Electrical complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 | 20% | 84,000 miles |
| 2019 | 58 | 24% | 49,000 miles |
| 2018 | 92 | 34% | 49,000 miles |
| 2017 | 144 | 35% | 65,000 miles |
| 2016 | 314 | 31% | 60,000 miles |
| 2015 | 38 | 14% | 58,000 miles |
| 2014 | 128 | 36% | 41,000 miles |
| 2013 | 256 | 54% | 90,000 miles |
| 2012 | 337 | 58% | 100,000 miles |
| 2011 | 332 | 63% | 84,000 miles |
| 2010 | 550 | 63% | 85,000 miles |
| 2009 | 334 | 61% | 85,000 miles |
| 2008 | 815 | 63% | 85,000 miles |
| 2007 | 30 | 16% | 72,000 miles |
| 2006 | 38 | 13% | 84,000 miles |
| 2005 | 259 | 26% | 74,000 miles |
| 2004 | 13 | 11% | 100,000 miles |
| 2003 | 32 | 15% | 90,000 miles |
| 2002 | 38 | 13% | 67,000 miles |
| 2001 | 37 | 12% | 70,000 miles |
| 2000 | 34 | 8% | 86,000 miles |
| 1999 | 62 | 14% | 89,000 miles |
| 1998 | 79 | 14% | 104,000 miles |
| 1997 | 104 | 18% | 107,000 miles |
| 1996 | 197 | 17% | 100,000 miles |
| 1995 | 2 | 2% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that on one occasion while driving at while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power. Additionally, the vehicle failed to steer as intended, with the front of the vehicle swaying. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the alternator had frozen, the serpentine belt was missing, and the tensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. On another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the EMC warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,749.
The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated that after securing her infant child inside the vehicle, his wife started the vehicle and then exited the vehicle. After closing the door, it was discovered that all the doors had erroneously locked causing the child to become trapped inside the vehicle until her husband was able to open the door using a second key fob. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. Prior to the failure, the contact indicated that the key fob auto start feature had malfunctioned and failed to start the vehicle. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.
The vehicle was running on idle parked after being driven and on for less than 20 minutes. I started the van at 8:35. Drove away at 8:41, let it run on idle for 5 minutes, drove away, let it idle for 2 minutes at 9:04, drove away, let it idle at 9:06 and was smoking and had flames by 9:23 when we noticed it. The heat gauge didn't change, there was no indication that my engine was on fire or there was any issue. It drove fine, no smell, nothing. We have zero idea what happened other than it started in the engine compartment. Is it currently still sitting in the parking lot that it was pushed to away from the building as to not cause more damage to the building. It was sitting outside a building, so everyone inside and outside were in the area of smoke and flames. There is not a police report, but there is a fire report. I can email that over if needed. …
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal sound, hesitated while responding, and the transmission shifted hard. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at various speeds, and the vehicle felt like it was going to stall. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle jerked, the transmission shifted hard and made an abnormal clunking sound. Additionally, the contact stated that the passenger's side sliding door automatic locking mechanism was inoperable, requiring the contact to manually unlock and lock the door with the interior door lever. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and came to a stop in the middle of traffic. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign: 18V524000 (Electrical System). However, the VIN was not included. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start immediately while using the key. The local dealer was contacted; however, the contact was advised that the vehicle was not the same as the vehicles listed in NHTSA Campaign: 18V524000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,817.
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts, with the Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) warning light displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to jumpstart the vehicle; however, the vehicle may not start after being jumpstarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and DTC: C212A (Anti-Lock Brake System - ABS). The contact called several dealers, and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway an dfailed to restart. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine bay. There was not warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to AAMCO Transmissions, where it was diagnosed that the water pump housing had split in half. The water pump was replaced. The contact stated that shortly after the repair, the thermostat gauge started fluctuating and the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to JJ Auto Repair and Collisions, where it was diagnosed with catastrophic engine block failure. A new engine was purchased and installed on the vehicle; however, the vehicle suddenly stalled while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with alternator failure. …
I was sitting in my van, with it running at Sonic, and i started smelling a terrible smell. I thought the smell was coming form outside so I rolled up the windows and the van started filling up with smoke. My daughter looked at the back seat and noticed the back charger, USB, 12 volt area was the source of smoke and we got out immediately, saw that it was on fire from the inside, it could be seen through the charger, the usb ports, and the 12 volt plug because there was nothing plugged in. My daughter threw a pop on it to put it out and we called my husband to come help us. He pulled the cover off and all of the wires were melted all of the way down the inside of the panel. I have seen recalls for previous year models for this same type of occurrence, but not for this year model. I am thankful my other children and grandson were not in the car in the backseats where the fire started. …
Related recalls (5)
Electrical system › Wiring › Front underhood
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018…
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Electrical system
Chrysler Group, LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, through October 31, 2013. The affected vehicles may experience overheating of the vent window switch in the driver's door armrest.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the vent window switch with a newer version, free of charge. The owner notification letter was issued and the remedy campaign launched on on December 31, 2014.
Electrical system › Ignition
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2010 Dodge journey, grand caravan, and Chrysler town & country vehicles manufacturer from August 3, 2009, through June 17, 2010. Some vehicles May experience inadvertent ignition key displacement from the run to accessory position while driving causing the engine to shut off.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the win modules free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during July 2011. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Electrical system › Wiring
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2009 Dodge grand caravan and Chrysler town & country passenger vehicles manufactured from February 2007 through September 2009. Some of the vehicles May have been built with an improperly routed wire harness that May have a condition where the lower sliding door hinge bracket…
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on November 15, 2010. Owners May contact Chrysler toll-free at 1-800-853-1403.
Electrical system › Wiring › Fuses and circuit breakers
Chrysler is recalling 6,138 my 2009 town and country and Dodge grand caravan vehicles. Unused electrical connectors for the blind spot detection system May become corroded and could short circuit, which can cause a variety of conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will seal the power circuit at the subject connector and replace the fuse for this circuit if necessary free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2009. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA investigations
Air bag clockspring
There is no summary currently available
Headlight malfunction
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation after receiving reports from consumers that their headlights would malfunction in various ways from flickering to complete non-illumination.headlight operation is monitored by the vehicle's body control module (BCM) and front control module (fcm).odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis (ea05-009) to further examine…
Headlight malfunction
Owner reports indicate allegations of improper headlight operation of one or both headlights.some report intermittent outage or dimming.many report that the condition is random; it sometimes does not repeat and lasts for a very short duration.
Speaker fire in the rear of the vehicle
On July 7, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation based on consumer complaints alleging an interior vehicle fire starting in the area of the driver side rear speaker.daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) informed odi that condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts May drip onto the radio and into vent holes on top of the radio.this can result in a short circuit…
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Dodge Grand Caravan years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2008 (815), 2010 (550), 2012 (337), 2009 (334) and 2011 (332) model years. Electrical complaints make up 63% of all complaints for the 2008.
Is there a recall for Dodge Grand Caravan electrical problems?
Yes — 5 recalls, including 18V-524 (front underhood, Aug 9, 2018); 14V-234 (electrical system, May 7, 2014); 11V-139 (ignition, Mar 1, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Dodge Grand Caravan electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles; 21% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the horn (218 mentions), followed by the ignition (55).
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.