Passenger side only blows heat

250

Asked by tokerlund Apr 28, 2013 at 12:37 PM about the 2007 Dodge Caravan SXT FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

We bought a 2011 dodge caravan mainstreet used. Right away we noticed that the passenger side and the rear vents only blow heat. The driver side will blow cool air or AC, but the passenger and rear blow high heat no matter what the setting. We brought it back to the dealer and he said it was the dials that were broken. We believed that because the rear dial just spun freely.

They replaced the whole interface and it worked for a short time. Now the dials all seem to work appropriately, but again the passenger and rear vents blow high heat no matter what the setting. As a result, we either have to turn all the air off or switch every vent off except the driver side when we want AC.

What could be causing this?

190 Answers

there are tons of images of this rather complex "brain" of your HVAC--one or more of these components is at fault---warrants further investigation-

129 people found this helpful.
176,045

It sounds like the heater core bypass door is stuck closed. It should have been repaired on your first trip to the dealer. If it's under warranty, take it back. If you are paying the bill, take it to a independent shop that will fix the cause the first time around.

55 people found this helpful.
250

You all rock! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. The local Dodge Dealership has been shady in the past in some of the dealings we have had with them. I didn't want to take it in to them unless I knew what the problem was. They always try to up-sell or 'suggest' repairs. Our 2011 is under warranty and I think we will take it to the dealer who is just a half hour out of town. Thanks again!

25 people found this helpful.
650

Did you ever figure out what was wrong? My 2011 caravan just started doing the same thing...

65 people found this helpful.
635

Hey Tokerlund, Did you figure out which actuator it was (i.e. drivers zone or mode door)? My 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan is doing exactly the same thing.

57 people found this helpful.
590

Same problem here. Only hot air from the passenger and rear vents. Let me know if you discovered the solution.

59 people found this helpful.

Yep.... same problem... bought the van new and have been dealing with this problem since the beginning. They have replaced front contols x2 and have checked actuators with no success. Now my vans defrost button blinks with no heat for the first 2 minutes and than heat comes on. They are wanting to replace back power control head saying that now that is the problem and that when my van was hooked up to computer they had 3 to 4 different codes.... 3 yrs later I have no faith in finding the problem. I want this to be over... Any suggestions would be great :)

73 people found this helpful.
700

i have a 2012 that just started doing that 2 weeks ago does anyknow what the problem is

70 people found this helpful.
340

Same thing with my 2012....at what point is this a recall? My passenger works, not the rear.

34 people found this helpful.
860

I have the same issue. I first noticed it last spring when I started using the AC. It soon cleared up and just this month I noticed it again. Dealer says it is a known issue, possibly software related. They have been told not to attempt repairs until a solution is found, but simply rotating both temp controls simultaneously from cold to hot and back several times will reset the controls. This is a temporary work around until Chrysler's techs can figure out what's wrong.

86 people found this helpful.
380

I have same problem mentioned it before warranty was up and they did nothing at dealership, no it is out of warranty. I am also wondering how or why this is not a RECALL. I have Dodge Grand Caravan 2012. rear a/c blows HOT only.

38 people found this helpful.
210

No answer just the same problem, no heat from driver's side of 2007 grand caravan....Miki in MN

21 people found this helpful.
470

My 2012 dodge caravan just did the same thing this am!!! I was freezing but the passenger and rear worked just fine!! Is there a recall on this???? There should be!!!!!!

47 people found this helpful.
430

My 1996 dodge grand caravan es does the same thing, blows hot on passenger & cold on drivers & rear, it's pretty sad that the newer vans are experiencing the same problem......it's been a problem since 96.....

20 people found this helpful.
1,530

I am having this same issus:( Last year at this exact time we were driving to Florida. Never noticed the problem at home because we need the heat on but once we got halfway here and tried to turn down the temp the system wouldn't change on the passenger side. 4 days later the battery died and was replaced at the dealers. They said the system was fine and fixed itself after a new battery was put in. The said it was a voltage issue throwing off the system? This year, today, exactly 1 year later it is doing the same thing. Makes the drive unpleasant. I don't suspect the battery, its a year old. I suspect a faulty component that reset itself when the battery was switched last year. I recently had a service where they may have pulled the battery and this faulty component may have failed again. I plan to disconnect the battery when I get where we are going to see if it fixes itself. I will update......

41 people found this helpful.
430

I moved the dual temp control switch sliders back * forth a few times and got heat on both sides to work....most likely temp control unit is wacked?

23 people found this helpful.
1,530

I've been trying that for the past 12 hours. I think all I'm doing is wearing out the knob

19 people found this helpful.
210

Coming down from Canada using heat I had no idea I had a problem in my 2012 Dodge Caravan...Then when I needed the AC suddenly I had cold air as the driver but my passenger was roasted out with hot air blowing .... This sounds like it is something that should be covered by a recall.... as it seems to be a very common fault..My vehicle was only about 5000 miles over the warranty coverage so it is costing me out of my wallet.... Dealer says it was the H-Vac sensors that needed replacing... Hopefully they will last longer than another 50,000 miles.

21 people found this helpful.
1,530

Well, disconnecting the battery didn't help like I hoped it would. I am starting to feel better about the gold warranty I bought, 7yrs, 170kms bumper to bumper. Till now I worried that I wasted my money on iy but something tells me it will pay for itself in the next couple years, especially with a dealer shop rate of 120/hour.

12 people found this helpful.
430

we have the same problem with our 2012 caravan, dealer replaced the control head problem went away for 6 months now it is back

12 people found this helpful.
840

I have a 2014 Grand Caravan that I just noticed had this issue today! It's been cold so I hadn't noticed it. Today it got over 40*F so I turned the dials to cool. Driver's side fine, pass. side still blowing hot. Even w/AC. Funny thing, it didn't have this issue the last time I needed cool (before winter) and the HVAC had a software update in Jan. when it went in for inspection...

54 people found this helpful.
1,530

I just had mine fixed on Friday. They tried flashing it (new software) but ended up replacing the blend door. In Canada it cost me $310 for the complete service. What ticks me off is that the tech. said it was a common problem. If it's common Chrysler should step up and recall them, not leave it to the consumer to fix.

70 people found this helpful.
580

2012 here- same issue. I had repairs done last year under warranty and now the rear, they tell me is the actuator and not related to the original issue. 427$ plus tax. This should be a recall!!!!

17 people found this helpful.
250

I took my 2012 in about 3 months after we got it. It was doing the same thing, hot air in the back and on the passenger side, cool air on drivers side. At that time it was still under warranty and they told me all they needed to do was re calibrate the controls??? Here we are 2 years later and NOT under warranty and it's doing the same stupid thing. Now, they want $585 to fix the air conditioner module!?!?! UGH!!! This will be the last Chrysler that I will ever buy!

14 people found this helpful.
580

It's the actuator - blend door. Call Chrysler and file a complaint. I am.

38 people found this helpful.
840

Mine ended up being the blend door actuator (right side). My garage tried to recalibrate 1st, then removed the actuator to make sure the blend door itself wasn't broken. Luckily it was the actuator, otherwise they'd have to tear the dash apart. Still stinks that 1. This is such a common problem even after all this time (there was another van in for similar, except theirs stayed cold), and 2. Even brand new rigs are having this problem.

26 people found this helpful.
280

I am on my sixth Dodge Caravan and this is the first time I have ever had the problem. I bought this car with 26,000 miles, I now have over 90,000 and it just started. I believe this is not covered on the remaining warranty, but I will check as well as call Chrysler. In the meantime, I will check out the difficulty of replacing the actuator blend door myself. If my van is out of warranty, I fix it because I am quite handy and refuse to pay someone ridiculous wages for something I can do. I will report back with my findings once I have time. I'm not in a great hurry to fix it as it is still heater time here in Michigan.

28 people found this helpful.
350

I had the same problem on my 2011. Drivers side was fine but passengers side stayed hot. I rotated both blender knobs in unison and the passenger side is working now. Is this a user option for re-calibrating without having to go to the dealer?

35 people found this helpful.
700

I had this problem on my 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan a year ago while I was still under warranty. Blend door actuator was replaced on passenger side (front). Now a year later as the weather was getting warmer outside we turned the knob to let cool air in one warm day and only hot is coming in yet again. Bringing it back again tomorrow and I am no longer in the warranty period... tech said if its the same problem as the warranty repair then it should be covered again but I have my doubts... I bet they'll try to blame it on something else even though it's identical to the problem last year. Will report back here afterwards.

10 people found this helpful.
640

My 2011 Dodge Caravan started doing it last weekend, only blowing hot air at passenger side. I believe it is a software bug in the blend door actuator. Chrysler should fix this problem long time ago, I don't know why they cannot do that! For the mean while we tried to calibrate the initial settings by the following steps, it works now. But might need to do it again some time. 1) turn the knobs at both driver and passenger sides to the lowest temperature setting; 2) start the engine; 3) turn both knob simutanieusly up and down slowly for a few times; The passenger blower following the knob setting now. Good luck everyone!

