2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Complaint Log

Transmission failure

Sliding door lock actuator failure resulting in inability to exit the vehicle quickly in the case of emergency.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door failed to open. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and repaired. The contact stated that after the initial repair, the rear driver’s side door failed to open. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with the lock actuators failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

There is a cyclinder 2 misfire which hundreds of people have been effected by. There is electrical issues causing the temperature to not read correctly, side door not working, and rear air vents do not work.

Firstly my front door lock went out and wouldn’t work which i got fixed now both my back door locks do not work correctly which I have children that use this vehicle with me which can lead to danger the left back door locks make a nasty buzzing sound and will not lock or unlock from the back or key fob I have to open it from my door lock on my driver side and the right back passenger just doesn’t work at all this poses danger to my children and myself. This needs to be on the recall list with the amount of complaints and issues this is causing for dodge van owners!

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the driver's side sliding door latch failed to unlatch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,700. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while attempting to enter the vehicle through the driver's side sliding door, she became aware that the door would not unlock or open. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 58,000.

My Transmission failed. My odometer reading is 92901. Dealership said not manufactured coverage. No message on dash. Happened while driving with children. Mechanic said needed to be replaced. This is a expensive repair. I believe manufacture should have told drivers about problems with transmission.

Passenger sliding door stuck in locked position cannot unlock manually or with key fob .. same as 2017 recall same issue. Cannot unlock very unsafe issue in case of emergency or accident door will not open.

the headrest on the passenger side front deployed for no reason as the car was sitting overnight. it cannot be reset

Car stalled and left entire family stranded on side of the road. After taking to mechanic was told it needed new spark plugs. After $1000 for new spark plugs the van immediately had the same issue after leaving mechanic and caused entire family to be stranded overnight in below 0 temperatures. 2nd quote reads as follows... FRONT CYLINDER HEAD EXHAUST VALVE IS LEAKING OR POSSABLY DAMAGED. CAUSING THE CYLINDER TO MISSFIRE, ROUGH IDLE, AND LOSS OF POWER. RECOMMEND NEW CYLINDER HEAD WITH VALVES. ESTIMATE: $4,049.50+tax This is a commonly reported issue and still no recall.

In November 2021 I repaired both sliding doors due to them being automatically locked and not being able to open at all. I have five kids and this year 2024 same thing happened. that is a safety issue, and the fact that I have to keep paying out of pocket because the cause the sliding doors keep getting lock and not able to do anything or open it and I have to take it to get repaired every time that is a hazard due to the fact that you can’t open the doors at all

The actuator in both rear sliding doors is not working. The drivers side is stuck locked and the passengers side is stuck unlocked. My children have to exit the van through the back lift gate and one of them has to sit in the seat next to the door that does not lock. We have not taken it to a dealer but have a mechanic in the family that has diagnosed this to be the issue. No one else has inspected the problem at this time. There were no warning lamps or indications of the problem prior to the drivers side rear door not working starting on December 17, 2023. It was after that that we realized the passenger side rear door has not been locking for somewhere close to a year prior to that date. We have been dealing with the security alarm going off when someone opens the rear passenger door while the doors are locked. We can open that door even when the doors are locked which in turn sets off the alarm. That’s when we realized the rear passenger door never locks not even while driving!!! It should also be noted that neither door can be manually locked or unlocked. They are stuck in one position!

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated when she went to open the passenger’s side sliding side door, the door remained locked. The contact stated that the key fob was not working, and she was also unable to open the sliding door manually. The contact stated that the driver's side sliding door failed to open several months later. The contact stated that the only entry and exit into the vehicle was through the driver's and passenger’s side front doors. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

The front airbags malfunctioned and deployed while parking the vehicle. The driver was injured with burn marks and bruised on legs due to the lower area airbag deploying rapidly. The van was towed to the nearest Dodge dealership for further inspection. The incident was documented with police and a case number was provided. The incident was also documented with manufacturer(Dodge) and have a pending case for further inspection. To my knowledge, there were no warning lights on .

I had the same door lock actuator failure (door is stuck locked and can't be opened) that was flagged for Caravans through model year 2017 (the model year before). [XXX] Since little changed about these vehicles from 2017 to 2018, I'm guessing that might've just been an issue of insufficient data, so I wanted to document this failure that still may be occurring in later model years. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Check engine light keeps coming on. Motor has a miss. Cylinder 2 misfire. Parts changed and it keeps happening.

