Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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 going problem, with myself and previous owners. Never addressed by Chrysler and no recall ever done. When driving on wet roads the serpentine belt comes off leaving you with no power steering and loss of control if going at normal speeds and on a curve. It is a well know problem and has not been addressed by Chrysler. They just say there has never been a recall and refuse to fix the problem. The problem is so prevalent that gates has made a replacement pulley and belt to fix it, but it costs about $120.00 and Chrysler should pay for the fix and installation. Why has this not been taken care of?
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. …
1999 Grand Caravan - serpentine belt comes off when it rains or vehicle is driven through water, even minor amounts. Causes sudden loss of steering ability, especially if it occurs without warning during a turn. I have owned this vehicle for 6 years and 125,000+ miles without incident. During the last 25,000 miles belt has come off unpredictably 6-8 times in wet weather. Occurrences started following replacement of front tires and a wheel alignment. Dealers and service stations have blamed the tensioneer, a pulley, the belt itself, and water. Replacement of these parts does nothing to resolve the problem which occurs again with the next rain storm. Something changed at 125,000 miles that causes the belt to disengage the pulleys and /or tensioner when water is sprayed up by the tires in wet weather. …
I have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with 57000 at present. When we had 47000 miles on the vehicle, we were having problems with the steering. Upon taking the van to the dealer we were told we would need to replace the rack and pinion to the tune of $1350.00 dollars with out assistance from Chrysler. At present we are still experiencing problem such as the van wonders and hard to steer. In addition to this problem another problem is the serpentine belt has come off and had to be replace 5 times after or during a rain storm since purchasing this vehicle. It appears a large number of people are experiencing these problems, and although my van is a 1999 model I should not be experiencing all of these problems with only 57000 miles, and Chrysler should conduct a massive recall to repair and correct these problems.
The serpentine belt on the pulley system came off on several occasions, then on 6-8-07 the belt not only came off again, but the p/s wheel {not sure if that's the correct name for it} or pulley metal bracket, broke completely off. So now I can't even replace the belt this time, as their is nothing there for the belt to meld/adhere to. This does not seem to be an isolated incident or problem, many consumers are complaining of the same types of problems with the belts coming off. Before I invest anymore money with belts and kits and such, I need to know if there is any recalls regarding the "tensioner pulley system." please email me regarding the above mentioned. Thanks, r.jonak [email]
Three times in six weeks, the serpentine belt (which powers the power steering, alternator and water pump) has slipped off the pulleys. In one of the three instances, the drive belt was shredded. After a quick search of the internet, literally hundreds of complaints about this were found. Fortunately, in our case, there has not been an injury to date, however a loss of power steering at the wrong moment could easily cause an accident. Likewise, loss of accessories such as the alternator and water pump could leave someone stranded. On this vehicle, the belt tensioner has been replaced and the belt has been replaced three times in less than 1,000 miles.
Electrical fire under the steering column, wiring harness replaced, and problems with the steering wheel. The vehicle is equipped with emc ds2000 adaptive steering and emc egb. While driving the vehicle's failure alarms constantly sounded. On one occasion the system malfunction and caused an accident. On another occasion the vehicle caught on fire under the steering column. On both occasions the dealer replaced the wiring harness. The driver continued to have problems with the steering wheel. The dealer determined that the gear train of the encoders were damaged. Both encoder gears as well as the encoder assembly were replaced.
I have a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, at 48,000 miles I had to have the rack & pinion replaced in the vehicle at the cost of $1300.00 dollars. Chrysler would not stand behind the product. I have heard of another case in point with the same problem. It is hard to believe I should have been responsible for replacing this in such a short amount of miles since the vehicle is driven by my wife to and from work only on street surface. I think this should be checked to see how many others have had the same problem and require Chrysler to address the issue.
Serpentine belt came off pulleys while driving in heavy rain. Lost ability to steer van. Headed directly for another car and collision narrowly avoided. Belt coming off when wet appears to be a common problem with this series van, and would seem to be a very serious hazard. It is beyond me why Dodge is not required to retrofit a better belt/pulley system (which does exist and is on the market).
1- noise serpentine belt. 2- sudden temporary loss of power steering while driving in rain. Occurs everytime it rains. Resulting in temporary extremely dangerous situation as I am unable to steer even though I am a strong 350lbs. 3- have changed serpentine belt several times but problem persists.
Steering complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the steering of the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, 7% of the model year's 432 complaints. The component named most often is rack and pinion (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering 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 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to steering 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.