Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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).
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.
Service brake failure while driving, diagnosed by repair shop as a ruptured brake line. Inspection of other brake lines showed heavy corrosion. Vehicle was in motion (straight line) on a city street and retained minimal braking. I was able to stop at a stop light (no collision) and 'limp' to the repair shop. Repairs consisted of replacing the hydraulic brake lines.
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.
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.
Dt: 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact was coming home from work at 20 MPH and someone was sitting at a red light. Wheile slowing down to come to a complete stop the contact's vehicle accelerated because the cruise control came on, and hit the vehicle sitting at the red light from behind when was normal braking. This has never happened before. The road was dry at the time. The contact was wearing seat belts. Had not yet contacted dealership or manufacturer. Called the police, and they took a breport. There were no injuries in the accident. The only damage made was to the vehicles.
My car is a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan le. It has 120,000 miles on it. I purchased the car new. Rear brake line failure. Failure due to design flaw. Dissimilar metals (steel and stainless steel) used on a joint (flexible coupling) on rear brake lines. Dissimilar metals joint caused electrolytic corrosion and failure (rupture) of brake line. The brake line joint with dissimilar metals design flaw is a time bomb waiting to happen in many of the Dodge and Chrysler. The potential for a very high number of deaths and major injuries due to this design flaw is huge.
Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to engage the parking brake, the pedal would not lock into place and engage properly. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer, who determined the parking brake pedal mechanism needed to be replaced. After the initial replacement, the problem returned. The vehicle was inspected by dealer, who determined the parking brake pedal needed to be replaced again. Afterwards, the problem persisted. The manufacturer was alerted.
Descending mountain out of yosemite. Front brakes overheated and caught fire. Flames visible through wheel spokes on both left front and right front wheels. Put out fire with water. Valve cover on tire stem melted but no other user visible damage. Dealer inspected brakes and adjusted rear brakes to handle more load, said everything else looks OK. I believe anytime normal use of the vehicle causes flames it is a safety hazard.
The ABS valve on the driver side is closing causing brakes to grab while driving. Several mechanics with diagnostic equipment agree this should not be happening and recommended I check to see if it was recalled. It is, but not for my year and model. Mechanics also noted that the dashlight should have indicated a problem and did not, nor were their machines able to detect the exact problem.
Bks failed in nov1999(19kmiles)rplcd dvr rotors, pads, caliper sticking, dealer greased would not cover under warranty, back bks w/n engage,adjtd. Feb2000(25.5K ml) frt pads worn, caliper pops when pedal released. Dealer greased. May2000 bks failed to work, cuased acident, dlr claims nothing wrong. Jun2000 failed safty test due to rear brakes not engaging.
Brake complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the brakes of the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, 8% of the model year's 559 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 1998 Dodge Grand 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 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 114,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries to brakes 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.