The best Grand Caravan years to buy are 2018 and 2019. Avoid the 2016: sliding door and lock failures give it far more complaints than any other year.
Best years: 20182019 Years to avoid: 2016
Every Grand Caravan year compared
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold. Lower is better. The newest years have had less time to collect complaints, so they are marked too new to judge.
Known Grand Caravan problems
Year by year
| Year | Complaints | Per 100k sold | Recalls | Top issue | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 20 | 52 | 1 | Transmission and drivetrain | Good buy |
| 2019 | 48 | 39 | 4 | Transmission and drivetrain | Good buy |
| 2018 | 271 | 178 | 4 | Electrical | Good year |
| 2017 | 414 | 331 | 3 | Electrical | Average |
| 2016 | 1,159 | 924 | 6 | Electrical | Skip this year |
| 2015 | 281 | 289 | 4 | Transmission and drivetrain | Average |
| 2014 | 359 | 268 | 5 | Electrical | Average |
| 2013 | 471 | 380 | 4 | Electrical | Average |
| 2012 | 584 | 413 | 6 | Electrical | Watch out |
About the Grand Caravan
The Grand Caravan was America's cheapest minivan until 2020, and it is cheap to buy and fix used. Common complaints across many years are ignition and electrical faults, fuel pump relay failures, and in 2016 a wave of sliding doors that would not open, lock or unlock. The last few years have very few complaints.
- 2008-2020: Fifth generation, built for 13 years. Electrical and fuel pump relay faults on early 2010s cars; sliding door failures on 2016.
Grand Caravan warranty extensions and special coverage
Carmakers sometimes extend the warranty on a part that fails too often, or pay for a fix outside a recall. These notices come from the dealer bulletins Dodge files with NHTSA. 252 Grand Caravan bulletins are on file in total.
Sliding Door Lock(s) Inoperable Warranty Extension XV1 The customer may describe one or more of the following: Either one or both of the sliding door locks do not function.
Sliding Door Lock(s) Inoperable Warranty Extension X98 The customer may describe one or more of the following: Either one or both of the sliding door locks do not function.
MIL Illumination: P0300, P0302, P0304 or P0306 (X56 Warranty Extension) This bulletin involves checking for excessive cylinder leakage and replacing the cylinder head if necessary.
Ask a dealer to check a specific car by VIN. Extensions usually have a time or mileage limit.
Government investigations into the Grand Caravan
NHTSA opens an investigation when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Some end in a recall and some close without one.
Preliminary evaluation PE21016 · 2016 · opened Jul 2021, closed Jul 2022
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-016 on July 7, 2021, to investigate 364 complaints alleging that one or both sliding doors on 2016 Model Year (MY) Grand Caravan or Town and Country vehicles could not be opened.
Preliminary evaluation PE19014 · 2012–2019 · opened Sep 2019, closed Feb 2026
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.Whe...
Defect petition DP14004 · 2012–2014 · opened Sep 2014, closed Jul 2015
In a letter dated August 21, 2014, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged failures associated with the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) installed in Chrysler SUV's, trucks, and vans beginning in the 20...
Grand Caravan vs rivals
Questions
What is the best year for the Dodge Grand Caravan?
2018 and 2019. The best Grand Caravan years to buy are 2018 and 2019. Avoid the 2016: sliding door and lock failures give it far more complaints than any other year.
Which Dodge Grand Caravan years should I avoid?
2016. These drew far more owner complaints per car sold than the Dodge Grand Caravan average.
Why won't my Grand Caravan sliding door open?
On many 2015-2017 vans the sliding door lock actuator or wiring fails, so the door buzzes and stays locked. A new actuator costs about $250 to $500 per door.
Based on 3,607 complaints filed by owners with U.S. safety regulators for model years 2012 to 2020, and U.S. sales by calendar year. How we score.