05 Caravan door lock problem

We have a 05 caravan SXT. The problem is that the door locks will just lock at any time when the keys are in the ignition. For example my wife left the car running and got out and all the doors locked. I turned off the automatic door lock function and the only thing that did was keep the drivers side from locking. We took it to the dealer and they said there is nothing wrong with it and this is caused from radio frequencies but the only thing is that her friend does not have any problems with her 04 Caravan.

If anyone has any ideas on this please let me know.

We have a 05 caravan SXT. The problem is that the door locks will just lock at any time when the keys are in the ignition. For example my wife left the car running and got out and all the doors locked. I turned off the automatic door lock function and the only thing that did was keep the drivers side from locking. We took it to the dealer and they said there is nothing wrong with it and this is caused from radio frequencies but the only thing is that her friend does not have any problems with her 04 Caravan.

If anyone has any ideas on this please let me know.

Keep taking it back to the dealer and ask him for something in writing that states your problem, on your 2005, is from RFI. If he knows there is a problem then it must be written somewhere(for the 2005) and if it's not written somewhere he does not have the equipment to test for RFI. Ask him why the electronics are not shielded from RFI? So I believe he is blowing you off as usual.
To me this is a safety problem..file a complaint at www.nhtsa.com

I have an 05 sxt and my locks work just fine. He's giving you BS. If that dealer dosent want to help you, then go to a different one. If the other dealer takes care of it, then take your paperwork back to that dealer and show them the resolution. Be SURE to speak to the service manager, and tell him you will be filing a complaint with Chrysler. Let us know how it goes.

livalidle - When you say, " her friend does not have any problems with her 04 caravan", you made the understatement of the year! Thousands of Caravan, Voyager, and Town & Country owners don't have this problem. Holly Jesus what would have happened if you had a five year old in the car when that happened! Not that you would do that but many do. That dealer has got to have the biggest cahoonas east of the Mississippi! If it's legit, Chrysler better have a recall out pronto. Stevo2 and joe... hit the nail on the head. Nail this SOB! Please let us know what happens.And find another dealer and the area rep.

I sent an email to Dodge explaining the problem and what the dealer told me. I just have to wait to hear from them now. Will keep you up to date.

livalidle - When you say, " her friend does not have any problems with her 04 caravan", you made the understatement of the year! Thousands of Caravan, Voyager, and Town & Country owners don't have this problem. Holly Jesus what would have happened if you had a five year old in the car when that happened! Not that you would do that but many do. That dealer has got to have the biggest cahoonas east of the Mississippi! If it's legit, Chrysler better have a recall out pronto. Stevo2 and joe... hit the nail on the head. Nail this SOB! Please let us know what happens.And find another dealer and the area rep.

As for having a 5 year old in the car, this has happened at the gas staton with my 2 and 4 year old boys. Luckly the 4 year old can unlock the doors.

Don't hold your breath. I would contact your states consumer protection agency when you don't get satisfaction from Dodge. Here's the link: .http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/ Thanks for the update. Please keep letting us know how it's going. Your situation is absolutely infuriating.

The car should still be covered under the original warranty. Any dealership will honor Dodge's warranty and if they are incompetent, go to a different dealership. Personally, I have never heard bigger BS ever than what they told you...Most likely it is a wire problem, maybe insulation bad or BCM acting up (cosmic rays ??), water damage...etc

Good luck...I know how frustrating a visit to the dealership can be... :banghead:

Yeah, it's full-court press time... I had to take my '96 GC LE back to the dealer THREE times before they resolved doorlock issues by replacing each and every doorlock solenoid. Next thing your dealer will be telling you is to wear one of those tin foil hats for RFI protection. Sheesh.

Just an update for everyone. I have another appointment at another dealer. They said that they had a few others with this same problem and had to replace some module to fix the problem. The appointment is on the 23rd of this month. Will let you know how I make out.

They said that they had a few others with this same problem and had to replace some module to fix the problem.

All the more reason to file a complaint with the nhtsa. Thanks for the update. Keep them coming.

Hey livalidle,

There is a problem with the 05 caravan door locks, but most often the
complaint is a complete door lock failure, or the alam sounding when the hatch is opened.
I have seen other door lock problems with the 05 Caravan as well.
There is a TSB from Dodge that involves flashing the BCM
The TSB# is 08-040-04
This TSB does not describe your problem exactly, but you could ask your
dealer to flash the BCM anyway.

