2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Complaint Log

•vehicle stalls when slowing down in traffic and cut off on freeway •happens while driving at low speed •vehicle restarts immediately after stalling •0–10 mph (coming to stop) •slowing from traffic speed •check engine light appeared •code P0128 was detected Vehicle stalled while driving and could have caused a crash if it happened in heavier traffic.” •I reported the issue to the dealership I bought it and went to dodge dealership because I seen 4 recalls •they checked the vehicle •they stated no recalls were open •blind spot warning system not functioning •lane assist button not responding •115-volt power outlet not working happened multiple times •started recently after purchase •intermittent issue “When searching by VIN earlier, recall campaigns were displayed describing engine stall that could increase crash risk.”

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and came to a stop in the middle of traffic. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign: 18V524000 (Electrical System). However, the VIN was not included. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start immediately while using the key. The local dealer was contacted; however, the contact was advised that the vehicle was not the same as the vehicles listed in NHTSA Campaign: 18V524000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,817.

My sliding back doors do not open with the key fob AND they do not open using the handles on the INSIDE or OUTSIDE of the van. I was researching how to fix this, and this seems to be a pretty common issue. How has this put safety at risk - if there is an emergency, how do those people in the back seat get out? This is a HUGE issue! There are no other known failures with the vehicle - it has not been checked out by anyone other than myself.

The drivers side sliding door will not open. The local dealership checked it and says it is the door lock actuator that needs to be replaced. There was a recall on this part, but we never got a recall notice. The vehicle messaging system never indicated a problem. The passenger side sliding door has also had problems, but it still opens. It just makes a lot of noise when opening sometimes, and will close unexpectedly before it fully opens. Both of these problems pose a safety hazard.

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.

The Component that keeps failing on these vehicles is the Actuator for the sliding doors. When it comes to safety, this could be a huge problem in case of an accident or any time there’s a “rush” to get out of the vehicle. Especially having 3+ kids having to climb in and out. The problem has been inspected by my local dealership. The cause is the actuator, no doubt. This was a “warrantied” part but being my vehicle is at 160K miles, the dealership wants me to pay 2500 out of pocket. When I believe this should be taken care of free of charge.

The headrest airbag on the driver's side was deployed without any explanation.

I am reporting an issue involving a Dodge recall repair and an improper charge related to that recall. My Dodge vehicle was serviced for a sliding door actuator recall. During the repair, the dealer informed me that the “sliding door applique” must be removed to access the actuator and that it cannot be reused once removed. They then charged me over $531.99 for the applique, even though the repair itself was covered under my extended warranty (XV1). The applique was not damaged or defective; it was removed only as part of the recall procedure. I believe this constitutes an unfair and deceptive repair practice — the part should have been replaced at no cost, since it was necessary to complete a recall repair. Dodge Customer Care (Case No. 94484317) denied reimbursement without offering any technical explanation or documentation. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether Dodge and its authorized service centers are charging customers for parts that are required to perform warranty or recall repairs, which could indicate a broader pattern of abuse.

Passenger side sliding door can't be unlocked manually or by the fob, will not open by the handle inside or out. Passengers are unable to exit vehicle through passenger sliding door.

Driving down hi way and headrest came apart.

When I’m driving, especially when I come to a stop or when I try to accelerate from a stop, the car kind of chokes or hesitates. It feels like it’s about to stall, but it doesn’t fully turn off. It keeps doing this off and on when I stop or try to go again. It's very scary and dangerous.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver's side headrest had deployed without impact. The local dealer was not contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,600.

The lock mechanism on the passenger side sliding door has failed. It is stuck in the locked position. This is a known defect that has recurred in this vehicle for years. The door is not able to be unlocked which is a safety concern if the vehicle needs to be exited or accessed in an emergency. The sliding door lock had been making a loud buzzing noise upon locking and unlocking for weeks but only became stuck yesterday. The front drivers side door lock also does not respond to the unlocking mechanisms (button inside or remote) but can be unlocked with the key being inserted into the lock and manually turned. This has been happening on and off for a year.

I had recently decided to rotate my wheels and and I had gotten done I noticed that after a little while after I get down the road my speedometer, cruise control, abs, traction control stopped working and my parking brake light also came on now I do know the only thing that I done differently was kept my hub cap pieces off of the vehicle

Went to open up driver side sliding door and it would not slide back. It is stuck due to the locking actuator. This can be dangerous. I have kids in my van and the door not sliding back can present different dangerous issues for different scenarios. The 2016-2017 dodge grand caravan I believe has a recall on this issue but not the 20q8, and I dont know why.

Driver side door is not locking or unlocking with KEYFOB.

Our driver side back sliding door door has seized and will not open. This looks to be a common issue with the grand caravan. The lock is stuck in an in between state and will not open automatically or manually. This is a safety hazard for back passengers.

