550 of the
18,883 complaints filed about the Dodge Grand Caravan
are about the lighting —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2005.
Unknown what causes the issue. I've read it could be the tpim. I was driving down the highway when the insturment cluster stopped working, no speedometer, no gear indicator, gas gauge not working, no dash lights. the wipers turned on and would not turn off lose of both turn signals (I pulled over and checked) thankfully there was not traffic behind me when I was making a turn. Speedometer stopped working. No warning lights, insturments cluster was black. Not sure if my Brake lights were functional I couldn't check as I by myself. This has happened 3 times in the last month and a half. Not sure if the airbags are still functional. This is a major electrical issue.There are numerous forums of this same issue affecting different year/ models of Dodge and Chrysler vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11647658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On my Grand Caravan the engine randomly dies when my headlights are on bright. I haven't been able to find the problem. I have read where others are having the same problem but not sure they have associated the problem to the high beam lights. Last year when the dealership supposedly did the T33 recall it stopped doing it for two months then started happening again. It only happens with my high beams. The dangers are that, unable to use my high beams, I may not see wildlife running out into the road on dark highways until it is too late. Also, if this happens in traffic, especially in turns or curves, there is temporary loss in propulsion, power steering, power brakes, etc. I believe this to be a widespread problem that most haven't associated with the headlights. When it happens all of the dash lights come on as if the ignition was just turned on. I guess one more danger is that a driver, unaware of what is happening, may try accelerating when the engine has died which could cause sudden acceleration when the engine power restores.
NHTSA complaint #11626375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I’m driving my blinkers and windshield wipers turn on and off randomly and the stereo shuts off ac quits working and the windows lock and can’t be rolled down and when I’m at idle it has very loud ticking noise coming from dash board I think it’s the middle area behind stereo this happens multiple times a day and some days it doesn’t stop till vehicle is turned off and I’ve also noticed that hitting bump in road seem to make the issues worse all of the above mentioned happens together at same time
NHTSA complaint #11591665 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with plastic headlamps that became foggy over time, causing the headlights to become extremely dim. The contact stated that the failure had reduced the visibility of the roadway while driving. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. The VIN was unavailable.
NHTSA complaint #11562116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to turn on the headlight and became aware that the headlights were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11551901 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Interior panel lights will dim and flicker, headlights dim, radio will lose power, cabin fans for air conditioning will slow then the engine dies. This can happen while idling or driving at highway speeds without warning. When the engine dies all power steering is lost and braking and control is extremely difficult. After stopping the gear shift will not move into park and the key will not move to the off position for several minutes. Diagnosis narrowed this down to the TIPM. It was replaced and the issue stopped for 6 months then reoccurred. TIPM replacement again fixed the issue. Obviously the TIPM's have a defect and has been widely reported. Major issue is that only remanufactured TIPMS are available from the same defective build. Dealer charges over $1000 for the part and more to install it. There should be a class action lawsuit on this obvious dangerous defect that has not been addressed by Dodge.
NHTSA complaint #11500125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle display lights on the interior dash board fail to fully shut off after driving and waiting an appropriate amount of time, causing a drain on the battery over time which results in a failure to start. There may be other drains on the battery, as this is not an isolated incidence and has been happening since May 2022 approximately every two weeks or less.
NHTSA complaint #11493370 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the electronics would suddenly malfunction causing the windshield wipers to erroneously activate, the turn signals to become inoperable, the backup camera to fail, and the brakes to malfunction. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and no service was performed. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
NHTSA complaint #11463357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I just bought the car. My family was very excited to have powered doors, including the trunk. We tested the doors thoroughly. That night I push the button on the key fob to open the trunk and hear an awful metallic ripping noise. I inspected the door to figure out the cause. The spoiler, which has the brake light attached, was loose. It was still attached though and I needed to go somewhere. While driving the spoiler flew off and completely detached. Luckily no one else was on the road at the time. My husband found the part later and the clips to hold the piece on were broken.
