A few weeks ago we noticed an odd smell whenever we turned on the A/C in the van. It went away after a few days and we thought that was the end of it. Shortly after that the combo of lights for the ABS, traction control, brakes, etc all came on and kept coming on for a few more days until they too finally went away.

Two days ago the air conditioner was blowing in the back upon starting the van, but the front wouldn't come on at all. Eventually it did turn on, but ran randomly until it stopped again. This morning as I was coming out of work I hit the unlock button on my fob and the horn started honking, the wipers went crazy, and wiper fluid was squirting in the front and back. I got in the van and turned it on and everything quit. I work nights so I drove home and went to bed.

I got up this afternoon and jumped in the van to run some errands. The check engine light was on this time so I figured I'd get it checked while I was out. Everything was fine at first. 10 minutes later I was parked with the van still running when the horn, wipers, and fluid started going by itself again. I turned the van off and it still was running. I had to take the fuses out to stop the fluid, wipers, and horn... but I could still hear things clicking on and off in the box.

This time the headlights as well as interior lights were going off and on and the locks were locking themselves. I drove to AutoZone and it gave 2 codes. It showed P0883 (TCM power input high) and P0685 (ASD relay circuit failure). After researching a bit online I'm concerned it's the TIPM that will need replaced. I've had so many problems with this van in the last year and I hate having to throw another large amount at it to get it fixed.

I have had SO MANY problems over the past few months with my van. I will list them ALL separately but this one has been coming and going for several months. I thought I was crazy when everything went off in my van at once...including the horn. Tonight my family and I were taking my mom-in-law out to dinner (ONLY mode of transportation for a family of 6...7 including her) EVERYTHING went off in my van! I turned it off and on again but 1 light stayed the entire time. Everything kept lighting up on my dash but I couldn't see to change into drive, I couldn't tell that I have gas, my mileage was gone, and all warning lights were on as well. My wipers started going off, my horn beeped, and my interior lights would NOT come on (this was at night...not helpful to see at all)

I had already brought this to the dealerships attention while spending more than 3K on other issues...however the only info I got was that it may be the TIPM, which costs a ton of money to fix. They also told me that they had seen it before and they weren't sure why it wasn't recalled yet. I was also advised NOT to drive the van if I continued to have the problem...which is really hard seeing that it is the ONLY vehicle I have for me and my 4 kids. I really do NOT have the money to have this fixed seeing that I just spent more than 3K on other issues that my dealership also said should be on the recall list...ex: brakes, and front in issues out of my control!

I'm going to take it to the dealership in the am...however, I'm really scared of the cost b/c I don't have CC or the extra income to keep putting into this vehicle. My parents also own a newer one of these...they are currently trying to get rid of it...my brother and his family had so many problems with the one they had (same yr as mine) they traded it in and took a loss on it to buy another NON Chrysler vehicle!!

Why is it that the Government got involved to begin with when it comes to Chrysler? Raises some red flags to me...I am currently working on a letter to EVERYONE I can think of, including my local Congressman...someone needs to stop companies like this from taking from the hard working American...my husband is a Police Officer and I stay at home with my kids b/c childcare is CRAZY expensive!! It is sad that all of our money has to go to transportation that doesn't even transport...super disappointed!! I need a CAR!!

Update from Apr 19, 2015: I also forgot to add that I was advised to purchase a new key fob (almost $200) and then when it happened again I was told to purchase a new battery...the very next day my car would not unlock and then the car would NOT turn over. This actually happened several times...each time I was told to pay for something else...never once was I told about the TIPM until a few weeks ago..instead I shelled out tons of money on things that probably didn't need replacing!!

Has happened multiple times with this van. Horn blaring, windshield wipers and not being able to turn the car off. My engine has shut down once both kids were in the car with me.

I filed a complaint to Chrysler since I now refuse to drive it. I have to pay $115 for the diagnostics even though through research both my husband and I know that it is the TIPM module.

I am not sure what caused the engine to shut off and if that is entirely something different. Chrysler did say that they will cover the costs "if" they find anything. I did hear however the part isn't even available. I am tired of just leaving this van in the driveway because of my fears with it. I hope they are able to find something next week. I have a feeling from what I have read from others that they are pretty much pretending this problem doesn't exist.

