Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Dodge Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan se. The contact stated when the vehicle is started, the air bag warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel and remain illuminated. In addition, the vehicle horn was inoperable. The contact received notification of a recall campaign (NHTSA campaign id number: 04V480000: air bags) which she believed was directly related to the failure. The recall letter advised a new clock spring would be installed in the steering column. The vehicle had not yet been taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The contact stated the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash but there were no injuries. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 147,750.
While driving at 35 MPH air bag warning light came on ,and the horn failed to work. Also, cruise control did not work. A recall was issued on clock spring affecting earlier models. Recall campaign; NHTSA campaign id number : 04V480000. For the air bag. The consumer stated that she was in a car accident and the air bags did not deploy. The consumer submitted paperwork on a reimbursement for the clock spring repair.
Our belts sips off during wet weather"five times we replaced the "s" belt and the tensioners,waterpump,overheating our 2nd yr of owership.now the 3rd yr of transmissions leaking,the ABS light came on while driving at 35mph w/children in car ,starting to brake causing to slow way down in traffic and made a chime sound,the horn went off and it got hot fast causing the car to shut down. Thank god there was room to get over. All the lights were flickering all over the dashboard. The car just leaks everywhere,water,oil,trans. Something needs to be done about these cars. I cant even get mine smog because I have to keep unplugging my battery because now we have a short in the electrical system somewhere. I brought a lemon.....oh yeah! I called the dealer, they cant replace the cruise control unless the ABS light stays on. …
My parents van. A couple of days before this happened I tried to start it and all it did was click. I tried to start it again and it started right up. I turned it back off and tried to start it again,same thing happened. All it did was click. I then tried to start it again and it started right up. We drove to town with no further issues that day. The next day it started right up. We drove about eighty miles to my sisters house. When we came out to leave in the evening. I started the van and it started right up,but it was making a rattling noise that I could just barely hear over the engine noise. I turned the van off,but something was still running. The starter was still engaged with the engine and running. I turned the key back on and the engine started again. I turned the engine off again and the same thing happened. The starter stayed running. …
While driving the vehicle, the instrument panel shuts off without warning and for no known reason. Dodge told us that it was a short in the wiring in the dash that caused the computer to shut down. The technicians insisted that the problem would be impossible to find, especially since it could not be replicated on demand. This has continued to happen periodically, most recently in January 2014, when the computer went out, shutting down the instrument panel and the wheels on the passenger side of the vehicle. The driver's side continued forward, which pushed the vehicle into a curb, flattening two tires and damaging those respective rims. Although no one was injured, had there been a vehicle next to the van, as opposed to a high curb, the defect in the vehicles wiring and computer would have caused a collision. …
1999 Dodge grand Caravan VIN: [redacted] this van is a lemon from day 1. I have contacted Chrysler, owner of landmark Dodge in ga, mediation, arbitration, consumer action line, and any other person that would listen. This van has quit on me at least eight times. Sometimes on rural roads. Several times on a major highway. The last major incident occurred on father's day with six family members inside the vehicle. There was no warning before it quit. It would not startafterwards. We were on a busy hwy 19/41 in jonesboro. Several other times, I lost my speedometer, and could not accelerate. I have had check engine lights, leaky doors, inoperable window motors, halted intermittent windshield wipers, sluggish locks, etc. I wanted to keep my vehicle. However, it is very unsafe. I cannot afford to trade it in. That was not my intention when I purchased it.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. On April 24, 2008, while driving approximately 25 MPH, the check engine light on the instrument control panel illuminated, and the temperature of the vehicle increased. The contact pulled over to allow the vehicle to cool. He restarted the vehicle and drove home. The dealer instructed him to bring the vehicle in to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not in driving condition and no longer covered under warranty. The contact repaired the vehicle himself. The failure mileage was 91,000 and current mileage was 91,929. Updated 07/07/08. The fan relay switch was replaced twice. The dealer replaced the wiring harness. The headlight had condensation on theinside. Updated
The vehicle's air bag light illuminated and the horn would not work. Recall campaign: NHTSA campaign id number : 04V480000 the consumer took his vehicle in for service and only half of the service was rendered. A clock spring was installed to fix the air bag failure. The horn failure was never fixed. The consumer attempted to drive the vehicle and the horn started blowing and would not stop. The consumer was told to bring the vehicle in for service and a charge of 670.00 would get the horn fixed. The consumer stated that he thought that the horn would be fixed at their expense because it was not fixed initially.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the clock spring on the air bags broke on the vehicle in May of 2010 and it was replaced under campaign number 04V480000;air bags. The contact stated that all gauges go out on the dashboard when the failure occurred. The contact feels this is a safety issue because he does not how fast the vehicle is traveling and he does not know how much gas is in the vehicle. The contact stated that the part is supposed to be under a lifetime warranty, but the part had broken on the vehicle twice in three months. The failure mileage was 100000 and the current mileage was 103000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the entire instrument cluster failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the wiring harness was rusted and would need replacing. In addition, the front strut tower assembly was also found to be completely rusted. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle could not be aligned and was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was unknown.
NHTSA investigations
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
Electrical complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1999 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 64 complaints about the electrical system of the 1999 Dodge Caravan, 12% of the model year's 555 complaints. The component named most often is horn (33 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Caravan electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1999 Dodge Caravan, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Dodge Caravan electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 5 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.