NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
This is the second report I have put in. I have found some information since the first report I have a problem with my transmission on my Grand Caravan. There is a recall for vehicles built between 7/31/15 and 4/18/2016 and is the R/T trim package. I found out that all the Grand Caravans have the same engine and transmission in them. I would like to know why the they only say the R/T model when my vehicle falls within the specified dates. Did they pick the R/T model because they sold the least amount of those vehicle in the dates listed? I am not the first person that has had the same issue as me. Can someone explain this to me?
THE REAR PASSANGER DOOR ON 2016 GRAND CARAVAN SE PLUS WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK.THE DOOR ACTUATOR IS STUCK IN UNLOCK POSITION AS IT CAUSES CONCERN FOR BREAK INS AND THE SAFTY OF MY CHILDREN IF SOME ONE WALKS UP TO THE DOOR AND OPENS IT.I SAW THERE IS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE RT MODELS NOT SURE WHY OTHER MODELS THAT HAVE THE SAME ISSUE ARE NOT INCLUDED.
Transmission fluid pressure pump/sensor failure Just like all the other Dodge grand caravan vehicles of this year !
I have the transmission pump fail and cause the torque converter to fail. With transmission failed may have caused an accident. I had a mechanic look at issue and found out the problem with the transmission and cost of repair. Has not been inspected at this time. I did not have any prior notice with lights or check engine light on in the car before issue with the transmission. Dodge has a recall S44 which lists the R/T Grand Caravan as this problem will occur. It has to fall in the date of manufacture between Jul 3, 2015 and April 18, 2016. I do not have the R/T model but car was manufactured within the dates listed above. Maybe this recall needs to be expanded to other models built in the same range of dates.
Drivers side passenger door stuck shut(locked) and buzzing sound when lock button is used.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the jumper wiring had shorted out by rubbing against the frame and the passenger’s seat air bag and jumper wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,279.
Van started fine and as I was driving the engine started revering hard and felt like it was having a hard time sifting lucky I was near my mechanic and they did that plug in and test it because the engine light came on right when I pulled in and said the transmission is gone they where able to find a rebuilt engine for my van and replaced old with a compatible engine now when this happened I had 60,000 miles. He did tell me that unfortunately they have seen this issue alot with the dodge caravan transmission just cuts out like this with no warning at all and I Googled this issue and it seems to happened to alot of other van owners. There is another issue going on that every time I get in my van before putting the key in the ignition there's a humming sound and when I park and pull out my key after car is off it makes a humming noise I have no clue what is going on but when I Google this issue it seems to be a escalator I don't know why there's not a recall on what is causing this to go on but it seems to be a dodge grand van issue.
my passenger side, sliding door lock is making a loud buzzing noise when unlocking.
Sliding door is permanently locked shut and doesn’t open. Have tried to open from outside and inside the car. Will not lock or unlock due to being locked all the time.
I noticed the transmission was hard going from reverse to drive. While driving with my daughter down the boulevard today the van transmission started whining and struggling. The car slowed down. Thank goodness I wasn't on the freeway. I got it home. While researching transmission problems with the Grand Caravan is read there is a recall on the transmission pump of the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravans. My VIN is not included? How can this be? It is dangerous. All vans should be included if they have this problem. My minivan only has 70,000 miles on it. This year minivan has some major safety issues. I just had the minivan sliding door lock actuator replaced. Which they replaced because of a service bulletin on it.
Loud buzzing noise when locking door. Seat position control buttons and mirror positioning control buttons stopped working. Had fixed and within a month, they stopped working again. The buzzing issue has been going on for years now. The issues with the seat/mirror controls started about three months ago.
The sliding door on the passenger side buzzes when the electronic locks are locked or unlocked. This is a shock to the driver as the locks engage while driving away from parked.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure due to the warning light no longer being illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. On another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated again. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the air bag and the driver’s side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Unknown- was not in a accident but sliding door just all of a sudden will not open unlatch or anything it’s stuck shut will not even make an unlocking noise when attempting to open
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? When the vehicle was shutoff and put in park, the vehicle rolled. The parking pawl did not properly engage due to debris being in the way. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This time the movement of the vehicle was detected before any harm transpired. So the parking break was engaged to prevent movement. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, Independent service center removed debris that prevented the parking pawl from engaging. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Failure happened without any warning or prior transmission problems. This is a family vehicle and I am deeply concerned that this vehicle may roll in park causing injury to children.