WELL, GOING FINE TAKING MY FAMILY OUT TO EAT ON A FRIDAY NIGHT AND THE THING CRAPPED OUT ON US LEAVING US STUCK AT THE LOCAL DINER. CAME BACK THE NEXT MORNING AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP. GOT IT HOME AND SHUT IT DOWN AND IT DIDN'T START BACK UP AGAIN. 3 WEEKS LATER MY COUSIN, WHO IS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM ON HIS OFF TIME AND WHILE LOADING IT UP ON THE TRAILER TO GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WE DECIDE TO TRY IT AGAIN. LOW AN BEHOLD, IT FIRES RIGHT UP AGAIN. NOW HOPING THAT THE TIPM IS REALLY THE ISSUE.

NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER DODGE PRODUCTS UNTIL NOW AND I OWNED A FEW.

Update from Jan 28, 2015: WELL REPLACED THE TIPM FOR A COST OF LITTLE OVER $500 AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND STARTED IT ABOUT 20 TIMES IN ROW JUST TO MAKE SURE TO MYSELF EVERYTHING WAS OK.. SO FAR SO GOOD.

As everyone else states. The van horns, lights, wipers going crazy. Washer solvent squirting everytime I shifted from park to reverse to neutral to drive. Initially problem occurred when my wife was unlocking the van with the key remote. Was very foggy I think the temperature was about 43 degrees Fahrenheit. I remember because if it was colder I would be getting ready for snow removal. I think moisture has something to do with this. I had to remove the negative battery cable repeatedly within twenty minutes until it seemed I solved the issue. I was wrong same problem happened two weeks later. Called Chrysler customers "who cares" hotline. Nobody knows what the tipm is until I mentioned it was the national recall pertaining to the newer model years. I was told that my van would have to be diagnosed by the dealer. Even after a detailed description of the problems are identical to the hundreds of other vehicle complaints that were diagnosed as the tipm. Not the first time a big car company hid things until forced to come clean. Too bad when the lawyers get done there won't be a company. Should of come clean when you had the chance Mr. One percenters.

The biggest problem I have with this whole situation is Chrysler's lack of concern over the safety issue. When the windshield fluid starts spewing and the wipers don't work you cannot see where you are going. At night the lights turn off so you cannot see. They offer to fix it at a cost of approximately $2000.00 but this is not the owner's fault, it is a defect and they even admit it (service guy says they are notorious for allowing moisture in and causing the fault(s). We cannot drive this vehicle which means we are inconvenienced, not to mention the fact we are making payments and paying for insurance on a vehicle we cannot even use. It has been a problem over a year and only 3 months ago they figured out what it was and said it would be a month for the part to arrive; we have now been waiting 3 months and they say they don't know when it will show up. Ridiculous! I think it is time to get a lawyer and look for recourse.

Update from Dec 25, 2014: Amendment: Not only are we paying for a vehicle we cannot use but it has affected job opportunities associated with it. Originally bought as a work vehicle, we cannot use it as such and it has prevented us from using it again.

Update from Jan 11, 2015: Update: problem is fixed but there were problems getting to this point. Dealer ordered the part after finally diagnosing it was the TIPM at fault. This was in September; said it would take approximately 30 days. After a month they said it will be another month. After 6 weeks they said another month, this is when we started asking why this was taking so long and threatened legal options. Two weeks later we got another call from the local dealer asking if we would be ok with a used part since they could not find a new one; are they serious? Why would we want to replace a flawed part with another? Told them a flat out no. Three weeks later and they email and say the new part has arrived; imagine that. When asked why after we threatened that they magically get the part and they say they were trying to order the wrong part. This does not sit very well with us as we have been waiting so long and we didn't need to at all. I wanted to be sure that it wasn't a used part they received in and went down to look to make sure and it was a new one. Told the dealer we will let them know when and if we want them to install it. Couple days later we get a call from Chrysler Canada (not the dealer) and they asked us when they should book the van in for the repair to take place. This just floored me; we wait for damn near 4 months and get nothing out of them and now they are pushing us to get our car fixed at their shop? If it were not for the fact we need the vehicle and they are the only dealer within 200km's I would have told them to keep the damn part and we would go elsewhere. Anyway, after talking to the service person who talked to her manager we were able to get a reimburse on the attempt to fix it the first time and get a discount on both service and part to get it fixed. They replaced the part and when we got the vehicle back the service air bag light was lit and the vehicle didn't start properly so we had to leave it for yet another day so they could correct the problems. Have the van now and it seems ok; will take out today for a test drive to make sure... but first have to fix the coolant leak in the heater hose which mysteriously started after it's first visit (they want 600.00 to repair).

