Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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 recently purchased a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan sport 3.3 liter,18,000 miles on odometer when purchased,vehicle wants to pull to right, and brakes pulsate when applied. Notified Dodge dealership where purchased, (lee Dodge,west brook,maine) brought vehicle back for service and was told "they" could not duplicate problem????? I told them I felt vehicle was out of alignment,they supposedly did the alignment,and vehicle still pulls to right! At this point they had a tech. Go with me,the tech explained that he felt it was the crown of the road, I have driven plenty of vehicles over the course of my life and I am aware of a road crown, but this is completely unacceptable, something is wrong with this Mini van, and all the dealership wants to do is patronize me!!! …
On 6/11/03 vehicle was making power steering noises & auto dr locks wouldn't lock at 15 MPH. Replaced power hose, hose clamp & oil trans. Informed I needed new brakes (22, 153 miles & didn't req that they do this when I arrived at shop). 7/2/03 took van in 'cause left rear (driver side) speaker caught on fire while at a gas pump. While at gas pump w/2 of our 4 kids in the car. Brakes that were just replaced prev month were squeaking as well as the steering again. (dealer-brakes squeak 'cause they are metal & there is air in the steering line). 9/23/03 van battery blew up when started. Replaced battery. 12/3/03 steering making noise during turns. Replaced both sway bars links. 12/29/03 steering is very tight & shuddering again & auto lock button on key chain won't work. Ordered new power steering rack & resevoir. …
Coming back to ohio from oklahoma ( vacation ) got to st. Louis and tried to apply the brakes and my foot went to the floor, absolutely no brakes. Got the van slowed down and got off interstate 70, it was approximately 9-9:30 at night. Spent the night at a motel got up in the morning and tried to put brake fluid in the resevoir, seeing that it was low and hoping that would fix the problem but the fluid was coming out as fast as I could put it in. Had to call Chrysler hotline and have the van towed into a Chrysler dealer. There were no parts to be found so we had to spend the night in a motel and called the dealer the next day (Friday). Was told parts would not be in until maybe Monday and one passenger had a plane leaving Sunday to go to las vegas and the other passenger had to be back to work on Monday morning. …
I took my 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan to a repair shop to have my brakes looked at. They informed me that they did need replaced and I agreed to the service. I mentioned to them that my brake light came on periodically when putting on the brake but went out abruptly after the brake was depressed. They went and checked the brakes carefully and found not one but two brake calipers were either crushed in pieces or broke completely in half. My vehicle only has around 45,000 miles on it and was told by this shop and the dealership when I called them that this was highly unusual. I was gravely concerned about this safety problem and what this would mean to the remaining two calipers. I contacted Chrysler about the problem and they basically told me there was no recall on it, it was out of warranty and there was nothing they were going to do about it. …
Incident occurred aug 2008. The owners manual and dealer service manager report brakes revert back to standard brakes and vehicle can be driven. This is not so!!! In my following experience, when ABS light comes on, vehicle should not be driven. I had front disk pads replaced by an independent mechanic. After 2 days, the ABS light came on. Owners manual, confirmed by service manager reports brakes default back to standard brakes. Not true. Brakes were slightly engaged and overheating. I was told it May take up to 5000 miles for new brake pads to "break in" and not to worry. Applying my brakes resulted in pedal going to floor and a grinding noise coming from under the hood. This was later determined to be the master ABS module. Dealer inspection resulted in a defective ABS signal sensor to the rear left brake. Replacement cured all of the above problems. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated the doors could not be opened automatically or manually. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the doors had to be taken apart in order to locate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and the current miles were 77,000. Updated 07/27/11 the consumer stated the radiator cooling fan broke, the steering wheel column came off while driving and was incorrectly fixed at the dealer. The electric tail gate doesn't work. One of the tail lights came off while the vehicle was in motion on the interstate, the headlights had to be replaced the left nd right window regulators broke, the fuel pump broke off and the ABS sensor was faulty and had to be replaced. Updated 08/01/11
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle is parked in cold weather or gets wet, the brake system locks and the vehicle is unable to move. He had to remove the rear brake drum in order to repair the vehicle. The dealer stated that there was a technical service bulletin (number 10019632) affecting the service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:drum and informed the contact that he would have to repair the vehicle at his own expense. The vehicle has not been repaired. He has not filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 15,000 and current mileage is 72,000. Updated 01/29/08
We purchased a 2002 Grand Caravan sport used. When I picked up the van after getting some recall work done at the dealer, I turned on the air condioner and the motor died during rush hour traffic. They had extended the warranty to 70,000 miles because the dryer in those vans is known to fail and lock up the A/C compressor. I believe this is more that a parts issue since the locked compressor kills the motor which kills the power brakes and power steering. During stopping or in an intersection, this could be quite hazardous. All these dryers and possibly compressors should be replaced before someone is in a major accident.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving between 10-20 MPH, the brakes squealed and made a grinding noise when applied. However, the vehicle still stopped normally. A police report was filed. The front brakes were replaced, the front rotors were cut, and the rear drums were cut and adjusted at 9,000, 22,000, 33,000, 45,000, and 61,000 miles. The dealer stated that the failure was caused by the brakes having a lot of weight on the front end. The failure mileage was 9,000 and current mileage was 67,000. The dealer stated power steering noise, vehicle revving on hills. Updated 11/14/07
At 62,000 miles the car would not shift into gear. After moving the gear shift all the way up and down it engaged, but began downshifting very hard from 4th to 3rd. Dealer performed maintenance and reprogrammed the module which resolved the problem for about 8,000 miles. Again, same thing happened this time dealer just reprogrammed module. The problem was resolved for about 9,000 miles and again the transmission has begun down shifting very hard. When decelerating the car clunks and catches.
Brake complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the brakes of the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, 12% of the model year's 290 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes 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 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to brakes 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.