64 people found this helpful.
700

Interesting KelvenCar, I'll have to try that next time if it happens to me again. This is what the dealer did this year to fix the problem (text taken from invoice): "Symptom present at time of inspection. Scanned vehicle no codes present found software update for HVAC performed flash no change in symptom. Isolate root cause to passenger blend air door actuator. Replaced, calbrated and re-tested symptom corrected". So in the end they "reprogrammed MTC module" and replaced "actuator, temperature door" (front passenger). Tech told me that although the software update did not fix the problem, that it may prevent it from happening on the other existing actuators or on this new one in the future. My first visit for this problem was for the front passenger AND rear actuators back in April 2014. Actuators then were replaced under warranty 3yr warranty (warranty ran out end of May 2014). This year around the actuator for passenger side and reprogramming of module was not covered under our warranty since it was finished HOWEVER they did get Dodge to cover it all under "Goodwill" so in the end the whole thing was no charge... I expected to leave their cursing, but instead left feeling quite happy... thats a first for a visit to our local Dodge dealership here in Barrie Canada. Hopefully further visits in the future will work out the same way :) Will be interesting to see if this issue ever happens again..

13 people found this helpful.
70

I am taking my 2014 in next week for the same issue! I just noticed this yesterday since it has been so cold. I am also having an issue that when I push a button for the air to come from one spot it is coming from a different area. It is only 6 months old so will be covered but still a PITA!

5 people found this helpful.
130

I too have been having the problem. The 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan I drive for work was blowing hot air on the passenger side. I mentioned this to a co-worker and they stated their work van was doing the same thing. On my way home, in my own 2014 Grand Caravan, I decided to see if my van was having the same problem....sure enough, it is. I just called today to schedule an appointment for mine. On Monday I will be having my Supervisor make an appointment for the work vans.

13 people found this helpful.
30

My ford flex started doing this anything on a Ford product

3 people found this helpful.
40

Dodge will not recall this problem, despite the number of complaints that exist. I talked to the service manage today and he said that only safety issues are recalled. You're on your own with this issue. In addition, as the issue is so widespread, the part needed to fix the problem is on back order and they have no idea when it will be available to make the repair.

4 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 2008 Ford Taurus thats doing the same thing. Any news about Fords and this problem would be helpful

3 people found this helpful.
430

my 2013 dodge grand caravan started this problem last june 2014 dealer did a" good will" repair and the problem came back last month it was my understanding after the repair that's all the dealer would do at no cost to me. So last week i contact Dodge it self stating the problem pointing out how wide this problem and my next step was to contact the State of Maine, must have rattled someone for the next thing i know i get a phone call from Dodge had a case manager assigned to it was told to call the dealer i did and next thing i am told that the repair was good for 12 months 12000 miles i have appt. tomorrow 4/14/15 will up date after it

8 people found this helpful.
180

Just bought a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan and we had the same problem! I'm glad I went to this site, reading some of the comments and they were useful! We simultaneously moved both dials at the same time and the passenger side finally blew cool air! Saved us time and possibly money. It's a little ridiculous that this is still a problem though

18 people found this helpful.
1,275

FOUND!! I had the same problem on a 2011 Grand Caravan. Passenger side blows only Hot air for the past week. With the help of this forum and judge_roy's picture, Ifound the problem and I have PART of the solution. The problem seems to come from the plastic linkeage that actuates the door. When I removed the actuator motor, I found that it worked fine and that the door was moving freely as well. When I put it back together and cycled it a few times, I realised that the motor does not stop at the exact same spot every time. So, once in a while, the linkage seems to go to far and cannot go back by itself. I wiggled the linkage while the motor was trying to cycle and it worked just fine again. I opened the motor to see what was Inside. It's just an electrical motor and a few gears. So I guess that the computer "decides" how long it has to run to get to the desired position. This is probably where the solution is, but I can't reprogram it of course! First picture: The motor is removed and the door is in the HOT position. Second picture: The motor is on and the door is in COLD position. Next time, I will try a good old kick in that area, see if it helps to move the actuator!

88 people found this helpful.
430

update, after making a stink about the poor quality of dodge product ref. the many other owners have with the A/C to dodge itself i was assign a case manager and the dealer replaced just about everything at no cost!

20 people found this helpful.
40

I bought my 2015 in October. Haven't needed to turn on the AC until now and had the exact same problem. Figured I would look up the issue even though we are well within warranty and wow I can't believe this issue has been going on for some long and hasn't been corrected.

4 people found this helpful.
180

I had the same problem on the Dodge Caravan 2011. I pushed the passenger temperature control knob in, tugged on it a little, turned it back and forth to the extreme hot and cold settings a few times and the problem disappeared. Seems the knob is defective and the setting is not being registered by the computer / hvac system i.e. it's only sending the hot setting to the computer. If it happens again, I'll simply replace the knob. Hope it works out.

7 people found this helpful.
90

Similar problem in my 2013 Caravan Crew. Coming back on the highway (200 km trip) in 11 degC weather (spring's been cold), we tried to use the heat - nada. Figured it might be the coolant was low so I topped it up this morning and was still skunked. The engine coolant temperature alarm also went off after driving only about 3 km. Strange since I made 200 km the night before with an engine coolant temp of about 105 degC. More coolant, and the heater started blowing warm air. Also, engine coolant temp seemed to have lowered. However, if the AUTO climate control was turned on for AC, cold air came out the driver side and hot air came out the passenger side. Since I was looking for heat for the cold spring evenings, I cranked up the heat on the driver side and SYNCed the cabin climate. Fine. Then, I pressed AUTO to let the car decide when to turn up the fan, and the AC indicator went on! No rhyme or reason! An online workaround was to turn off the whole Climate Control system, turn it back on and then set the temperature of each side separately. After many attempts (too many to recount, or find patterns) I can get cold air from both sides, but the steps do not seem consistent - at least not yet. I'm sure following hundreds of trials to obtain comfortable cabin climate, I will have an algorithm to this complex problem - that is: to get cold air from both sides when it's hot, and warm air on both sides when it's cold.

9 people found this helpful.
250

Update: after 3 + months of bickering back and forth with Chrysler's case management department. They have finally agreed to take care of the costs of the repairs needed. It was a very frustrating experience. Many times I was told he'd call on a certain day at a certain time and I wouldn't hear anything back from him. Lots of times I had to leave messages etc... Anyway, after 3+ months of phone tag and bickering, it's getting fixed on Tuesday.

4 people found this helpful.
430

me too after back and forth with case management Chrysler also agree to fix my problem too!

3 people found this helpful.
310

Having problems with my 2012 dodge journey cold air blows on driver side and hot air on the passenger side how do I get this fixed for free.

31 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, the passenger side blow hot air and the rest of the car has ac. I called the dealer who quote repairs of over $500.00, half of that for parts. I promise to trade in the car, maybe I will try a Ford, this is ridiculous

3 people found this helpful.
80

Also have cold drivers side and not hot but not cold from the pass side, on my 2010 Town and Country. I can go full hot on the pass side and it will roast you out of the van. I am a mech and this one stumped me. called some buddies at the dealership I used to work at. One said the expansion valve is the problem, the other said he would check on module updates. Then I ran across this thread. I will be installing a new pass side blend door actuator and making sure the door goes full cold before any other repairs.

8 people found this helpful.
580

So after I replaced my rear blend door actuator (493$ at the dealer) back in February I put my van up for sale. everything else was good, I really just had enough. Prior to transferring to the new owner I called Chrysler to see what was happening with the complaint I filed and was told that it was being reviewed and I was assured that they made notes to indicate that I was the one to be reimbursed should they choose to refund me for the repairs. Low and behold I got a call from the new owners because Chrysler had sent them a letter and a cheque for half the amount I paid. The letter was addressed to them but the cheque had her first name and my last name and my address on it. Nothing ceases to amaze me.

3 people found this helpful.
30

Well folks....it's not just Dodge. Our 05 Silverado Chevy has the same problem. Rotating the driver and passenger temp knows simultaneouslyseems to help. You would think with such flaws someone would design something better...wish I could be that millionaire! This was helpful everyone! As temp were pushing 100 today.

3 people found this helpful.
20

I have 2009 Dodge grand caravan Sxt, as week, driver side and rear vents cool air when Ac on, and passenger side hot air, seems to me either bad knob or bad passenger side door blend actuator, one of those, will wait for firm answer,

2 people found this helpful.
140

These 2 tests usually work; Set controls: Fan->High, Temps->Cold, Vent->Dash. Press and hold; Wash & top Wiper buttons. Release when all lights come on. It will cycle through all modes and finish with the top Wiper light flashing. Press top button to exit test. It doesn't seem to matter where the Temp & Vent are set as it goes through all combinations. Calibrate test: Press and hold; Washer & A/C (Snowflake) buttons. Release when all lights come on. I think this exits when it's finished.

