What breaks most · 1990 to 2020 model years
Dodge Grand Caravan problems by year
Owners have filed 13,453 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Grand Caravan across model years 1990 to 2020. Three years stand out: 2008 for electrical system complaints, 1996 for air bags complaints and 2016 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1995 and 2004.
- Years to check closely: 2008, 1996, 2016
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1995, 2004
- Complaints on file
- 134531990 to 2020, all trims
- Worst year
- 20081292 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 424280 fires · 538 injuries · 23 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 74kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 165Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 1 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (27) | |
| 129 | 0 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (30) | |
| 255 | 14 | 8 | Seat belts (60) | |
| 289 | 11 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (88) | |
| 199 | 8 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (56) | |
| 108 | 4 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (24) | |
| 1157 | 31 | 11 | Air bags (211) | |
| 583 | 29 | 6 | Air bags (107) | |
| 559 | 41 | 6 | Engine and cooling (129) | |
| 432 | 26 | 5 | Air bags (83) | |
| 442 | 27 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (95) | |
| 298 | 9 | 5 | Air bags (48) | |
| 290 | 12 | 6 | Air bags (59) | |
| 219 | 13 | 3 | Steering (45) | |
| 116 | 4 | 3 | Fuel system (25) | |
| 995 | 28 | 6 | Latches and locks (338) | |
| 284 | 12 | 4 | Steering (61) | |
| 182 | 14 | 3 | Fuel system (41) | |
| 1292 | 23 | 8 | Electrical system (815) | |
| 543 | 11 | 7 | Electrical system (334) | |
| 868 | 20 | 6 | Electrical system (548) | |
| 530 | 9 | 4 | Electrical system (332) | |
| 583 | 7 | 6 | Electrical system (336) | |
| 470 | 13 | 4 | Electrical system (254) | |
| 357 | 11 | 5 | Electrical system (128) | |
| 279 | 7 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (76) | |
| 999 | 14 | 6 | Electrical system (314) | |
| 413 | 6 | 3 | Electrical system (144) | |
| 270 | 8 | 4 | Electrical system (92) | |
| 238 | 6 | 4 | Electrical system (56) | |
| 19 | 5 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (8) |
What fails on the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 63% |
815 | 7 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Air bags | 23% |
293 | 12 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
133 | 2 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
117 | 4 | Shop engine parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
74 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
68 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
54 | 4 | Shop steering parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 4% |
48 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
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.
-
My vehicles rear doors and back windows have stopped opening I'm afraid if something happen like an accident me and my 7 children will not be able to escape the vehicle I'm a single mother of 7 I have no way of repairing it myself when the pandemic. Hit I lost everything please help
-
Automatic transmission broke for the third time in just 30,000 miles, this time my wife and 4 kids were nearly killed on a busy interstate because we were almost hit . This vehicle is a 1996 dodge grand caravan. *nm
-
Door buzzing noise when unlocking...sliding door will not unlock from inside the vehicle. Safety hazard for the passengers.
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 Grand Caravan years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2008, 1996, 2016 carry the most filings on the Dodge Grand Caravan. The 2008 alone has 1292 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Dodge Grand Caravan problem?
On the 2008 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 815 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Grand Caravan problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Grand Caravan complaints that include mileage is about 74,000 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.