Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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).
Preparing to exit a parking lot, the gear shift was accidentally caught by my sleeve and pulled down to the "drive" position. The vehicle was not running, but it began to move forward. Being on somewhat of a slope, the vehicle pulled onto a busy street. I grabbed the wheel to turn the van away from traffic, but it hit and scraped against a high curb, flattening 2 tires, damaging the wheels/rims of those tires, bending a strut and other damage to the suspension (I got a repair estimate from Firestone, which totaled over $1,900.00). I didn't think it was possible for the gear shift to move without having my foot on the brake, but move it did and so did the van. Other than being frightened and shaken, we were fortunate that no physical injuries occurred. …
Upon taking our 1999 Dodge Caravan in for repairs we were informed that our lives would be at risk if we continued on driving our vehicle. It seems that the upper strut mounting house under the hood on the left side of our vehicle is severely corroded and ready to crack, the same holds true about the right side but at this time not as severe. When asked how this could have happened we were told it was a manufacturing defect which they have witnessed before in Chrysler vehicles. How horrible to know I have driven this vehicle with not only my children but others in it. I was putting all our lives at risk and did not even know it. I can not begin to tell you of the great anxiety I have suffered over this situation. We were told for our own safety to get rid of the van, easy for people to say with only 2 payments left I must take a great loss or fear for our lives. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the contact noticed that the vehicle has no shock resistance when driving over bumps. He inspected the vehicle and noticed that the suspension housing that covers the shocks was corroding. The vehicle was driven to a local repair shop for a routine oil change and the mechanic stated that the front end suspension housing was defective. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified. The current mileage was 114,000 and failure mileage was 112,000. Updated 03/18/09. Updated 03/19/09.
The left hand strut tower on my 1999 Dodge Caravan has almost rusted through and I was told by mechanic that it is not safe to drive. Local Dodge dealer said this is not covered under any warranty or recall and that it's only a comestic problem. They want $2200 to repair which is more than value of vehicle. Everything I have read indicates this is absolutely a safety issue and would cause a crash if driving when the strut tower completely fails. Why is there not a recall for this well known and docemented safety problem?
Complaint received via e-mail. I discovered that my Dodge Caravan, 1999 driver's side strut tower rusted significantly ,and May possibly break. This could lead to a potentially serious problem later. I think that this probably was due to defective material used by a Chrysler supplier. Chrysler should consider this a serious issue, and at least warn people who have their cars, or pay for the repairs/replacement of the strut towers. The tower was not replaced. Two estimates were quoted at over $1000.
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.
The strut tower on the driver's side of my 1999 Dodge Caravan has completely rusted out, causing the strut to burst through into the engine compartment below the windshield. A auto body repair man said this is a very serious structural and safety issue. In researching a fix for this problem, I discovered that hundreds of Dodge Caravan, town and country, and Plymouth voyager models were susceptible to this dangerous engineering failure.
Dt: the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan and the strut towers rusted out on the top in the engine compartment. He noticed this at the beginning of the year when he had the engine cleaned. The contact talked to Chrysler, and they said they would not help him because the corrosion warranty expired. The consumer felt this was a safety issue. Chrysler came out with a kit to fix this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Caravan. The driver's side strut tower was rusted, and the mechanic and the body repair shop stated that the failure was common for this type of vehicle. Diamler-chrylser stated that the warranty expired, and the repair would be at cost to the contact. The current and failure mileage were 67000.
The consumer had taken the vehicle to jiffy lube to get an oil change and the mechanic informed the consumer that the front strut towers were rusted. Dodge informed the consumer that the vehicle was built in Canada and they would not touch it. The consumer found out that the vehicle now holds a title in the us.
Suspension complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1999 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the suspension of the 1999 Dodge Caravan, 6% of the model year's 555 complaints. The component named most often is front › macpherson strut (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Caravan suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 107,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension 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.