14 people found this helpful.
110

Hi 97AWD_SMV_Soccer_Mom_Van, I trying to complete the steps that you stated above but I'm not sure what you mean with the wash & top Wiper buttons. Are you referring to the washer fluid button? I'm not understanding.

11 people found this helpful.
230

Wow, we have a 2015 grand caravan that started only blowing hot air on the passenger side. The dealer says they replaced the control unit. Well that was a year ago and the problem back. Have an appointment in a week. Great answers here. Thanks everyone. At least i wont be going in to the lions den blind.

3 people found this helpful.
230

Just got a notice for a recall to reprogram the hvac system in my gc. Seemsmthey know something is wrong

4 people found this helpful.
10

2011 Dodge Grand caravan. Ontario Canada. For the fricken third time! I am hating the Chrysler service waiting room! The control panel has been replaced twice. I had the blower fan (for bearing noise) replaced last fall. Now again the passenger and rear is blowing out hot air with the a/c on.

1 people found this helpful.
70

After having it fixed last year and has done it again! So for the 2nd time I will need to take it to be fixed

1 people found this helpful.
180

Folks, try turning the knob to the extreme hot and cold settings a couple of times. I believe it's just the knob not sending the right signal (hot or cold setting) to the computer. This fixed my problem last summer and it cost me $0.00. Hope it works for you.

11 people found this helpful.
1,530

No, it's the blend door. I had it replaced last February and I just noticed now that it is broken again. Turn the knob all you want, it won't fix the issue. I can't believe I'm taking it back in again, less than a year after it was fixed. Thankfully I paid for the Gold warranty and also glad I noticed now, I week before heading south. The air coming out is as halot as ever, no good in Florida

3 people found this helpful.
250

Guess what?? They "fixed" it last June, to the tune of almost $600. Worked fine most of the summer. But, now it's fm doing it again!!! But, now it's a "different" problem. Now they're saying it's the air blend acuator door that isn't working correctly. So now, it's going to cost another $200 to fix it again!!!! Plus the $100 diognostics fee each time ($300 total for that). I put in a call to Chrysler and haven't heard back. This is the stupidest bs I've ever had to deal with before. Talk about taking advantage of customers!!! Again, last Chrysler I'll every purchase! It's rediculous!

7 people found this helpful.
700

12C today in Barrie Ontario (hour North of toronto) so I turned on the vents for some cool air and wouldn't you know it only hot air coming from right side again. Happens every year, 3rd year in a row.... Is there really a recall on this now? If so what is the recal #?

5 people found this helpful.
230

The recall letter is in the van ill get it in a few min and post the info from it

6 people found this helpful.
230

Argh. They kept it when they did the fix again. The recipt says R62 reprogram hvac control module recall Operation 18-R6-21-82 Sorry i dont have the paper. Dodge mailed it to me a couple weeks ago

8 people found this helpful.
700

No problem adamz. Do u have a 2011 Caravan? Canada or US?

5 people found this helpful.
700

I see you have a 2015... but still very curious if the recall you received was in Canada or the US. I am going to call the dealer tomorrow to try to get another "good will" repair on this 10 months after the previous "good will" repair was done... will be interersting to see if that works... The initial repair 2 years ago was an under-warranty repair, which is why, less than a year after that, I was able to get it repaired under "good will".. dunno if they'll do it again though :( But it is definitely the exact same problem!

3 people found this helpful.
70

Mine is a 2014 and is still under warranty. I have not received a recall as of yet. Being the 2nd time is a total pain

1 people found this helpful.
130

Same problem here, 2015 Dodge Caravan SXT Purchased on 4/29/15. just notice the problem 2/6/16. We will be taking this back to the dealer ASAP..

2 people found this helpful.
1,530

Just had it fixed, again. Both times tried reprogramming, then changed the passenger side blend door. 10 months between repairs.

3 people found this helpful.
130

Also, I want to ad.. That I had the same problem with my girlfriends car(back then now wife) 2002 Grand Cherokee Limited. The problem was the actuator as well but no heat coming out of vents.. With the cold weather in Chicago @ that time I had no choice but to get it fix for her.. She did buy the warranty @ the time of purchase, but unfortunately the warranty did not cover that particular problem/part. I end up paying close to $1200 @ the dealer to get it fixed. This is a major problem going on with Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep door actuator. They are faulty parts.. Where is the recall??

1 people found this helpful.
700

Well there might be a recall as mentioned by adamz :) Just gotta find out if he is located in Canada or the US and then perhaps the rest of us can start figuring out the recall #, etc.

290

2015 Dodge Ram Tradesman C/V (2015 was the last year of this model) 2,000 miles, everything re HVAC was working fine, got the mailer from FCA regarding the software HVAC up-date for my model and VIN, got it done last week at the local Dodge Dealership. Results? Now the "blinking rear defrost light" and only hot air from the right side passenger vent regardless of cooling settings, fan only kicks in after about 30 seconds upon start. Dealer re-checked / retested and I'm told a part needs to be ordered. Hey, "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it." Right?

4 people found this helpful.
700

I had that "blinking rear defrost light" one of the two times I brought mine in also... the time it happened I think, if I remember correctly, it happened because they replaced the part but did not reprogram or re-calibrate the HVAC system afterwards... so I had to bring it in again the next day to get that done *sigh*. classicvan: was yours recalled in Canada or the US? Can you provide any recall numbers or anything that might help the rest of us?

1 people found this helpful.
130

Yes, the recall is in United States so far. I just received the recall notice for the hvac blend door recall. It mentions on the letter for the dodge And Town&Country models year 2014-15 Has anyone fixed their van with this recall? If yes, how long is the wait time for repair/replacement? I tried getting info from dealer mechanic and not very helpful.

3 people found this helpful.
290

the Dealer is replacing a part this week on my 2015. I forgot to ask him what the part is. Probably the HVAC control module and then after that we'll see if all is good. I will post the outcome so others can learn from this. Mark has a great picture and I hope the dealer does the requisite correct calibration and does not over-torque the module too tight.

1 people found this helpful.
30

I had this happen to my 2013 grand caravan this week. The receipt says: Actuator 3A012 Updated HVAC module as per tsb 24-001-16 And also installed blend door because of code b11c9-00 Hopefully it's not going to be a reoccurring problem but might be based on what I see on here

3 people found this helpful.
290

Thanks for this information. Like I said before, the dealership ordered a part and maybe the same code came up on my van for the blend door replacement / update as well. When I told the service advisor that everyting was working fine before the HVAC calibration or whatever was done, he said the HVAC was likely to go bad eventually so this is the reason for the manufacturers recall stuff.

2 people found this helpful.
700

I really hope the recall is also in Canada and that it also covers 2011-2013 Caravans (I'd imagine 2011-2015 are all the same...). Called my service advisor at the local Dodge dealership twice yesterday, no answer, so left a VM with a problem description and asked for a call back... still nothing... meh... going to drop by today hopefully to talk face to face... hate trying to get them on the phone.

6 people found this helpful.
130

If anyone needs help & get more info You can either go to fcarecalls.com or call 1-800-853-1403. My recall letter included my vehicle Vin# as well as the recall number which is R62 Like someone motioned before here it is The reprogramming the Heater Ventilation Air Conditioning control module with new software.

5 people found this helpful.
700

So I stopped by the dealer today to talk about my 2011 Caravan getting this exact same problem for the 3rd time in 3 years (10 months since last time it happened) and he checked the VIN for recalls but it did not have this particular recall on it (I confirmed this via fcarecalls.com as well). He mentioned the recall DOES exist for newer models in US and Canada but didn't think it was for the older ones. They are apparently getting dozens of the newer Caravans in per day for the recall... So he then pulled up the records of the past 2 incidents and said he was pretty sure it would be covered since it was less than a year since the last "good will" repair but had to double check with his manager. He could not locate his manager but called me back an hour or so later and left a message stating that based on what they are seeing that they don't think Dodge will cover it under the recall or otherwise. He suggested that we would have to get it in to do diagnostics on it to see if we could build up a case or something... and he suggested that I call Dodge Customer Service to see if they could help. Anyone have any suggestions? I've never called Dodge Customer Service so I'm not sure how worth the effort would be to do so but I am planning on calling them likely later today (hope they're not closed in the evenings...). Definitely frustrating! :(

3 people found this helpful.
700

Oh ffs... Just tested the rear vents and the actuator is dead there too... Only hot air, no cold... This happend two years ago also but not last year.

2 people found this helpful.
290

When the factory machines (humans) torqued down the small screw nuts at and below lower dash levels to attach the HVAC module prior to reveal bezel cosmetic applications, the torque was too big and/or off-set to allow for the mode door as well as actuator doors to communicate poorly. Over tightening the delicate HVAC module one way or another will ultimately result in lap-sided communication and as it turns out lately, the blinking rear defrost light, no heater activation, and no fan for about the first 40 seconds after cold start.

