Overview & Reviews
Traction control is a new option, so long as you get LE or ES trim, and an enhanced accident response system will automatically unlock the doors and illuminate the interior when an airbag deploys. Appearance and equipment refinements complete the modest changes to this best-in-class minivan.
- Not the most reliable vehicle on the road.
User Reviews:
Showing 11 through 20 of 24.00-
Unsatisfied American/now going foreign - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By foreigner now - March 3 - 2:00 am7yrs old&76,000 miles&its shot. warranty expired, various items going wrong,Cupholders frontpanel busted, electricalproblems,the service engine light keeps going on(which they kept telling me nothingwas wrong but a short circuit in thecomputer, which was never fixed),several oil leaks later(valve covergaskets replaced twice), struts&linkage needs to be replaced,now problems with more oil leaking &overheating only to find out that the head gasket is bad and needs to be replaced amongst other things. Whats the trade-in-value now.NOTHING. I guess I will just have to donate it for a tax deduction. NO more dodges for me. It will now be foreign all the way.
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No Mo Dodges - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By No-Mo Dodges - January 2 - 2:00 amOK ride. Styling has gotten a little long in the tooth. Some electrical problems have arisen as was the case with friends who own the same style/make vehicle.
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97 Dodge Caravan - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By cnoyes - November 12 - 2:00 amThis has been an excellent vehicle for us!
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Dodge sucks... - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By G-manxwa - September 23 - 2:00 amThis is my first American vehicle...and it will be the lost one too. Got patriotic and bought this, but it hurt me more than anything. It is not reliable at all. I had to change the serpentine belt atleast 3 times (after it givingup in the middle of the road during our road trip), had to change power steering pump (during our roadtrip), had to change waterpump twice and now the dealer wants me to spend another $1000 dollars to check the service engine soon alarm light. It is about time to take the loss and dump this junk. You may save a couple of thousand dollars when you buy new...but you wont be able to get the peace of mind while driving.
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Disappointed - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By Disappointed in SD - July 3 - 2:00 amWithin 2 years things just started to go wrong: wind noise in the drivers side, which after many attempts it is still not fixed. The wipers go on without anyone touching anything (like there is a ghost). Same thing with the cruise control. The latest is a gas leakeage in the a/c system that will cost $1,200 to fix. Its been one problem after the other. I will never again purchase a Dodge product. To add insult to injury even though I had tried to get the wind noise repaired at the dealer many times during the warranty period and they were not able to fix it, once the warranty expired Dodge pretty much said it was out of their hands!
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never another dodge - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By jools - January 22 - 2:00 amI bought the van new. It has 60k miles now. It has had persistant electrical problems, brake problems, stalling problems, air conditioning problems, and now two valves are cracked (I dont know what these are but they cost 255.00 each to replace. And the water pump is cracked and needs replaced (so Im told) Its trade in value stinks too.
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Never Again - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By Sad and Soaked - January 17 - 2:00 amAt 100,000 miles, I am replacing the front struts, the links and bushings to the front swaybar, and valve cover gaskets. There is also an as yet undiagnosed problem with an electronic control. Not to mention the three recalls we have had. My first Caravan was a lemon, and I was able to get this Caravan instead. At least we had a few decent years before it started to fall apart. I may not make the repairs, but just get a new van. Not a Dodge.
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Decent - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By chatty70 - December 24 - 2:00 amSince this was my first American make,I was sceptical. It turned out great. I have the 2.4L engine that pumps out 150 HP. Thats the same as the 3.0L engine. I travel from East to West and vice- versa on I-70 without any problems. Cant understand why u ppl need gas guzzlers!!
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Some Design Problems - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By Dan O. - November 3 - 2:00 amThe front strut bearings went at 95 000 miles to the tune of $1000. Now the spare tire assembly has corroded so badly it needs replacing at $300. I can smell oil in the heating air and yes the wipes do come on without requesting. Chrysler is not a fun company do deal with, good thing the product is so affordable.
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cant complain - 1997 Dodge Caravan
By whitewiz - September 25 - 2:00 ami bought this van about 160kkms and it is now 230kkms. Things broken transmission, rad, a/c, computer. Really the transmission went because the tranny cooler in the rad got a pinhole and sent prestone into the transmission. Not a good design on Chryslers part. I would recomend an external cooler and bypass the rad cooler to anyone who owns one of these. i got my cooler off a junked ford tempo, $10. There is a known problem in the computer on this year it makes the check engine light come on and an the van idles rough. The windshield wipers come on by themselves once in a while, this is a known problem with the wiper switch.
