Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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).
Driver strut tower gave away do to rust. I need help paying for the van to get fixed. This is the only car I have for my family and we can not afford an other car right now. Pleas let me know what I can do about this.
I had my 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan in for regular servicing and the mechanic noted that there was a serious rust problem with the left front strut tower. The person from the shop who called me suggested that I take it to a body shop to be evaluated as soon as possible. I discovered later that the actual mechanic looking at the problem wrote: "recommend: get new vehicle soon!"the next day I took it to a body shop and they couldn't believe that a 1999 would be so badly rusted and quoted me an estimate of $1300 to replace the strut tower and take care of the rust that had begun to eat at the other side. Nce they had it in the shop and disassembled, they called to say it would take an additional week of service since the local Dodge dealership had ordered the wrong part. …
My car was just in a minor front end accident during a snowstorm. What should have been minor front end repairs now is resulting in a big issue for my family. My van was in good condition. I am the 2nd owner. The mechanic, while inspecting the vehicle, found a broken drivers side shock tower. This is damage is not covered by insurance since it is caused by rust and is a common issue with these vehicles. Had it not been common, allstate would not have had this loophole and the cost to repair the shock tower would have been covered. I am finding, through research, that this flaw in Chrysler vehicles is very common, yet has never been recalled by Chrysler. On the web I see blog after blog about this defect yet Chrysler does not deem it necessary to recall. I was told that this repair is roughly $3000 each side! That is 3/4 worth the value of my car. …
1999 Dodge Grand Caravan taken to local repair shop in March 2007 for normal servicing , oil change/tire rotation, and shop manager indicated that the front struts were worn out and needed to be replaced. They stated they could not do this since both front strut mounts were badly rusted and would likely break upon servicing. The repair shop warned me to immediately get the strut mounts fixed for safety reasons. I visited a local 5 star Dodge dealer, who stated that this problem does occur and is not covered under any warranty/recall. Cost to repair problem , no new struts was $1300. I called a number of body shops and found a local shop which has been repairing this problem since 2000! They said this problem was common for these vehicles for model years 1996-2000 in this part of the country. …
I have 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan and noticed rust bubbles at the top of the strut tower mounts with a routine inspection. The driver's side is significantly worse than the passenger side. I knocked on the area with my hand and about half of the strut tower metal support fell apart! The strut support is now just being held in place with one nut and minimal metal. I went online and noticed that this is a common problem with Chrysler minivans and that Chrysler have been aware of the problem for years and had issued a technical sales bulletin back in 2002 on this strut tower rust problem. This should be a warranty issue and Chrysler should have issued a recall years ago. Considering that these minivans are used primarily as a family transport vehicle, this rust problem is very dangerous and there should be a recalled asap! …
Hello, my complaint is about a about what I consider a design and materials defect on the strut tower mounting on my Dodge Caravan. There is considerable information about this defect on your website as well as others and I feel that a recall is way past due on this issue. I did contact Chrysler at their request and provided the information which they requested. Their response was that there was no recall on this item and because I was the third owner of this vehicle that there was no further assistance which they were willing to provide. I am hoping that you will be able to assist me with this problem in getting a fair response from Chrysler. I would also like to share my past correspondence with Chrysler with you along with some photos.
After 2.5 years of ownership, I noticed rust forming on the strut towers. It wasn't bad enough to worry about,but I kept an eye on it. Over the next years it progressively got worse on both sides to a point that we were not going to keep the car much longer at only 70K. I got an oil change before a trip south (7/04)and the mechanic said this should be the last trip for this car. This was later confirmed by the Dodge dealership and 2 body shops. If the struts had failed and popped through the towers, the dealer told us the car would "drop" and we would not be able to steer or stop. We have the car in our driveway and are forced to incur a $2000 repair or trade the car to a dealer since we cannot sell it to someone.
Dear staff members: I am the original owner of a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with 104,000 miles on it. The front strut towers are rusting badly and I was told by a Dodge mechanic at sherman Dodge in skokie, illinois (where I bought the van) that the strut will pop through the hood anytime and would cause the lost control of the vehicle. This is a design defect and I would very much like to see Dodge pick up some, if not all of the repair cost. I also inspect the underside of the vehicle and discovered pretty serious rusting at various structural component. Dodge need to show "American" responsibility when it comes to safety issues of their products. Thanks. Wl, chicago, il
Driver side strut tower is corroding and popping through approximately 2 inches causing excessive wear on tires, vibration in steering wheel, and could pose a significant danger if it were to rust completely through. As described by an ase certified mechanic, this issue is a severe safety issue. If this item were to completely fail severe injury or death could result.
The left front strut tower, where the suspension was bolted to the vehicle, rusted out. The strut can fall off the vehicle at anytime without warning. When the vehicle was first purchased, the consumer noticed minor rust on the strut tower right hand side only. The consumer said that there were others with the same problem.
Suspension complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the suspension of the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan, 9% of the model year's 432 complaints. The component named most often is front (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles.
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.