The front door passenger lock is not working. I think it is the actuator and hence auto-lock is not available for the front passenger door. The passenger door may get opened by mistake while on the highway.

As is a known issue in Dodge Caravans - the sliding door components have failed resulting in a safety hazard. One of the doors will not open sometimes which is a serious concern in the case of an emergency.

Driver side sliding door locked. Fails to get unlocked. Tried unlocking with Key Fob, manually unlocking. Nothing works and this door now fails to get unlocked and open. Passenger side middle row bucket seat fails to fold down and get under the floor.

The van started to make a loud whining sound while going down the highway around 60 miles an hour. When we slowed down and turned onto a smaller road and tried to accelerate the rpm’s went to around 5,000 and it was barely moving. Had to stop for a long time and was able to drive it the last couple of miles home very slowly. Several children in the car were at risk if someone had hit us at hwy speed

Van is driven a few thousand miles per year since we purchased. Routine maintenance up kept and has just over 100K miles. Replaced coils, plugs as routine for maintenance but having a Cylinder 2 misfire, then it became #6 and now is "multiple random misfire" codes. vehicle shutters dangerously when driving and engine light comes on intermittently. EVERY person I know with this pentastar v6 has had identical problems!

i received communication, regarding my 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan, stating that the warranty has been extended for the Sliding Door Power Lock Actuators. My passenger door lock actuator does not work and needs to be locked manually. It seems Dodge knows there is a problem, but has not issued a recall. I feel this is a major safety hazard, especially when I travel with my young grandchildren. If I use the electric lock function but forget to lock the passenger door manually it presents a safety hazard to the children as the door is not fully secured. I have enclosed the letter from Dodge regarding the problem. This was also listed asDOT Phone complaint # 11651258 Thank you.

Driver side sliding door stuck in lock position. Cannot open it with fob or manually

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the rear passenger’s side door was inoperable. The contact stated that the door failed to function properly, and the contact had to manually close the rear passenger’s door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

My report is to hopefully get a recall started on the transmission of my vehicle. I do not yet have 100,000 miles on my vehicle and need a new transmission. I realize now every time that it accelerated strangely or delayed in acceleration that my transmission was defective all along since I purchased the vehicle. I assumed it was me getting used to the vehicle but I now realize since I had my vehicle inspected by 3 different mechanics, 2 of them specialized in transmissions, that it is defective. The two specialists mechanics told me that this is a known problem for this type of vehicle and I beg of you to investigate this matter immediately. Further, the design of my vehicle’s transmission is completely enclosed, which doesn’t allow it to be repaired without removal and rebuilding. I still owe quite a bit of money on this vehicle, and I cannot even drive it more than a few blocks. Two days ago, while waiting for the drawbridge by my home to go down, I put the vehicle in park. When it was time to go, my vehicle would not go out of park for about 30 seconds and then would not move once in drive for another 30 seconds. My engine light came on a while ago, which is what led me to have it checked out. It has always gotten very bad gas mileage since I bought it used. When I bought the vehicle, it was during Covid when there was a chip shortage, so there were no affordable new cars on car lots. There should be some recourse for this problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly slowed down and then abruptly stopped. The contact stated that it felt as if a part had fallen from the bottom of the vehicle. While attempting to drive off, the vehicle hesitated. While at a YIELD sign, the vehicle shut off and was restarted. The driver's side door failed to open. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called an undisclosed local dealer, who confirmed there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The vehicle was diagnosed, and a tune-up and thermostat replacement were advised. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred within an hour. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed that there was no fault code retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Both sliding side doors buzz when locking and unlocking. A couple of times the left door has not locked while driving

Vehicle has developed a misfire on cylinder #2. Causes driveability issues. Appears to be systemic for this engine, with the manufacturer aware of this since the 2011 model year at least. There should be a recall or warranty extension to cover a manufacturing fault such as this.

The driver's side sliding door would not open. It was like the door was stuck in the lock position. Unable to get my child out of the vehicle from that side. There were no warnings or symptoms indicating there was any issue at all prior to this occurring. Randomly a few days later it started to work like normal again, however now the door will not lock. When the other doors auto lock a loud noise comes from that door, but it does not lock. It does open when prompted. I have not had anyone inspect the problem as of yet.

When I pump gas in the tank. It keeps stopping and it will not allow me to put more gas in the tank. Also the gas hand on the dashboard stays at half full. I don’t know how much gas is really in the tank. And electrical the passenger window will not let down on the driver side. I can’t let the window down from the driver side.

I was driving in town when the Active Head Restraint deployed. There was no accident. Just driving and I heard it pop

The vehicle began to shake and sputter on the highway. We were lucky enough to be able to pull over safely. This could have caused a major accident on a very busy highway. The check engine light came on. Called roadside assistance and had car towed to a mechanic. The mechanic shop said there was a recall on the vehicle and I needed to take it to the dealership. The car was towed to the dealership and the dealership said while there is a "general" recall, the recall was vin number specific and my vin number was not included. The recall number is 18v-524 related to the PCM Voltage. This is a KNOWN defect but Dodge did not include all vin numbers. The recall needs to be expanded to include this vehicle.

