Click photo above for larger view
As Jacquot first reported and Dan Edmunds confirmed, the Dodge Grand Caravan (and almost certainly Chrysler Town & Country) is prone to having a warped bumper. It's a phenomenon I've seen on other DGC's as well. We originally thought it happened only when leaving the van in the heat -- which is probably what initially causes the problem -- but now it permanently looks like it does above.
This sort of body panel warping is not only horrible looking and a sign of terrible quality, it makes opening the tailgate rather difficult as the below videos show.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 11,400 miles
This is what happens when you press the power tailgate button on the key fob. The videos were taken on a temperate (ie NOT HOT) day.
Here is a close up of the tailgate fighting with the warped bumper. If you go to close the tailgate using the power function, it'll stop just before it latches shut, confusing the bumper with a baby's finger or something.
If you try to open the tailgate yourself, it looks and feels like the bumper will rip right off. Instead, you have to do this...
Hey moms, how'd you like to do that with a kid and some groceries in arm? Looks fun, eh?
The Caravan is now in service to see if our local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep dealer can fix the bumper warping. Given the commonality of the problem, we really hope Chrysler's come up with a fix by now.
(Videos directed by Mike Magrath, featuring special guest star Kurt Niebuhr as "Aggrivated Caravan Owner #1")
cx7lover says:
09:46 AM, 07/23/08
Dodge Quality is certainly brimming here.
Why should anyone buy this failvan over the Sedona?
lazyhater says:
09:46 AM, 07/23/08
And American car companies wonder why no one want to buy their cars, when they can't even get a piece of plastic right.......
lazyhater says:
09:54 AM, 07/23/08
"Why should anyone buy this failvan over the Sedona?"
Well I do think buying American product is very important for our economy. So anyone who don't mind problem like these should continue to buy from GM/Ford/Dodge.
orangutan says:
10:01 AM, 07/23/08
Phenomenon* :)
phybenz says:
10:03 AM, 07/23/08
You wouldn't mind a problem like this?
After paying over 25,000 dollars this is a problem that people should have to put up with? This is absolutely ridiculous.
James Riswick says:
10:15 AM, 07/23/08
$25,000???
Try $40,200.
m_thrizzle says:
10:19 AM, 07/23/08
Someone please crash this thing to put it, the Edmunds LT staff, and us readers out of our collective misery.
benson2175 says:
10:20 AM, 07/23/08
Fail
cx7lover says:
10:33 AM, 07/23/08
lazyhater
Hyundai/Kia provide Jobs in the US and they built some quality stuff now, so I would buy from them regardless.
lime679 says:
10:36 AM, 07/23/08
Not that I would ever be caught driving a minivan, but I would be pissed if I bought this one and had this issue. It's like what is the point of having a power tailgate if you have to play with the plastic trim while your kids run wild in a parking lot? I'd go with a Sienna Limited if I absolutely had to have a minivan.
wobbly_ears says:
10:38 AM, 07/23/08
Why is it that Asian companies like Honda,Toyota,Hyundai etc can produce better quality minivans than American ones? (You know, since the domestics invented the whole segment)
I really don't feel sorry for folks who bought this grabage. They were willing to spend $40k on a company like Chrysler ignoring better products from other companies. Isn't it common knowledge that Chrysler's build & design quality is at the bottom of the pile? Or, their interiors suck bigger than toys'r'us?
It is because of people like these who are willing to overlook problem after problem that GM/Ford/Chrysler can get away with such low quality products & survive & ask uncle sam for money when in trouble.
Tell me, why I as a taxpayer, should pay to save these companies who can't produce quality & survive in the marketplace?
altimadude00 says:
11:08 AM, 07/23/08
Thats not good for the tailgate motor as well.
dougtheeng says:
11:31 AM, 07/23/08
Is this strip of plastic standard. I seem to remember on Caravan models past, you had to get the 'sport' trim to get this bumper protection.
banhugh says:
11:44 AM, 07/23/08
"Well I do think buying American product is very important for our economy. So anyone who don't mind problem like THESE should continue to buy from GM/Ford/Dodge."
I think that some guy in China is already profiting by producing car magnets with that phrase for Dodge Caravan owners!
zoomzoom22 says:
11:51 AM, 07/23/08
I was driving behind a Grand Caravan yesterday and I noticed the exact same thing. The bumper was warped and it doesn't even get THAT hot here in Colorado (ok, maybe a little hot). Also, the SXT badge had obviously fallen off because I could see the outline of where it used to be. Who would spend that much money on this POS?
subytrojan says:
11:52 AM, 07/23/08
All aboard the F41Lboat!
cah11705 says:
12:08 PM, 07/23/08
i would never understand how anyone could buy this piece of crap
pengwin says:
12:21 PM, 07/23/08
That things sure bobbled a lot when you put your foot on it.
superblahman says:
03:21 PM, 07/23/08
OMG...I had the pleasure of renting a brand new one in Orlando and it was the biggest POS. Only had 100 miles on it so there was no excuse for the squeaks, rattles, and rough transmission shifts. I can't understand why anybody would buy this van when there are superior alternatives from other companies. Even if it was reliable (doubt it), the resale value is terrible. Are people really that stupid??
honorsystem says:
06:39 PM, 07/23/08
I wouldn't be lumping Ford/GM in quite the same ballpark as Dodge-Chrysler. Ford and GM build quality ('08 Focus aside) is looking up with each new model, while Dodge is showing absolutely no hope for improving quality.
And as for Americans failing at minivans, I dont think Ford still sells one (unless one counts the Flex, I don't...) and, IIRC the Chevy Uplander no longer exists.
I would, definitively, buy an Odyssey or Sedona before this, however, as much as I would love to support an American company, this is truly unacceptable.
wobbly_ears says:
08:30 PM, 07/23/08
honorsystem , I agree with you about Ford having stopped making minivans.
But GM still manufactures Uplander. Take a look at the ugly pig interpretation of the Chevy grill on a 2008 Uplander
http://www.chevrolet.com/uplander/
ktwnzsmartguy says:
10:23 PM, 07/23/08
Not even our 2006 Chrysler Town & Country Touring did this. Fortunately, our family will never buy American cars again because of so many problems with out T & C.
cwc1 says:
11:54 AM, 07/26/08
So many people (and too many) just love to hate American badged vehicles. While I agree this is an irritating problem that shouldn't happen and needs to be fixed by the manufacturer, I think if it had occurred on a Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc., it would be more easily forgiven.
Perception often lags behind reality.