Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. While the contact's wife was driving 45 MPH, another vehicle traveling approximately 70 MPH struck the rear of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The front passenger seat (the contact's seat) separated from the seat track. The contact struck the side door and was thrown into the rear of the vehicle. The seat belt failed to restrain the contact and he was then struck by the seat. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and back. Three occupants in the other vehicle were also injured, as the front passenger's feet went through the windshield and two of the occupants suffered whiplash. Medical attention was required for all the injured occupants. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene and the contact's insurance company confirmed that the vehicle was destroyed. …
I approached a red light hit the brakes. The car did not stop. I hit two cars and the median. The passenger air bag deployed nut not the driver side. I had major injuries including broken ankle, hand, ribs and breathing. I spent 3 months in the hospital.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. The vehicle was involved in a rear end collision and crashed into the vehicle in front of her at 5 MPH. The air bag failed to deploy and the seat came off track during the crash. Due to the seat position, the contact could not depress the brake pedal or control the steering. The current and failure mileages were 124,000.
Brakes failed, causing a collision. Upon impact, the air bags did not deploy. Consumer complained to the manufacturer about the horn not working, and the brake failure. Manufacturer inspected the vehicle and found no defects. Recall 04V480000 for clock spring was issued, and consumer stated this was the cause of the accident.
Vehicle was involved in a off center frontal collision on the passenger side. An impact of 30 MPH. The top latches on the intergrated child seat has open on impact. The manufacturer was notified and they will be sending out an investigator to inspect the intergrated seat and the vehicle.please provide any further informatrion.
Consumer's vehicle was involved in a collision, where the air bags deployed after the vehicle had come to a stop. Consumer stated that the heat from the air burned the consumer on the arm and face.
Re: recall # 02V293000: I have a 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan. It is readily evident to me that the clockspring assembly has recently failed. Air bag light is on, horn does not work, cruise control does not work. The local dealer informed me that my van was not covered by the recall [redacted], which is puzzling. If I am in a crash and I or my family is injured due to safety-related failures, I suppose Dodge could have easily prevented the same and diminished their liability by fixing this problem under the recall. I don't believe that I should have to pay money out of my pocket for something that is clearly a manufacturing problem. The dealer said he would file a complaint w/ daimlerchrysler, but a response could take up to 2 weeks. What is my family to do if I am in a safety-related wreck in the meantime? Updated 07/30/2012
My airbag deployed while pulling away from my children's school without any warning. The airbag light never came on and I never received a recall letter. It busted up my steering wheel and dash board. I let my insurance co. Look at it and an investigator from daimler-Chrysler came out and took pictures of it. There was and is no damage to my vehicle. I was told that I would receive copies of everything, but instead was sent a letter from the manufacturer denying responsibility. The letter stated that my airbag light had been on for a long time. This is not true. I had just had my vehicle state inspected and all of those thing are checked. My car passed inspection. The manufacturer won't return my phone calls and I have never seen any proof to their claim. All that I want and wanted is my airbag fixed. …
We were driving our Caravan and had to use the horn. Once I pressed the pad for the horn, the air bag light came on, the horn did not blow and then I determined that the cruise control was not working. Before doing any research I had the repairs completed at the dealer. It was a defective clock spring and the cost to replace it came to $269.01. I then came to this site and found dozens of other complaints exactly like mine. I would list everyone I found but I'm sure you can look them up faster than I could type the id numbers. I also found a recall campaign id number 02V293000 on your site. I asked the dealer about this and they claim our Caravan is not included in that recall. I find this hard to beleave since they admit they are defective in the recall so why isn't ours covered under it?
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. In addition, the brake line failed and was repaired by the dealer. The clockspring was also replaced according to a recall without the contact's consent. When the contact retrieved the vehicle, all of the electrical components were flashing on and off intermittently in the passenger compartment. The horn did not operate and there were other electrical issues with the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were less than 59,492. Updated 08/19/09 updated 08/20/09.
Related recalls
Air bags
On certain minivans, the driver's air bag May become disabled due to a failure of the clockspring, which is located in the hub of the steering wheel.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the clockspring assembly on all covered vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. For those vehicles with more than 70,000 miles, daimlerchrysler will offer an extended lifetime warranty under which it…
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.
NHTSA investigations
Driver air bag clockspring failure
Complaints report air bag warning light illuminates, and this May be accompanied with a non-functioning horn and/or cruise control (if equipped).this is indicative of an open-circuit clockspring failure (results in non-functioning driver's air bag), similar to the failure condition that was the subject of daimlerchrysler's recall of model year 1996-1998.5 minivans (recall no.
Driver air bag clockspring failure
The driver air bag clockspring can develop an open-circuit condition resulting in nonfunctional driver-side frontal air bag, horn, cruise control (if equipped), and/or steering wheel radio control (if equipped).in its October 5, 2004 letter to NHTSA, daimlerchrysler stated that it will conduct a safety recall and replace the clockspring assembly on all my 1998.5-2000 daimlerchrysler minivans, built between March…
Airbag complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 104 complaints about the air bags of the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, 19% of the model year's 559 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-480 (air bags, Oct 6, 2004); NHTSA recall 02V-293 (frontal, Nov 7, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 88,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 23 crashes, 0 fires and 25 injuries to air bags 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.