2018 Dodge GRAND CARAVAN

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Dodge GRAND CARAVAN has 349 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 4.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (26% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact rented a 2018 dodge grand caravan. while the passenger side sliding door was being closed from inside the vehicle, the contact's son's hand was crushed from stopping to close the door. the contact mentioned that the door sensor failed to detect his son between the door. there were no.

4 crash reports 11 injuries

349

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

4.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

90 complaints

26%

• TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2018 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR WAS BEING CLOSED FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT'S SON'S HAND WAS CRUSHED FROM STOPPING TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE DOOR SENSOR FAILED TO DETECT HIS SON BETWEEN THE DOOR. THERE WERE NO
• PASSENGER DOORS DO NOT OPEN AUTOMATICALLY. THEY WILL NOT WORK FROM THE DRIVER CONTROLS, KEY FOBS, OR FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THEY ARE LOCKED AND WILL NOT OPEN. WENT FROM WORKING FINE TO NOT WORKING AT ALL. NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. BATTERY AND ALL ELECTRIC COMPONENTS ARE INTACT. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY
• THE POWER LOCKS ARE FAILING TO WORK. RIGHT NOW PASSENGER DOOR AND SLIDING DOOR LOCKS STOPPED WORKING. SOMETIMES YOU CANT EVEN UNLOCK THE DOOR TO OPEN THEM. WHICH IS A BIG SAFETY PROBLEM.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2018 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR WAS BEING CLOSED FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT'S SON'S HAND WAS CRUSHED FROM STOPPING TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE DOOR SENSOR FAILED TO DETECT HIS SON BETWEEN THE DOOR. THERE WERE NO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

67 complaints

19%

• WHEELS SPIN DURING ACCELERATION, POOR TRACTION ON ROAD. RENTAL CAR FROM PORTLAND, OREGON AIRPORT FROM THE ENTERPRISE. DON'T KNOW THE VIN. PERHAPS AN ISSUE WITH ALL DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. *TR
• WHEELS SPIN DURING ACCELERATION, POOR TRACTION ON ROAD. RENTAL CAR FROM PORTLAND, OREGON AIRPORT FROM THE ENTERPRISE. DON'T KNOW THE VIN. PERHAPS AN ISSUE WITH ALL DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. *TR
• THE SLIDING PASSANGER DOOR CLOSED ON MY CHILD'S HAND. THE DOOR DID RE-OPEN BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY. IT ENDED UP CAUSING A BREAK IN HER HAND.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“WHEELS SPIN DURING ACCELERATION, POOR TRACTION ON ROAD. RENTAL CAR FROM PORTLAND, OREGON AIRPORT FROM THE ENTERPRISE. DON'T KNOW THE VIN. PERHAPS AN ISSUE WITH ALL DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BODY/STRUCTURE

57 complaints

16%

• HAVE HAD THE BRAND NEW VAN FOR ONLY 2 WEEKS AND LIFTGATE (BACK HATCH) ON VAN DOES NOT OPEN. I HAVE A BASE MODEL SO I HAVE TO OPEN IT MANUALLY...TRIED EVERYTHING ...NOTHING WILL OPEN IT. TAKING IT TO DEALERSHIP THIS WEEKEND. HOPEFULLY THEY CAN'T OPEN IT.
• SLIDING DOOR ON PASSENGER SIDE SUDDENLY LOCKED AND CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE, MANUALLY FROM LATCH OR UNLOCK BUTTONS, OR FROM KEY FOB. IN AN EMERGENCY, A PASSENGER COULD BE TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS APPROX. 12000 MILES ON IT.
• TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2018 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR WAS BEING CLOSED FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT'S SON'S HAND WAS CRUSHED FROM STOPPING TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE DOOR SENSOR FAILED TO DETECT HIS SON BETWEEN THE DOOR. THERE WERE NO

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“HAVE HAD THE BRAND NEW VAN FOR ONLY 2 WEEKS AND LIFTGATE (BACK HATCH) ON VAN DOES NOT OPEN. I HAVE A BASE MODEL SO I HAVE TO OPEN IT MANUALLY...TRIED EVERYTHING ...NOTHING WILL OPEN IT. TAKING IT TO DEALERSHIP THIS WEEKEND. HOPEFULLY THEY CAN'T OPEN IT.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