Actuators on sliding doors fail and doors become stuck in the locked position. Rear passengers become stuck.
My left sliding door has now locked shut after making noises that the other side had before it got fixed a year ago. And I can not open it at all.
BOTH SLIDING DOORS ARE LOCKED AND CAN'T BE OPENED MANUALLY OR AUTOMATICALLY OUR KIDS AND PASSENGERS CAN'T EXIT SAFELY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT OR FIRE. THE ISSUE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AND WARRANTY EXTENTED-DEALER CHARGED $155 AND TOLD US THAT THE DOOR BEING LOCKED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN IS NOT THE ISSUE BUT THE LATCH IS DEFECTIVE. (WE DON'T BELIEVE THIS TO BE TRUE) THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MANUFACTURER AND WE RECIEVED A LETTER DIRECTING US TO TAKE THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS FOR THESE ISSUES. THE POWER LOCK ACTUATOR MADE A CLICKING/BUZZING SOUND AS DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER FROM FCA US LLC BEFORE GOING BAD. WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE KIDS THAT ARE DAILY PASSENGERS.
The door locking actuator failed. The door will no longer open from the inside or out. It’s essentially stuck locked. There was a loud buzzing noise which now I know was the warning signal for the actuator starting to go bad.
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 door locks on the driver side rear sliding door became inoperable the door was unable to be opened at all, trapping passengers in an accident or an emergency
My vehicle has the Pentastar engine tick indicative of a rocker arm issue. I’ve been having performance issues with the vehicle at only 124,000 miles and less. It’s escalating to the point in afraid of complete engine failure while I’m driving. This is a known issue with these vehicles and needs to be repaired by Dodge as it’s a manufacturing defect.
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 transmission disengaged at highway speed causing no power to be transmitted to the wheels. It rolled to a stop in a traveling lane causing an unsafe condition. There was no warning that this was about to happen. I have found that other vehicles of the same year, make, model, and build date range have been recalled for this same problem but mine failed without warning and was not covered by this recall. My vehicle only has 79,600 miles. Executive Dodge of Wallingford, CT has confirmed the problem. The transmission pump and torque converter failed.
Vehicle park on a flooded street on July 2 2023. Water lever getting to a certain level that decided to moved . Once vehicle was start the water got to the throttle and water inside motor.
The power sliding rear door on the driver side is stuck in a locked position for 4-5 days now. This has happened previously to our power sliding rear door on the passenger side as well (before the current extended warranty) and we corrected that issue on our own by replacing the door actuator. Now that it has happened again and there is a warranty on it, I took it to the dealership and they are telling me it is not the actuator that is broken but the door rod and latch and quoted $1600 to fix the problem. I personally think this is a deceptive practice to get out of replacing the actuator under the warranty, but I am not a mechanic. It sure is suspicious though seeing as the rod and latch are linked to the actuator. This is very dangerous and could cost lives if the vehicle was full of passengers who needed to exit quickly and the door was jammed shut. The fact that it is so closely related to the actuator that already has an extended warranty is a cause for concern.
Transmission. Available for inspection No it has not been reproduced or confirmed by anyone No it has not been inspected Check engine around 8 months ago
The rear driver's side sliding door lock has started buzzing loudly when I lock the vehicle. At times the door will not open and my kids and other passengers have to exit through the other sliding door. Upon further research it sounds like this is a somewhat common situation with 2016 Grand Caravans. I am concerned for the safety of myself and passengers if we're unable to exit the vehicle quickly in case of the accident. I have had the vehicle diagnosed with faulty door-lock actuator from a mechanic, but have not brought it in for repairs. There were no warning lamps or lights or alarms. The week prior to the buzzing sound I did notice a strange "clicking" noise coming from the driver's side sliding door.
Transmission differential began failing while driving. Van started clicking without warning or real cause. Moving to shop that specifically deals with transmissions. Had to have towed to avoid causing crash/more damage.
Driver's side rear sliding door stuck shut. It won't lock or unlock electronically or manually.
