Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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 owns a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle's muffler became louder and the engine stalled. The vehicle could not restart. The contact stated that the vehicle had an abnormal fuel odor prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the muffler, fuel tank, and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 156,563.
1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. Tried to start it and it would start and die about 3 times and then not start at all. Replace PCM. Worked a couple days and then started again. Read on web boards of this happening to other people and if they hit the dash it would start and when it happened again I hit the dash and it would start. When it wouldn't start all the guages on the dash would not work. This seemed to work. Then when I went over a bump and turned at the same time the van would die. I could put it in "n" and get it started again while I was still turning. This is very dangerous becase you loose power steering while going around a corner. Heard on message borad if you took the instrument cluster off and check the saudering that this woudl solve the problem. Did this but did not solve the problem. Then the fuel gauge would stop reading when it did have gas in it. …
Dt*: the contact stated there was a strong odor of fuel in the vehicle. After being taken to an independent mechanic shop, it was determined that fuel was leaking from the fuel rail at the top of the engine. The contact encountered a NHTSA recall # 00V268000 regarding the fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system. The local dealer was contacted, and determined that the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN, however the vehicle had similar problems as stated in the recall. Updated 02/16/07.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that whenever he started the vehicle, fuel fumes were emitted into the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle he noticed that fuel was leaking from the fuel rail. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 200,000 and the current mileage was 201,000.
As I was driving the vehicle I smelled a strong odor but everything around the vehicle seemed to work normally (no smoke or overheating present). Less than 5 minutes after the engine caught fire. The entire engine is burned, the vehicle is a total loss. Experts that looked at the engine after the fire was put off suggest a failure in the gas hose causing the engine to catch fire.
When the gas tank is full, fuel leaks profusely from the fuel pump flange, pooling on the ground under the car. This same problem resulted in a recall of 96 model year caravans after only six small fires.
My 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan began smelling like gas intermittently in 2002. When the smell repeated itself over the course of several months, we took it to the dealer. The dealer failed to find a leak or reason for the smell. The smell continued intermittently and in 2004, we took the car back again. This time the dealership advised replacing the entire fuel tank at a cost to us of $572. I'm not sure what the labor cost was. They refused to cover the cost of the poor design. They appear to have replaced it with a 2000 fuel pump, which was one of the pumps found poor in an insurance crash test rating.
When I took the car in for routine maintanence, it came back with a recall for the fuel rail that can cause a fire. However, the dealer claimed no inormation yet on this recall, so it is not yet fixed. After research, I discovered that the recall date was 9/14/2000 . This is 16 months ago. The manufacturer did not provide me with notice via first class mail as required. This seems like a long time between recall and when I found out. Should not this recall information and the fix needed already have been taken care of? How long does it take after recall to get the fix to the dealers?
Had just filled fuel tank, got inside vehicle, and smelled an odor of gasoline fumes. Engine check light came on & stayed. Took vehicle to mechanic, and ran diagnostic test. Mechanic reset the engine check light, and it came back on. Consumer states engine light is continuously illuminated and there is a strong odor coming from the fuel tank door.
When the fuel tank is empty and the weather is hot, upon filling up the fuel tank, fuel leaks from the gasket on the tank. The fuel tank will leak about 3 gallons of fuel when only 18 gallons of fuel in put in the tank. The fuel tank is a 20 gallon tank. The dealer tightened up the gasket on the fuel tank. A new fuel tank and gasket as also been ordered.
Related recalls
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.
NHTSA investigations
Post-collision fuel system integrity
There is no summary currently available
Post collision fuel system
Fuel System complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, 4% of the model year's 559 complaints. The component named most often is storage › tank assembly (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 00V-268 (fuel injection system, Sep 13, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion 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.