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
Vehicle was loaded with 5 people. At destination the passenger sliding door would not unlock. It will still not unlock after trying to push the inside manual lock switch. It will not unlock after trying "fixes" on the internet. I consider it a safety issue when the kids cannot get out of a door that cannot be manually unlocked or opened in any way. Dealer says ~$600 to fix and that is only for one door. They say the other should be replaced also. The problem is the door lock solenoid that burns out. I do not control the number of times the solenoid is operated, that is programmed by the manufacturer. This is not acceptable to have to pay fix a safety issue. There should be a recall and the dealer should fix the problem for free.
Both sliding doors will not unlock. Passengers have to exit either through the front passenger door, through the rear hatch or climb out the sliding door windows. This is a safety issue in an emergency. The driver side sliding door had the problem several months ago. The passenger side sliding door developed the problem today.
Transmission failed. The assembled date is 6/18/2016 - 60 days after a transmission pump recall ended. Our technician specifically mentioned the transmission pump failed. They need to extend the recall date to include our vehicle that was manufactured on 6/18/2016.
My 2016 dodge van began to lose power while i was on the freeway. While changing gears it was hesitant and would stall and lose power going from the second to the third gear. It appears the RPMs would go past 4 then the gear would change but with less power. Then the check engine light came on. Various times while i was stopped at a light upon acceleration the car would turn off. I took it down to the repair shop for the computer analyzation and was told to change the ignition coils and spark plugs and any and all air filters and check the sensors. The Performance did improve and I discovered the engine mounts were all in need of repair and that was the cause of the transmission stalling. I had those repaired and now the gears work fine. And now after spending quite a bit of money notice another issue. When I am getting out of my drive way and go from Reverse then stop to Drive there is a stall and the transmission does a clunk sound before it changes gear to drive. It very dangerous due to the fact that the gear stall and if the drive gear does not kick it any passing car may hit my van
Loud buzzing sound when you lock doors
2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The passenger side sliding door makes a groaning or buzzing when unlocking. Cannot manually move passenger side lock switch mechanism either. Both sliding doors have become stuck in the closed position in the past several times over the past several years, making it hard to get people out of car. Seems like a safety type issue. The repair for this (approx $1000 per door) seems to be very expensive for something that should not fail. Problem of doors getting stuck in locked position at times has been intermittent meaning lock/ unlock may work again . Not sure if this is due to unhooking battery and resetting or just because car was turned off and on.
Loud buzzing sound when unlocking doors coming from sliding passenger side sliding door. At times cannot get door to operate. Safety issue!! I have reported this earlier and want to know when recall will occur. Dealer approx cost $1000 per door. Crazy, that people may get trapped inside car, and there is nothing Dodge is doing about it. Like I said, I have reported this before, so the date shown on this complaint may not match original NHTSA submission.
There is a loud buzzing noise coming from the rear driver's side door when it locks. I have researched this and see that this is a common problem with this model.
Both passenger and drivers side sliding doors emits a buzzing sound when unlock / locking. Driver side sliding now no longer locks, the auto open/close feature does not work, and often times cannot securely close the door without manual manipulation. Back seated passengers now must exit from the front. This concerns me, especially in the case of an emergency.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 15 mph uphill, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the RPM was fluctuating. Additionally, the vehicle shifted out of gear and started rolling backwards. The contact stopped the vehicle and attempted to restart the vehicle to continue to drive however, the vehicle continued to shift out of gear. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as a transmission failure and recommended that the transmission be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.
I have 2 issues related with the sliding doors. The first one is: Driver sliding door does not open I can’t use the remote control to unlock. I can’t open the door manually from inside or outside. The second one is the passenger sliding door does not lock manuallly or with the remote control I have more than 2 years with this problem
Driver side window motor and hardware have been replaced twice in the past 2 years and keeps falling into the door panel. The window falls without being used, just a loud dang and the window falls. There have been no accidents that side of the vehicle and it was parked when it happened
Door actuators buzzing everytime it locks and unlocks. Apparently there's a lot of people complaining about this. Why isn't there a recall? It's really really loud.
Check engine light on. Cylinder 3 failure. Not spark plug or coil pack related. Defective head.
