How Reliable is the Dodge Grand Caravan?

Front 3/4 view of a Dodge Grand Caravan

Grand Caravan owners have made 3182 complaints over 31 model years. It ranks 24th in reliability out of 29 eligible Dodge models.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Dodge score is 20.65 while the Grand Caravan comes in at 41.48.

The 5 Most Common Grand Caravan Problems

We've pulled together a list of the problems Grand Caravan owners.

  1. Valve Stem Corrosion

    Fiat-Chrysler made a mistake by using aluminum valve stems in some of their early tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), like the one found in the Dodge Journey. The aluminum stem and metal cap are highly susceptible to corrosion from sal…

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  2. Defective TIPM Causes Multiple Electrical Problems

    What is a TIPM exactly? And why is it giving so many Dodge owners headaches? We have details, plus news about recalls and a SETTLEMENT.

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  3. Stuck in Park

    Can't shift the car into reverse or drive! Now what? This is most commonly reported from Dodge Avenger owners, but there have also been similar complaints about other Dodge makes as well as other Chrysler and Jeep vehicles having a similar …

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  4. Cracked Dashboards

    Is your Dodge dashboard falling apart and breaking into pieces? Have you been watching the cracks grow bigger and bigger with each passing month? Do you feel helpless as your dashboard caves in on itself? Trust me, you're not alone.

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  5. Oil Sludge in the 2.7L Engine

    Oil sludge buildup and sludge-related engine failure is a design DEFECT in Chrysler's 2.7L engine…

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What Grand Caravan Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

Full Lists on CarComplaints.com

Grand Caravan Generations

The Grand Caravan has 5 generations, each with their own issues. Using the same PainRank™ system we've determined that you're better off avoiding the 5th generation (2008–2020).

  1. 5th Generation Grand Caravan

    Years
    2008–2020
    Reliability
    49th of 54
    PainRank™
    28.5
    Complaints
    1836
    Continue Front 3/4 view of a Grand Caravan

  2. 4th Generation Grand Caravan

    Years
    2001–2007
    Reliability
    40th of 54
    PainRank™
    20.2
    Complaints
    1085
    Continue

  3. 3rd Generation Grand Caravan

    Years
    1996–2000
    Reliability
    29th of 54
    PainRank™
    11.8
    Complaints
    224
    Continue

  4. 2nd Generation Grand Caravan

    Years
    1991–1994
    Reliability
    20th of 54
    PainRank™
    3.24
    Complaints
    33
    Continue

  5. 1st Generation Grand Caravan

    Years
    1990–1990
    Reliability
    16th of 54
    PainRank™
    2.16
    Complaints
    2
    Continue

Grand Caravan Key Numbers

  1. 3,182 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  2. 151 service bulletins

    Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.

  3. 76 recall campaigns

    Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Recent Relevant Lawsuits

The Grand Caravan has been named as a class vehicle in the following lawsuits.

  • Settled

    Velasco, et al. v. Chrysler Group LLC.

    The lawsuit alleges the named vehicles have defective Totally Integrated Power Modules, also known as TIPMs. The TIPM controls and distributes power to all of the electrical functions of the vehicle, including the vehicle safety and ignition systems.

Recent Grand Caravan News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. FCA says their transmission pumps “may not conform to specifications” and need to be recalled in the 2015-2016 Journey and Grand Caravan.

    They thank the discovery of the problem to an examination of warranty data that caused an internal investigation of the six-speed automatic transmissions.

    keep reading

  2. The 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country have been recalled because they have nuts on the third-row seatback that weren't torqued properly during assembly.

    The loose bolts may not hold the seatback, even more so in a crash.

    The nuts were not tightened properly when the vans were built between March 16, 2016, to March 17, 2016.

    keep reading

  3. Continental Automotive systems did the right thing by announcing their airbags had corrosion issues

    , but there's just one problem --- they've known about this for years:

    "According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, Continental knew about the defective air bags as far back as 2008."

    A new [lawsuit][3] wants compensation for injuries or other losses during that time between Continental discovered the problem and actually did anything about it.

    The law firm Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg & Gilbert has [more on that class-action][4].

    keep reading

  5. Fiat-Chrysler (FCA) used expired primer to install the windshields in the 2015-2016 Chrysler Town and Country and 2014-2015 Dodge Grand Caravan.

    And guess what? It's doing a terrible job stopping the windshields from falling out.

    The automaker says lab results showed using urethane with a primer that expired in July 2015 always passed the tests. However, using urethane with a primer that expired in January 2015 failed 100 percent of the time.

    Shocking.

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  6. Fiat-Chrysler (FCA) is recalling 112,000 vehicles with defective Continental airbags.

    They opened an internal investigation in July 2015 to find out why a 2009 Dodge Journey airbag deployed for no apparent reason. The automaker later found 13 potential inadvertent airbag deployments with airbags made by Continental Automotive Systems.

    Recently, Continental announced they needed to recall 5 million airbags that were susceptible to corrosion. The airbags in question might not deploy in a crash, which really defeats the point.

    FCA says they aren't sure when the recall will begin.

    keep reading

  7. Fiat-Chrysler (FCA) is recalling over 1,600 vans because their hoods keep flying up while on the road.

    Listen, I enjoy a good game of peek-a-boo with my toddler, but peek-a-boo with the road? That's not a good time. According to FCA, the bolts that attach the hood striker are coming loose over time.

    Full details about the recall, and contact information for both Chrysler and Dodge, are available on CarComplaints.com.

    keep reading

  8. Chrysler isn't going to get off as easy as they thought.

    An appeal for a lawsuit claiming the Dodge Grand Caravan is subject to a "false park" event was granted after the case was dismissed in an earlier court:

    "[There are] genuine issues of material fact that would allow a reasonable jury to conclude that the ‘false park’ defect was the legal cause of the accident and their deaths."…

    keep reading

See All Grand Caravan News

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