6 people found this helpful.
700

Chrysler customer service said there was nothing they could do - it is too far outside of the warranty to have another "good will" repair. Lovely... they said the parts associated with the recalls on the 2013-2015 must be different than the ones in my 2011 since the recall does not affect my 2011... crazy considering it is the exact same problem 2013-2015 owners seem to be having. The worst part about this is that it has happened 3 years in a row, so if I pay for repairs now, whats to stop it from happening yet again next year and the year after and so on? Oh what fun...

5 people found this helpful.
290

Cannot seem to find pics on how to carefully remove the HVAC module on my 2015 Ram Tradesman C/V. ( It is the exact same van as the 2015 Caravan passenger) The dealer will be doing this removal and replace procedure as soon as the part arrives and just want to know how much damage to the brand new dash area and shiny new bezel materias I can expect! Mark, are you able to find this info? (BTW the pic I have here is my beloved old 1989 Caravan C/V of which I sold recently. Will get a pic of my 2015 Tradesman C/V posted soon.)

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1 year parts and labour on repairs, so if it fails within the year it should be free to repair.

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Thanks. From what I'm reading via the net on this particular HVAC issue with this particular make an model, it seems to re- occur again, and again! ( All was good until they applied the TSB / recall deal for re-programming and then stuff started to happen!)

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Yup I fully expect to have to bring this in yearly around Feb to April-ish as I did in 2014, 2015 and now 2016.... It'll surely happen every year as all they are doing is replacing it with the same part and not doing anything to fix it permanently in the long run

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The trouble is, they will be tearing into the lower dash area or where ever in the dash area removing scratchable decorative bezels, etc., every time they replace the part. When they replace my module soon, (it is on order) I'm thinking of leaving all the hardware off through the spring and test the waters before I put it all back.

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So I just discovered that I can get the passenger side cold air working IF I put the windshield vent mode on first which activates the cold air and then switch over to regular vents... Have to do this each time for it to work. HOWEVER this does not work for the rear vents which are controlled separately... So no AC to the rear vents this summer for us I guess. But at least it works in the front passenger side through this workaround.

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My 2008 town and country AC is cold on driver the driver side and not cold on the passenger side. I don't care what they say this car and design is not progress. Something in the car goes wrong faster than I can keep with repairing it or my wallet can afford. Whoever thinks that it is a good idea to release a total pile of garbage on to busy people must be.... I am not allowed to say what I really feel.

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My actuator part has arrived and the dealer will install it Monday morning. From what I'm reading here and elsewhere however, I have a hunch this right side no cold air problem might just be an eternal depressing thing I might have to live with on my 2015 Tradesman CV with only 2400 miles on it. ( The Tradesman CV in the cargo van version of the Dodge Caravan.)

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Anyone have any ideas how one might try to fix the rear-zone hot-only issue in the 2011 and newer caravans (3-zone climate control models). Hoping someone might have a way to fix 'er up on our own... willing to take panels off to get to the part... maybe like classicvan said it is a problem with it being over torqued or something... my front passenger zone is working fine now with the workaround I mentioned above (after doing it a bunch of times I don't even need to do the workaround anymore, it just always works properly when switching from hot to cold and back to hot...). The rear zone is still stuck in hot-only mode though, so gotta find a fix for that :(

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Call Dodge at 1-800-992-1997 to make a formal complaint. I have a 2013 dodge caravan only blows heat out passanger and rear. They will assign a case number and look into it. Hopefully with enough complaints they will issue a recall or service bulletin.

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I had called Dodge (Canada) but got no where. Although I did not ask to file a "formal complaint". My front passenger side is still working after the workaround. Rear is not working though... Maybe I'll make another call some time... I'm guessing your 2013 is still under warranty though so consider yourself lucky :)

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I finally took my 2015 Dodge Caravan SXT (Black Top Edition) to the dealership today 02/29/16 to get the recall reprogram done. I never mentioned to the mechanic @ the service dept that my van has a problem blowing hot air only on the front passenger side & cool air on the driver side, I assumed the reprogramming will fix this problem, I was wrong... turns out...the reprogramming is new software to program the Vents to operate properly & prevent issues with the HVAC, it was too late for my van.. Since now it needs the actuator replaced, In which the part is not available & on back order. My van is still under factory warranty & has the extended warranty as well. Just waiting for a call now from dealership to take back van for repair, Which will take about an hour to two hours to fix.

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So far so good after they installed a new actuator. the passenger and right front vents send cool air. However, I'm noticing a slight hint of mixed in warm air while on AC and, or just fan on cool setting. Anyway, the vents shoot cool air now and I'll see for sure about it all when it gets hot and sunny here soon. It too just over an hour, removed glove box door and glove box, no scratches as I could see.

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it's only been a day since I took my van to get the reprogram done, now I have another problem. I've notice every time I turn on the car on a cold start, the rear defrost light blinks several times then goes off. I called the dealership to let them know today, and was told they been having some issues with the software reprogram lately. I know it's not like a huge problem.. But what is really going with car makers now in days?? Like the Takata air bags & inflators wasn't enough to worry about.. Chrysler 300, Dodge Ram pick ups, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger are on the list. Dodge Caravan??? Will just have to wait and see.. let's hope it's soon and not too late to find out the hard way. I hope I never have to use it but it's reality.. Accidents happens everyday @ anytime. Would be nice for once to have a reliable & dependable vehicle with no defects and recalls.

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The exact same events happened to me. Took my new van in with only 2500 miles on it, had them do the re-program deal as stated in the letter I received form FCA, then right away the infamous blinking defroster light blinks while at the same time the fan does work until the linking light stops after about 60 seconds. Everything seemed to be right prior to the re- program. Dodge dealer replaced the right side actuator and all is good, for now. They are simply banging-out new cars today, with all of the latest and greatest electronically controlled operations which in the past were all simply mechanically operated by the driver. The engineers are coming up with more and more gizmos thinking these are the latest and greatest and most of it is obviously not tested enough before the assembly line.

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In the end, owners of new vehicles generation,deal with the headaches,time & money to fix the issues and the recalls. Seems like the life span of things in general are shorter and the quality is poor.. I don't believe it should be appiled to cars, where life's are put in danger while driving a car or van on a family trip. There shouldn't be any problems with a brand new car, carmakers are more worried of making a profit and selling a car with cheap quality parts..than putting people & their families life's first.

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Also, car makers for years have fully understood that on average, new car owners trade or sell their cars in about 5 years or less, and then after that the second and third owners don't even consider that the vehicle might still have some warranty time remaining on it. I'm seeing reports here and elsewhere that these HVAC issues for Dodge / Chrysler go as far back as 2002 and those HVAC problems never have been addressed by the engineers.

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Same problem here on a 2011 Caravan. It only blows hot air on the passenger side. The dealer replaced the passenger blend door actuator in June 2014 and March 2015. It just stop working again in March 2016. Sounds like you need to replace this once a year! Really frustrating. I will try to fix it myself!

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2015 RAM Tradesman C/V Cargo 3200 miles and the replaced actuator recently is still doing its job of allowing cool or cold AC air through. So far so good!

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How do I access the Passenger Door Actuator - any diagrams on what needs to be removed from the dashboard?

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Take the glove compartment out. You can see it on the left side behind it. It's very easy to get to. I am getting my local friendly shop mechanic to replace it for me. Going to hopefully watch him do it and maybe if I am lucky he will let me record a video of him doing it... Gonna do it in t he next few weeks. Should have a quote with the price of the parts in the next day or two... He has to order the parts from the Dodge dealership...

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trafsta - Thanks for the quick response. I have a 2012 Dodge Caravan and am also looking to have a local shop make the change, was just afraid it required the whole dash removed to get at it. - Thanks.

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Bought a used grand caravan 2011 last week. Turn on air conditioner and it is blowing hot air. I read all the comments and tried all the fixes. I have no bells and whistles in this van. No snowflake button. I held all three air direction buttons down at the same time while I drive down the street. Maybe 1 minute. Ah. All fixed for now. The reset for a van with no bells and whistles is to hold those buttons together. Why does dodge not tell people this! So easy

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What are the three buttons you are referring to please. I have a 2012 Journey. I find the heat/air issue comes after winter so I assume the hot/ cold baffle gets stuck. Once the really warm weather comes it seems to free up and the problem goes away for me.

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I held down the 3 directional buttons. Air to face, face and legs and legs only at the same time. My van is very basic. No bells and whistles. Still working like a charm.

