Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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 vehicle is turning off completely ir dying when driving. This is happening multiple times. I have to coast safely to pull over, can barely steer to get off the road. This happened 3 times on the way to town. This is very dangerous, I was lucky that I was able to pull over. If I was on express way I would have been in a crash.i don't feel safe driving the car with it cutting off intermittently without any warning.
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.
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.
Exiting the freeway a going 70 my van turned off, struggled with the power steering, the gas light came on as the engine died, I got rear ended , while we waited to be towed the van sizzled and all the hazards and power went out, dark out.
On 7/29/08 I drove my vehicle to a business meeting and noticed the oil light flashing on and off. When I was through with the meeting I checked my oil to see if it was low and found that it was, when I pulled out of the parking space I found a puddle of oil on the ground. I drove directly to monro-joppa rd. Shop to get it checked out and they found that the crank shaft had cracked and was causing oil to pour out of the car. The replaced all parts necessary and it cost me $737. One week later on 8/8/08 I drove to another business meeting and coming out to my car found that it was leaking again. I took it back to monro-joppa rd. And they found that it was the same problem. They went to schaefer & strominger to obtain a Dodge part (crank shaft) and was told by the service man there that they have been seeing this problem with certain Dodge cars. …
My boyfriend noticed an oil leak under the van. We took it into a repair shop to have it fixed. They said that it was the front crankshaft seal. Ten days after it was fixed, the van started leaking again. We took it back to the shop. They fixed the leak again and took it for a test drive. The van stared leaking during the test drive so they ran a bunch of tests. They decided the problem was the oil pump. When they took the oil pan off to fix the pump, they found the thrust bearing in the oil pan. I decided to have it towed to a different repair shop. That shop told me that I'd have to replace the whole engine. I think that the bearing was faulty and that it defiantly shouldn't have gone out considering the van only has 30,000 miles on it. The second repair shop said that they couldn't fix just the thrust bearing because the engine was toast. I am the second owner of the van. …
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 with 2.4 liter, 4 cyl dohc 16 engine. This van was built at the factory in 2005 - sold new in January 2006 to a rental agency and I purchased later when the vehicle had about 19,000 miles on it. The van now has 63,000 miles (in November 2010). I noticed very significant engine oil leak near the oil filter housing. The leak was determined to be coming from the front crankshaft seal. I had this seal replaced but within a days it had popped out and was leaking again. I understand that there is a technical repair/service bulletin - case number [redacted] (do a google search to find) on this issue. I also see that there are two NHTSA cases with identical problems to mine listed on this site (10333917, 10257511). Anybody see a trend here???? …
My 2006 Dodge Caravan was bought brand new from the dealer. After 80000 miles it develop a very bad leak. I took it to mechanic number 1 who told me that the crank shaft has a manufacturing problem - to much end play has occurred and was grinding on some of the components in the engine including the oil pump. I thought he was saying that to make more money so I told him to replace the oil pump which he did. Two weeks later the problem started again. I took the van to mechanic number 2. Who told me the same problem. The crank shaft has a major problem in the 2006 Dodge caravans. The oil drips so much and gets blown on the exhaust and burns - that might catch fire so left it with mechanic number 2. To repair this problem according to the 1st and 2nd mechanics the whole bottom part of the engine has to be replaced and perhaps the engine block as well. …
Tl contact owns a 2006 Dodge Caravan. While driving various speeds in rainy weather conditions, the belts in the vehicle become wet when driving through an inch or more of water. As a result, the vehicle will have reduced power, a loss of power steering, and the alternator will reduce its conductivity. When the failure occurs, the contact is unable to make any turns due to the loss of power steering. He has to wait until the belts dry before the power steering can become operable again. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealer and no repairs have been made. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 50,000.
Engine complaints in other Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Dodge Caravan, 16% of the model year's 173 complaints. The component named most often is engine (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Dodge Caravan engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.