NHTSA complaint #11434087 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlights and taillights come on randomly throughout the day and night while the car is parked and off. The warning dings for accidentally leaving your lights on happens every time you open the doors even though the lights are off. This has been going on since we got the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11421495 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN I AM DRIVING THE CAR STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD, THE CAR ENGINE CUTS OFF AND THE STEERING GOES RIGID AND DIFFICULT TO STEER A I GLIDE AND PULL THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED PROBABLY 30 TIMES OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS. TWICE (WHEN THE CAR WAS ONLY A YEAR OR SO OLD) THE SHIFTING HAS JUST SLID OUT OF PLACE INTO ANOTHER GEAR BY ITSELF. THIS IS SO SO SO DANGEROUS. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR IN TO A MECHANIC SEVERAL TIMES. THEY HAVE "FIXED"ISSUES TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT I SPEND MONEY ON"FIXES" THAT DO NOT RESOLVE THIS TERRIBLY FRIGHTENING PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #11402862 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHILE DRIVING IN THE CITY OR IN A HIGHWAY ALL LIGHTS AND ENGINE STOPS ALSO THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE BREAKS HARDING YOU HARDLY STEER IT TO THE SIDE ROAD TO STOP THE VEHICLE AFTER FEW YARDS DEPENDS ON THE VEHICLE SPEED. WE ERE LUCKY NO BODY WAS BEHIND US IN MANY OCCASIONS, I HAD THIS ISSUE A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT IT USED FROM A DEALER AND THEY TOLD IT IS FIXED, AND NOW IT IS BACK, I COINSIDER IT DANGER TO ME AND TO OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.
NHTSA complaint #11398041 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2010 GRAND CARAVAN SE, BOUGHT 100000 MILES THE FIRST WEEK OF DRIVING HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO OFF WHILE DRIVING WORKED THEW SWITCH AND CAME BACK ON GOT ME HOME NOW NOT WORKING AT ALL. I HAVE READ MANY MANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS ON GOING PROBLEM BOTH ON THIS WEBSITE AND IN OTHER FORUMS. IM STUNNED THAT NTHSA WILL RECALL A VEHICLE FOR AN EMBLEM COMIONG LOOSE ON AN AIRBAG COVER BUT WITH A SERIOUS SAFTEY ISSUE, LIFE OR DEATH AT NIGHT ON A DARK ROAD THERE IS NO RECALL.
NHTSA complaint #11396228 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VAN WON'T START. NO NOISE AT ALL WHEN I TURN THE KEY. THE SYMPTOM IS JUST LIKE TRYING TO START A CAR WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WHILE THE CAR IS IN DRIVE, OR THERE'S NO SOUND AT ALL (THE VAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN Q ININ PARK). EVERYTHING ELSE POWERS UP, RADIO, WIPERS, LIGHTS ETC. THE BATTERY IS NEW AND THE ALTERNATOR IS GOOD. DEALERSHIP INSTALLED A NEW TIPM AND THE CAR STARTED FOR 1 WEEK AND DIED AGAIN. I'LL NEVER BUY AN AMERICAN MADE VEHICLE AGAIN. OWNED THE VAN FOR 1 MONTH AND PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED 5 OR 6 TIMES PREVIOUS TO THE LAST TWO TIMES WHEN THE VAN WOULDN'T START AT ALL.
NHTSA complaint #11388212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ABOUT 11/30 I WENT TO START THE CAR IN THE MORNING., THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE ON WHEN I TURNED THE KEY, AND WOULD NOT CHANGE SPEED OR TURN OFF AS MUCH AS I TRIED THE BACK AND THEY WOULD NOT TURN ON. THE RADIO/ CLOCK DID WORK BUT NO LIGHTED INFORMATION AND SAME WITH THE SPEEDOMETER, THE GAS TANK, TEMPERATURE WARNING AND TACHOMETER LIGHTING. THE CAR STARTED, AND RESTARTED SEVERAL TIME WELL ENOUGH BUT THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND THE WIPERS DID NOT CHANGE. I TRIED TURNING THE KEY ON AND OFF WITHOUT STARTING THE CAR A NUMBER OF TIMES WITH DIFFERENT NUMBER OF TRIES BEFORE RESTARTING AS A POSSIBLE RESETTING WITH NO CHANGE. EVENTHOUGH IT HAD NO WORKING SPEEDOMATER I DROVE THE CAR FIRST AROUND THE BLOCK SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN TO MY LOCAL MECHANEC. I TALKED TO HIM HE DID NOT HAVE THE CORRECT EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING REQUIRED TO FIND THE PROBLEM. HE SUGGESTED I GO TO THE DEALER AND 1) SEE IF THEY HAD ANY RECALL OR UNPUBLISHED ISSUED REPAIR NOTICES ETC 2) GET AN ESTIMATE OF THE POSSIBLE COSTS AND TIMES FOR REPAIR. I THANKED HIM AND WAS IN MY CAR AGAIN WITHIN 15 MINUTES AND THE TOTAL PROBLEMS WENT AWAY, FRONT WIPERS OFF AND ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WORKED. THE CAR WORKED FOR 4 MORE TRIPS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ON DEC 3RD 2020, I STARTED THE CAR JUST FINE WENT ON THE EXPRESS WAY FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR A ABOUT 35 MINUTES TRIP. ABOUT 8 MINUTES INTO THE EXPRESSWAY DRIVE THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT AND THE WIPER WENT ON FOR ABOUT 1.5 MINUTES, BUT BEFORE I COULD EXIT THE EXPRESSWAY THEY WENT BACK ON AND I COULD TURN OFF THE WIPERS, A FEW MINUTES THEY WENT OUT AGAIN AND JUST AS SUDDENLY IN 2 MINUTES THEY WERE WORKING AGAIN. THERE WAS A THIRD TIME BEFORE MY EXIT THAT LASTED ONLY ABOUT 1 MINUTE. WHEN I GOT OFF AT THE USUAL EXIT I PARKED & TRIED TO SEE THE PROBLEM AGAIN FOR NEARLY 20 MINUTES WITH NO LUCK, I CONTINUED THE TRIP AND IT WAS UNEVENTFUL AS DRIVE BACK & SINCE NO PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #11378553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1ST TIME JUNE 2020: WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, SUDDENLY WARNING LIGHTS STARTED GOING ON AND OFF AND ON, VAN LOST ELECTRICAL POWER, SHUTTING DOWN ALL LIGHTS, WINDOWS, ETC. ENGINE WOULD NOT SWITCH GEARS. LUCKILY, MADE IT OFF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE THE ENGINE DIED. TOWED TO MECHANIC, COULD NOT FIND AN ISSUE AFTER IT WAS JUMP STARTED. THEY TESTED IT FOR 5 STRAIGHT DAYS. 2ND TIME OCTOBER 2020 PULLED VAN OUT OF GARAGE TO DRIVEWAY, TURNED IT OFF TO LOAD AND PUT GRANDCHILDREN IN CAR SEATS. VAN WOULD NOT RESTART, TOWED, REPLACED BATTERY. 3RD TIME 11/7/2020 WHILE DRIVING ON SUBURBAN BUSY ROAD AT NIGHT, SUDDENLY VARIOUS WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND OFF AND ON, WIPERS TURNED ON BY THEMSELVES, THEN ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WENT OUT. I GUIDED VAN INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT AS THE ENGINE DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. AAA CAME AGAIN, JUMPED THE CAR, AND WHILE WE DISCUSSED WHAT TO DO, THE CAR SHUT ITSELF OFF AGAIN. TOWED, MECHANIC REPLACED ALTERNATOR. I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY NOT TO BE HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE IN TWO OF THESE THREE INSTANCES. CURRENT MILEAGE: 102,201 I CAN PROVIDE REPAIR SHOP BILLS AND PROOF OF THE 3 TIMES VEHICLE WAS TOWED IN LAST 6 MONTHS!
NHTSA complaint #11374612 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1ST TIME JUNE 2020: WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, SUDDENLY WARNING LIGHTS STARTED GOING ON AND OFF AND ON, VAN LOST ELECTRICAL POWER, SHUTTING DOWN ALL LIGHTS, WINDOWS, ETC. ENGINE WOULD NOT SWITCH GEARS. LUCKILY, MADE IT OFF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE THE ENGINE DIED. TOWED TO MECHANIC, COULD NOT FIND AN ISSUE AFTER IT WAS JUMP STARTED. THEY TESTED IT FOR 5 STRAIGHT DAYS. COULD NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT A HIGHWAY SPEED ONCE THIS STARTED HAPPENING, IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OR SWITCH GEARS, TOP SPEED WAS 35 MPH. NOT SURE OF PRECISE DATE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT IT WAS JULY 2020. EXACT DATE CAN BE VERIFIED FROM MECHANIC AND AAA TOWING INFO.
NHTSA complaint #11374613 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HI-BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTING BECAME INOPERABLE BUT INDEPENDENTLY FLASHED ON. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE CONTACT CALLED HARPER JEEP RAM CHRYSLER DODGE (3033 ALCOA HWY, ALCOA, TN 37701, (865) 970-7423) WHERE THE FAILURE WAS ACKNOWLEDGED HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO ASSISTANCE PROVIDED. THE CONTACT WAS QUOTED AN ESTIMATE OF $1,250 FOR THE REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.
NHTSA complaint #11373212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.