1996 Dodge B Series problems

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 1996 Dodge B Series with NHTSA between 1995 and 2004. The largest single group is the brakes. Across this model's run it ranks 2 of 4 worst.

Read the complaints What breaks Worst years for the Dodge B Series All 1996 cars

FaultScore 61/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Dodge B Series.

How this is worked out

The numbers

Complaints

Crashes reported

Fires reported

Injuries reported

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.

Complaint volume — 50: Against the median year of the Dodge B Series. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 79: 15.4% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — not reported: Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.

How 1996 compares with every other Dodge B Series

Click any bar to open that year's report.

1 1 1 1 2 1 1 10 10 13 2 19

76 78 86 88 89 90 92 94 95 96 97 98

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 1996 Dodge B Series

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Brakes 5 38.5%

Steering 4 30.8%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 1 7.7%

1 crashes, 0 fires

Body & Structure 1 7.7%

Electrical System 1 7.7%

0 crashes, 1 fires · median 37,960 mi

Transmission & Drivetrain 1 7.7%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Jun 1995 peak 9 Jun 2004

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

Filed 9 Jun 2004 at 37,960 miles Hanover, MD Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS 1996 DODGE B VAN WITH 37960 MILES. THE DRIVER DROVE APPROX. 2 MILES TO HIS FIRST JOB. NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL. PARKED IN FRONT OF THE CUSTOMERS HOUSE,NOTICED NOTHING UNUSUAL. DROVE BEHIND THE HOUSE TO THE JOBSITE AND SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. EXITED THE TRUCK AND SAW FLAMES FROM THE RIGHT FRONT WHEELWELL. HAD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. AN INVESTIGATION BY AN OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR,HIRED BY DAIMLERCHRYSLER WAS INCONCLUSIVE AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE, BUT LISTED A PROBABLE CAUSE AS THE HEATER BLOWER MOTOR. THE BLOWER MOTOR COULD NOT BE FOUND AT THE TIME OF THE INVESTIGATION! VERIZON HAS EXPERIENCED MANY BLOWER MOTOR FAILURES AND BLOWER RESISTOR FAILURES IN THIS MODEL VEHICLE. VERIZON HAS EXPERIENCED SIMILAR FIRES IN THIS MODEL VEHICLE AND FEELS THAT THIS FIRE WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

NHTSA complaint #10075090 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 14 Jun 1995 Portland, OR Crash

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VAN IN PARK;ENGINE RUNNING;OCCUPANTS GOT OUT;AFTER 1 MINUTE, REVERSE PARKING LIGHT CAME ON;VAN BARRELED DOWN;WENT THRU GATE, NEARLY KILLING DRIVER;LEASED CAR.

NHTSA complaint #966825 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Filed 9 Jun 2004 at 37,960 miles Hanover, MD Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

NHTSA complaint #10075090 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 19 Mar 1997 MT Airy, MD

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT; ALSO REPLACED PADS/CALIPERS/DRAG LINK AND TIE ROD.