I had bought my van in August 2022 used from a dealership and was never offered an extended warranty or anything. In January 2023 my 2018 Grand Caravan started making a noise and I thought it was the pulley. Took it to the mechanic and come to find out it was the flex plate inside the transmission. I had that fixed in January 2023 which cost $1000. There was no warning for the flex plate. Then October 18, 2023 my van again started making a noise and driving properly. I had someone look at it and was told it was low on transmission fluid. I checked it fluid on the next day and it was full. Went to drive it on October 20, 2023 and it didn't want to shift and when I was able to go the transmission didn't engage and didn't catch a gear. I was able to get around the corner and I had to pull off the side of the road. As I pulled over the transmission light ha come on. I had it towed to the mechanic shop and he confirmed that the transmission is shot and needs to be replaced.

Passengers side back sliding door power locks will not lock the door . Driverside back sliding door will not unlock. Occasionally makes a buzzing g sound. Cannot manually unlock the door or open it.

Power sliding door makes buzzing sound when unlocking.

The passenger side power door actuator stopped functioning making it extremely difficult to access the seats on the passenger side. I was unable to easily get to a young child who was in a car seat on that side. If we were in an accident I would have been unable to get to them quickly.

The drivers side passenger sliding door won't unlock or open. It is stuck at the lock position and you can not manually or using the van system unlock and open the door.

Sliding door lock actuator not working, sliding doors stuck in lock position, can trap children/passengers in the back of the vehicle. Huge safety issue, has happened with previous models, I see a lot of complaints on here with the same issue. Stop putting our kids in danger. Fix the lock actuators on the sliding doors!

The transmission spontaneously went out and vehicle stopped accelerating on the highway. There were no indicators or warning signs that the transmission was bad or going out. The vehicle only has 90k miles and we need a brand new transmission

Driver sliding door won't open, completely jam unsafe for anyone who needs to get out of the vehicle or parents like myself trying to get our children in and out can only use the other sliding door until that one jams and locks in all rear passengers to their deaths in case of an accident this should be recalled and buyers should not be charged for a faulty and really unsafe part, no way of opening the door manually inside or out and no way of opening it sliding on its own

The trunk has opened several times usually at night where we find it in the morning open and creating a serious security problem with access to the car available. The vehicle has remote key control to the trunk and doors opening. Since we live in Huber Heights , Ohio We are aware that there is a lot of Military Air Traffic at night since we are close to Wright Patterson Air Base and once in a while we find the TV on in the front room.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that after reversing out of a parking space and coasting to exit the parking lot, the driver’s and passenger’s side air bags deployed unintendedly and without impact. The air bags within both the driver’s and passenger’s side seats also deployed. The dealer was made aware of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure was 113,626.

Driver's side sliding door stays locked and will not open it also prevents me to lock the passenger side sliding door

Vehicle requires repair for Transmission part failure at 69,000 miles. Multiple mechanics and online complaint records show transmission issues as a common problem for this make and model. Owners should not be facing a major engine repair of over $3500 when the vehicle is 5 years old and just past the power train warranty period.

Passenger sliding door lock actuator is buzzing and going bad when you lock doors. A known problem in the dodge caravan.

I went to the store and put my purchases in the trunk of the Grand Caravan. I pushed the button to close the rear door and turned to put my cart away. I then heard breaking glass and saw the glass in the rear door busting out. The door then lifted and came down again, this time busting more glass and ripping off the top panel that has the third brake light on it. When it was over, the back panel was hanging by the brake wiring. It looks like one of the pistons that hold the rear liftgate open detached from the inside of the car and hung there, busting the back out. I have had to tape plastic over the window and have been given a warning for a missing brake light. I can't have my vehicle inspected until this is fixed and I can't afford to get it fixed. This seems to be a design flaw. Can I get some assistance in having this repaired?

We are having power sliding door issues. The doors are trying to stay in the locked position causing you to not be able to get passengers and kids out of the car safely.

Sliding passenger door staying in the unlock position

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the sliding door on the rear driver’s side had seized in the locked position, and the key fob was unable to unlock the sliding door. The door was unable to unlock manually or with the key fob. The contact learned that the failure was a common failure caused by the door actuators. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the lock rod had detach from the door latch, causing the door latch, rods, and retainers to all need to be replaced. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated the passenger’s side sliding door failed to open properly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the passenger’s side sliding door actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on July 1, 2023, the driver’s sliding door also experienced the failure and failed to open properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,500.

My POWERTRAIN/TRANSMISSION failed. I have 91,000 miles on this vehicle. the vehicle began to accelerate on its own while in traffic. I had just dropped my children off at school luckily. I was able to get the vehicle out of traffic safely. As I tried to turn around and go home it accelerated again. There were no warning signs, lights, or malfunctions prior to this happening. I called roadside to come get the vehicle. I am waiting for a diagnosis now. I have spoken to dodge and they are aware this happened. I accidentally misquoted the mileage at 97,000. It has 91,121.

