Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While at a stop light, another driver told us the van's tail light was smoking. We pulled around a corner and into a parking lot and found that the passenger tail light assembly was on fire with flames lapping up the side of the van. The van was turned off and the fire was extinguished. We removed the tail light assembly and found that the inside of the assembly and the wiring harness were destroyed. There is also body damage. We have had problems with the brake light bulb in the passenger side burning out frequently, and had seen evidence of overheating and some melting in the brake light connector socket in about 2010. Although the lights burn out frequently, the melting had not gotten worse since then. The driver's side tail light has never exhibited a problem like this. …
While attempting to operate the electric sliding side door, a large spark and small debris fire was seen in the bottom door rail. Upon inspection, a break in the wire harness had aloud wires to be severed that controls the door and locking system. The automatic door locks on both side doors no longer worked and the passenger side door would no longer open electrically. I removed the wiring harness and wires and discarded them to avoid any more problems (sparking and/or fires). This could cause a major fire hazard in the right environment.
The 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2005 Chrysler town and country have a known software bug for the body control module that controls the power locks on the vehicle. Once this occurs on your vehicle, the owner is unable to lock the vehicle remotely or from the power lock switch or when the vehicle exceeds 10 MPH auto lock feature. Known service bulletins are: 08-028-05 and 08-040-04 to permanently fix this issue with the locks the owner can temporarily fix the problem by pulling the power to the vehicle and letting teh body control module reset. This is only a temporary fix as the problem has re-occurred 3 times since the original issue came up. The permanent fix for this known software issue results in the consumer/owner of the vehicle to take into a dealership for diagnostics and repair a minimum of $130+tax. …
My electrical system has a demand. It started with power sliding door not opening then the locks would not unlock if I did not slam the side door shut the flashers would come on and I could not shut them off the rear window wiper started moving I could not shut if off all the dash lights started flashing and indicated I had no gas. This is a handicapped modified van and I use a wheelchair to ambulate. I have taken off work for full days and partial days to get this problem diagnosed and fixed. After a $2,488 dollar bill to excise the demand the door still will not open and the wheelchair ramp will not deploy. I have to work and I am almost out of leave. Dodge should come to the rescue and assume responsibility for the computer problem that they are aware of and recall these vehicles to have the computer program patch to all owners. My problems started at 38,000 miles.
I activated the passenger side automatic sliding door. There was a pop and a flash indicative of an electrical short and the door no longer opened or closed automatically. I inspected the wires and found that two wires were broken and possibly made contact with each other, causing an electrical short. The vehicle was inside my garage at the time and no one was inside. However, this is a dangerous situation should the vehicle catch fire because of the flimsy wiring on the doors. The driver side door stopped working two days later, but with no pop or flash. I noticed several other vehicles had the same problem, and there are several documented cases of the same problem throughout the web.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the power door locks failed to operate as needed, without warning. The contact also stated that the driver's side door was the only door that could be opened manually with the key. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that upon disconnecting the battery, the system would reset and resume normal operation. The contact attempted the procedure twice however, the failure resumed soon after the reset. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
On the evening of 03/04/2021 @ 9:00 pm. Whilr driving home from the grocery store doing approx 35 MPH, my van suddenly lost all power and ability to use power steering and use of brakes. I had my children in the vehicle at the time and they were able to help me get the van out of the travel lane and safely into a parking lot. Van did not want to start after cutting off the ignition switch and cutting it back on. When I restarted the van it wouldnt accelerate passed 15mph with the pedal all the way down to the floor then it constantly stalled out 8-10 times the last mile from home.
Vehicle--Dodge Grand Caravan (2005)- was traveling about 30 miles an hour and right front fender/light area struck concrete barrier. Immediately upon impact, sparks came shooting out, tire caught on fire and car burst into uncontrollable flames. The entire car was torched and declared a total loss. Pictures are available. After talking to body shop, from estimation of structure damage from impact was approximately $2000-3000, however now because of fire, the van is a total loss. I literally have 3 tires and a license plate remaining.
While driving at highway speed, the radio abruptly shut off with a loud pop at the same time the dashboard cluster ie: fuel, speedometer and temp gauge suddenly dropped and then came back up to there previous level. The odometer went blank as well and came on again. The car was still running but it was quite disconcerting to look at the dashboard and see all the gauges in the same position as if the car was off. Y wife has told me that it had happened previously but she could not recall the date.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. After exiting the vehicle, the contact attempted to lock the doors and the locks failed to engage. The contact had to remove the I.o.d fuse from the fuse box and reset the computer in order for the locks to engage. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. The VIN was unavailable.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of Headlight Illumination
To date, ODI has interviewed several complainants who confirmed that the headlights fully extinguish, and remain extinguished, on an intermittent basis.In most cases this occurred while the vehicle was in motion.The occurrences do not show a repeatable pattern, and the problem occurs at a low frequency, typically one or more weeks between failures.For this reason most complainants have not attempted diagnosis or…
Loss of headlight illumination
The subject vehicle (SV) population includes MY 2005-2006 vehicles built between March 2004 and December 2005 manufactured with a TRW supplied headlight switch assembly (HSA).The HSA was the primary focus of the investigation; earlier and later vehicles utilized different HSAs.Consumers complain that the headlights in the subject vehicles do not illuminate when the HSA is turned on, or that the headlights extinguish…
Electrical complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 259 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, 26% of the model year's 996 complaints. The component named most often is software (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 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 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 5 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.