Dashboard lights/windshield wipers

Tiny
LORECORRADINO
  • MEMBER
  • 2008 DODGE CARAVAN
After driving, I stop my car in the driveway, unhook my seatbelt, and open the sliding van door. The car is still running. I unload my packages, get back in the car. The windshield wipers start automatically and the multiple lights appear on the dashboard and the seat-belt chime goes off. This climate does not stop until I turn the engine off. This does not happen every time. I've tried to repeat this for the dealership service people - of course not.

Thanks for your assistance
Thursday, September 16th, 2010 AT 2:42 PM

15 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,747 POSTS
Hello,

This is a common problem when the TIPM goes out which is common but you are in luck because it is easy to replace because it self initializes. Here are the instruction in the diagrams below to show you how. Check out the diagrams (Below). Please let us know what happens.
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Friday, September 17th, 2010 AT 7:02 AM
Tiny
TURBOJAY
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Thank you for this post I had this problem and had to replace the TIPM cost me $234.00 all fixed I love this site.
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-1
Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM
Tiny
DASSCHUS
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2008 DODGE CARAVAN
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 88,000 MILES
2008 Dodge Caravan: while on road all of the dash lights (though not radio lights) start flashing and the transmission shifts to neutral. Pull over and turn car off and restart it. Few minutes later it does the same. Drive home for 30 minutes and it doesn't do it again. Any idea what the problem could be?
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,747 POSTS
Have you had the computer scanned for truble codes?
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,747 POSTS
Have you checked for vacuum leaks. Have you had the computer scanned?
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
TURTLERIVERLAKE
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I just had a similar problem on Christmas Eve. My alternator went out and created a dead short for the battery, which caused low voltage to the entire car. I was able to drive about 1 mile before the transmission started shifting erratically. Engine finally died due to lack of spark. Disconnected the power lead on the alternator and charged the battery with another vehicle to drive the remaining five miles home. While driving I noticed the lights flashing on the climate controls. In this case the climate control system needs to go through its diagnostics and calibration.
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
FORTHUN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2008 DODGE CARAVAN
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 37,500 MILES
Traction control light & ESP-BAS lights stay on all the time. I have checked all fuses for thes in fuse box
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
THX1138
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
This just happened to me. My mechanic said that it is due to unreliable wheel speed information. It can be caused by having different diameter tires on the van, but more likely due to a bad wheel bearing or a wheel bearing starting to go bad. He was able to get a fault code to identify which wheel sensor was the problem. Since the wheel speed information is bad, the ABS and traction control are disabled, hence the warning lights.
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
We need the code to further help

Roy
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
LISAOBRIEN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2005 DODGE CARAVAN
Electrical problem
2005 Dodge Caravan Front Wheel Drive Automatic 108000 miles

When I am driving all of a sudden my guages will all flicker down and come right back up and my dash lights kinda dim and go bright again. I have replaced my battery and altanator. This all started after an accident what could this be?
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CH112063
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,320 POSTS
The accident may have jolted your inst. Panel cluster, its ground or even its power source. If you have insurance it may be covered.
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:36 PM (Merged)
Tiny
GARY W. GRALEY
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2002 DODGE CARAVAN
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
Sporadically the dash board lights, well the Door Open light comes on and also some times the roof lights will come on and stay on, even with the car turned off.

I looked under the dash area, moved some wires around
and that fixed it for a while, not really finding something definitive.
It came back again after two weeks, today when the
door open light was on, I stepped on the brake pedal
and that made it go out, so I thought some how the
wiring to that switch was causing it, but not sure if
that's the culprit.
It's working now, but nervous that I didn't find the real problem, it's my wife's main car and she's nervous
taking it when she has to get the grandkids to babysit.
Help is appreciated,
Thanks in advance,
G2
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:37 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,873 POSTS
The next time you find the lights coming on, carefully push on the back(s) of the sliding door(s). If the lights go off, the door switch is out of adjustment. They can be popped out, reset, reinstalled, then auto-adjusted by closing the door. Front doors can do this too, but it's not as common.

There is also a very complicated, unreliable, (unnecessary), body computer that can cause all kinds of strange problems. It is what keeps the lights on for a few seconds after you close the doors. It's a gimmick people want, but it results in very expensive repairs for what used to be simple problems. The computer lives on the firewall behind the brake pedal.

Caradiodoc
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:37 PM (Merged)
Tiny
WESTFIRECO
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2002 DODGE CARAVAN
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 9,600 MILES
I just had the transmission rebuilt at aamco transmission shop. When I got it back there were no dash lights. The shop said they didn't do anything to cause this. I checked the fuses under the dash and can't find any which are blown. Any ideas or the cause or what I can do. The shop isn't much help.
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:37 PM (Merged)
Tiny
CH112063
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,320 POSTS
You can test it for a bad fuse in another location, but you need to have the lights turned on to test for voltage at each fuse, if any interior fuse has no voltage at any one end of a fuse it may be another fuse in the engine compartment power center near the battery. Your going to need a 6-12 volt test olight to properly check a fuse, ok They sell one at the store and for the price, you'll always have the light so you can always test the fuses properly, see the section on testing fuses on the site menu if you haven't already, ok there are two fuse locations now and soon there may be more.
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Saturday, November 16th, 2019 AT 2:37 PM (Merged)

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