Okay I am going to start from scratch about the whole story so here it goes. I bought this van (used) on 8/10/2018 at a GM dealership even though it is a Dodge Caravan, and 5 days later I was about to go to the County Fair, and it would not start with one attempt, At first I didn't think anything of it and was not worried about it at the time so I let it go. Around Labor Day, it wouldn't start after 2 attempts, so the next day I went to the dealership and told them what was going on a lady, who works in the service dept. started it herself and it stared right up and she did it several times. Then the following Friday before I was going to leave to go to my cabin, which is 2.5 hours away it would not start after 2 attempts. so when I got it started then I drove it down to the dealership and the same gal started it and it started every time. I am glad that it started that weekend because my cabin is out in the wilderness. The following Monday I scheduled an appointment at the dealership and same gal set up the appointment, which took about an hour or so. Then the gal went into the lounge where I was sitting and told me they did a diagnostic check on the van and found nothing wrong. I was shocked to find out that nothing was wrong with the vehicle and why would it not start. So about maybe a week later it failed to start so I was sure it was the starter. That same gal would start it numerous times and says it starts well. So I went to the Chrysler Dealership and I would explain everything when I turn the key all you hear is the starter grind for about a second. About 2 weeks later I had problems starting and went to the GM dealership and the gal would refuse to schedule an appointment to have a new starter put in. I just gave her a funny look and walked away. Next day I went to the GM with my father, who is also a retired police officer, talked with her and she was still reluctant, so father and I went to the Chrysler dealership, and we scheduled an appointment to have a new starter installed. I did have an insurance policy on the van for repairs, and all I had to pay was the deductible, which was about $250. From November till about April it started beautifully and we even had weather where it was 40 below zero with a 60 below zero windchill. The second week of April it would not start so I took it back to the Chrysler dealership and it started great. then about every other week it would fail to start. The service tech finds it hard to believe that it is the starter, and I am inclined to find it hard to believe that the starter is less then a year old. Today (7/5/2019) it would not start in the parking lot at the apartment where my father lives and he tried to tinker with it and it would not start after trying both key fobs. So I called a local tow truck, and he tried to start it and it started right up. I am still going to have it looked at anyway since my father suggested it. It get annoying when it does fail to start at the oddest times.

This has been going on for few years but annoying is ignition never turns OFF so every morning we can not start the van. Replaced batteries 7 times in past one /half years. Normal to turn key off and ignition is off BUT I found out I can get in car and put the windows down ?

Past 2 weeks have had to disconnect the battery at night to reconnect it and go to work.

Latest information " take to Dodge On North lake Blvd Napleton Dodge Dear ship in Palm beach Gardens"

In March 2018 they said "starter problem was the Alternator " we replaced the Alternator for the cost of $ 2,065.26 that did nothing in way of any repair Van still does same thing it has always done DOES NOT START in the morning. Returned to Dodge shop did a diagnostics test 360.00 said they never found any thing wrong ?? went to pick it up WOULD NOT START ?? left it got a rental going back to day to get it they have not done a thing any more charges we are senior trying to help daughter their is no money to give when they never fixed it. (11/14/18 ) today.

All the charges for batteries plus Van has tires to replace every year (eats tires) bad. need to have Van replaced will dodge company trade for another vehicle?

I recognized there was an issue when I couldn't unlock the car with the Key Fob. I assumed the battery was dead, so I replaced the battery, but was surprised when the van still did not open. Using the emergency key embedded in the keyfob, I unlocked the car and inserted the key fob into the ignition module... and upon turning the key, nothing happened. One light displayed on the panel, but nothing else. The engine didn't even attempt to start. The accessories did not get power, with the exception of the lighter plug, which had full power. When I attempted to remove the key from the ignition, I realized that the ignition module would not release the key. Additionally, thinking maybe the van wasn't properly in gear, I attempted to shift the gears from Park to Neutral and back, but was unable to shift gears. The van was effectively a brick in my driveway, which was bizarre as it worked perfectly the day before.

Since I couldn't start the car, I had to have it towed to the dealership! Once there, I was told that it looked like it was the WINS module, it would need to be replaced. There was a recall on the 2007-2010 WINS modules, but not 2011 so I wasn't covered. At the end of the day, I had to deal with towing the van, being without the car for a few days, and a bill for $1000 CAD ($800 USD).

It is ridiculous that something like this can cause a catastrophic failure of the car, and when the van only has 65,000 KM of use. They should repair this type of issue for no, or little cost, as it does not seem to be related to wear and tear in the slightest and apparently is an issue. I was told by the dealership that it is not that uncommon, and this method of ignition was problematic overall. Very frustrating experience!

I have a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan that was having issues starting. It starts fine for days (or even weeks) at a time and suddenly, without warning will not start in one of two ways. In the first instance the key will just click and the van will not attempt to turn over (starter). In the second instance it will attempt to start and consistently crank and rev but not catch (like a fuel pump). When the engine will not start it is about 90% acting like the starter and 10% acting like the fuel pump.

I brought the van to Speedway Dodge in Lansing, KS and told them all of the symptoms and that I assumed it was an electrical issue due to the different symptoms. They evaluated the van and told me it was the starter and would cost $800+ to repair. I assumed that they knew what they were talking about and so I approved the repair. Within a week the starting issue was happening again. I then started researching this online and have come to find that this is a MASSIVE issue in the Grand Caravan and other Dodge Vehicles like the Durango and there is no real fix out there.

So I now have a van that is supposed to be reliable for my family and we can't trust it enough to actually use it. There is obviously a massive issue here with a LARGE number Dodge vehicles. I also paid a dealer $800 for a part and labor that I did not need after I explained the issue in great detail.

I know that vehicles break down and I understand that. I just need a way to repair the vehicle so that it can be trustworthy again and not leave my family stranded. I can't even sell or trade this van as it is not repairable at this point. (Yes, I tried the fuel pump bypass route. It seems to have worked for that but the starter issue is still there for sure)

This 2011 Grand Caravan has had a problem a start up for approximately 2 years. Randomly we turn the ignition key and there is no response other than a single dash light that looks like a red lightning bolt at the center of the warning light array lighting up. After several minutes and multiple tries of doing the exact same thing (all with no engine or starter noise) it starts as if nothing ever was wrong, only to do it again any where from the next time we try to start it, to waiting a month. Very random. Very annoying.

This is the second time within a month. The first time we took it to the dealer and they seemed clueless.

Previously we had problems with the power windows operating w/o our intervention (spooky). The dealer couldn't find anything wrong then either.

Looking elsewhere on the web, there are lots of reports of similar problems that trace back to the TIPM and specifically the fuel pump relay.

However, our dealer deems unaware of the possible repairs. So we have a car used to transport two toddlers, and it is still >100oF in Phoenix.