Update from Mar 19, 2016: Update to this issue... my windshield washer pump failed due to corrosion which was caused by the pump running dry because of the TIPM causing it to run continuously. It had melted the rubber protective housing right off it. This in itself could have caused a fire but luckily did not. Again had to replace a part that I most likely would not have needed to had I not had the TIPM issue. Another 100.00 gone.

This has been an issue with many Chrysler/Dodge vehicles. There are class action law suits and as far as I know not yet in Ohio. This is CRAP. This has happened to my van for the past few months, and as a single mom who transport children daily is a TOTAL SAFETY HAZARD. This is BS and now my van is ONCE AGAIN inoperable sitting at the repair shop. I will have to replace the TIPM which is ridiculous. There should be a recall on all of the TIPMs. UGGGHHHHHHHH. I will not stop until something is done.

I have had problem after problem with this car, the TIPM being the latest. My front wipers wouldn't shut off, the turn signal didn't work (huge potential safety issue), no high beams and no rear wiper or washer fluid (front or back). When my garage went to fix it they found the part was on national back order. In a last ditch effort to do something so that my car was drivable, they disconnected the battery for 7 minutes, plugged it back in and all was good. Glad there was a short term fix but really sick of high priced repairs on this car...NEVER BUYING A CHRYSLER AGAIN!!!!

Twice during 2013, I had an issue with my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. With no warning and no apparent triggering mechanism, the van’s horn would begin a constant blaring and the front and rear windshield wipers would go back and forth. When this happened, the transmission would not downshift. The incidents lasted only a couple of minutes each time. Both times, I took the van to the local Chrysler service center and was told that they could not address the problem because they could not replicate the issue.

On January 27, 2014, after remotely opening the sliding door but before starting the car (I was still in the house), the minivan’s horn began a constant blaring, and the front and back windshield wipers came on. After a few minutes when it became apparent it would not stop on its own this time, I disconnected the battery terminals, but nothing changed. After 30 minutes, I drove the van to the local Chrysler service center. During the 15 minute drive, the car would not downshift at all. When I arrived at the service center, the mechanic disconnected the fuse (or possibly the TIPM) to stop the car’s horn and wipers.

After a mechanic inspected the minivan, the service manager informed me that the TIPM was bad and would have to be replaced. I paid the entire cost of $818.00 ($610.00 for the TIPM and $208.00 for labor).

one day after initial incident..... start car in parking lot, start backing up. the car stops, everyone is jerked forward, and the horn starts blaring/wipers go crazy, fluid spewing everywhere. at first we thought i had hit someone... but nope. put the car into drive- no power steering- and pulled back into parking space. tried to turn car off. it continued to run with key out of ignition. after 15 minutes of it going crazy some people came over and helped us disconnect the battery. after about a minute it finally died. i met a couple in the parking lot that asked if it was a 2008. it was, and they told me about their horror story with their van. and how they had a lawyer that filed lemon law on it. i was thrilled. after about 10 minutes we connected the battery and the van continued to go crazy. finally we decided to just drive home. it was 9:30 at night. drove home with horn blarring, wipers going crazy, no transmission shifting and flluid spewing. just waiting for the power steering to go out and have very little control of vehicle. got home and van contined going crazy until hubby disconnected battery again. looked online and find out this is an ongoing problem with 2008 dodge/chrysler vans. the TIPM goes bad and the car goes crazy. this is going to cause someone to get into a seriuos wreck and kill someone. VERY unsafe!! there needs to be a recall, but dodge is having problems getting the part.... ridiculous!!! the dealership i took it to told me they had 2 2008 vans in the "back" waiting for this part. they have been sitting there for over 2 weeks and noone knows when they will get the part. so what happens?? the stupid people trade in the van and buy another one from the dealership that sold them a lemon to begin with!! convient. maybe thats why these are the most "popular" van on the road? makiing sure they get repeat business. well i'll never buy another dodge/chrysler again and im definately not going to get bullied into being a repeat buyer!!!!!!!!