Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On my 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan AWD 3.8 liter 4 speed automatic the transmission went into limp mode,speedometer,odometer quit working and the gas gauge is wacky. Had the codes read and they came back as speed sensor malfunction and TCM not communicating with PCM. I change the speed sensors and the TCM and paid a dealer to do a "quick learn procedure"and dealer tells me that the procedure won't work because one of the components won't communicate. This problem occured while traveling through a canyon in utah on highway 6 known as "one of the most dangerous highways in utah"while my 4 children and wife were in the vehicle.it has still not been fixed and I can't afford to pay the dealer and I have no warranty. I feel that this should be a recall as this seems to be a very common problem. I would be more than happy to fix myself if someone at Chrysler would at least tell me what to fix! …
I own a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, sport edition. Yesterday while my wife was making a right turn on the street, the steering froze and the brakes failed. She went straight on the other side of the cross street and the van went dead. Upon starting the van again, the "service engine soon" light came up. The speedometer was unresponsive and somehow we brought the van home. This is probably the speed sensor that has gone bad again. Three months ago when I was driving the van on the freeway, the van went unresponsive and I had to pullover. Upon starting the van, it showed the service engine soon light and would not catch up highway speed. I had to drive at 35 MPH speed on freeway at very high engine revolutions and come home. The dealer replaced the speed sensor to fix the problem. The serious thing of the problem in this van is that the problem occurs suddenly while the van is in motion. …
Everytime I am going downhill or steep roads, I have no control of my cars deceleration except by using my brakes. I have no manual override for downshifting or engine braking. This causes my brakes to overheat and fade. My car is equipped with an autostick (manual electronic shift), which the controls for are on the shifter handle on the column. The wire inside the shifter handle loses its connection or gets cut at the pivot point, making it non-operational. I've called my local dealer for the parts needed (autostick shifter lever) and they said, that part has been on backorder nationwide. I've also went online and talked to a few owners of the same type vehicle and they had exactly the same safety issue. There is no way to fix the cut wire because the shifter handle is a sealed unit.
Dt: while driving on I-95 consumer noticed the vehicle was going fast, she took foot off the accelerator and the vehicle didn't slow down, she then tapped the accelerator to try and slow the vehicle down this only made the vehicle accelerate faster. Consumer then got into the break down lane and put both feet on the brakes and the vehicle slowed to 65 MPH. Consumer finally turned the ignition off to stop the vehicle. Consumer called concord state police to assist. The consumer had the vehicle towed, and the repair man stated that the throttle cable was frayed and got stuck in the housing, and couldn't come out of housing. The consumer actually still has the cable. Throttle cable replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the air bag warning light flashed and suddenly remained illuminated. In addition, the cruise control failed to activate. The contact received a manufacturer's recall related to the air bags, but the part was not available. The manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repair. The failure mileage and NHTSA campaign number were unavailable. Updated 09/10/15 updated 11/07/2017
Without warning vehicle "lunged forward" and lost speed and speedometer went to "0mph". Veh would not shift out of 1st or 2d gear. We are military stationed in Germany and this is our own veh. Veh taken to a local shop that honors U.S. Warranty and we were told that 27 other vans had the same problem at this time and were also waiting for a new transmission. It took 6 weeks for a transmission to become available...obviously a problem if that many other vehicles had the same problem and took that long to get a tranmission.
Clock assembly faulty on 1999 Grand Caravan. This vehicle is used as a company van. First aiirbag light came on then the cruise control and horn stopped working. Twice in emergency situations the horn did not work. Had clock assembly replaced at a cost of $304.53. This seems to be a manufacturer problem and a recall should be in place.
I have a problem with my 1999 Grand Caravan, the air bag light is on and the horn will not blow, and the cruise won't work. I got in contact with Chrysler and they told me they don't know of a recall. It is dangerous to drive a car with no horn, and what if the airbag comes out and cause an accident.
We purchased a used 1999 Grand Caravan. Through research we found the clockspring was the problem. Crysler refuses to fix it because they said a different part was used after the last recall. They said save our receipt and if there actually a recall we would be reimbursed 100%.
Airbag light came on, horn doesn't work, cruise control doesn't work. Took it to the dealer said that there had been some recalls on it but not on my model...did some research and found that this is a consistant problem on the caravans including my model.
NHTSA investigations
Dc minivan fuel injector rail leak
There is no summary currently available
Acceleration complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 34 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, 8% of the model year's 432 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, though it has 3 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 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to speed control & acceleration 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.