Passenger side rear sliding door is locked, as it has been reported in CASE number 11424331. this could cause serious problem in case of fire or accident, delaying back seat passengers exiting the car.
the sliding doors on the 2016 doge caravan quit working and are in locked position with no way to open ( really bad if young ones are strapped in their car seats) Chrysler will not help in any way, body shop wants to cut holes in door, dodge dealer was pretty informed on it but said they probably will break something trying to repair it, cost per door $150 to 300 or more. how can this not be a serious safety concern?. quite frankly the Chrysler service line is poor to useless.
Driver side sliding door does not latch under normal use. It will constantly cycle through opening and closing to no end. This will happen when driving which is a major safety issue. I found the following workaround (which is an unreasonable daily activity for a family): 1. Park Car 2. Turn on Child Lock 3. Put Key in Accessory 4. With Drivers Window Down, and all doors closed except the Drivers Sliding door, press lock button on the door panel. 5. Close Drivers Side Sliding Door 6. NEVER let people in/out the defective door or will have to repeat the above steps. I received a letter from Fiat Chrysler identifying issues with the Power Lock Actuator, however it does not address the Door Latch. In my case the Passenger Door Power Lock Actuator was defective and replaced under a new extended warranty, but not the Latch.
Rear driver side door is stuck in locked position. Can not electrically or manually unlock or open door. This is a safety concern for children in vehicle.
The drivers side sliding door won’t open. We have tried locking and unlocking the door, but the lock won’t move. We have tried opening using the indoor and outdoor handles, driver and passenger buttons, and key fob. We have tried changing out the fuse. When getting a repair for another issue, the mechanics were unable to open the door as well. This poses a safety issue because in case of an accident that renders the other sliding door unusable, passengers would not be able to exit the vehicle.
Cylinder 3 failure. Loss of power during emergency maneuvering. Check engine light on. Not spark plug or coil pack related. Defective head.
I was stopped at a stoplight about to turn on to the Florida Turnpike when my car started idling loudly. When I stepped on the gas, I was shifted into neutral. I had to quickly shut down my vehicle, make a u-turn, and pray I would make it home. The car is no longer drivable as it slips into neutral and will not go over 10 miles per hour. The check engine light is on. Upon inspection by the independent mechanic, 6 diagnostic errors came up indicating an issue with the transmission. The mechanic confirmed that the transmission will need to be rebuilt or replaced. The van only has 57,139 miles! It's been maintained with semi-synthetic oil changes. The powertrain warranty expired just 3.5 months ago! Customer service refuses to extend good will even though the car was not driven for several months due to COVID quarantine and is under the 60k mile threshold. There is no reason a car with 57k miles and regular maintenance should have a failed transmission!
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, occasionally the vehicle jerked while accelerating. On several occasions, the vehicle loss motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The mechanic linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V461000 (Power Train) however, the Vin was not under recall. An unknown dealer confirmed that the Vin was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
I have a faulty door lock actuator on the back left sliding door. It is making a buzzing sound. Not sure if it is actually locking or not.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the driver’s side sliding door had become defective and could not be opened from either the inside or the outside. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Upon arriving home, I tried to remove my special needs daughter from the rear driver sliding door, locking mechanism remained engaged. I attempted to unlock with the fob, the driver door buttons, & on the sliding door itself. Nothing has changed.
The driver's side door is stuck in the locked position. You cannot unlock it manually, you cannot open the door manually. The key fob will not open it. The button on the top of the van will not open it. If this happens to all the doors, we could be stuck inside. We live in South Carolina where the daily summer temperatures are over 90. If all of the doors get stuck, who knows if the windows will get stuck. What if we get stuck in the car? We have contacted someone to repair it and it is over $1200. That is ridiculous for a 5 year old vehicle. There were no warnings of this and the door opened about 10 minutes before this happened. I am on a Q&A post about this issue with almost 200 other people who all have the same issue. How is this not a huge safety concern for you at Dodge?
Passenger side sliding door failed. Not able to open door manually, using key fob, or using inside door button. Driver side sliding door is operational and can be opened using all of the aforementioned methods. Component is available to be inspected. The safety of the driver and passengers are put at risk due to the inability to open the door from the inside. If any situation was to compromise the drivers side then the passenger door would lock in the passengers. The component within the door has not been inspected. The warning before the failure was a loud noise every time the door was unlocked or locked. All methods of locking the door would produce this noise.