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Can be dead if not careful...i have same issue 2012 caravan....FOUND PROBLEM BY FAULT... MY 100LB DOG WAS PANTING IN BACK....WITH A/C ON! HIS TONGUE HANGING OUT BIG TIME WHILE DRIVING... front was cool..when home ..found back vent blowing HOT!!... I never ever turn on the rear heater or AC with animals in the car I don't trust it

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2007 Chrysler T&C. After replacing the sensor in front of the Radiator, electric radiator fans were working again. Then wife drove van...came back saying driver side was blowing warm air though passenger side blew cold. Checked Radiator, minor coolant top-off then moved driver=passenger sliders separately listening for damper door movement. The sliders are electric so movement is by small motor. I moved them both back and forth slowly, then went for drive. Driver air Tepid at first, but slowly did the sliding controls slowly a few times while driving and eventually the driver side seemed to cool down equal to passenger. Checked rear air which worked well so if all passengers are cool, I'm cool with it...but for now driver is cool too. Wife doesn't think driver is "cool" but she is a pessimist anyway.

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Very, very frustrated and ready to swear off all Dodge/Chrysler vans! Same as everyone else- passenger side hot, driver side cold. Luckily back is Ok. I replaced the passenger side blend door actuator. Tricky, but not impossible. Now when you start out cold and move the control to hot, it stays hot. Will not return to cold! The motor is working, but not turning the center spindle to move the arms to the blend door. Resets of various suggestions doesn't work. Battery disconnect doesn't work. Driving over 8 miles doesn't work. What now?

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Hey everyone. Thanks for the posts. I'm about to take my 2011 dodge caravan back in again regarding the AC issues. No AC in the rear. I will keep you posted on how I Make out.....this is the second time Returning for the same problem! Wish me luck

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@ trafsta ..... I'm headed to the same dealership as you in Barrie ...any pointers???

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@SG2006 Bring a huge wad of cash :P Other than that all you can hope for is an expensive bill for the repair... even going to a 3rd party shop it was still $450ish for me to replace the actuator in the front passenger side and rear section of the van... I watched from a far as the mechanic did it, it took quite a while for him to get in where the failed actuator was in the rear. Fun times...

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@trafsta ..... Oh yay!!! Thanks for the helpful tip. I'm so looking forward to this .... Said no one ever! We have had many issues with our van since we bought it. I'm actually going to have them look at the passenger side sliding door as that is having an issue and making a lot of noise .... Shop diagnosis last time around .... It's normal. Well I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!

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Got by on a trip by running rear AC to boost cool...that worked. Driver side has improved cool by slowly moving slide control back and forth slowly quite a few times. Not perfect but improved enough for trip through Mojave desert.

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I took my 2012 charger car into The dealer for an oil change today and they said to leave it and they will do a few recalls that were needed. When I picked it up as I drove off my AC was blowing hot inferno kind of air on the driver side vents and the back vent. I drove back into the lot and all they guy said was, it's a coincidence, the recalls we worked on had nothing to do with that problem... We can schedule you a diagnostic test, unfortunately your waranty had ran out so it will have to be out of your pocket. "It happens all the time but we assure you it happens more often than you would think"

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I would go to the dealer and demand they show you how to reset your air/heat control system. People are spends hundreds of dollars over and over again. Mine was fixed by reading all of the comments and trying to figure out how to reset the system. It was by luck. They did some warranty on your vehicle and now your systems doesn't work. Crap! Do not spend a $. Demand the reset sequence. It appears each vehicle is different. If they don't know the sequence they had better figure it out for you. No where on their website does it tell you how to set the computer. Just my rant. At $400.-$500 per repair this is crazy.

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THE FIX! Had problems with 2013 Caravan - cold on driver's side, hot on passengers, etc. FIX: 1. Controller in driver's side blend door motor shorted which caused a short in the Control Head (circuit board behind the fascia on the dash where the hvac knobs & buttons are located). 2. Replace both (control head replacement was used), recalibrated and it works fine now! What happens is the shorted Blend Door motor and the shorted Control Head board cause the computer to get mixed up as to which door are open, closed, etc. Even recalibrating doesn't help, the memory is lost & "failure mode error" occurs. 4 Trips to shop and $700 later this is what cured the problem. AND the Dealer DID NOT KNOW......would not attempt to fix......said they had to wait for solution from Chrysler! Most dealer shops are terrible, it's what prevents me from buying a new new car! LuckyGino

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In 2007 they offered an electronic control and with digital readouts on the small screen...or the sliding control that has no readouts but dual driver/pass control with no specific temp control...i.e. adjust to suit for heat and airflow. Does this make a difference as far as the solution? Are the internal damper controls the same 2007 to 2013?

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I believe the 2007 is different than 2013 .......perhaps only in looks? Replace the bad door, recalibrate and see. If everything goes crazy then the board behind the facia controls is likely bad too!

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Contents [hide] 1 First generation (1984–1990) 2 Second generation (1991–1995) 3 Third generation (1996–2000) 4 Fourth generation (2001–2007) 5 Fifth generation (2008-2017)

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I just finished this extremely frustrating task and after spending hours in time and several unnecessary dollars here it is...... The situation of a trapped air pocket was the cause. I didn't believe it either but I raised the front of the vehicle about 3 feet to allow the air from both front and rear to travel to the radiator and using a fill funnel with engine running "burped " the system. It also seemed to release a restricted area because the coolant became darker. I would suggest a coolant flush also. Actuators, air housing with blend doors,evap temp sensor,thermostat,both heater cores and THREE dash removals were involved before this finally repaired the issue of heat on drivers area and cold on passenger side. The heater core covers the area of air box that sends air to left and right chambers. The trapped air blocked the heat from getting to right chamber thus no heat. Be mindful other parts or caused can be possible,but,this was the cause for this grand caravan with dual front and rear heat units.11/18/2016

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2014 Dodge Caravan - Dodge issued a recall on some 2014-2015 see the link here: https://www.chrysler.com/universal/webselfservice/pdf/R62.pdf Ours just started with the subject problem. Look up your vehicle on the Dodge website. Enter the VIN see if the recall pops up. It did for me. Here's the link: https://www.mopar.com/en-us/my-vehicle/recalls.html

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OK Dodge's recall letter says they'll pay the repair. But what it DOESN'T say it only if you have less than 60K miles on the vehicle. We're at 66K and no matter who I call at dodge they won't cover it. I guess we're out $450. Dodge and FCA you lied to me!

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I had mine fixed over a year ago for the second time. Thankfully I paid for the gold warranty. Sadly, if this is the only issue I come across the repair ended up costing me over $2000 (I would have gotten it back if I didn't use it) My plan has been to make sure the passenger side dial never gets turned on full heat, only 3/4 of the way. The thought behind this is, if full heat causes the door to over turn and jam I would avoid it by not pushing it to its limit. So far so good.

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I just had this problem on a drive from Ottawa to Florida. Talked to two dealers in Virginia who wanted to take my car apart and test and send to Cleveland for parts. At the best this would have cost me a day and an extra hotel stay. I asked if there was any simple or quick test we might try before talking the console apart. They said not a chance. I read a post here. Went out and opened and closed the temperature controls simultaneously several times and it seems to be working fine. I am guessing a software issue that can be reset through this strategy or perhaps through disconnecting the battery for a while. This really should be a recall issue. Seems to have been happening since 2009 at least. I had a 2009 with no problems but it did not have separate temperature zones. Never had a problem.

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2013 Dodge Caravan, I don't know when did it happen, but I just notice my passenger side is blowing HOT air (hotter than normal) today. I tried the simultaneity rotated both hot/cold controls, it works, but I don't know how long it will last.

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Just a thought, everyone on here should go to carcomplaints.com and send in a complaint about their dodge vehicle and the problem(s) they are having. The site keeps track of issues etc. If there was one universal place to submit complaints, maybe the manufacturer would start taking care of big problems like this, because the true magnitude of the problem would be verifiable to the public eye! I am going to go and post my complaints on the site. I have been having all sorts of electrical problems with my 2012 Grand Caravan. I have had my kids complaining that the back of the van was too hot, I figured they were just complaining as usual, plus they have been wearing their coats. We have turned off the fans and heater opened windows to cool them off, it wasn't until today, that I noticed a problem. The passenger side vents were blowing hot air, even though I had the A/C on. I invite any of the rest of you to add your complaints to the above website. My first thought was heater core issues. For the past year I have been having issues with the tail gate not wanting to unlock sometimes with the fob, and when I push the button at the back it doesn't close the tailgate, I have to manually shut it. The fob is also not always unlocking all of the doors. One of the sliding door controls lights up by the driver seat has been flashing like it's got a short for over a year, extremely annoying! And the Driver side sliding door makes a horrible sound every once in awhile like it isn't on it's track. I am sure some of you are wondering why I haven't had a few of these things fixed all ready. Warranty is expired, and as you all have mentioned, the amount of money you have been spending on fixing the heating issue, all these other issues add up too. Vehicles have already gotten too expensive, they cost exasperatingly more than they are worth, I am still scratching my head as to why. My last complaint, I absolutely hate the fact that the sliding doors freeze shut when it snows/rains in the winter! I can't believe those that designed this vehicle didn't design something to protect this area of the vehicle. When you have children you need those doors to open! Having kids climb over the front seat doesn't fly especially when you have to put them in carseats!

