Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the front driver-side seat headrest deployed. The contact heard an abnormal sound before the headset deployed. No warning lights illuminated. The contact drove to the residence. The contact inspected the headrest and noticed it had been pushed forward. The contact was able to push the headrest. The contact suffered minor injuries to the back of the head near the neck. The contact stated that the neck will feel stiff once in a while. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact found that other consumers had complained about a metal pin or plastic pin that detached from the head restraint. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,108.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the driver's side headrest air bag deployed without warning. The contact pulled over and the vehicle was towed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, the front driver's side headrest deployed inadvertently. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
A few months ago, the passenger seat headrest safety system deployed with no warning while the vehicle was parked/off. No warning systems were triggered on the vehicle. I can see that inside the headrest, the light plastic frame which retains the metal pin has cracked, probably just from the pressure of the springs over time. As a result the metal pin broke free from the plastic frame. The actual release triggers have not released. I haven't had anyone look at it, but many reports online say dealers are charging $600 to fix it. The springs are very powerful-I'm glad no one was in the seat when it happened.
Passenger side active headrest deployed on its own while driving. No accident or collision involved. 16 year old son was seated in the passenger side seat when the headrest deployed on its own. Luckily no injury to my son. Want to report this issue to prevent any possible injuries that may arise due to malfunction deployment of active headrest. Researched online and discovered that this is an ongoing issue with Chrysler/Dodge vehicles and is not covered under warranty. Will have to search for a used replacement part since dealership cost for repair is too costly.
The driver's side headrest has deployed on it's own while parked in a driveway and turned off. After inspection, the plastic brackets that retain the metal pin that is supposed to secure the headrest broke apart and released the headrest into a deployed position. This is a design flaw that should be recalled before someone becomes injured. The headrest is under a spring loaded force that the plastic was not engineered to restrain.
I was waiting at a red light when I was violently hit in the back of my head which caused some disorinetation and pain. I asked my wife to tell me what happened ( I thought we might have been rear-ended) but she said my headrest had broken open. While after a web search I now understand what the purpose of this "safety feature" is, had I been driving on a highway or going through a curve, the result might have been different.
The driver's seat headrest active head restraint randomly deployed as I was exiting the vehicle. The plastic retainers had broke off allowing the headrest to deploy and it cannot be reset. If this had occurred while driving, the headrest could have struck me in the back of the head possibly causing injury or could have lead to an accident.
The headrest on the driver seat ejected while I was driving. The headrest is unable to go back into the correct position. It looks as if a plastic piece has failed inside the headrest. No accident occurred when the headrest failed. The drivers neck was hurt during the incident. Driver almost lost control of the vehicle
Closed the driver side sliding door and the headrest on the driver seat exploded open. Car was not in motion. Door shut and head rest adjacent to it just popped apart and hit the head of the person in the driver seat.
Related recalls
Seats › Mid/rear assembly
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles manufactured March 16, 2016, to March 17, 2016. The nuts on the third row seatbacks were incorrectly torqued and may become loose.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will re-torque the third row seatback nuts, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early…
Seat complaints in other Grand Caravan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the seats of the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan, 2% of the model year's 1,002 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan seat problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-300 (mid/rear assembly, May 16, 2016). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to seats 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.