Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I rolled into the woman in front of me and my airbags deployed. There was no damage to either car except for the airbags. The driver airbag smacked me in the face and chest and thumb. I was only going about 3 MPH because I had stopped and the woman in front of me had stopped and we were both going forward to merge into traffic at a really slow speed. I rolled into her and a second or two later the airbag deployed. Updated 12/03/15
On 12/25/2010 my family and I was driving in our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan sport, VIN # [redacted]. We slide on ice and snow going down a hill and at about 35-40 MPH we smashed into a tree head on. Both airbags failed to deploy and both front seat belts did not lock. Lucky no big injuries. The whole front end, metal bar, radiator, hood and frame were all damaged. If the tree would have been any larger, we would have had serious injuries.
Accident, Grand Caravan was totaled. Van flipped, extensive front end, frame, side, roof, etc, damage. Neither of the front air bags deployed, nor did the side air bags. Preliminary assessments, including qualified individuals, indicate that the air bags should have deployed given the extent of the damage. Additionally, the drivers seat belt became disengaged during the accident (at the connection between belt tang and anchorage buckle).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. While starting the vehicle, the air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The trouble code detected that the front passenger side seat belt pretensioner was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan es. On May 13, 2007, the contact's vehicle was rear ended, forcing her to crash into another vehicle at 45 MPH. The front passenger side was shoved into the other vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. Both the passenger side seat belt and air bag failed. The engine size and purchase date were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 88,000.
5-8-02 wiring harness falls into serpentine belt. Harness not replaced, repaired also replaced cam sensor. I was told the belt wasn't put in properly at the at the Dodge plant. Van has intermittent power surges. Dealer cant find anything. Dodge gave me an extended warranty because of this problem. I think they knew something.-27-03 replaced transmission solenoid pack. 2-25-03 van making humming noise, could not find problem 8-22-03 air bag light is on.replaced passanger side airbag. 8-22-03 speedometor out of calibration, instrments flipped around backwards 9-30-03 left front stabolizer bar making noise. Repared 9-30-03 car shaking during a turn, repaired 9-29-03 power surge again, can't find the problem 10-22-03 air bag light on again, replaced clock spring. I'm consulting an attorney, I feel this van is not safe. …
I purchased a pre-owned 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan from the original owner. It had about 32000 miles on it. At about 40000 miles the air bag warning light began to come on and then go off on an intermittent basis. At about 41500 miles the air bag light was on most of the time. The local Dodge dealer said the problem was in the wiring harness for the air bag system. The diagnosis cost $88.00. The wiring harness replacement part cost about $10.00. The labor to replace the part cost about $213.00. Total cost about $310. It seems that this is a frequent problem in the Chrysler/Dodge vehicle's air bag system, because the part carried instructions for the 2002-2006 model years. This is not a wear item, but instead it is a manufacturing defect in the wiring system and/or it's connectors. The consumer should not have to pay for defective parts. …
Air bag failure reported to Dodge in 2003 and many attempts to have it fixed have failed. Code says passanger air bag defective and air bag light comes on. In many years the dealer has not fixed the problem. They simply reset the code to turn the light off and later it comes back on. The first reported failures were under the warranty. Then they charge $ 100.00 to turn the light and this has happened over 10 times in the past years. This is a manufacturing problem (not a wear item) and should be fixed under the warranty. The dealer now wants over a 1,000 to remove the dash asm justr to determine if it is a wiring, connection problem or if the air bag is actually bad. I have all the service records verifying my claim.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving 10 MPH, the passenger side air bag light illuminated. The failure occurred at both low and high speeds. The dealer stated that the air bag module failed and was not included in any recall. The contact paid for the repairs in February of 2006. The failure ceased for approximately two years, but the air bag light illuminated intermittently again in mid-March of 2008. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed a new passenger side air bag module. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. Through online research, she discovered a recall for the same failure, but a different vehicle year. The current mileage was 69,000 and failure mileage was 63,907.
Air bag light stays on, when I use turn signal to turn left the right one comes on and vice versa, one head light will come on and after a while the other one will turn itself on, went out one night to eat and when entering the van with the automatic unlock key the security alarm went off nothing worked what we did so we had to unhook the battery for 20 mins. I was told that weird things happen when the clock spring goes bad. I was told that all 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan's had recalls on the clock spring and when I called the Dodge dealer close to me I was told my VIN wasn't in the system and they refused to repair the problem.
Airbag complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 59 complaints about the air bags of the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, 20% of the model year's 290 complaints. The component named most often is frontal › sensor/control module (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, though it has 5 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 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to air bags 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.