Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Plymouth Voyager owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 1996 Plymouth Voyager. Since November of 2003, the transmission has been replaced three different times. After purchasing a brand new transmission, it failed again the very same day and needed to be replaced again. The contact has had the top half of the engine rebuilt. The vehicle is stuck in drive and will not hold fluid. The front windshield wipers activate without a power surge in the vehicle. In addition, the rear bolts keep coming out of the shocks. The contact has taken the vehicle to have the bolts tightened three or four times. The engine is ticking and smoking. The serpentine belt slips off if it gets even slightly wet from snow or rain. The check engine light sporadically flashes on and off or constantly remains illuminated. The air conditioner was completely serviced; however, it cannot be used because of the transmission failure. …
I own a 1996 Plymouth Voyager and on this min van the wipers act very erratic. They work when they want. Sometimes they won't shut off and other times they will not come on at all or stop right in the middle of your view. I also have an issue with the serpentine belts popping off the drive line leaving you with no power steering or power brakes and completely disables the vehicle. I also experience issues with the rear shocks. The bolts come loose and detaches the rear shick from the van leaving it quite uncontrollable while driving. All 3 issues happens on many occasions. All 4 of these defects make this van very dangerous to drive or travel with. Currently my van is sitting in my drive with a bad transmission. I have owned the van for 5 years now and in 5 years I have blown 3 transmissions.
Dealer service department stated this is normal wear cleveland area due to salt. Rotor warpage, extreme vibration and sway bar bushings failure at such low mileage represents dangerous design flaw which is impractical to compensate for with constant replacing of poorly designed and manufactured parts. This is in a vehicle which is typically used to transport families and children. These defects cause actual loss of control problems on the road should be addressed urgently. ***dimsii ivoq posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****742642
Front strut tower corrosion perforating attachment surface on 1996 Chrysler grand Voyager. Attachment point deteriorates causing the front suspension to collapse making the vehicle unable to steer causing collision with another vehicle or object unavoidable.
Excessive rust damage to front strut towers. One of them had to be repaired with a cap, the other tower had to be replaced. The tower that was replaced had two cracks, one of them from the top to the bottom of the tower.
Before foss attempted repair in June of 1998, there was front end wobble (scalloping) and steering wheel shake when you recovered from left or right turn, and at speeds between 20-30 MPH. This problem was reported on numerous occasions since purchase of the car. Since the attempt to fix it is worse: steering wheel shakes, front end shakes or wobbles from 5-40, it is so bad that the leggs of the driver and front passenger shake during this time (front end alignment always OK), plus loud humming noise from back end. Had to replace stock Bridgestone tires at 26000 miles, problems cont. With new tires.
This is no events leading up to this yet. I own a 1996 Plymouth Voyager se, the strut towers on both driver and passenger side under the hood are rusting out. The tower have not been replaced yet due to Chrysler telling me the parts for the fix are back ordered, and they do not know when the parts will be available. If one of struts where to come through, god knows what might happen. This seems to be affecting 96-00 caravans and voyagers, personally seen it and on-line forums. I have had different 96 and 97 with the same problem, have since sold them.
When driving there is a cracking noise and when hitting bumps there is more noise intermittently. Dealer contacted numerous times, attempted to repair the vehicle, replaced the sway bar cushion and bushing, and problem still exists. Brakes were making noise from the rear due to shoe and lining, brake assembly failure. Rear right or left brake drum worn out. There is a driping noise from engine due to tensioner/pulley failure.
Right side of sway bar broke in half where the bolt secures sway bar to the arm off the strut it is definetly a defect in the steel or hardness or temper of the part note the bolt that secures the two peices is still attached with the top broken half still on it I'm glad I saw this today we are to leave on vacation on Saturday!
In April 2003, the vehicle was taken to an auto body shop for maintenance on the air conditioning. The mechanic noticed the strut towers were rusting. The consumer then took the vehicle to Chrysler, who stated the problem was not normal. The consumer called the manufacturer, who would not cover any of the cost.
Suspension complaints in other Voyager years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1996 Plymouth Voyager?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the suspension of the 1996 Plymouth Voyager, 3% of the model year's 756 complaints. The component named most often is front (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Plymouth Voyager suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 1996 Plymouth Voyager, though it has 9 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 1996 Plymouth Voyager suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 116,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
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.