Passenger sliding door lock actuators fail. This failure prevents the ability to lock or unlock the door via the FOB, press buttons or from the drivers console. This also prohibits opening the afflicted door from outside of the vehicle. Children are often unable to manually unlock the door and exit.
Our van makes a loud buzzing sound each time we open our doors or unlock them.
The sliding door is sealed shut..It will not open by the fob or manually effectively trapping passengers including my disabled son in the vehicle. UNSAFE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, a loud noise would come from the engine compartment. The contact also stated that the vehicle would lose power when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the hydraulic pump needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 16V461000 (Power train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not listed under any recall. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.
Passenger sliding door lock and latch failed. The repair cost $1,206.47 at the dealer. The dealer will only guarantee the new lock for two years!
The door lock on the sliding door on the driver's side is stuck in the lock position. The door will not open and no amount of force will unlock it. A simple search online shows many customers dealing with the same issue. Clearly this is a safety concern. My dealership has diagnosed and the cost is over $1000.
Driver rear sliding door stuck in lock position causing a major safety hazard for rear passengers in van. Door will not unlock or open using all unlocking options. Called repair shop and they said this is a common problem with Dodge Caravans. Taking it in for repair soon. I will be getting rid of this vehicle because of this issue in the near future.
No warning lamps. I managed to reset the actuator but it jammed up again. The doors won't unlock or lock depending on the position the actuator failed in. I haven't taken this to a dealer, but based on several videos and forum questions I was able to self diagnose and reproduce the problem.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the driver’s side headrest air bag deployed without warning. The contact pulled over and the vehicle was towed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
The transmission shifts really hard sometimes, after if feels like it's not shifting while driving. Sometimes it's difficult to get up to speed because it isn't shifting, then when it does shift my van takes off. It's available for inspection. I feel this is unsafe due to the vehicle not being able to get up to speed, because the transmission isn't shifting properly, inhibiting the ability to get up to speed in a timely manner. It's happened a few times over the past few months. It's happened at different speeds. 40-65mph. There haven't been any warnings prior to the incidents. No warning lights or anything on, on the dashboard.
V1 was parked for at least 12 hours and vehicle engine compartment fire .
Passenger side rear sliding door stuck in locked position. Unable to open door/unlock door using key fob lock button, key fob door button, console door button, outside door handle, inside door handle. Cannot manually unlock door or unlock using any of the power unlock buttons in the car or on the fob. Door operates correctly right up until it doesn't with no warning. I have an handicapped passenger for this vehicle. He was not in the car, but could have been. Any person would be unable to exit the vehicle from the middle row passenger seat thru that door. If it was a carseat, another individual would have to climb in from another entry point and release the child. If it was my adult son with cerebral palsy, removing him from the vehicle would be arduous and impossible in an emergency situation. Given that passenger vans are often used for ADA persons, this is a serious safety issue and needs resolution.
The locking mechanism on the passenger rear sliding door makes a loud buzzing noise when unlocking. It is so loud that it can be heard up to 15 feet from the vehicle. Sometimes it will either stay in the locked position or it will remain unlocked regardless of the buttons being pushed. In the event of an accident and the door is stuck in the locked position it will put my children in danger of not being able to get out of the vehicle through that door. I have not taken it to be inspected nor has the manufacturer inspected it. There were no warning lights or indicators prior to or after the problem started. It is available for inspection upon request.
I have a 2016 dodge grand caravan and every time I unlock the door or lock it it makes this loud buzzing noise, the door works fine it opens and close. But when using the unlock button from the key everyone can hear the load buzzing noise. I think it is the door actuator.
Back passenger sliding door. Door makes a buzzing noise when the car is locked or unlocked. Actuator is going out or faulty
THE REVERSE IN THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 119,000 MILES AND LEFT MY FAMILY STRANDED. I CURRENTLY HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR OVER 2 WEEKS NOW AS IT HAS BEEN SITTING AT A DEALERS LOT.