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How about a class action lawsuit. How do you go about getting this started?

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Class action will only make $ for the lawyers. Best option is filing a complaint WITH YOUR VIN on http://www.carcomplaints.com. Please take a moment and do this. I did!

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So I had the same issue in my 2012 Grand Caravan, I just fixed it by disconnecting my battery. I would try this before taking it in.

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Solution above provided by KelvenCar worked for me. My 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Passenger side was always blowing hot air regardless of the knob setting. Followed the above steps; however did not work on the first attempt. I kept doing the steps every time I start the car, and was discouraged as it did not work right away, but kept doing it, nothing to lose; and on the 2nd day, it just worked. I must have performed the steps between 7 or 10 times. I was amazed! Thanks a lot for the precious info. Here are the Steps to calibrate the initial settings (this is a copy and paste of Kelven’s post): “Might need to do it again some times. 1) turn the knobs at both driver and passenger sides to the lowest temperature setting; 2) start the engine; 3) turn both knob simultaneously up and down slowly for a few times; The passenger blower following the knob setting now. Good luck everyone!”

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Our 2011 Grand Caravan just started having the passenger side heat problem. I did the reset KelvenCar suggested (see above post also) and it worked beautifully the first time. Sure I might have to do it again at some time, but it is free and only takes about 5 minutes. KelvenCar answered 2 years ago My 2011 Dodge Caravan started doing it last weekend, only blowing hot air at passenger side. I believe it is a software bug in the blend door actuator. Chrysler should fix this problem long time ago, I don't know why they cannot do that! For the mean while we tried to calibrate the initial settings by the following steps, it works now. But might need to do it again some time. 1) turn the knobs at both driver and passenger sides to the lowest temperature setting; 2) start the engine; 3) turn both knob simutanieusly up and down slowly for a few times; The passenger blower following the knob setting now. Good luck everyone! 19 of 19 people found this helpful. You found this helpful.

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Hey everyone! Had the exact same problem in my '13 journey. looked at this forum and started freaking out. went to my mechanic and turns out it was the cabin air filter was super dirty and needed to be replaced. Not sure if everyone might have the exact same problem but just thought Id share! its located behind the glove box. My mechanic said it only effected the passenger side because that's where the filter is closest to. doesn't make sense to me but it fixed the problem! A/C is working on both sides now as well as the vents! Hope this helps someone! (btw it cost me $75 for a new filter, save the money and do it yourself!)

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https://www.chrysler.com/universal/webselfservice/pdf/R62.pdf

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Nice Guru945RD, shame it doesn't help me with a 2011 :( Hopefully I don't have the issue again. For once it did not happen this spring.

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Well...I've been on the phone all morning with Chrysler. That link above is the American recall, in Canada they will replace the actuators "under standard warranty". Different wording. I've had a frustrating time speaking with a rep, who first lied and said that Transport Canada determined whether or not they can cover the cost of a repair(!!), interrupted me continuously and was basically irritating. Frustrating to say the least as I am out about 600.00 for the repair on an issue Chrysler clearly admits is a manufacturing defect.

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It is normal operation if you has engine cooler sistema trouble. Check for fan operation, thermostat, horse leeks includes calefacción horse and relay. Ok engine cooling system is working properly them check freon level, by sure is to low. $12.99 can of freon solve all you problem . Good luck.

i just purchased a used 2016 and found this out too. Glad I read through this site before I contact the dealer. Still under warranty, but I don't want any run around from any service department.

This forum is great. My issue is a bit different, I have no air flow in the front of my 2014 dodge Caravan but my back works. Before this issue my back would only blow warm air and the front cold and warm. Not sure what to do, but will try the fixes mentioned above when the wife gets home from work. I am in Canada and looked up my VIN and no recall.

It is more like as an slow leak, look at the intake valve, replace the seal component and refeel.

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We have a 2016 and have the same problem! Driver side cool and passenger side is hot!

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I had the same problem cool on drivers side warm on passenger side,took it to a small garage in Yuma az they topped up the freon in the air conditioner and its working

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I had the same problem cool on drivers side warm on passenger side,took it to a small garage in Yuma az they topped up the freon in the air conditioner and its working.2015 town and country

I am having the exact same issue on my 2015 Grand Caravan. Just left the dealership and was told the recall is for vehicles made January 13th 2014 through May 25th 2015 and mine was made in July of 2015 so it will not be covered. Awesome. So not happy!

Mine went yesterday. (2012 D Grand Caravan) Out of warranty. Quality craftsmanship is what Dodge was pushing in latest commercials.? Would just like a fix. Standing by your product is dead in the USA. Mercedes and Tesla will take over soon.

Just had the same issue happen today in my 2016 grand caravan. Crazy that this issue has been going on for this long. I'll be taking it in this week to be looked at. Lucky it's still under warranty

Just noticed the same problem with the 2016 grand caravan I just bought less than a month ago. Dealer wants to look at it on my way home tonight. Glad I looked this up to see that this is quite the issue, and have some ammo when I stop tonight!

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After I fixed mine for the second time I made a rule, never turn it to full heat on the passenger side. Stay back about 1/4 turn. 4 years later, no problems.

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My 2011 Grand Caravan does this every spring. Cycling the temp knobs from cool to hot a few times has resolved it so far.

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Awesome info, we just bought a 2012 Grand Caravan Used today and it has the same problem. I am so glad I found this forum, will try some of the above fixes and let you know what and if any work :)

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Hello all. I read all the comments everyone gave and tried the do-it-yourself quicky remedys many suggested to no avail. They didnt work. So i focused on finding a video to replace the a/c actuators. And i found the perfect video to explain it all complete with easy step by step instructions down to removing every screw. My drivers side a/c is blowing heat so the video shows that my driver side AC actuator is the culprit. the video shows the left's where the driver side AC actuator is located and where the passenger side AC actuator is located and where the mixing actuator is located. They are all located in the driver side area under the dash. On the right side of the vehicle is one other actuator and I forget what that actuator does but it doesn't control the left or right hand AC problems. So if you want to solve this problem look at this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mS56WnGUSTU Im going to buy a new driver side AC actuator because my driver side is not blowing cold air. Good luck

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Greetings. I I have the same problem with my 1997 Dodge Caravan. My driver side is blowing hot air when I have the AC switched on. so after looking at this video I found that tells me that the driver side AC actuator needs replacing. watch this video and it will solve your problems. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mS56WnGUSTU

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trouble with a/c and heater . cold on drive side and hot on other fix the trouble ,remove power from battery for 2 minute, all is working well

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Disconnect the battery for a few minutes has worked for me in the past. What I ended up doing was actually install two switches (one for each line that was hot) under the dash which would cut power the ac control module to reset it. That way i could do it while driving. Havnt had an issue in the last 3 years since doing this.

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I own a 2006 town & country limited with 3.8 liter which started blowing driver side warm (78 degrees) but not hot with a/c, passenger side cold(44 degrees). I disconnected negative battery cable for 5 minutes, reattached and cycled unit controls 5 times. Then took vehicle out on highway driving for 10 minutes. The driver side vents Slowly started issuing temperature drop to 52 degrees. Ended drive and am satisfied with result. I did change the cabin air filter after finding water collection on previous one installed by dealer after he had replaced a/c condenser last Feb.(2017). Filter cost $30 at Advance Auto and took 2 minutes to remove and replace instead of the $78 that the dealer charged. The vehicle has 114,000 miles and I DON'T want to replace since it has been a wonderful vehicle.

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Thanks, everybody - this discussion has been invaluable to me! My 2009 Grand Caravan had the problem of hvac system blowing hot on driver's side, normal on passenger side. It was repaired once at the local technical school (don't know exactly what they did.) Then about six months later it started again. Just today I came across this discussion, and saw the solution that involved moving the sliders from cold to hot and back again a few times. Well, the 2009 has knobs, not sliders, but I thought, what the heck, give it a try. So I started it up, and with A/C off, turned both front temp control knobs down to lowest, then to highest, several times. And believe it or not - the problem was fixed. The driver's side became cold, and is operating properly. The van also was blowing hot air through the rear vents, so I tried moving the driver's side front knob and the rear control knob (on the front panel) the same way. As I was doing it probably the second time, I heard a "click" from somewhere in the back. I moved them through the temps a couple more times, then checked the rear vents. They were now blowing cold as well! Don't know if this will last. I'll update this as I have more info. Thanks again!

