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 2000 Dodge Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The consumer's vehicle was involved in a rear end collision. Driver's seat belt failed to retract. As a result, the consumer's head hit the steering, and consumer sustained mild bruises.
I own a 2000 Dodge Caravan which is equipped with gen 3 seatbelts. I have two daughters, ages 1 and 4, who ride in my van daily. On at least three different occasions, one of the seat belts securing my daughters' car seats in has unlatched while I was driving and was I unaware of this until I stopped the vehicle to get them out. Luckily, no injuries have occurred yet; however, I cringe to think about what could of or what will happen if I am ever in an accident. The seat belts are going to unlatch and my daughters are going to be unprotected. Dodge promotes itself as being "the safest minivan" and a "family minivan" which is why I chose to buy the Dodge Caravan. How untrue this is. Dodge has a serious crisis which must be dealt with immediately
2000 Dodge Mini van. Consumer writes in regards to seat belt malfunction. The consumer stated the seat belt became too tight around a child passenger. The seat belt had to be cut on 2 separate occasions. The consumer stated the power control module box malfunctioned. The vehicle would cut off and the engine would rev up to 3,000 rpms.
I own a 2000 Dodge Caravan and am concerned about the safety of the seat belt buckle. They do not meet safety standard ('buckle release mechanism shall be designed to minimize the possibility of accidental release.') and are dangerously prone to unlatching during auto accidents. The buckle, known as the generation 3 (gen3), May have been installed in as many as 16 million Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. The buckle has become unlatched many times for my two childrens car seats and I know have to check them everytime I get in the car. Two women were killed and a child seriously injured in a roll-over accident dec. 28, 2002, near beeville, texas. This brings the total number of deaths to 17 and serious injuries to 27 in accidents in which gen3 buckles are believed to have unlatched. …
I have a 2000 Dodge Caravan and have read the articles claiming the belts to be unsafe. My family has seen this happen we have had our child's seatbelt that holds his carseat in place come unlatched and at that time we couldn't figure out why. Now that we have read the articles about it I understand how and I am concerned. Not only is it unsafe for my child but I am continuously turning around and checking the seatbelt out of concern also and this means I am taking my eyes off the road. We have e mailed Chrysler about this and haven't gotten a response from them and I have talked to the dealership about it and they just say that who ever is writing these articles are blowing it out of proportion. I don't think being concerned about my child safety is going overboard. …
I am horrified to know that my 2000 Dodge Caravan has gen 3 seat belts installed after Dodge knew full well that they come unlatched unintentional during a crash test. It made me think back about my van and realize that my seat belts have become unlatched. I have also put my children's car seats in and they too have become unlatched. About a month ago I went away and bought my dog along, I placed my dog in the seat with a dog seat belt and she kept becoming unlatched. I am very concerned about this and want the gen 4 seat belts installed in my van. I am going to try and sell it now unless I get it changed. Who do they think they are putting millions of people in danger when the consumer/victim are trying to protect themselves and their family from harm. How dare they!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want something done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The driver of this vehicle lost control, causing a rollover, one of the passengers was sitting in the right half of the middle seat, this is a double seat which does not extend all the way to the door, the seatbelt for the middle seat is anchored to the side of the vehicle, not the seat itself, in this case when the vehicle rolled over, the door opened and the victim was ejected from the vehicle and was killed, this letter is from the chairman of the pima county child fatality review team, the owner of the vehicle is cartemps/alamo rent a car, the driver at the time of the accident is unknown.
I have a 2000 Dodge Caravan that my 2-year-old grandson frequently rides in. His parents are very diligent about installing car seats correctly and securely. Since my van contains your defective gen 3 seatbelts, what good is it going to do if the car seat is installed properly? Can you guarantee, in writing, your seatbelt will not open and my grandson or other rear seat passengers will not be injured or killed? Luckily, there have not been any incidents. Does the public have to wait until there are "enough" deaths for you to take care of this problem?
I am outraged at daimler chryslers gen-3 seatbelts! It is ridiculous not to recall these seatbelts that can be unlatched so easy. At any one point I have 5 children in my vehicle, 2-3 in child car-seats and now I don't even want to drive it anymore!! I haven't had any incidences of this, but now that I know it can happen, I am scared for my childrens lives! Please consider all of the evidence in the situation regarding these useless seat belts and make an honorable judgement.
Upon reading information about the past failures of the gen 3 seat belt I went to my 2000 Dodge Caravan sport and sat in the seat put the seat belt on and dropped a light shoe on the seat buckle. I immediately snapped open, and I was stunned. This is my second Caravan and I had always thought that it was a safe vehicle to transport my self ,my husband and my 4 children in. I now feel very differently.
Seat Belt complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2000 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the seat belts of the 2000 Dodge Caravan, 5% of the model year's 470 complaints. The component named most often is front › buckle assembly (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Dodge Caravan seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 2000 Dodge Caravan, though it has 4 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 2000 Dodge Caravan seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury and 1 death 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.