Steering complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 5% | 84,000 miles |
| 2019 | 2 | 1% | 4,000 miles |
| 2018 | 5 | 2% | 41,000 miles |
| 2017 | 5 | 1% | 57,000 miles |
| 2016 | 11 | 1% | 67,000 miles |
| 2015 | 1 | 0% | 78,000 miles |
| 2014 | 6 | 2% | 12,000 miles |
| 2013 | 18 | 4% | 113,000 miles |
| 2012 | 14 | 2% | 120,000 miles |
| 2011 | 15 | 3% | 91,000 miles |
| 2010 | 64 | 7% | 88,000 miles |
| 2009 | 23 | 4% | 85,000 miles |
| 2008 | 55 | 4% | 93,000 miles |
| 2007 | 14 | 8% | 42,000 miles |
| 2006 | 63 | 22% | 53,000 miles |
| 2005 | 76 | 8% | 48,000 miles |
| 2004 | 13 | 11% | 56,000 miles |
| 2003 | 45 | 21% | 40,000 miles |
| 2002 | 53 | 18% | 36,000 miles |
| 2001 | 25 | 8% | 55,000 miles |
| 2000 | 30 | 7% | 90,000 miles |
| 1999 | 29 | 7% | 105,000 miles |
| 1998 | 23 | 4% | 72,000 miles |
| 1997 | 35 | 6% | 136,000 miles |
| 1996 | 75 | 6% | 90,000 miles |
| 1995 | 2 | 2% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Am smells as if wires are burning and vehicle turns off whilst driving causing me to nearly hit a pole in one instance. Car will shut off also whilst parked or when reversing to park. Emergency Brake light come on at random times during driving as well. Or the seatbelt light will come on whilst seatbelt is engaged.
My Transmission failed. My odometer reading is 92901. Dealership said not manufactured coverage. No message on dash. Happened while driving with children. Mechanic said needed to be replaced. This is a expensive repair. I believe manufacture should have told drivers about problems with transmission.
As I was driving home on a city street, the entire car locked. I had no steering control. My brakes didn't work the Entire vehicle locked. In the middle of the street. I turned the ignition off, put it in park and restarted the car only then did it work properly. This is the second time this vehicle has locked. This is very dangerous as I had a child in the car with me and I was in traffic. My brakes didn't work, I had to use two feet really hard then I was able to stop the vehicle. The steering wheel didn't work. Nothing worked. I don't know What's the problem. The very first time this happened, while dropping the child off at school, I put the car in park, I was not able to get the shifter out of park. The car locked. …
Travelling at the speed of 55 miles per hour the vehicle seemed to completely shut off on its own, thus causing immediate loss of power steering and power brakes. I was able to very carefully bring the vehicle to a complete stop after a half a mile or so. Fortunately, I was travelling on a long straight county road without any surrounding traffic. Once I turned the ignition totally off and back on again at the side of the road, everything seems to operate as normal. No check engine light, no other warnings came on thereafter. After doing some research online I found customer complaints experiencing the very same issues with certain Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles, however Dodge doesn't seem to have any sort of recall for this extremely hazardous issue. It seems like it may be a faulty ignition switch problem!
The steering and wheel alignment of the vehicle is habitually misaligned and pulling drastically to the right. The vehicle has been serviced and aligned multiple times, and the auto mechanic shop says that the alignment can no longer be set properly. They charged me extra for some additional part to help correct this and allow the vehicle to be aligned, however that did not help. Although the steering wheel appears in alignment, the front wheels continue to pull sharply to the right, causing a safety issue because the vehicle is constantly trying to move to the right.
While pulling into a parking lot, the engine suddenly died with no indicator lights or warning of any kind. Steering locked up and brakes were not functional. Coasted to a stop in a stall and put the vehicle in park. Restarted it without incident but I'm afraid it will happen in much more dangerous conditions
In October 2022 I was driving down a residential road and slowed to turn into a parking lot and all power was lost. Was able to safely maneuver car and stop in parking lot. Put car in park, turned off the ignition. Restarted car, seemed ok. Mechanic said nothing was wrong. Now it's happened twice more (April 14th and 17th, 2023). Once when trying to accelerate and merge onto a highway, once when slowing down to turn into a driveway. Both times the van just seemed to shut down and lose power. Steering became very difficult. Both times van restarted and continued driving after the incident. Waiting on word from mechanic to see what may be wrong.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the steering wheel pulled to the right and caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel failure was caused by the road crowning. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.
Related recalls (2)
Steering › Column
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011dodge journey, Jeep wrangler, Chrysler 200, Chrysler 200 convertible, Dodge avenger, Dodge nitro, Jeep liberty, Dodge caliber, Jeep compass, Jeep patriot, Dodge grand caravan and Chrysler town & country vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for rivet presence and alignment and repair the steering column pivot as required, free of charge. The safety recall began on July 4, 2011. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Hose, piping, and connections
On certain minivans equipped with 3.3 or 3.8l v-6 engine, the upper power steering cooler hose May split and cause a fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the upper power steering cooler hose. This recall began on September 27, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA investigations
Steering column separation
Mr. Larry a. Sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) by letter dated April 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the defective collapsible steering shaft system on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr ? 30120(g), NHTSA has decided to limit the scope of the petition vehicles to 1993-1995 models,…
Frequently asked questions
Which Dodge Grand Caravan years have steering problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (76), 1996 (75), 2010 (64), 2006 (63) and 2008 (55) model years. Steering complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Dodge Grand Caravan steering problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 11V-315 (column, Jun 8, 2011); 04V-386 (hose, piping, and connections, Aug 5, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Dodge Grand Caravan steering problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles; 36% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the hydraulic power assist system (71 mentions), followed by the rack and pinion (65).
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.