Ask the Motor Medics

Dear Motor Medics, I have a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan and the power- operated side door doesn’t always work. Sometimes when you close the door, it will almost move to the full closed position, then it reverses and fully opens. If I try it several times, it sometimes closes.

I have been told by two dealerships that it needs a new ribbon cable and it’s hundreds of dollars.

Is this common?

Margaret in Fargo, North Dakota

Dear Margaret, This is a common problem in many of the vans using a power-sliding door system. They have to make a connection between the door and the body and many do it with a cable. The cable moves back and forth every time the door slides and with enough time it can be rubbed through or break one of the wires in the cable. If either of these things happens it can act just like yours is operating.

Other issues like programming can be a factor and less expensive than a new cable, so make sure that they give it a proper diagnosis and guarantee their work.

A good thing to remember is the most-expensive repair is always the one you don’t need. Make sure that the shop doing the repairs has had experience with the system used on your vehicle.

If it is a cable, they are expensive to replace mostly due to the time involved for the labor which can take several hours of work. Take care, The Motor Medics