2016 Dodge Minivan began jerking and attempting to find gears on/about 24 May, 2021. Brought car in to dealership (where car was purchased and serviced for past five years) that evening for a morning assessment. Was told that the transmission pump failed leading to severe transmission damage and a complete rebuild was required. Car was 6 weeks out of warranty (Mar 31, 2021 warranty expiration) and upon research found that certain 2015/2016 minivans were recalled for same issue/faulty transmission pumps. No warning on dashboard took place until the actual damage had occurred.
I HAVE A 2016 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN AND WHEN I UNLOCK THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR USING THE UNLOCK BUTTON FROM THE REMOTE IT MAKES A LOUD BUZZING NOISE. SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE A GEAR IS GRINDING IN THE UNLOCK MECHANISM.
The vehicle lost acceleration power while driving due to a bad transmission. There was a safety recall in the past for this transmission issue for the same make, model, and year but this van was not listed as one that needed recalled.
THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER-SLIDING REAR DOOR WILL NOT OPERATE USING THE KEY FOB, THE CENTER BUTTON IN THE FRONT SEAT, OR BY MANUALLY PULLING THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HANDLE. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE LOCK MECHANISM IS STUCK IN THE LOCKED POSITION.
Both of our sliding Door locks were unusable after they locked themselves and we could not open them manually or electronically . We had to replace one of the driver passengers door mechanisms, on June 5th, 2021 and the other passengers slide door will not lock at all. This has caused the window mechanism to malfunction repeatedly on the driver passenger sliding door. We saw your warning and update on this issue 7/14/2021.
2ND TIME WRITING ABOUT OUR VAN'S POWERTRAIN. THIS IS AFTER BUHLER DODGE IN HAZLET, NJ FIXED & PUT IN A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION. WE NEVER HAD ANY WARNINGS OF ANY PROBLEMS BEFORE THE MALFUNCTION UNTIL WE WERE DRIVING THAT DAY. THE RPM'S WOULD JUST ACCELERATE ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT GAS PEDAL AND ALSO IF WE HIT GAS PEDAL. IT WAS SCARY & HONESTLY DON'T KNOW HOW ANYONE DIDN'T HIT US FROM BEHIND. ON 4/22/2021 IS WHEN IT HAPPENED. WAS AFRAID THE CAR WOULD BLOW SOMETHING. WE TOWED IT TO THE DODGE DEALER. WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR. IT'S ONLY 4 AND HALF YEARS OLD WITH 85,000 MILES. WE ASKED HOW COME NO SIGNS OR WARNINGS & THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US WE WOULDN'T KNOW. IT'S CAUSE BY A LEAK. I SAID IT WON'T SHOW PARKED AT OUR HOUSE ON THE SERVICE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US KNOW IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING. SO TO ME THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE SO NO WARNING & WE WOULDN'T KNOW. TO ME THAT SAYS THAT'S THE MANUFACTURER/DEALER'S FAULT THEN. THEY TOLD US NO IT'S OVER WARRANTY WITH MILEAGE. I SAID IT'S ONLY 4 AND HALF YEARS OLD & NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE. SO ANYWAY WE PAID $6102.22 FOR NEW TRANSMISSION. TODAY 5/2/2021 NOT EVEN A WEEK SINCE WE PICKED UP & PAID FOR REPAIRS WE TOOK A RIDE AND SAME EXACT THING RPM RACED & JUST BARELY GOT IT OFF ROAD. ONCE AGAIN THOUGHT WE WOULD GET REAR ENDED. THE DEALER ISN'T OPEN TODAY BUT WE TOWED IT THERE. THIS HAS BEEN SCARY, & BEYOND FRUSTRATING. WE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT & THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT TELLS US NO WAY WE WOULD NO OR WARNING. ALSO, THEY DID A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION THEY FIXED OUR VAN. SO THIS SHOULDN'T OF HAPPENED AGAIN AT ALL & IN LESS THE A WEEK. SO THIS JUST HAPPENS I DON'T BUY THAT. DEALER ADDRESS BUHLER & BITTER INC. 3290 HIGHWAY 35 HAZLET, NJ 07730. (732)-264-5000. PLEASE INVESTIGATE CAUSE THIS IS BEYOND NERVE RACKING & I AM SO NERVOUS TO GET IT BACK TO DRIVE AGAIN.
Lock actuators on both sliding doors are making a loud "buzzing" or "clicking" sound when the doors are locked and unlocked.