Actuator in left sliding door went out so now the door will not close or latch unless it’s unplugged… however still will not lock. Now the right side is doing the same.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to decelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the RPM’s increased and the engine revved. The contact stated that his wife veered the vehicle off the road and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V461000 (Power Train) and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 87,393.
Leaking oil from the motor oil housing filter. No warning signs. I noticed oil leaks under my van and took it to a mechanic and due to so much oil the initial thought was my transmission gasket was bad. I had my transmission serviced and that's when they found out it was the motor oil housing. Since this incident I have had to replace my window regulators and the radiator. So far my van has been in the shop 4 times this year. Parts are breaking down prematurely.
Vehicle started making whining sound on acceleration. Took in to dealer and they diagnosed the transmission pump had failed. Recommended transmission replacement due to damage from failed pump. Pump was recalled in campaign 16V461000 but my VIN is not included.
Ticking in engine, engine seized
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 58 MPH, the spoiler deck lid on the liftgate fractured and detached from the vehicle. The contact also became aware that the brake light was missing from the liftgate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the spoiler deck lid had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 109,086.
The passenger side head rest "deployed" while sitting still at the gas pump. My great niece was reclined and when she raised the seat back up, it popped out and hit her in the back of the head.
Hood latch bolts fell out while driving and the hood flew up and broke the windshield. I was going down a hwy 60mph raining at night.
Car transmission default
On the freeway the vehicle started jerking, having delayed acceleration, making it unable to safely drive. I pulled off the road immediately before an accident was caused.
Dealer edited the carfax to make no accident reported car but when I ran carfax it has 2 accidents. Dealer this fraud might be consider as fraud. Detail: Bought the car on April 2023. FairFax motor provided me no accident carfax but when I ran my own carfax found that car had 2 accident. Accident No.1: First accident reported on May-2018 but Fairfax motor gave me carfax had no accident. This people tempered carfax report. I have original copy with my sign on it with purchase deal document. Uploaded the dealer fraud copy of the carfax report. Accident No.2: 2nd accident reported on 04/26/2023 but I purchase the car on 04/22/203 and got delivered my home by (Sales person) on 04/27/2023. I have delivery text massaged confirmation for proof. How can they had accident before delivery and not informed me at all? I did email couple of time to (Sales person) for justification and ask me to connect (owner or manager) but she ignored my email.
both of my side sliding door won't open, unlock or lock. This puts family in me at risk in case of a accident or something we wouldn't be able to get. Out of nowhere they just stop working first one door gave out and now the other and I been searching not the only one with this issue.
The contact’s father owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the rear sliding doors unexpectedly opened while the vehicle was parked and idling, or while driving at various speeds. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and manually closed the door. The contact researched online and became aware of an extended warranty for the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall or an extended warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
I was loading my dog into the driver's side door of my Grand Caravan when I heard a pop next to my head. When I started looking around I discovered that my driver's seat headrest had split apart. I was seconds away from driving. This just happened this morning before work so I have not had a chance to take it to a dealership. There were no warning lights prior to this event.
The passenger side sliding door lock actuator seized, forcing the door to be stuck closed in a locked position. I tried unlocking via the key fob, the door power lock controls, and manually unlocking the lever on the door. None worked. If I had gotten into an accident or had another emergency when this failed, I would not have been able to get the door open to get my toddler out of his car seat. When I looked online, I saw that this was a common issue, but no recall has been issued.
Transmission started whining and lost power getting stuck in a high rev. Car had no power to wheels and then engaged while still at high rev almost causing accident. Chrysler has recall s44 for this issue but claims does not apply to my van. Damaged transmission pump.
Door buzzes when unlocking it, all the time..
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the service engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shifter was inoperable, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated he was able to safely move the vehicle out of the road and onto the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence, and the vehicle was later towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission pump failure. The contact stated that the transmission pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after researching, he discovered that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V46100 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 145,492.
Rear door actuator failures, 2nd time this has happened. Currently the driver side rear passenger door will not open or unlock, manually or with key fob. It will not open in any manner. The passenger side will only open or lock manually. Passengers cannot exit vehicle causing safety risk.
When the auto lock or manual lock engages, a very loud buzzing noise happens. It is very distracting as it happens when you are driving.