Drivers side sliding door will not open. I am an automotive technician and i aware of the previous investigation into this issue that resulted in extended coverage on previous model 2015-2017 year Grand caravans and Town and countrys, but mnow im here with a 2018 Grand caravan, same defect,same part, not covered.This is a common safety issue and this specail coverage needs to be extended to cover up to 2020 model years as they all have the same common defect with inoperable door latches.

While I was driving my headrest exploded. Causing a loud noise and my neck hurts with nausea and dizziness. It was so scary and painful. Something about AHR problem

While driving the passenger headrest popped open hitting passenger in the head. Tried resetting the headrest but it would not latch.

The passenger sliding door on the driver’s side will lock up and has no mechanism that allows me to open/close the door manually. Essentially my passenger(s) are stuck on that side. I cannot use the overhead button near the rear view mirror or the button on the back near the door. I have tried to manually open the door and it does nothing either. This seems like a safety hazard that the door lock will not release up either.

driver's side back door is stuck in the closed position. Unable to open from outside, unable to open via key fob and unable to open from roof panel. The lock appears to be in between the lock and unlock position. From my understanding its the actuator that needs to be replaced. This door has not been used near as often as the passenger back door and it has no issues. I see online where lots of people with different year models having this same issue. Some have recvd a letter of recall however I have not.

While I was driving, I was hit in the back of the head causing me to get dizzy. I thought someone was in my van and punched me. I slammed on my brakes and jumped out. No one was in there. It was my headrest that deployed. I didn’t know that a headrest deploying was a thing. I noticed a small plastic piece on my seat. After looking at the headrest, it’s visibly broke. I have a migraine headache, left side neck pain, and have to drive with my seat back further as to not have my head tilted forward when driving. Had I been going faster this could have no doubt caused an accident.

There is a faulty lock actuator in the sliding door. My door is suddenly stuck closed and I could not open it. My child was inside and I could not get my child out of her car seat without having to climb all the way into the van from the other side. This is incredibly unsafe and concerning. And apparently it is a well known issue.

Faulty lock actuator on driver’s side sliding door. I could not get my child unbuckled and out of the vehicle without climbing all the way in to the van from the other side. I looked it up and it seems this is a well known problem to Dodge. This is incredibly unsafe and concerning!

Cylinder 2 misfire on V-6 engine. van has 66,000 miles. run good. appears there are no air or fuel leaks. Dodge dealer in our town went out of business. No dealer for 40 miles. Car belonged to my parents for 3 years prior and they never had any problems. Van has been serviced regularly. shouldn't there be a recall on this. google is loaded with the same complaint and it says probably a bad head.

The left sliding door of the van has an issue which started immediately after my last service more than a year ago (Around april 12, 2023) at Glendale CA Dodge. Initially the door wouldnt unlock and lock. I reported it to them but got no response. I had to manually unlock and lock to make it work and fixed the issue. Since then, it makes a lod buzzing noise whenever it's locked and unlocked. So, the issue now it just the loud buzzing noise and it's been that way since. I searched online and found forums with other users with the same problem who reported their issues here at NHTSA too. So, I'm reporting mine. Thank you.

The power locks in each door have failed and no door is accessible from the outside with exception to the drivers side front door. I am no longer able to open the passenger door nor the drivers side and passengers side sliding doors. This began while my kids were in the van and they were unable to get out without climbing through the van. The lock actuators in every single door have failed. There does not seem to be a root cause. I locked the van one evening and found the drivers side door no longer unlocked with the fob. Shortly after, the passengers side door lock failed altogether. As of tonight, both sliding doors cannot be unlocked and are jammed shut. There is no damage, this just appears to be a mechanical failure.

In June 2022 the driver's side sliding door became stuck in the locked position. It was difficult to get my young children in/out of the vehicle safely. I took the van to the dealership where I was charged over $900 to have the actuator replaced (See attached). From doing research online, I see that there is a known issue with this specific part for vehicles produced in 2015-2017 and an extended warranty was given to those vehicles because it was found to be unsafe. (NO. D-21-15 see attached) Unfortunately, my vehicle was produced in November 2017 and the extended warranty only covers vehicles up to January 2017. From my understanding, this part is not supposed to break or have to be replaced. The problem with this piece of the vehicle is clearly still an issue with vehicles produced after January 2017. As of Sunday, March 26, 2023 I am now having the same issue AGAIN with the other passenger side sliding door and will need the actuator replaced.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the second-row driver’s side seat belt malfunctioned and failed to unlock, causing the child to become entrapped in the car seat. With help from a family member the contact was able to eventually maneuver the child out of the car seat. During the failure, the child had stomach pains. No medical treatment was required. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 83,000.

Sliding Passenger Door Lock Is Stuck in the locked position and the door cannot be unlocked or opened manually or electrically. Have been told its the lock actuator that has failed (similar to the 2017 and below models that was recalled)