Dear Dodge Minivan Manufacturers,
I’ve been a loyal Dodge Grand Caravan owner for almost two decades. I bought my first one way back in 1992, back when minivans where just starting to come into popularity. I had to give up my beloved Chevrolet Nova because I couldn’t squeeze three infants with their mammoth car seats into it anymore. *sob*
The minivan was OK. I won’t grumble about the transmission that we had to replace after only 32,000 miles (we’ve had to replace the transmission for every van, by the way). I won’t grumble about that creepy “auto-lock” mechanism that locks passengers into the vehicle when we reach 15 mph (I always immediately unlock after it happens). And I won’t grumble about the extremely expensive replacement parts. I mean, $100+ for a pair of windshield wipers… wow. And I’ll not grumble about my van declared as “totalled” the time I ran a red light at 35mph (I didn’t see the light, HONEST!) and smashed into an SUV and my van was declared JUNKED because it was told us the van had a cracked frame, even though the only visible damage was a bent fender- I mean, 35mph and it gets a cracked frame?! Not to mention that it seemed all the motorcycle accident attorneys or some such guys came outta the woodwork to see the wreck… …well, I’ll try not to grumble.
ANYWAY, since 1992, I have owned 4 Grand Caravans, driven them into the ground.
But Dodge Dudes, there is ONE thing I just CANNOT handle anymore.
Your stinking car doors STILL freeze up every winter! EVERY. WINTER. It’s driving me CRAZY!!!
When the weather drops below freezing (which here in NY that happens 3/4 of the year), the sliding doors freeze shut. The ONLY way to wrest them open is to open the driver’s door, clamber over the driver’s seat across the steering wheel, fumble into the back/center of the van on top of the center seats, grab the interior door handle to the sliding door, and KICK THE DANG DOOR again and again, from the INSIDE of the vehicle, until the ice breaks. I am writing about this very, very calmly and mildly, but if you could only see my face as I type this… I look…. pretty mad.
Here, I took photos. This is the door I finally managed to get open. This is the area that freezes shut just about every time I want to open the doors to your Caravans. Oh, and this happens with BOTH sliding doors.
See? See that arrow? It points to the hinge that gets coated with a thick layer of ice.
Please fix this. It’s a severe defect. For pete’s sake- you Dodge guys are from CANADA. You’d think you’d know about this already. FIX IT. PLEASE. FOR THE SAKE OF THE SANITY OF MOTHERS EVERYWHERE.
Sincerely,
the Freaky Frugalite
18. January 2009 at 9:29 pm
Oddly, that reminds me of a story involving my wife. She needs a new car, so we were out looking at vehicles this weekend. We found a Chrysler Pacifica that suits her needs perfectly. It was fun to drive, had plenty of power and felt very “solid.”
“We need to keep looking,” she said.
“Why?”
“This is American. God only knows what’s wrong with it that we can’t see.”
Wise woman, my wife.
19. January 2009 at 1:30 pm
First, my most favorite ALL around vehicle was my 2003 (?) Dodge Caravan. I absolutely loved that thing. It actually saved me from I don’t know how many wrecks (we live in the middle of many highways - folks don’t drive well). The maneuverability… everything! Great van.
But, um… I’m in California. We don’t reach freeze temps here. I’m really surprised they haven’t fixed that yet! Seems dangerous to me!
Great post, now if they would READ it!!!
;)
Hugs to your chilly van!