My '14 T&C has the same issues with the passenger side vent blowing hot while all the others are cool. All the fixes you guys talk about deal with knobs or sliders, how does one reset a digital thermostat, with multi-zone heat cool and auto temp controls? Second has any one in the US had this issue fixed at a dealer / repair shop and what about cost? This next part may sound redneck, but here in the upper midwest the A/C is only needed a couple weeks out of the summer......I closed the vents on the pass side, duct taped over the one for the feet, and turned the overhead vents in the rear to point forward and turned the rear blower on high......cheap fix until the heater is needed

Not sure about the digital thermostat. But what I did with my 2009 was start it up, turn on the AC, turn both the driver-side and passenger-side temperature control knobs to Low, then slowly turn them both together to Hi, then back to Low, then repeated that about 5 times. Believe it or not, the AC came back on the driver's side, which is the one that was only blowing hot. Looking at my post above, it says that was "about a month ago", and it's been working fine ever since. Then I did the same, but with the driver-side temp control knob and the rear temp control knob (located on the front panel.) The rear driver side may have started blowing cold after I did the first procedure - I can't say for sure since I didn't check it. But it's been working for "about a month now" as well. (btw, I have a feeling I could have just pressed the "sync" button and turned only the driver side control knob, but I can't say for sure.)

30

2012 Dodge Caravan SE - same issue, hot air on passenger side only, we will try the fixes in order: 1. nob turn twist formula described above 2. replace blend door actuator 3. take to a shop but not the dealer. thanks for all the info.

10

My husband figured it out! It's literally a switch under the glove box! We just fought the last hour to change the blend door actuator, and the he looked at this thing, clicked it the other way and air kicked on!

1 people found this helpful.
30

"My husband figured it out! It's literally a switch under the glove box! We just fought the last hour to change the blend door actuator, and the he looked at this thing, clicked it the other way and air kicked on!" Seriously? where is this switch? I will dig tonight.

20

Ok where is this switch? With my 2016 dodge caravan the front A.C. working fine but the rear only blowing hot air

2 people found this helpful.
30

Ok - Actuators - figured out our problem last night. I will try and post some photo's. Problem - only heat on passenger side. Answer - there are three actuators, all very difficult to access on the passenger side alone. Actuator one - controls the valve to switch from feet to body to defrost air flow. Actuator two - controls the temperature. Access for number two which solved our heat problem is under the glove box, very small space, but only two torx screws to remove. Anyone with some patience and persistence could fix. Trouble shoot both of the actuators by switching from hot/cold settings and also feet/body/defrost settings and making sure actuators are moving the push/pull rods and gears under and behind/beside the glove box. Hoping for photo's this weekend.

3 people found this helpful.
130

I had the same problem with my 2016 Caravan - blowing hot air from the passenger side even with the control set to cold. I tried all the fixes (except disconnecting the battery) but nothing worked. This morning with the engine running I turned on the A/C, put the fan on high and turned on the air circulation flow then I moved the passenger control button from cold to hot and back again. I heard a faint click and voila, I now have cold air coming out of the passenger side. Yippee!!

2 people found this helpful.

@GuruSCRBT - Hi - before you mess with the actuator (switches), I would definitely try rotating the temperature controls from cold to hot and back again, as described in posts above. It worked in my 2009, and as you can see above, it worked in Irish_Vickie's 2016, and various other years mentioned in some other posts above.

30

Everyone i know that has these vans, including me, has this problem. I have filed a complaint with dodge and had it reset twice! They all say your just shit outta luck. Im gonna redneck repair that pass side blend door and put a damn lever that sticks out of the dash side if i have too to open n shut it myself. Im gonna drive it till it goes to the yard anyway. Its a 2015 btw. Bought it brand new n had this problem since 30,000 mls. U only get one warranty reset. Then its $75 a pop to have a shitbag dealer do it. Very frustrating..

3 people found this helpful.

f*Chrysler, not buying this crap again. My 2015 Caravan has same problem. Did the tern back and forth trick a few times, but later problem comes back. Chrysler should come forth and address, instead of running away like a criminal.

Dodge is a crappy van my 2012 dodge caravan has the same issue on top of radio popping on for 5 minutes and going back off. Yes it should be a recall because of the defect in the air condition.

Same hvac issue here on my 2010, and same issue with FM/AM radio generally not working... CD player and Aux connection is fine, but can’t get anything from radio.

140

---POTENTIAL FIX NOT YET MENTIONED--- I have read this entire thread. Turning dials and disconnecting the battery did not work for me. The fix below has not been mentioned in this thread, but DID WORK FOR ME. It is VERY SIMPLE and takes only MINUTES. THE POSSIBLE FIX - PASSENGER SIDE (a note and video on DRIVER side is below) In the YouTube video link below, the mechanic had mentioned that he tapped actuator with one of his tools and it just started working. After having tried the suggestions in this thread of disconnecting the battery, as well as the suggestion of rotating dials several times with no success, I figured I'd give this a shot. AMAZINGLY, tapping on the actuator with a screw driver fixed the problem for me. This may work for some, but not for others. Also it may not be a permanent fix as I discuss in the THREAD SUMMARY at the bottom. If you want to try this, fortunately, the passenger side actuator can be EASILY reached without removing anything. Under the dash and glove compartment, there is a bendable flap of material that you can push or pull out of the way to see and tap on the actuator. Here is the video - the link starts right at the point he mentions the procedure then cuts to a very good shot of the part, but unfortunately he doesn't show you don't how he got there. https://youtu.be/FNTL-y3ZWyY?list=PLWfflZHKC47sO3H-cRmjEJK8-bjBJKmaT&t=156 This is another video that shows EXACTLY where the actuator is. ***WARNING*** This guy has completely torn apart his dashboard, but DO NOT let that scare you. As I mentioned, if you are going to try the "tap on it" method, you DON'T NEED TO REMOVE ANYTHING - even the glove compartment. I'm only showing this second video so you can see EXACTLY where this part is located. https://youtu.be/sD3iXGRI56w?t=13 THREAD SUMMARY It seems that others have mentioned that if you turn it all the way the hottest setting, the actuator may possibly move the blend door past it's range limit and get stuck. That's why the door won't move back and you only get hot air from one side. This could be why turning the dials or disconnecting the battery MAY work for some. It might actually be re-catching or freeing the door, bringing it back to it's normal range. Many people report that the problem happens again, which might mean that the temp was set to the highest heat again, sending the door PAST its mechanical limit again, which would explain why this happens even with a replaced actuator. Some have mentioned a software update which might reset the door range to a point that is not beyond the mechanical range of the actuator. This may be a resolution. But the simple solution for the meantime, as Dan mentioned above, is to keep the dial back about 1/4 turn - keeping it away from the highest heat setting. Keep in mind, some may have other problems like broken gear teeth within the actuator housing as seen in this video, https://youtu.be/A7r4rn9Mu-I?t=168 The above link is an excellent video describing the problem and fix for an actuator on the DRIVER side. Hopefully this gives the community one more option to try in addition to disconnecting the battery and twisting the knobs.

14 people found this helpful.

I just followed the instructions above posted by qwurpy and it worked great. I just tapped the actuator a few times and it now works. When I run the van and look up under the passenger side dash I can see it moving when I switch from hot to cold and vice versa. Thanks qwurpy.

Hello everyone, I have a Town and Country 2008, Here goes what my problem was: When A/C was on: -Driver side blow cool air -Passenger side blow warm air not really hot but warm when driving the car. -On Idle all vent will be kind of warm even the driver side. Here is what I did with instructions from a professional A/C Tech: -Wash the A/C radiator usually in front of you main radiator. -I also got a Hose from Amazon: Around $32.00 R12 R22 R134a R404a Manifold Gauge Set 3" Gauge HVAC A/C 1 When the car is not running you connect both Low Pressue and High Pressure 2 At this time both gauges should show about the same ambient temperature 3 When the car is running the Low Pressure Blue Hose should be around 40 psi 4 When th ecar is running the high Pressure Red Hose should be between 200 to 250 psi. After washing the radiator and cheeking the Freon levels the car started to blow cold air. I hope this help someone out there. Regards,

This is why Dodge is # 4 should have stuck with a Ford. 2013 Ram must be a design problem in the heater area Blows cold air on drivers side med. hot on the passenger side 99- K miles on it Too many people with the same issues NEVER AGAIN RAM I have driven old Fords with 242-k miles and the heater worked fine

10

After reading about the successes had by just moving the temp controls back and forth it seemed it might be a "sticking" problem. Unfortunately that method it didn't work for my driver's side lack of heat. (2014 Dodge Caravan w about 90K) After pulling some of the dash lower trim I could see the actuator kind of high up where it might not be so easy to remove or change. So I just whacked it with the handle of a screwdriver. Viola! System now has initialized and the heat is working. The light on the rear defroster no longer blinks so apparently once initialized the home positions are remembered.

1 people found this helpful.
20

2015 dodge caravan was blowing cold drivers side and hot passenger side. youtube commenter mentioned holding the recirculation button for 5 seconds. while car is on i did this and it has seem to have fixed it for now. ive got heat on both sides.

