Caravan spare tire carrier

No they aren't prone to breaking off as your driving, they break when people use impact wrenches to raise and lower the tires and from accidents that cause they to go to the junk yard, I have seen a few break from frontal accidents but never had a customer complain about the tire breaking off.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

I have had 2 Caravans, an 84 and now a 97. Traded the first at 240K miles, and now have over 100K on the 97. Never a problem with the spare tire carrier.

They get "frozen" and people can't get them down.. there is a trick to it... but I suspect what you are seeing is the result of removing the spare tire.

Glenn, I usually agree with you, but I've seen too many spares drop off from both Chrysler and Ford mini-vans. You see the spare's littering the highways here in salty roads country.I've personally dropped 2 from fords and know many who have lost them from Caravans.

Clarence, Glenn's response made sense to me, and I would point out that neither of the frayed cable ends of the spare tire retainers displayed rust. I'm in the midwest and we get our share of road salt. Another thing worth noting is that I had removed another _intact_ one from a junk caravan without first turning the nut to see if the cable moved or not (never dreamed it wouldn't work--how often do they get used?)... got it home and installed it and went to turn the nut to lower down the cable and it did nothing either direction. So I don't know if it has stripped gears inside or the cable is frozen up somehow inside its housing. In fact, I discovered the gears inside my original (frayed) one were stripped, after I originally tried to just clamp a makeshift steel bracket onto the end of the existing cable (above the frayed part) using two cable clamps, and was just going to use it like that...and when I put the end of the cable through the centerhole of the rim it would crank up about halfway and wouldn't move anymore although the nut would still turn. In any case, they must have their share of problems, for whatever reason. Grateful for your replies, as always.

"...there is a trick to it..." What is the trick?

I guess since I don't work in a salt belt area this isn't a common problem, and yes I can see the salt eating that small cable up. Thanks for the info

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Oooops sorry.. later model (96 up).. .. has a "catch" to prevent this.. I suspect as it did happen occasionally.. Takes 3 hands to release it....well did for me.

Google it and I am sure you will read reports of such.... "losses"

The galvanized cables corrode off. The replacement (and possibly later model as well) stainless cables stand up a lot better.