IN AUGUST OF 2000 MY WIFE AND I TOOK A TRIP UTILIZING THIS VAN TO PULL OUR TRAVEL TRAILER OUT TO THE EAST COAST, (MAINE). PRIOR TO DEPARTURE ALL FLUID LEVELS WHERE CHECKED AND ADJUSTED. WHEN STOPPING FOR FUEL IN VERMONT I NOTICED (SMELLED) THE ODOR OF HOT GEAR GREASE. UPON INSPECTION I DISCOVERED THAT OIL WAS BEING BLOWN OUT PAST THE PINION SEAL. I PROCEEDED TO REFILL THE DIFFERENTIAL AND CONTINUED ON OUR TRIP CHECKING THE FLUID PRIOR TO EACH LEG OF OUR TRIP. UPON ARRIVING HOME FROM OUR TRIP I PURCHASED A NEW SEAL FROM OUR LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER AND REPLACED LEAKING PINION SEAL. THIS VEHICLE (AND THE TRAILER THAT IT TOWS) ARE STORED INSIDE ALL WINTER. IN GETTING THE VEHICLE READY FOR A TRIP IN MAY OF 2002 I OBSERVED THAT THE ABS LIGHT WAS ON AND IN DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM WITH THE ABS SYSTEM IDENTIFIED THAT THE PINION SEAL IS LEAKING GEAR OIL AGAIN. THE ABS SENSOR ON THE DIFFERENTIAL HAD FAILED, I BELIEVE, FROM THE EXCESSIVE HEAT OF THE REAR AXEL. IN RESEARCHING WHAT THE CAUSE OF THE PINION SEAL COULD BE I HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT CHRYSLER OR ITS SUBCONTRACTOR DURING THE MANUFACTURING OF THE AXEL HOUSING FAILED TO PLACE A VENT IN EITHER THE AXEL TUBE OR THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING ALLOWING THE PRESSURE FROM THE HOT OIL TO PUSH THE OIL OUT OF THE HOUSING PAST THE PINION SEAL. IN TALKING TO OTHER DODGE OWNERS I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL FILL PLUG (PLASTIC) BEING BLOWN OUT FROM THE PRESSURE THEREBY ALLOWING THE OIL TO LEAK. I SUSPECT THAT THE WAY THE DI
1995 Dodge Wagon
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the seats › front assembly › recliner. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Driveline › Differential Unit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsSEAT LATCH FAILED CAUSING THE FRONT DRIVER SEAT BACK TO BREAK. NLM
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.