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 2006 Dodge Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that the horn was inoperable, and the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the related undisclosed recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.
3 yrs ago, fire in engine compartment while I was driving. Could not open doors windows or engine hood. I did have window down when this occurred. Just last week a woman in a car (type not known-) in spokane was trapped and had to be rescued when her car caught fire and she couldn't open door or window. She was lucky a cop busted a window and dragged her out. This is a spooky thing if all cars are like that in a fire.car had died in street.mine ignited at stop light. You have a very hidden problems in these plastic cars. If mine had happened a day later then there could have been a loss of seven young children that were going on a trip along with my daughter who was driving. Scary and no one seems concerned.
Currently have about 86,000 on the vehicle. The headlights, more and more, are deciding to refuse to turn on. There is no darkness indicator, just an old-fashioned turn knob with three settings (off, parking lights, headlights). Also, the headlights when working, decide to not switch off when the knob is turned to off. This is intermittent and, so far, mechanics have been unable to diagnose the problem. I see from other sites that many, many people are having these problems with these minivans and eventually, if not already, somebody is going to die when these lights cut off unexpectedly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Dodge Caravan. While driving, the vehicle experienced an electrical failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuse box malfunctioned and caused the vehicle's computer to fail. Patterson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram tyler (3120 s sw loop 323, tyler, tx 75701, [phone]) was contacted and confirmed the diagnosis. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no recalls. The contact was referred to NHTSA and was informed to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was 126,000.
Passenger side air bag exploded. Luckily no injury. Vehicle was not moving. I didn't even know it could do that! I'd like this fixed. Also, two leaks in engine. Oil leak/transmission leak. Is this normal? Leaks are ongoing. Another thing: noticing headlights getting slightly dimmer, then brighter, at night as if some sort of electrical problem? This happens during driving and not driving.
I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan; it too shut down on me while going down the hwy at 70mph and all three of my children were in the van. Thank the lord that no one was hurt. This was the first time that my van had ever done this but was not the last; this van had shut down on me a couple more times. I took the van to a local shop, but never found out anything. I was told that it could be the heat of the south texas weather, but I thought cars were made to withstand all weather. Then it started having electrical issues; like the light would go on and off in the middle of the night, really at any time with no keys in it, the wipers would come on when I didn't need them to or would not come on in the rain were I needed it the most, the dome light would come on while driving home at night, or while taking my kids to school the dome light would come on and not go off. …
I own a 2006 Dodge Caravan and about a month ago I noticed a problem when I use my turn signals. Sometimes they work fine, sometimes not at all, and sometimes the opposite blinker will turn on (ex: I use the right blinker but the left blinker come on and vise versa). This has been happening pretty much everyday since it first started. A couple of days ago when I started the car I noticed the airbag light stayed on and the passenger airbag off light on the dash stayed lit. This was very concerning because I don't know if that means the airbag is malfunctioning and won't work in an accident. I decided to do some online searching for these type of problems concerning the Dodge caravans and realized that hundreds and hundreds of people were experiencing the same exact problems I am having. …
Most times, when I try to turn on my headlamps at night they do not turn on when I turn the switch. It usually takes me anywhere from 10 to 20 turns to get the headlamps to turn on and sometimes they will come on only for a few seconds and then turn back off. Often, while I am in motion at night, the headlights will simply turn off for no apparent reason but I have noticed that it seems to happen more when the alternator or fans start or when I am at a low RPM and then I have to pull over and try to get the lights back on. I have also noticed that when the vehicle is parked and all switches are off, the lights will turn on and off randomly. I have tried to locate a fuse and/or relay several times but do not know where to find those... They are not in the fuse relay center under the hood. …
I began having trouble with my right front window not rolling down. Then head lights began to flash on and off. I disconnected the battery first negative then positive removed ECM and cleaned all pins on ECM and the socket it plugs into using electronic parts cleaner. I waited for the socket and pins to dry before replacing the ECM and reconnecting the power. Problem resolved itself for a while. Now all problems came back and the battery light came on. Replaced the battery and alternator. The problem went away for a week now all problems came back and vehicle is unable to be driven. I believe there is a problem with the ECM's made for this vehicle. There are many reports of people having the same issues and no recalls. I believe that the ECM is causing many problems since all 3 issues are controlled by the ECM unit.
I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan slx about a month after I bought it the sliding door on the drivers side stopped working I took it in and they fixed it right away. In June 2010 my van door the same one that was broke from before came open when I was driving then it happened again a few days later. I reported this to Dodge and Chrysler corp. And they are refusing to fix this problem because no one else has had this problem with there van and reported it. I am worried that one of my four children are going to fall out the door and get hurt or even killed because of this problem I would like to see Dodge fix my van because it isn't my fault the door is broke and it is a safety problem.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of headlight illumination
The subject vehicle (SV) population includes MY 2005-2006 vehicles built between March 2004 and December 2005 manufactured with a TRW supplied headlight switch assembly (HSA).The HSA was the primary focus of the investigation; earlier and later vehicles utilized different HSAs.Consumers complain that the headlights in the subject vehicles do not illuminate when the HSA is turned on, or that the headlights extinguish…
Electrical complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2006 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the electrical system of the 2006 Dodge Caravan, 17% of the model year's 173 complaints. The component named most often is horn (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Dodge Caravan electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2006 Dodge Caravan, though it has 2 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 2006 Dodge Caravan electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries 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.