A friend experienced a catastrophic failure not long ago. His 1996
Caravan SE that he bought used, ended up with the transmission case
having a huge hole in it.

The root cause was that the differential spider gear shaft ejected
itself.
This was a known design defect that was addressed by the manufacturer,
but this particular vehicle hadn't been modified/upgraded before he
purchased it. He wasn't aware of the design defect until the incident
happened.

This info I got from him.. automatic transmission type 41 LE/TE with
overdrive (4 speed), which is an A604 basic model. He wasn't able to
find a case core to buy, and he had a difficult time finding a used
replacement transmission, but did locate one, and he put a full
overhaul kit in it.

The incident may have been induced/enabled by the loads he was
attempting to haul. He had a temporary gig delivering those free
newspapers. His 1 ton diesel van was out of service for maintenance
problems, and he had tried to make the deliveries with the Caravan.

There are more websites than you'd imagine concerning specific
automotive problems and/or failures. Web searches for any particular
vehicle component will return lots of sites related to when/why
failures happen, and many repair procedures or options.

I personally wouldn't want a vehicle with a computer-controlled
transmission, or one that required a specially-formulated fluid for a
particular transmission model.

WB
............

Jeff O'Malley wrote:
Hi, folks. I was scanning messages for this group a day or two ago and
a part of a message concerning van transmissions crapping out at 70 K
miles stuck in my brain. Unfortunately, I did not save the message, so
I don't know who it was from or what the message subject was.
I am a handicapped person whose method of locomotion is a power
wheelchair. About 6 months ago I purchased a Dodge Caravan that has
been converted to a "ramp van" by a company named Braun. This vehicle
cost a blooming fortune, and I am very concerned that it may have one of
these 70 K transmissions.
The van is a 2005 model that had the Braun company lower the floor and
install the motorized ramp.
If any one has more information on the reliability or lack thereof of
these Dodge transmissions, please let me know and if possible where the
references were found.

This has me seriously concerned and I need more info.

Thanks. Jeff O'Malley