Minivan Automatic Doors

[KennethBrown]

Don't know anything at all about the auto doors but will contribute. We had a 99 Montana with over 125000 on it when traded in. No trouble at all in its life. They are prone to blow an intake gasket on the V6 motor but we never had that problem.

 

[KubotaSteve]

I remember the thread you are talking about, but I think it was just a regular sliding door and not one of the automatic doors. Now that you mentioned it, you got me curious how she was doing. I did a search and it was GerardC and the link is http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/57674-my-wife-got-hurt.html?highlight=finger+door

Someone refresh my memory. Awhile back one of our members started a thread after his wife let her hand slip off the sliding door as she was closing it and it cut off a finger. Who was it? Or where is that thread? I know she had quite a rough time and I'm wondering whether it finally healed OK.

 

[Bird]

Thanks, Steve. I didn't see your post quite in time, so I also searched and found the thread and even though it's a couple of years old, I posted a question to Gerard to ask how she's doing. But it appears that he hasn't posted anything on TBN since July, so I don't know that he'll see it. That lady sure had a rough time.

 

[NSTractor guy]

From what I have read about these vans, this is a common complaint. Otherwise I like the van, but has a lot of gadgets, like I said great when they are working, painful when they aren't. Mine is a 2003 with only 61,000 kms, so time will tell.

Good luck.
NSTRactor Guy

That's exactly my feelings, I'd like to have the most stripped down version possible of any car I own. When you buy used though, you don't get to make those kinds of choices.

I was wondering if those doors are prone to breaking. Can you use the doors at all if the auto open/close motor breaks? Is there some kind of disconnect?

I guess it's along the lines of automatic windows. They are great to have, and rarely break (at least in my experience), but when they do break, you have to take apart the door and replace plastic gears to fix them, and you can't open/close the window once they break.

 

[GeaugaDeere]

My wife and I are on our 3rd Chrysler Minivan (99 Plymouth Grand Voyager, 02 Grand Caravan, 06 Grand Caravan), with the last two having the power sliders and the latest also having the power liftgate. We have not had one problem with the power sliders or the power lift gate. My folks have an 06 Dodge GC as does my sister, and these vehicles have performed flawlessly for the entire family.

If Chrysler could just improve that whole deer collision avoidance thing....our 06 is back in the body shop for a collision with a deer, after hitting one late last winter too.

I am a bit biased though as I do work at one of the Chrysler Plants that stamps out the majority of the body panels for these vans. Our 99 wasn't perfect, there was a loose contact in the one slider that made the vehicle "think" the doors were open. The interior lights would come on and the automatic door locks would start clicking. The dealer figured out the problem after two trips. The only issue I have had with these vans was the lousy brakes. We went through a set on the 99 and 02 in under 20K miles. The 06 has 26k on it, and the brakes are holding up just fine. The new 08's are quite nice, bigger V6 and a (finally) 6sp automatic tranny.