Good luck, and please let us know how you make out.

P.S.
Does the van have a remote starter??

I do remote starts for a living and what I have found is that moisture gets into the switches when it rains or worse, snows. With water or water with salt gets in there, it can make them do all kinds of things.

I've heard of others fixing BCM involved problems by pulling the IOD fuse for two minutes. It's supposed to reset the BCM. Could be the same as "flashing" the BCM? Might concider it to avoid the dealer.

We have actually had a similar problem with our 05 Grand Caravan for the last few weeks. We'd leave the engine running with the doors closed and come back to the van a little later and the doors would be locked. I kind of ignored it because I thought my wife didn't know what she was talking about. But tonight, when we got over 25mph and the doors locked automatically, they started locking/unlocking continuously. Lock/Unlock every second, and it continued when we parked, shut off the engine and shut the doors! It's sitting in my garage with the battery cable disconnected right now. Oh yea, it has 36,300+ miles on it now. Anybody got any advice?

Well, I know this is a different vehicle but hear this. A guy came in with a newer Ford F150. He was compaining that he had severe battery drain. When he'd jump the truck, the driver's window would go down. With the key off he could roll the dr. window up and roll up and down the pass. window. His keyless quit and the 4x4 selector would act up. Come to find out that the way the dash is put together there is a big metal bar above the fuse panel which also has the GEM module. Well, when that would sweat enough, water will drop on the fuse panel, shorting out the GEM module. Here the GEM module shorted out causing the "retained accessory output" to stay on. Swapped out the module fixed EVERYTHING.

I have my appointment this Friday at 11:00. I will fill everyone in on what I find out. No it does not have a remote start but would like to get it put in sometime. Thanks for all the help.

Hi all, I took it to the dealer today and they checked it for codes and there was none. He said the system was up to date and he cant figure out why it is doing this so I have another appointment next Thursday to have a new body control module put in to see if that cures this annoying problem. I will keep everyone informed on what I find out.

I took the van to the dealer and they checked it out and they feel that after all the tests that Dodge had them do that the BCM is not working properly but the bad part of the whole deal is that Dodge has a restriction on the BCM and will not let my dealer order one because they cannot duplicate this problem. I am going to call Dodge in the morning and raise hell over this but if that dont help dont really know what to do. Might have to get rid of it and go back to GM products.:banghead: :banghead:

Try a salvage yard or parts recycler. Just make sure you get the exact part number BCM.

Try this website: http://acdelcocomputers.com/computers/bcm_chry.htm

I'm sure there are others if this one doesn't work out for you.

Try a salvage yard or parts recycler. Just make sure you get the exact part number BCM.

Try this website: http://acdelcocomputers.com/computers/bcm_chry.htm

I'm sure there are others if this one doesn't work out for you.


That is am option but why should I pay for this thing and let Dodge get off with nothing when they know there is a problem with the BCM on these things. Besides that it only has 7,000 miles on it and I am not responsible for any problems until I get to 36,000 miles. That is why I bought a new one and not an older one.

I just got off the phone with Dodge customer service and they told me that if this does not happen while the van is at the dealer and they see it doing this there is nothing they will do to fix the problem. I am supposed to get a spare key and keep it outside the van and this is how they said to fix it. This is completely ridiculous and an easy way out for them. This is far from over. I hope they realize that they lost a valuble customer.

Between a rock and a hard place is a tough place to be. To me it would come down to one question: How much and for how long do I want to compromise safety? Just one of those nasty decisions we all make sooner or later.

As I said previously: www.nhtsa.com and:
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/

I've heard of others fixing BCM involved problems by pulling the IOD fuse for two minutes. It's supposed to reset the BCM. Could be the same as "flashing" the BCM? Might concider it to avoid the dealer.
2003 Chrysler T&C - Door Locks not responding to remote or inside switches.
Removing the IOD Fuse for 2 minutes and reinstalling worked!!! Thanks for the advice.

RIP, paffer
I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan and the door locks stopped responding to remote or inside switches yesterday. :banghead:
I read your post and thought it was silly :screwy: and couldn't work, but I went out to the garage removed the IOD Fuse waited for a couple of minutes put it back and the locks now work!!! :lol:
Thanks for the advice. :cool:

That will be $85 for the diagonostics. I had to do it a couple of times 3 years ago and haven't had a problem since. The only difference is the van was parked outside while we looked for a house and has been parked in a garage since then. Go figure.