Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
My 4 children were in my van while it was parked and my 5 yr old got into drivers seat and pulled gear shift in reverse and van rolled down driveway, across road, and over an embankment and it totaled the vehicle. This should not have happened, the gear shift should not have moved while it was in park without the brakes being applied to get it out of gear. My daughter had to have stitches as a result of this accident. They could have been killed.
During a 35 MPH frontal vehicle collision front air bags did not deploy. Consumer sustained neck injures. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The consumer stated that the vehicle shifts out of the park position without the foot behing on the brake. 4 year old hit the shift lever and the vehicle rolled down the driveway and across the street.
Dt: contact states vehicle can be changed from any gear without pressing the brake. The contact's son got into the vehicle while it was running. Took it out of gear without holding the brakes, which resulted in the vehicle crashing through a garage door. At this time the vehicle has not been checked to see why the vehicle will go into gear without pressing the brakes.
2000 Dodge Caravan with only 56,000 miles had to be towed because the transmission broke down and had to be replaced for a total of $$2250.00. Then on 1/11/06 it happened again. We had to have a new torque converter plus all the other parts replaced again. We have maintained this vehicle according to the manual and it had to be fixed at the closest transmission repair shop. I have contacted Dodge about this, and they have denied any responsibility and refused to hear of this complaint. The mechanic rutland transmissions [phone] told us that he sees many of these Dodge caravans with the same problem. He told us that he sees many of these vans with similar transmissions needing replacements that go bad around the time that mine did. This is really a horrible problem that Dodge will no realize. What can be done with this kind of problem that seems to happen right after the van is paid for. …
Bought new in 2000 (failure)serpentine belt replaced @ 39199 4-12-02 (failure)serpentine belt & tensioner replaced @ 64389 8-20-03 (failure)serpentine belt replacedlate summer 2004 (failure)serpentine belt & tensioner replaced @112,000 jan 2006 timing belt replaced @ 64389 8-20-03 timing belt & tensioner replaced @110,646 11-25-05 multiple sensor failures past 4 years, as well as valve cover gaskets, cam seals,cam packings, crank seal, oil pan leaking. Nov 2005 engine light kept coming on,& a slight knocking, dealer couldn't find any real reason, but lugging was present during drives. Had to replace leaky transmission solenoid pack & sensor 11-25-05 only to turn around and replace the whole transmission 9 weeks later due to multiple engine failures,@114,043 1-30-06 (with another serpentine belt failure 2 weeks prior to tranny replacement. …
Moving with the military from mo to nv. Van is 35 months old but 10000 miles outside warranty (46K). Check trans fluid every day prior to driving. Fluid was full in denver. Arrived in st. George, ut and transmission stopped going in reverse. Took it to the dealer. Dealer charged $80 to assess the problem. Stated transmission needed overhaul. Both dealer and Chrysler corp told us to drive to las vegas, our destination. Chrysler said they would assist with the repair. Upon arrival took it to the dealer. Dealer told Chrysler that vehicle had no trans fluid and should not be a good faith repair. 1) transmission should not fail at 46000 when properly serviced. 2) st. George was wrong for telling us to drive 120 miles in 107 without transmission fluid. 3) or the dealer is lying about the fluid level to force us to pay. …
I have had 4 complete transmission failures with my 2000 Caravan: 2 ofwhich required a complete rebuild and 2 of which required entirely new units (transmissions) and new cv axles as a result of the transmission locking up. The worse of the 4 times was on thanksgiving 2002, less than 2 weeks after a factory rebuild where the front wheels locked up while on the interstate. 3 of 4 repairs were completed at a Chrysler/Dodge dealership. The 4th and so far final repair was completed at a local transmission shop and it has lasted the longest, over 22,000 miles. After looking on the internet, there are so many complaints about Caravan transmissions. I really feel that this warrants a defect investigation. Please help all of us people who have dumped $30,000 into junk. This is not an isolated incident. …
On aug. 19 my husband heard a very faint "ping" about a 2 miles from home. Nothing seemed to be wrong and he felt it must have been something moving around in the car. On aug. 20, after driving several miles, I heard what sounded like something under the hood self-destructing, the odometer and RPM gauge went wacky, and I had no power. I was fortunate to be perhaps 50 yards from an auto service center and coasted into the driveway leaking fluid and flinging parts. The transmission had blown apart. Had I been on a freeway I would likely have been killed or killed someone else. From talking to mechanics it seems that this is a well known defect and Dodge manufactured transmissions were not modified, but there has been no recall. We were told that after market parts from another company had the problem addressed. (what recourse do we have. …
One day on my way to work (about 10 miles from my house) I was going approximately 55 MPH when the transmission slammed into second gear and would not shift into another gear. I had my van towed to a shop and it was two sensors in the transmission. The very next day I went to get my van I went to work the van seemed to run like new, and then when I got off of work I rolled down my power window on the drivers side and the window would not roll back up! To have the two sensors fixed was around two hundred dollars and to get the window fixed was one hundred and twenty five dollars and that part for the window was the regulator and the motor, for a new part was like three hundred dollars, I got one used. It has been six months since I got these things replaced and now they are both broke again! The sensors and the drivers side window motor and regulator. …
Computer controlled transmission in 2000 Dodge Caravan. This transmission has twice been disconnected from the engine by the computer in traffic. The second time I was in heavy traffic on the middle lane of interstate 20 at weatherford, tx. And had to coast over to the emergency lane. The Dodge dealer in weatherford who fixed the transmission told me that there was nothing actually wrong with the transmission, but that the computer disconnected the transmission from the engine because of low pressure in the transmission system to keep the engine from tearing the transmission apart. My problem with that kind of scenario is this: what this should happen when I was passing a vehicle on a two lane high way with on coming traffic at what would have been a safe distance away but all at once I find I am coasting in the wrong lane with traffic coming at me head on?
Transmission complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2000 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 86 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2000 Dodge Caravan, 18% of the model year's 470 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (57 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Dodge Caravan transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.