1,353 of the 18,883 complaints filed about the Dodge Grand Caravan are about the braking system — 7% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2008.
1,353
Complaints
7%
Share of all complaints
59
Crashes
18
Fires
SERVICE BRAKES
The break calipers keep sticking and need to be replaced at least once per year. The stick and cause an awful black smoke. The last time they were replaced was almost a year ago to date.
NHTSA complaint #11748463 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the driver’s side rear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear brake caliper had blown out. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage for the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint #11688943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I had recently decided to rotate my wheels and and I had gotten done I noticed that after a little while after I get down the road my speedometer, cruise control, abs, traction control stopped working and my parking brake light also came on now I do know the only thing that I done differently was kept my hub cap pieces off of the vehicle
NHTSA complaint #11672128 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I tried to stop the van and had no brakes. I went right through the intersection, luckily it was early in the morning with light traffic. It could have been deadly. The front flex brake line fitting rusted away and the brake line separated. There was no warning prior to the incident. I had it fixed and still have the part.
NHTSA complaint #11644069 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH and attempting to slow for a traffic signal, the vehicle was not slowing down as intended. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake lines needed to be flushed and the brake pads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact called and made the dealer to aware of the failure but was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
NHTSA complaint #11613794 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
My complaint involves more than one incident...it is the braking system on this vehicle. One incident was in Panama City Beach, Florida. My entire braking system locked up and I had numerous items replaced. Another more recent incident happened in Alabama. My left front brake heated up to the point it smelled like the vehicle was on fire. I have had several calipers and rotors replaced, numerous brake pads and not all of these repairs has been done by the same garage. I read complaints from others about the manufacturers brake system is too small for this style vehicle. They have experienced the same problems I have had. I bought this vehicle in 2015 and I have 155,000 miles on it. I have had to replace a water pump and spark plugs and wires, regular oil changes, etc. The only real problem I have had has been the brakes. I have spent almost $3,500 on brakes alone. I would think the braking system could be a very hazardous situation in the traffic of today. Please help me and others who are experiencing this problem with the braking systems on the 2006 Dodge Grand Caravans. Thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11603521 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I heard the sound of metal scraping on metal when I applied the brakes. I took it to Boubin Auto Repair and they said they replaced the rear calipers, rotors and pads. They failed to connect the parking brake cable on the right side. The parking brake cable broke later and I took it to Hubbell's Auto Repair and they replaced the parking brake cables. Years later, I once again heard the scraping sound of metal on metal when applying the brakes. This was about 2.5 years after it first happened. The vehicle has about 67,000 miles on it now. I bought it new in 2015. I took it to Hubbell's Auto Repair again and they said the right rear brakes had a piston blown out of the caliper and no pad left on one side. They replaced the rear calipers with non-Mopar (aftermarket) calipers, replaced the rotors and pads. That cost $863.23. Uneven and inefficient braking resulting from failed rear brakes could result in an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11594820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle with the brake pedal depressed, the brake pedal required excessive effort to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake actuator piston assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 96V099000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 132,000.
NHTSA complaint #11585497 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Travelling at the speed of 55 miles per hour the vehicle seemed to completely shut off on its own, thus causing immediate loss of power steering and power brakes. I was able to very carefully bring the vehicle to a complete stop after a half a mile or so. Fortunately, I was travelling on a long straight county road without any surrounding traffic. Once I turned the ignition totally off and back on again at the side of the road, everything seems to operate as normal. No check engine light, no other warnings came on thereafter. After doing some research online I found customer complaints experiencing the very same issues with certain Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles, however Dodge doesn’t seem to have any sort of recall for this extremely hazardous issue. It seems like it may be a faulty ignition switch problem!
NHTSA complaint #11577390 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
On 7/1/2023 my vehicle began to malfunction while driving - power was flickering with EMC drive error flashing. When this happened, I was at a complete stop in traffic, so I put it in park, then restarted. Everything seemed to be fine, but I was cautious. The same thing happened again, so I pulled into a parking lot and went inside a store for a few minutes. I got back in the car, started the vehicle, then before pulling out into traffic, the center console reported a flashing error again, so I put it in park and restarted again, put my hazard lights on, then pulled away. I was consciously trying to stay a few car lengths behind vehicles ahead because I was nervous about what was going on and just wanted to keep away from other vehicles. I made it to an intersection where there was a red light with 2 cars ahead of me. I began braking and decelerated to around 5 MPH and within 30 feet of the vehicle in front of me when the vehicle lost power to the brake. I don’t recall if the steering also went out. I hit the bumper of the car in front of me, and her car was pushed into the car in front of her. Fortunately, I did not sustain any injuries. My airbags did not go off. My confidence in this equipment is seriously affected. How will I know this will not happen again? I could have died or taken the lives of other people. I requested that the company MobilityWorks not make any repairs to the vehicle until they explain the origin of the problem. Instead they replaced parts and stated they could not replicate the problem--it took them 6+ months to return the vehicle to me & the headlights do not even work. They refuse to inform me of what the malfunction was but cite neglected vehicle maintenance. I can document consistent vehicle maintenance. I refuse to drive this vehicle as it is clearly compromised. They aren't being transparent and should be required by law to notify disabled individuals including veterans of this risk. These modified vehicles are death traps!
