What breaks most · 1990 to 2017 model years
Dodge Caravan problems by year
Owners have filed 10,043 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Caravan across model years 1990 to 2017. Three years stand out: 1996 for air bags complaints, 1993 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 1992 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2014, 2015 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 1996, 1993, 1992
- Fewest complaints: 2014, 2015, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 100431990 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 19961403 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 672223 fires · 691 injuries · 31 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 184Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278 | 13 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (75) | |
| 617 | 36 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (208) | |
| 913 | 49 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (261) | |
| 949 | 68 | 10 | Brakes (hydraulic) (321) | |
| 644 | 91 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (111) | |
| 489 | 57 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (93) | |
| 1403 | 57 | 18 | Air bags (251) | |
| 714 | 44 | 15 | Air bags (152) | |
| 629 | 45 | 14 | Engine and cooling (135) | |
| 555 | 46 | 14 | Air bags (119) | |
| 470 | 65 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (86) | |
| 257 | 9 | 10 | Air bags (43) | |
| 245 | 13 | 10 | Air bags (59) | |
| 195 | 13 | 9 | Steering (41) | |
| 64 | 2 | 8 | Fuel system (12) | |
| 537 | 19 | 9 | Latches and locks (203) | |
| 173 | 12 | 6 | Electrical system (30) | |
| 81 | 4 | 4 | Fuel system (13) | |
| 302 | 8 | 2 | Electrical system (162) | |
| 118 | 3 | 2 | Electrical system (72) | |
| 172 | 8 | 2 | Electrical system (79) | |
| 78 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (54) | |
| 87 | 3 | 0 | Electrical system (47) | |
| 30 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (15) | |
| 20 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 23 | 3 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 1996 Dodge Caravan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 18% |
251 | 27 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 15% |
215 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1996 Dodge Caravan |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
215 | 3 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1996 Dodge Caravan |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
213 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1996 Dodge Caravan |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
185 | 7 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
139 | 6 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1996 Dodge Caravan |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 9% |
121 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1996 Dodge Caravan |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
115 | 4 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
1996 dodge caravan caught on fire. *ts while driving the consumer smelled gas and saw smoke coming through the air vents. The consumer pulled over to the side of the road and flames started coming out from under the hood. The vehicle became engulfed in flames. *nm
-
The consumer received a recall notice(96v099000) hydraulic anti-skid system. Remedy failed. *nm consumer wants to know why they have to pay $160.00 to check the brakes on recall-ABS system. Plus there was no results as to what was really wrong with the brakes. Checked and replace ABS accumulator. *bf *nm
-
1992 dodge caravan customer states that no letter regarding recall on brakes was sent. Customer also paid to have car fixed and it took 3 dealerships to get the problem fixed right**cc *jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Caravan years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1996, 1993, 1992 carry the most filings on the Dodge Caravan. The 1996 alone has 1403 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Dodge Caravan problem?
On the 1996 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 251 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Caravan problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Caravan complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.