Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
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 just bought a 2002 Dodge Grand caravan. I have noticed the seat belts do not lock when I installed the car seat and pulled the seat belt to lock the car seat in place it will not work which makes the car seat tip and fall every direction. I tried every seat in van to see if the lock and they do not unless the car is started if you pull it down fast it locks but not when it's off and will not stay locked. Speedometer and gas gage quit working.
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 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.
We've experienced problems with the middle row integrated child safety seats. Several times, the tensioner on the seat would not work, and I had to pop the end of the seat back cover off to access the mechanism to free what the belt was caught on. I didn't completely remove the cover so I could see exactly what was happening. Also, sometimes the buckle will not secure the belt plate. It will secure after several attempts, and we've recently noticed that it works better if we latch a particular side first, then the other side (5 point harness). I don't know if the mechanism sticks or if food or something got forced inside. These have both been recurring problems since we purchased the vehicle.
The middle row seat belt and all the third row seat belts would come undone while driving or not driving. The release button stick too high up, any pressure causes the button to release the claps. The dealer was notified.
My seven year old daughter was exiting our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan when her foot slipped through the safety belt strap. The strap was located next to the sliding door of the passenger side of the car. The strap was in it's storage position, but was clearly still in the way of her stepping past the middle passenger seat as she exited from the rear seat of the vehicle. Since the strap "looped" around her foot, she then tripped and tumbled out of the sliding door side of the vehicle. I witnessed everything--any taller: she would have struck her head on the door of the car. She actually fell out the sliding door area and scraped her arms pretty good. I was sure she must have broke both arms the way that she fell. But, we were lucky this time. There must be a better way to mount those safety straps to avoid this type of thing. …
Consumer complained about a ball joint problem. She took vehicle to repair shop about 20 times because it was making noises and squeaking while driving. Mechanic could not resolve the problem. The dealer replaced many components related to the front end noise. The air bag light was illuminated. The technician determined that there was an open circuit. The technician replaced the passenger side air bag. The driver's seat belt had internal damage which made it difficult to buckle and unbuckle the seat belt. The consumer stated that there was a noise coming from the left front wheel. The technician determined that the front pads were worn and the rotor were grooved. The technician replaced the front pads and resurfaced the rotors. The inner tie rod was loose and caused the steering to make noise. The technician replaced the gear assembly.
The rear seatbelts on the rear bench of our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan do not stay latched on our carseats. In June of 2003 I notified Dodge and they stated they had not received any complaints regarding this issue. They now have my complaint - referral #11380233. The rear bench is also not latch equipped but does have one rear top tether anchor placed in the middle. I have 3 (soon to be 4) children in carseats. I was under the impression that all seats were to be latch compatible in all positions. As for the seatbelt issue, the dealer claimed ignorance to the internet so I have printed off the stories on unsafebelts.com to take to them today when I go to pick it up. They claim they have not been able to trigger the response - but then they didn't try to buckle in one of my many carseats either so they will be doing that today.
On 4/17/02 I purchased a new 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. This vehicle had been in the shop several times since the time of purchase. This time it was the airbag light again. According to the dealership, airbag diagnostic tests were performed and the left front seatbelt tensioner circuit was reprogrammed. I informed the mechanic that the second row seatbelts would not "lock" when you jerked on them, but according to the mechanic they were "operating normally at this time". I also had to have them look at the rear liftgate again. Per the dealership, the codes were reprogrammed again.
Seat Belt complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the seat belts of the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, 7% of the model year's 290 complaints. The component named most often is rear/other (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts 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 seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to seat belts 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.