BOTH FRONT HEADRESTS ACTIVATED WITHOUT REAR COLLESION WHICH POSED A DANGER TO THOSE OCCUPANTS LOACATED IN EITHER FRONT SEAT. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE HEADRESTS RESET, WAS NOT ABLE TO DO A RESET, WILL HAVE TO PURCHASE NEW HEADRESTS AND HAVE THEM INSTALLED AT A GREAT COST TO THE CUSTOMER.

I have a 2018 dodge grand caravan whose door lock actuators are failing in the rear sliding doors. This is accompanied by loud buzzing. Sometimes they don’t unlock which causes some problems for backseat passengers. After looking online, I found there is a recall for this same problem in model years 2016-2017. I’m having the same issue but my vehicle is not covered under the recall. I just want you to know that the problem is still happening.

Engine showing P0302 code for cylinder misfire which by a licensed mechanic has been traced back to an original manufacturers defect in the cylinder and rockers. In doing research into this issue, I found hundreds of other owners of this and similar model year dodge grand caravans having the same issue with incredibly expensive fixes. The issue can cause the vehicle to abruptly lose engine power, a major safety issue. The mechanics are indicating that the repair is over $5,000 and that it is a well known issue with these vehicles. The problem began when the vehicle only had around 60,000 miles.

The sliding door locks/actuators on the rear sliding doors do not engage allowing the doors to open even when the doors are locked leaving the risk of the doors opening while the vehicle is moving or allowing someone to break into the vehicle since the doors won't lock and can be opened, even when the rest of the doors on the vehicle are locked.

The engine components have failed, there is compression issue from cylinders, rings, and valve issues. Same as 2017 recall, seems to be still affecting my 2018 model. mileage is only 73,000.

Right sliding door does not lock when lock button is pushed and will swing open during driving and can be opened when parked while the lock system is still in place. Also the door when manually closed has trapped an arm and does not stop closing. Also have bubbles on front hood from unknown cause. Door problem started several weeks ago and was looked at then and also today at the dealer.

Left/drivers side automatic door actuator failed, door would not open and actuator had to be replaced. Mechanic notes available upon request. Safety risk as door could not be accessed for evacuating the vehicle in the event of an emergency. Notification was issued from the manufacturer that this has been a concern in this model, but manufacturer did not replace it. The vehicle was independently inspected before replacing, and replacing the actuator remedied the issue. There were no warning signs or symptoms prior to failure.

The sliding door on the back passenger side will not unlock. A lot of times we carry grandchildren still in car seats and in case of an emergency, this can be a safety hazard.

The lock mechanism to the sliding door failed and is stuck in the locked position. What the danger is, and an extreme safety concern, is that the door can not be opened manually. So neither the automatic function (both button on the car itself and key fob), nor the manual mechanism on the lock itself, is functional. The door is locked with no way to open it either from the inside or outside. This is a grave safety hazard and I am shocked that this has not already been made into a recall. I have researched this issue and it has been ongoing for many years now, specifically with the 2018 model and other models as well. Dodge needs to issue a recall and fix this problem.

Keep getting cylinder 2 missfire code I have changed everything it saids, I see this is a on going issue for years that people have reported yet its still not fixed and is costing us money because dodge don't want to take responsibility for thier mess up.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH and attempting to slow for a traffic signal, the vehicle was not slowing down as intended. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake lines needed to be flushed and the brake pads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact called and made the dealer to aware of the failure but was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Voltage regulator malfunctioning inside ECM and having lights dim and electrical components bog down

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while at a red light, the vehicle stalled and shuddered. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to get a diagnosis however, the independent mechanic stated that the failure cause was unidentifiable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to a different independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 835,000. 

The passenger sliding door on the driver's side is stuck in the lock position and cannot unlock the door. Other doors need to be utilized to exit the vehicle and this poses a safety concern. I read many forums where this seems to be an issue with Dodge Caravans and should be a recall as it is known to be faulty. Contacted dealership and they want to charge over $600 to fix but this should be covered by Dodge and should be recalled as this poses a safety concern.

Very shortly after purchasing the vehicle, the rear drivers side sliding door stopped opening. It cannot be opened manually or with the button. It seems to be stuck in the locked position. I was aggravated but let it go because I had the other side sliding door functioning. Yesterday 06/06/2024 the passenger side sliding door did the same thing. I have 4 children that had no way out of my vehicle other than to climb through the 2 front seats. In the event of an accident this would be an incredibly unsafe situation. I noticed that there was a recall for this issue for my model of vehicle that ended in 2017. Mine is a 2018 and therefore not covered by that particular recall.