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 2002 Dodge Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I had purchased a 2002 Dodge Caravan se and immediately after it was back in the shop for repairs. I heard a noise in the window and the Dodge place told me it was nothing not to worry about it. Also I have made several trips to the Dodge place for the brakes (replaced 6 times ) , sliding door doesn't stay latched and always slides and hits my children while getting in or out of the vehicle, the drivers side seat belt comes undone for no reason (it wont stay latched), I had a flat and the tire jack broke while jacking up the van, I was stopped at a red light and all of a sudden my van just proceeded to go and I no control other than running in a ditch to stop, the van always drifts to the right when driving and dealer said it not faulty that's how its made to do, I had 7 sets of tires and the dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong with this vehicle , I had an alignment done 4 …
On 6/5/14 while driving down the hwy at 65mph a deer had bolted out in front of my 02 Caravan. I had reaction time with hitting my brakes until my brake light illuminated & my van continues sliding on dry pavement, I attempted hitting my horn but noticed the section of the steering wheel that the horn iss located was rock hard & could not be pushed in even the slightest. I ended up hitting the deer dead center of the front of my van, crumpled my hood, cracking my radiator, headlight assemlies, grill & cooling fans. My airbags never deployed. Since this incident my brake light illuminated just about every time I press on the brakes & come to a rest lasting 30 second or longer & will go off moments after releasing the pedal. Approx mileage 165, 000 road conditions were dry, daylight & 100% visibility.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Caravan. In 2007, the contact broadsided another vehicle and neither front air bags deployed. There were no injuries, but the vehicle sustained $3,800 worth of damage. A police report was filed and the vehicle was repaired. Prior to the crash, the horn and cruise control failed, and the air bag light flickered and then remained illuminated. There was a recall from 1998 to 2000 regarding the clock spring. The speed and VIN were unknown. The current mileage was 74,000 and failure mileage was 73,000.
Consumer purchased a 2002 Dodge Caravan in 2001, and drove it on a trip. While on the trip back driver side rear speaker caught on fire. Put fire out with bottled water. Consumer and husband took vehicle to the Dodge dealer in mobile alabama, and had it repaired. Dealer told consumer that the cause of the fire was defective wiring. Dealer in mobile, alabama had vehicle, and will not release it until consumer signed a statement clearing the dealer from any liability.
Consumer states that while driving at 20 MPH and no warning the rear inside (driver side rear speaker) of the vehicle caught on fire and the consumer was force to pull over. The vehicle was totaled. Sc.
Dt: the consumer stated that battery acid had leaked onto the wiring harness, causing electrical failure. The dealer confirmed this problem. The manufacturer offered to pay for half of the repairs. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer for repairs yet. (11/21/05) the driver's side window intermittently failed to go up and was reported numerous times to the dealer, but they were unable to duplicate the problem. The reverse light had become intermittent while the vehicle was in motion. Also the fan, windows and the radio failed to operate when the A/C or defrost was turned on. This all linked to the battery dripping acid onto the wiring harness. Also, the rear driver side tire had a slow leak. The vehicle had been repaired on 10/21/05
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that while traveling she noticed that the speedodometer suddenly became inoperable. She was unable to determine how many miles were actually on the vehicle. The speedometer remained the same. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer of the failure since she was unable to locate them. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated that the register was working; however, the visual indicator on the instrument panel was inoperable. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileage was 77,086. Updated 6/8/11 updated 06/16/11. Updated 06/21/11
I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan. The failure began with the lights flashing (lt/rt like a police cruiser or alarm system) in daytime running light mode. Once the headlight lights were turned on the rt worked but the lt low beam did not. Select high beam; the lt headlight worked the right did not. I've read on the internet several complaints about this headlight system completely failing during hours of darkness at the most inappropriate times (I.e. Traveling on highway @ high speeds). Currently, the problem is being worked and parts have been swapped and the problem still exists.
2002 Dodge Caravan I've had since new, has a horn that has progressively lost areas on the steering wheel where it can be activated. I've never had an accident with it, but nearly had a couple because of this problem. It has gotten worse since its inception over 4 years back. Due to high cost of repair by Dodge I have opted to live with the problem. But if this is something endemic to this, or other Chrysler vehicles, I'd like to have it fixed. Horns should not spontaneously degrade like this. The problem is obviously in the switch in the steering wheel.
'recall campaign' issued for 2002 Dodge Caravan radio vent slots (code d48). Caravan caught on fire. The consumer's purchased another vehicle from the dealer since they refused to accept responsibility for the fire. After the vehicle caught on fire the consumer received a recall notice. The notice was on all 2002 caravans for a potential defect which could result in a fire. The consumer would like to be reimbursed for the cost of having to get another vehicle.
NHTSA investigations
Headlight malfunction
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation after receiving reports from consumers that their headlights would malfunction in various ways from flickering to complete non-illumination.headlight operation is monitored by the vehicle's body control module (BCM) and front control module (fcm).odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis (ea05-009) to further examine…
Speaker fire in the rear of the vehicle
On July 7, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation based on consumer complaints alleging an interior vehicle fire starting in the area of the driver side rear speaker.daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) informed odi that condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts May drip onto the radio and into vent holes on top of the radio.this can result in a short circuit…
Headlight malfunction
Owner reports indicate allegations of improper headlight operation of one or both headlights.some report intermittent outage or dimming.many report that the condition is random; it sometimes does not repeat and lasts for a very short duration.
Electrical complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2002 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Dodge Caravan, 13% of the model year's 245 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Caravan electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2002 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 2002 Dodge Caravan electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 5 fires and 1 injury 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.