2 people found this helpful.
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I got a 2014 Dodge grand caravan with 110,000 km currently from Canada.( bought used last year with 70,00km from dealership ) when engine light popped up ( couple weeks ago ) with code PO456 for small vacuum leak of EVAP, I unplugged and Ohm measured input of canister Purge solenoid ( it is supposed to be NC - normally closed -) and see it open. Almost buy part to replace then next day the light went away by itself. This time, I again unplug harness and Ohm measured it when engine is off, it shows NC -normally closed- as it supposed to be . Funny. Due to unhook battery for multi tests, the rear defrost button blinking every time I start the van until several min later it stops ..Ignored that and after a few days, it becomes normal. Yesterday, it stared blowing heat on passenger side and cool ( not cold ) air on driver side, no matter how high heat I set. Again, ignore it to see if any change for the next couple days. No wonder Chrysler products are cheap compared to imported vehicles. I will figure it out .. some days and reply. I currently own 4 vehicles, 3 of them are Toyotas ( Matrix, Corolla, 4Runner ). The oldest Toyota is 2007 Matrix without any problem and frequently on hw driving ( daughter driving it ). Not sure if next product will be Chrysler. This Dodge minivan is my first ever of Chrysler product. Just let you know I service all my vehicles at home garage, no auto shop unless for new rubbers Share

20

Here I just come back for my 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan that heat blows only at passenger side. My previous post was under the name of Guru 9SRJ9T. I promised coming back after find out problem and here I am. it could be a lucky day bc I almost take off the dash to find out what's wrong. Everything is OK now and I just report my work that somehow brought the van back as normal. First, I turn up the heat with maximum fan, still only blows heat at passenger side and driver side COOL. I press the recirculation button ( the middle one ) and keep it depressed for one minute. Next, turn the heat driver side to max hot( left button ) wait and listen, nothing. Turn that button back to cool, wait and listen, nothing happened. Did like that 3 times I heard a click behind the dash ( looked like the plastic flap moving ) then the heat came out at driver side. Let it runs for a few min, start the van and check if it works from cool to heat for driver side. Everything is normal. Share with reader and good luck to you. That is my process and I got no clues.. Thank you for reading...

2 people found this helpful.
20

Unbelievable that this thread is still going after 8 years! I tried many of the above answers with partial success over the years on my 2011 Dodge Caravan basic edition. Problem was the drivers side heating was blowing cold, even when temp knob up full right. I used to twist this knob up and down several times quickly and the heat would start. However, lately this doesn't work. So I went under the dash, at floor level on the driver's side, had to put my head upside down to the left of the brake lever (quite tight) to see the drivers side accentuator . I had the fan on low with the driver's side blowing at the floor (on my face). I hit/tapped the accentuator with a heavy screwdriver handle several times, and MIRACLE! I could feel the air turn to heated air. If I was religious I would have thanked the Big Guy in the sky. It took hours to figure out that on my van, the drivers heat accentuator is on the drivers side, not like others that have suggested before and some of the photos/diagrams suggest. The accentuator is a black box about 2" x 2" (with a wire harness coming out of it?)

2 people found this helpful.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION NOTIFICATION R62 This notice applies to your vehicle (VIN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). Dear: (Name) At FCA US LLC, we recognize that the success of our business depends on the satisfaction of our customers. We are constantly monitoring the quality of our products and looking for opportunities to improve our vehicles even after they are sold. Because your long-term satisfaction is important to us, we are contacting you on important improvements we would like to make to your vehicle. This will be done at no charge to you. We are recommending the following improvements be performed on certain 2014 through 2015 model year Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country vehicles equipped with Front Driver & Passenger Air Conditioning or Three-Zone Manual Control Front & Rear Air Conditioning. The problem is... What you should do... If you need help... The right side blend air door on your vehicle may bind. This can cause loss of the vehicle’s interior temperature control. Simply contact your Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or RAM dealer right away to schedule a service appointment. Please bring this letter with you to your dealer. If you have questions or concerns which your dealer is unable to resolve, please contact the FCA Group Recall Assistance Center at either fcarecalls.com or 1- 800-853-1403. What your dealer will do... FCA will repair your vehicle free of charge. To do this, your dealer will reprogram the Heater Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) control module with new software. Vehicles found with damaged actuators must have them replaced. Programming the HVAC module will take about 1⁄2 hour. If the actuator requires replacement, additional time will be required. Additional time may also be necessary depending on service schedules. Please help us update our records by filling out the attached prepaid postcard, if any of the conditions listed on the card apply to your vehicle. If you have further questions go to fcarecalls.com. If you have already experienced this specific condition and have paid to have it repaired, you may visit www.fcarecallreimbursement.com to submit your reimbursement request online or you can mail your original receipts and proof of payment to the following address for reimbursement consideration: FCA Customer Assistance, P.O. Box 21-8004, Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8007, Attention: Recall Reimbursement. Once we receive and verify the required documents, reimbursement will be sent to you within 60 days. If you’ve had previous repairs and/or reimbursement you may still need to have the recall repair performed on your vehicle. We apologize for any inconvenience this service may cause to your schedule. FCA is committed to providing our customers with world class quality products, ensuring that you have a positive dealership experience and following up on any issues and concerns that you may have in a timely manner through our Customer Assistance Center. Thank you for being our customer. Sincerely, Customer Service / Field Operations FCA US LLC

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION NOTIFICATION R62 This notice applies to your vehicle (VIN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). Dear: (Name) At FCA US LLC, we recognize that the success of our business depends on the satisfaction of our customers. We are constantly monitoring the quality of our products and looking for opportunities to improve our vehicles even after they are sold. Because your long-term satisfaction is important to us, we are contacting you on important improvements we would like to make to your vehicle. This will be done at no charge to you. We are recommending the following improvements be performed on certain 2014 through 2015 model year Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country vehicles equipped with Front Driver & Passenger Air Conditioning or Three-Zone Manual Control Front & Rear Air Conditioning. The problem is... What you should do... If you need help... The right side blend air door on your vehicle may bind. This can cause loss of the vehicle’s interior temperature control. Simply contact your Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or RAM dealer right away to schedule a service appointment. Please bring this letter with you to your dealer. If you have questions or concerns which your dealer is unable to resolve, please contact the FCA Group Recall Assistance Center at either fcarecalls.com or 1- 800-853-1403. What your dealer will do... FCA will repair your vehicle free of charge. To do this, your dealer will reprogram the Heater Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) control module with new software. Vehicles found with damaged actuators must have them replaced. Programming the HVAC module will take about 1⁄2 hour. If the actuator requires replacement, additional time will be required. Additional time may also be necessary depending on service schedules. Please help us update our records by filling out the attached prepaid postcard, if any of the conditions listed on the card apply to your vehicle. If you have further questions go to fcarecalls.com. If you have already experienced this specific condition and have paid to have it repaired, you may visit www.fcarecallreimbursement.com to submit your reimbursement request online or you can mail your original receipts and proof of payment to the following address for reimbursement consideration: FCA Customer Assistance, P.O. Box 21-8004, Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8007, Attention: Recall Reimbursement. Once we receive and verify the required documents, reimbursement will be sent to you within 60 days. If you’ve had previous repairs and/or reimbursement you may still need to have the recall repair performed on your vehicle. We apologize for any inconvenience this service may cause to your schedule. FCA is committed to providing our customers with world class quality products, ensuring that you have a positive dealership experience and following up on any issues and concerns that you may have in a timely manner through our Customer Assistance Center. Thank you for being our customer.

The above FCA letter quote: " At FCA US LLC, we recognize that the success of our business depends on the satisfaction of our customers. We are constantly monitoring the quality of our products and looking for opportunities to improve our vehicles even after they are sold." = What a freaking freezing snow job of a LIE that is!!!!!!! Not only in the current cabin ventilation system but also in the past with so many failed transaxle (front wheel drive minivan) failures. I just spent many hours reading every post and have made lots of written notes to try on my 2012 Grand Caravan. Thanks to every one for your input. This is my 5th Chrysler built mini van since 1990. I love the flexibility they offer. Ran the '98 T&C past 294,000 miles. However, when many of you complained about the difference in ambient internal cabin van temperature between the front and rear of the cabin, how many of you have actually adjusted the mid-cabin controls located in the ceiling and very accessible from the middle seats? I am the only one to have mentioned this. They need adjusting seasonally with the weather changes. Also, literally everyone complains about the driver & passenger heat versus cold imbalance. The only reason I have that is because the LEFT FAN is only moving about 1/3 the air as compared to the right fan, even though all the vents are set equally. Is that what is actually happening with all you complaints above? Today is Oct 31, 2023. This morning we had our first fall frost and it was a big killer!!! My thriving, gorgeous blooming dahlias yesterday and completely fried today. So when I left for town, this AM, I did the commonly suggested 'rotate the left and right side blender knobs'. Still the left side not pumping the same amount of air as the right side. It might be a bit more. I will continue to monitor and try other suggested 'tricks'.

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