Most common 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan problems
Share of the 1,157 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Grand Caravan complaints by model year
Best Grand Caravan years: 2020, 2007, 2006. Years to avoid: 2008, 2016, 2005, 2010, 1996. Compare all years →
1996 Dodge Grand Caravan recalls (9)
Air bags › Frontal
On certain Mini vans, the clockspring assembly May have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the clockspring assembly on all vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. An extended lifetime warranty will also be placed on this component for all affected vehicles, regardless of mileage.
Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system
Vehicle description: Mini vans built with 3.3l and 3.8l engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.
Remedy: Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on January 25, 2002.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Vehicle description: minivans. Fuel can leak from the fuel tank at the interface of the fuel pump module attachment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module attaching nut with a nut that includes tighter design tolerances. The sealing o-ring will also be replaced.
Child seat
Vehicle description: Mini vans equipped with integrated child seats. The shoulder harness restraint on the integrated child seat can become difficult to extract when the safety belt latch plate becomes contaminated.
Remedy: Dealers will clean the latch mechanism. An extender will be added to the emergency release anchor for the child seat safety belts so that the release clips are more visible and accessible to the operator in the event…
Seat belts › Integrated child seat
The bolts which secure the integrated child seat modules to the seat frame can break.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the integrated child seat module bolts.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
A static electric charge can build up on the ungrounded metal section of the fuel filler tube.
Remedy: Dealers will install a ground strap for the fuel filler tube.
Show 3 more recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
In certain vehicles, the engine cylinder head oil galley plug does not seal properly and engine cylinder head oil is not adequately retained.
Remedy: Dealers will install an expansion plug and retaining bracket over the cylinder head oil galley plug.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
The fuel tank rollover valve can allow fuel to pass into the vapor canister resulting in the potential for fuel leakage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank filler tube with a filler tube that has an additional rollover valve. The associated rollover valve vapor hoses will be rerouted.
Seats
The bolts which secure the rear bench seats to the seat risers May be embrittled and fracture.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear bench seat to riser bolts.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 11 possible defects involving the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan:
Integrated child seat belt lockup
Odi continues to receive complaints alleging latching/retractor mechanism problems.Chrysler's assessment of the problem indicates that owners of the vehicles are not adhering to the cleaning requirements for the seat.the seat appears to malfunction if crumbs of food or beverage residue accumulates on the latching tongue in thewell located between the child's legs.odi has 19 complaints of retract lockup.seven of…
Dc minivan fuel injector rail leak
There is no summary currently available
Post-collision fuel system integrity
There is no summary currently available
Fuel leaks from the gas tank
Analysis to date indicates that some of the subject vehiclescontinue to experience fuel leaks from the fuel tank at the sending unit interface.most often the leak involves the o-ring seal.
Safety blt latch operation
There is no summary currently available
Fuel leakeage from rollover valve
There is no summary currently available
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
Post collision fuel system
Integrated child seat belt lockup
This investigation is closed.Chrysler corporation has submitted a defect information report identifying a safety defect and outlining the proposed remedy.recall number 98v-185 has been assigned to this safety recall.
Fuel tank leaks
This engineering analysis was opened on January 31, 1997 based on information gathered during preliminary evaluation (pe), pe96-051. The pe was opened on August 19, 1996, to investigate allegations of fuel leakage from the area where the fuel pump/sending unit joins the fuel tank.for brevidy, this area will be referred to as the pump/tank interface.these allegations were first received by odi on August 2, 1996 while…
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
What 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan owners say
Air bags all 211 →
Tl contact owns a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving approximately 5 MPH downhill in the snow, the brakes locked and the vehicle began to slide. The contact released the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated. She reapplied the brakes, but they locked again. The contact struck a tree head on and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle sustained major damage, but was still able to be driven. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the error codes revealed that the vehicle was not in a crash, which is possibly why the air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The current mileage was 200,552 and failure mileage was 200,500.
While driving 55 MPH the consumer hit a deer. When getting out of the vehicle the owner notice a fire in the engine compartment. No report of air bag deployment. As a result the vehicle burned to the ground. No injuries reported. Please provide additional information.
Transmission & drivetrain all 209 →
Transmission locked-up on 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. When we contacted someone about obtaining a transmission, we were informed that the manufacturer had already sent letters to Dodge dealerships to expect to be contacted about transmission problems on the 1996 & 1997 Grand caravans; the dealerships were told that the transmissions in these vehicles were defective, but that they(manufacturer) would not have them repaired. My husband was traveling on I-40 business outside of winston salem, nc, when this happened. He had with him our 8 year old daughter and my step-daughter, they were stranded on the side of the road for over 4 hours, and at night. …
The differential pin came loose making a hole through the transmission case. Transmission fluid leaked into the torque convertor area and then onto my garage floor. This vehicle has only 74,789 miles. The mechanic told me that this is very common with these transmissions. He said it occurs when one wheel spins while the other wheel is stopped. In other words, if you live in a climate with snow or ice, this failure can occur at any time to your vehicle. I have contacted the manufacturer and they tell me this is not a defect and that they do not know of any problems with their differential pins. I contacted the service manager at the local dealership, he said that he has certainly seen this problem before, but since it occured outside of warranty, I am on my own. …
Electrical system all 197 →
Re:Dodge Grand Caravan se, l996 continual problems with electrical system. Sudden lack of power when driving on freeway, narrowly avoiding serious accidents. In researching on various web sites, this seems to be a recurring problem for other owners as well. The dealer has kept the car twice so they could 'duplicate the problem', they replace one sensor or another. Last replacement seems to have worked but still don't trust the car and won't drive on freeway or far from home. Now have trouble starting the car, the dealer said it's probably the crank sensor. They say since I only have 33,000 miles on the car, it shouldn't be the starter. Also, I have history of the wipers turning on and off whenever they feel like it. They also establish their own rhythm when working. The wiper sensor has been replaced 3 times. The computer never shows an error code so obviously, it isn't working either. …
When driving on the highway and going 65 to 70 MPH, the car loses RPM's, backfires, jerks, loses speed. I am unable to give it gas. I have to pull off into the emergency lane and it slows to a stop and stalls. I cannot start it back, however if I set for a few minutes, open and slam the hood, it will start back. My service engine light comes on and the code that was found said that a misfire was found in cylinder 6. It has happened since fixing that problem, but the service engine light went off. I have been told to try to fix many different problems but no one, not even the Chrysler dealership can tell me for sure what is wrong and needs to be fixed. This is amazing to me, because I can find many people who have the same problem, and not only with 1996 Grand caravans. This is a very dangerous problem because of the sudden stalling at such high rates of speed. …
1996 Dodge Grand Caravan engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 3-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 3-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
| 3.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan a good car?
Based on 1,157 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Grand Caravan rates avoid: 2.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the Grand Caravan at the same age. It is one of the Grand Caravan years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan?
The air bags — 211 complaints, 18% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (209) and electrical system (197).
How many recalls does the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan have?
There are 9 recalls for the 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan, the most recent from November 7, 2002 (frontal). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Grand Caravan?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2020, 2007 and 2006. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2008, 2016, 2005, 2010 and 1996. See the full Dodge Grand Caravan years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 100,000 miles; 10% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.