NHTSA complaint #11568217 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake lights turns off when parked and engine off. But even with the engine off and nobody in the car the brake lights turn on. A mechanic replaced brake light switch. Engine off and brake lights off. Later the brake lights turns on when engine off and nobody in the car. Replaced brake pedal assembly and still same problem. Is this a common problem with Dodge Grand Caravans? Mine is 2013 model.
NHTSA complaint #11562875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
While the Emergency Parking Brake was activated and vehicle in Park in the driveway that is on a hill, the car began rolling down the driveway at a fast rate of speed with no one in drivers seat. 3 young kids were in car seats in the van with it running while we were outside of the vehicle speaking. All doors locked and it flew down the driveway almost flipping over at the bottom. We took the vehicle to the dealership we purchased it from on June 29, 2023 and they could not recreate the issue. No warning lights were on prior to this incident and when citizens that stopped when this happened, got in the vehicle to dislodge it from the dirt that thankfully stopped it from flipping, they verified that it still showed the E Brake as being engaged it was still in park. No police or insurance was called because there was no damage to the vehicle or children but the dealership was called. I do have video of this event but your website does not accept videos
NHTSA complaint #11542767 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle randomly dies completely like no battery connected either while parked or in motion. Then after a few moments vehicle starts like nothing is wrong. No codes no warning.
NHTSA complaint #11542324 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
rear brakes pulsating and not stopping properly this van only has 11.345 miles on it. i dont think the brakes should have a problem yet. do you ?
NHTSA complaint #11528150 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Electrical system-intermittent failure. While driving or idling, the vehicle will randomly shut off. The vehicle has turned off randomly while being driven down the road with little to no warning, even while operating at high speed. When this happens, you are also left without power steering, ABS brakes, fuel pump, and literally anything that operates electrically. Sometimes it will turn right back on without the operator taking any action, but this is not always the case. There have also been times when it is not able to be turned back on for 20+ minutes. When it shuts down, power doors and windows are also inoperable and the side doors and back hatch cannot be opened either by pushbutton or manually, which compounds the risk of a serious collision with that of entrapment. This is especially dangerous given that they are a popular choice for families with children-like mine. My mechanic cited the problem as being the TIPM and said that this problem is endemic with these vans. A cursory internet search confirmed his claims. There are far too many anecdotes of people driving 80mph down the highway and all of a sudden having their vehicle stop operating completely while they are traveling at high speeds. This is a fatal accident (and huge products liability lawsuit) waiting to happen. A recall is absolutely imperative. My vehicle is available for assessment.
NHTSA complaint #11516640 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle slid to the left. The contact described the move to the left, as if she was turning the steering wheel, but she was not. Additionally, while driving from a standing stop, the rear tires was spinning as if she had applied the brakes before the vehicle jolted forward. The contact stated that the engine was making abnormal sounds and the vehicle was vibrating. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics who could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
NHTSA complaint #11513048 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The TIPM fuse box under the hood has a malfunction which causes certain components to randomly start and stop working. This has caused the engine to stay running while the ignition is off, has caused the fuel pump to start and stop, has caused the ABS brake system to fail, and causes major component issues with lights and other electrical parts. This has been reported several times to Chrysler and Dodge for this year, but there is no recall or fix available.
NHTSA complaint #11510204 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Replacing brakes ever y 18,000 miles normal is every 40,000-60,000 miles
NHTSA complaint #11507974 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake pedal when pressed does not reach the bottom, returns the foot. and does not stop I have to pump so that it brakes and does not turn on the brake light on the dashboard. It was checked by a private mechanic and he told me that it is very risky to drive the vehicle since in an emergency it will not stop. Even when I'm parking and I move the car it doesn't stop in a very short distance. It's like the brakes run out of air.
NHTSA complaint #11496162 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I guess started with noticing oil being used at a faster pace then normal then a decent tick began along with AbS light which prevented cruise control from working. At this point We seemed Professional advice from a licensed Mechanic who then preformed a small job of dropping transmission pan to clean metal shavings out! And replacing tires and brake pads assured us routers were fine. He was concerned with the fact that the abs light continued to be on so we the paid to get wiring for abs redone (not sure what was called). After this the cruise control worked abs went off but we noticed the brake pads went quick! Then the insane knock out of nowhere began loud metal on metal had harmonic balancer pulley replaced didn’t do it any good. The. Was told cracked fly wheel was most likely the problem I continued to drive for about a month when the brake fluid light came on. I added fluid but every 3-4 days it came on again and of course brake pads again but this time the extremely loud knock went away and all was left was a quiet tick. That lasted couple months the out of no where wiring started shorting in dash and radio display. This lead to battery issues then out of no where motor is stuck in first gear and will not shift up but will shift between drive neutral and reverse. Idles extremely rough when in drive lights do not dim I had alternator checked. Now my family of six is with out a vehicle thank you for hearing my concerns
NHTSA complaint #11491429 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.