Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
My van,2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, randomly stalls while driving down the street/road whether on straight road or a curve, or with a full tank of gas or less,gas seems to be irrelevant . After stalling will not restart. I have replaced all Mini-fuses,battery, starter,and still will stall. Sometimes while driving above 25 MPH while still moving it will restart on its own. This is a huge safety issue.
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. …
I have had numerous problems with the veh since it was purchased new , May 2002. Veh has a rough idle while stopped in gear, dealer states they are waiting for a computer update. To date still have problem. Problem with starter , same grinds on first start in extreme cold weather. Dealer replaced 2 starters and flywheel. Problem with trans, hard bang felt when slowing up between 8-5 MPH. Said problem is intermittent and dealer has not driven veh long enough to get condition. Dealer has replaced numerous parts of trans, problem still exist. Car has been in several times for power steering leak and vibration. Numerous parts replaced. I have contacted Chrysler and spoke with the district manager and advised him of all the complaints with veh and problems that still exist. I told him I did not want the veh . …
At 7,600 miles in November of 2002 the automatic transmission failed. Dealer replaced the transmission with a rebuilt one. Since then the speedometer reads incorrectly. At lower speeds it reads under by 4 to 7 MPH, at higher speeds -- 60 MPH it reads 15 - 20 MPH under. I discovered this when on a road trip I was stopped for going 85 when I thought I was going 68 in a 70mph zone. I thought the police officer was crazy -- even protested and had him verify the callibration of his radar. His reading was confirmed when I passed a roadside speed indicator, and was stopped again. Speedometer was reprogrammed at a dealer in michigan after which it read 4 MPH under for the most part. Had it looked at by dealer in florida again in April 2004, they replaced a sensor. Since, it again reads 4 to 10 miles under at lower speeds -- e.g. …
Power steering pump, rack and pinion seals, transmission soleniod pack. On dec 16, 2003 I took van in for brake problems. The dealer did a recall job on the power steering cooler hose. 1 week later the power steering started growling. I checked fluid and noticed the pump was dry. Apparently the dealer didn't top off the fluid. I filled resevior and drove but it still had a little growl in the power steering. I took the vehicle back into the same dealer on nov 19, 2004 for an oil change and another power steering hose recall and told them the story and to check out pump. They said the pump checked out OK but there was a little noise when making sharp turns but they weren't going to replace the pump. I told them I would bring back in colder weather because it was stiff to steer. I returned on 2/22/2005 because the pump was really growling and it was hard to steer. …
2002 Dodge Grand Caravan with 69,500 miles. Transmission made a jerking and did not want to seem to shift. Took to Dodge dealer and they could not duplicate. They allowed service man to drive home and drove approx. 100 miles. They concluded no problem they could find. 3 months later while driving same symptoms and then loud clunk but this time was complete transmission failure. Called Dodge 800# to obtain warranty info. Dodge informed me it was in warranty. Called local dealer and set up appointment to fix. They called back and said Dodge would not warranty it. I then called Dodge 800# back and talk to them. I asked why less than 2hr ago my van had a power train warranty on it and now it does not have a warranty. They informed me the van did not have a warranty and that I had never called them (they record and computer shows if you call, but Dodge claims they have no record I called). …
While vacationing in atlanta, ga. We were backing out of a parking space and experienced a loud thud. We had difficulty in getting our car to go forward or reverse. We drove immediately to a Dodge dealership about 1 1/2 miles down the road. They confirmed that it was our transmission. No prior problems had been experienced with the transmission. We had 64,000 miles on the van, and all work had been kept up on the vehicle. The warranty had expired. The dealership estimated that the work would cost between $2900.00 to repair the transmission, or $3500.00 to replace it. They would determine what needed to be done when they pulled the transmission. We decided to go down the street another 2 miles to an aamco transmission shop. They estimated the repair to be $1400.00 to repair the transmission, or $2900.00 to replace the transmission. …
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. …
As my wife was driving on the interstate at 70 MPH she heard a loud noise then the vehicle came to a stop. Once I arrived at the vehicle, I noticed a trail of oil leading to the vehicle. I looked under to find tho push rod hanging through the oil pan. The vehicle was towed to the shop with the motor replaced. When the test drive was taking place, the mechanic discovered that the computor chip caused the transmission to drop down to low gear in which ran the RPM's into the danger zone which resulted in the engine coming apart. The vehicle had only 59,000 miles on it. I made attempt after attempt to speak with someone at Chrysler and could not even get a return call from anyone other than a dealer. I just received a recall notice about a moister leak from the air conditioner which May lead into a short that could cause a fire. …
Dt: while driving on a highway the back end of the transmission mounting dropped. Causing vehicle to become inoperable. It was the first time this occurred on the vehicle. The consumer was en route to an event when the parking lot attendant thought the transmission was out because the way the car was pulling in a jerking motion. Upon inspection there was no transmission fluid at that time. Later that evening there was a large amount of fluid that turned out to be the transmission fluid. Aaa came and towed vehicle home. The vehicle has not been to a dealership but was later towed vehicle to a service repair shop. No repairs have been made as of yet. No explanation as to why this happened. Consumer contacted customer service at Chrysler, who inquired if she needed financial assistance to repair the transmission mount. …
Transmission complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, 14% of the model year's 290 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (31 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.