Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
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).
I was stopped, waiting to make a left turn, when I was rear ended by a 95 pathfinder. Police estimated that he was doing about 25 when he impacted me. My seat belt/shoulder strap held, but I went forward and cut my nose on the sun visor, then my head slammed backward in to my headrest. I think I went forward and back again, and then the seat back collapsed and I fell in to the middle seat.
We were involved in a mild roll-over on I-94 near tomah, wis. We slid on black ice and upended into the snow bank. No injuries. My wife was restrained in mid seat, r side. As car rolled she slid off end of seat out of locked seat belt system ending up unrestrained on the roof. We have contacted tanner motors and will be talking to.
I was stopped to make a left turn and was rear-ended. The police estimated that he was doing about 25 when he hit me. I went forward and cut my nose on the sunvisor and then slammed my head back in to the headrest. I think I went forward and back again, and then the seat back collapsed and I went down.
While traveling on the highway at 58 MPH vehicle ran over an ice patch, and spun out of control over the divider onto curb. Upon impact, both air bags failed to deploy. Also, driver's side shoulder belt failed to lock properly. Driver sustained a minor injury. Dealer notified.
Gasoline smell in passenger compartment, tires needed to be replaced, car mileage plummeted. Dealer found injector leaking and removed and replaced plemuin and replaced injector. Seat belt installed incorrectly. All tires were under pressure.
Consumer was traveling about 35mph on a two lane road and another vehicle hit consumer's vehicle head-on. Driver's side airbag didn't deploy, and rear passenger's side seatbelt came apart from impact.
After having problems with the seat belts in the rear seat of our minivan, being that they don't' unlatch at certain times as well as the fact that at times when trying to latch them, they won't latch until much difficulty, I did a search for information on them, and find that these seat belts are dangerous (gen 3) I called the dealer to ask about having them replaced and they said there wasn't anything they could do as they would just be the same (version) put back in. I want the seat belt replaced as I have 5 children and often have them in this vehicle, it is unfortunately not likely that we can afford to have the car replaced at this time, or we certainly would.
There exists a recall on the seat belt retractors which is being honored by the dealer, however, the latching receptacle on the passenge side has failed. It does not latch securely and will release of its own volition. The dealer wants to charge for a new latch and while the cost is not exorbitant, I feel this is a safety item and should be factory warranted without limit. If I were the company I would far rather repalce an item such as this as opposed to being subject to a lawsuit for someone injured or killed due to failure.
I think that there is sufficient evidence that the generation 3 seat belts are a faulty design. I think they need to be recalled and replaced with generation 4 seat belts before another person is injured or killed. This is very important and affects all 3 of our vehicles. We have children and I am worried that something will happen to them, or me. Daimler Chrysler needs to fix this problem or we will think twice about buying anymore Chrysler vehicles. They are all that we have bought in the past!
Consumer was upset because all four back seat belts did not work. There were passengers in the rear seats who could not buckle in safely. Consumer wanted to withdraw the complaint. Consumer was unaware as to how the system was suppose to work in the Caravan. The dealer was contacted who informed the consumer that the seat belts do not lock when puled manually.
Related recalls
Seat belts › Rear/other
On certain minivans, some trim material can loosen and drop into the rear outboard seat belt assembly, causing the seat belt to become inoperative.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the trim with foam blockers and inspect and replace all 3rd row seat belt assemblies. Owner notification began June 3, 2002.
Seat belts › Front › Retractor
Vehicle description: certain van, wagon, pickup trucks, passenger and sport utility vehicles, fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the front seat belt retractor May not comply with the requirements of the standard.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractor. Owner notification began August 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Seat Belt complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1999 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the seat belts of the 1999 Dodge Caravan, 4% of the model year's 555 complaints. The component named most often is front › buckle assembly (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Caravan seat belt problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-076 (rear/other, Mar 8, 2002); NHTSA recall 01V-119 (retractor, Apr 11, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Dodge Caravan seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 29,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to seat belts 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.