35 complaints

10%

• VEHICLE IS STOPPING VERY SLOW. ALSO IS JERKING WHEN GOING FROM IDLE TO PULL OFF. BREAKS REQUIRE ADDITIONAL STOPPING ROOM. THESE ISSUES BEGAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE IN SEPTEMBER 2019. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL ONLINE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME VEHICLE. THERE ARE RECALLS ON SIMILAR VEHICLES.
• ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN GAS GAUGE GETS TO 1/4 OF TANK. IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN GOING 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY, IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY, GOING SLOW SPEEDS ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, OR AT A STOP SIGN. LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. HAVE TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP, PUT IT IN PARK, AN
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 DODGE CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED AND STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WERE ALSO INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR R

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“VEHICLE IS STOPPING VERY SLOW. ALSO IS JERKING WHEN GOING FROM IDLE TO PULL OFF. BREAKS REQUIRE ADDITIONAL STOPPING ROOM. THESE ISSUES BEGAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE IN SEPTEMBER 2019. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL ONLINE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME VEHICLE. THERE ARE RECALLS ON SIMILAR VEHICLES.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

22 complaints

• ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN GAS GAUGE GETS TO 1/4 OF TANK. IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN GOING 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY, IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY, GOING SLOW SPEEDS ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, OR AT A STOP SIGN. LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. HAVE TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP, PUT IT IN PARK, AN
• BOUGHT THE VAN IN DECEMBER OF 2019. A FEW MONTHS AGO I NOTICED THAT THE VAN WASN'T ACCELERATING/SHIFTING WHEN GOING UP HILLS. IT DELAYED STARTED ONE NIGHT AND I HAD TO SHIFT IF OFF AND RESTART IT. MY FRONT A/C STOPPED WORKING AND KICKS ON RANDOMLY. THE DOORS DON'T AUTOMATICALLY LOCK UNTIL A FEW M
• MOTOR KNOCKING, LIFTER FAILED CAUSING MAJOR MOTOR DAMAGE. NO WARNING LIGHTS LESS THAN 60,000 MILES ON MOTOR WITH REGULAR SERVICE.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN GAS GAUGE GETS TO 1/4 OF TANK. IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN GOING 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY, IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY, GOING SLOW SPEEDS ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, OR AT A STOP SIGN. LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. HAVE TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP, PUT IT IN PARK, AN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

BODY/STRUCTURE(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 349 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2018 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR WAS BEING CLOSED FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT'S SON'S HAND WAS CRUSHED FROM STOPPING TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE DOOR SENSOR FAILED TO DETECT HIS SON BETWEEN THE DOOR. THERE WERE NO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: WHEELS SPIN DURING ACCELERATION, POOR TRACTION ON ROAD. RENTAL CAR FROM PORTLAND, OREGON AIRPORT FROM THE ENTERPRISE. DON'T KNOW THE VIN. PERHAPS AN ISSUE WITH ALL DODGE GRAND CARAVANS. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BODY/STRUCTURE: HAVE HAD THE BRAND NEW VAN FOR ONLY 2 WEEKS AND LIFTGATE (BACK HATCH) ON VAN DOES NOT OPEN. I HAVE A BASE MODEL SO I HAVE TO OPEN IT MANUALLY...TRIED EVERYTHING ...NOTHING WILL OPEN IT. TAKING IT TO DEALERSHIP THIS WEEKEND. HOPEFULLY THEY CAN'T OPEN IT.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: VEHICLE IS STOPPING VERY SLOW. ALSO IS JERKING WHEN GOING FROM IDLE TO PULL OFF. BREAKS REQUIRE ADDITIONAL STOPPING ROOM. THESE ISSUES BEGAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE IN SEPTEMBER 2019. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL ONLINE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME VEHICLE. THERE ARE RECALLS ON SIMILAR VEHICLES.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)