

The mechanic we've been going to for a long time was so embarrassed about the overheating that he stopped charging us after the 3rd time. He thought it was ridiculous! I asked him about what he thought of American Cars and he said "Oh don't buy them! Compared to Toyota, Honda, and Nissan there's no competition." This come from somebody who owns 2 Chevy trucks and a 94 Chrysler Van. He did say he needs the trucks for plowing around his shop in the winter and keeping the van wouldn't have been economical if he wasn't a mechanic.

Our '02 Toyota Camry, which we've had since new, has had no problems at all. We've only done basic maintenance and it's been completely fine.

Answer 6

I used to have a Dodge Dakota pickup. It's the only vehicle I've ever had that left me on the side of the road TWICE. I too knew that Chrysler vehicles tended to rank towards the bottom of the reliability scale. Why did I buy it? It was cheap -- I set out to get a used Toyota Tacoma, but they were thousands more than the green Dakota on the dealer's lot. Since I wasn't planning on driving it that much, I figured what the heck.

Chrysler products do tend to sell for considerably less than comparable vehicles from (as you pointed out) Honda and Toyota. That factors in. Others thought they were "buying American" when they bought a Chrysler product (even though it was, until recently, a German product). Still others are captured by the styling, or the comfort (Chrysler's sedans are often much larger than anything from Honda or Toyota). Perhaps they are NASCAR fans. And finally there is performance: The Neon was a complete POS, but it was cheap and fast. Its replacement, the Caliber, is even faster.

And finally there is brand loyalty: If the only brand you've ever owned was Chrysler, you might tend to accept the flaws and instead trumpet the qualities. After all, one of the worst products sold in America has THE highest brand loyalty: Harley Davidson.

People are not rational.

Answer 7

The vehicle speed sensors are located on the output shaft of the transfer case and another on the output shaft of the transmission.. There are 3 for the ABS. One is on the differential, the others are on each front hub. An inoperative VSS will cause shifting problems as the computer doesn't know how fast you are going. I would first try disconnecting the sensors and cleaning the connections first. If cleaning solves the problem, or if you have to replace the sensors, be sure to coat the connections with dielectric grease to keep out moisture.

Answer 8

I had a 1990 Dodge Shadow that I just got rid of last year. It was the best car I've ever had. I never had to do anything to it except regular maintenance which I did keep up on. It did finally start using alittle more oil than usual and started getting rattles and was a bumpy ride but after 16 years you can expect that. The only complaint I had with it was the paint job. It started chipping before my warranty was up and Dodge didn't cover it but thay should have. They recalled some of the cars but not my year. It was due to bad primer.

Answer 9

I work for Chrysler and have owned a lot of Chrysler vehicles and never had any problems with them.I had a Dodge Ram go 180,000 miles and another Ram with a diesel go 400,000.I own a Ram,Durango and Jeep now and they have been trouble free,but I do change oil regularly and when a problem arises I take care of it right away.People tend to exaggerate when they have a problem with a vehicle,my brother- in-law has a Jeep Grand Cherokee and said there was a problem with the trans.I drove it for a week and never had any problems with it,he still has it and it has 160,000 on it and still runs great.

Answer 10

Then you have never owned a FORD, home of the 60,000 mile trany failure. the 8 foot long poerstering hose and 3 timing chains on a 4 liter motor (1 of which is a constant problem)

My father was a Ford man until 1989 bought only new Fords. After the Taurus he went Saturn and Toyota and Honda.

Back in the mid 60's and early 70's MOPARS were great. it all went south with Lee Iacoca.