What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Dodge Grand Caravan problems by year
Owners have filed 10,445 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Grand Caravan across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2008 for electrical system complaints, 1996 for air bags complaints and 2005 for latches and locks complaints. The quietest years are 2017, 1990 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2008, 1996, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2017, 1990, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 104451990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20081254 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 364247 fires · 431 injuries · 22 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 164Across 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) | |
| 128 | 0 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (30) | |
| 255 | 14 | 8 | Seat belts (60) | |
| 288 | 11 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (87) | |
| 199 | 8 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (56) | |
| 108 | 4 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (24) | |
| 1156 | 31 | 11 | Air bags (211) | |
| 581 | 29 | 6 | Air bags (107) | |
| 556 | 41 | 6 | Engine and cooling (129) | |
| 431 | 26 | 5 | Air bags (83) | |
| 435 | 27 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (95) | |
| 298 | 9 | 5 | Air bags (48) | |
| 283 | 12 | 6 | Air bags (58) | |
| 217 | 13 | 3 | Steering (44) | |
| 112 | 3 | 3 | Fuel system (24) | |
| 982 | 27 | 6 | Latches and locks (337) | |
| 274 | 12 | 4 | Steering (60) | |
| 172 | 14 | 3 | Fuel system (39) | |
| 1254 | 21 | 8 | Electrical system (799) | |
| 503 | 9 | 7 | Electrical system (314) | |
| 730 | 14 | 6 | Electrical system (470) | |
| 421 | 8 | 4 | Electrical system (267) | |
| 357 | 2 | 6 | Electrical system (212) | |
| 258 | 8 | 4 | Electrical system (175) | |
| 174 | 7 | 5 | Electrical system (87) | |
| 57 | 3 | 4 | Unknown or other (9) | |
| 128 | 6 | 6 | Electrical system (34) | |
| 23 | 3 | 3 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 8 | 1 | 4 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 64% |
799 | 7 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Air bags | 22% |
280 | 10 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
133 | 2 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
111 | 4 | Shop engine parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
72 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
65 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
48 | 4 | Shop steering parts for the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 4% |
46 | 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.
-
Vehicle wipers, wiper fluid, and horn operate separately and independently from human operator input with no response to operators attempts to disengage their operations. Incidents happen intermittently at rest or in motion, situations are not able to be anticipated.
-
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 lock system has failed due to computer glitch. From what i have found on-line this problem has been happening for years and should be covered by a recall.
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 30, 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, 2005 carry the most filings on the Dodge Grand Caravan. The 2008 alone has 1254 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 799 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 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.