What 1,153 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan

Passenger side rear door is making a buzzing noise! will cost over $500 to fix. After researching multiple other van owners are having this same issue this should be recalled this vehicle is only 6 years old !!

NHTSA ODI 11464994

The driver side rear door failed to unlock and open and is available for inspection. This happened about two weeks ago 04/12/2022. When this started, my grandson was unable to get out that door, but fortunately, the other door opened fine. If there was an accident, and the other door got damaged, passengers would be unable to exit without climbing to the front of the van or out the backdoor. I noticed if I manually assisted the unlock process, it would open. Currently it's working but when the door locks either manually or with the automatic locks, it makes a loud buzzing sound. That is very concerning and sounds like it's about to fail. The passenger side door failed last September 2021 to lock and could not be locked manually. We were able to get the repair done under our extended warrantee. The serious problem with the door not locking was you could open the door while the car was moving.

NHTSA ODI 11462470

The left side passenger door stopped working and is stuck in the lock position. It will not unlock even manually. At first I assumed this was just something with my van but after checking online I now see this is a massive problem that has affected many people. This issue is a huge safety problem as someone will not be able to exit the van in an emergency. People have said they have complained to both Dodge and the NHTSB for years and no recall has been issued. How is that possible when the problem is so widespread? Do people have to actually die before a recall is finally ordered? Please do what you can to get this problem solved before something bad happens. I’m already prepared to pay to get this fixed but it seems to me Dodge needs to be forced to do something about it.

NHTSA ODI 11459933

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.

NHTSA ODI 11458937

The passenger side sliding door no longer locks manually or by remote. I was broken into because of this at a hotel I was staying.

NHTSA ODI 11455369

The sliding door on the driver’s side stopped working and stayed shut for a couple days. For no apparent reason it started opening and closing again but only when the door handle was kept pulled. I believe it is a safety issue that could have serious consequences if an emergency occurred and passengers need to immediately exit the vehicle. There was no precursor signs of any other malfunction prior to this issue. I would like to know if this a recall situation in the near future? Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11450427

The driver's side sliding door will not open, manually or electronically. This apparently is a VERY common issue for Dodge and is a very big safety concern. We have brought it to make mechanics and all have stated that is is extremely expensive to fix and almost impossible to find the needed parts. I have children in the car, and this is a very big safety concern. We also cannot get rid of the car, sell it or trade it due to this issue. The amount of people with the similar issue on the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is alarming and this should be taken care of asap.

NHTSA ODI 11448692

The right (passenger side) sliding door is locked closed and will not open from the inside or outside. Rear-seat passengers are being forced to exit through the windows, rear hatch, front doors, or the other sliding door. This is not only an unnecessary inconvenience but also potentially very dangerous if there's an accident when occupants need to exit the vehicle quickly. I will take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptom prior to the failure. The problem first appeared two days ago, the van has less that 100,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11447382

Sliding passenger door actuator makes a loud buzzing noise when unlocking, and also will fail to unlock. In the event of an emergency, passengers will be unable to unlock the door and exit from the vehicle. No warning lamps have activated, notifying of a problem. There are no recalls on file.

NHTSA ODI 11446973

THE RIGHT REAR DOOR WILL NOT LOCK CAUSING A CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY AT ANY TIME I'M IN THE PUBLIC. ANYONE CAN ENTER THAT DOOR IF THEY JUST TRIED TO SEE IF ITS UNLOCKED. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH AS I AM AN UBER DRIVER AND SOMETIMES UNRULY PASSENGER TRY TO GET INTO MY CAR WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. THAT CAN ALSO BE ANYONE WHO IS PREYING ON WOMEN TO KIDNAP THEM.

NHTSA ODI 11445864

The passenger (right) side rear sliding door has gotten stuck and will not unlock manually. It has been stuck for about a year and after going to the dealer they’re claiming it’s a common defect that is hard to repair. We are unable to enter the car from the passenger side rear sliding door and hopefully the driver side sliding door doesn’t get stuck, otherwise we will be unable to exit the car, which can be excessively dangerous while in an accident type incident. This door being stuck is already reasonably dangerous since our kids are unable to exit the vehicle curb side and must exit on the drivers (left) side of the vehicle. Door became stuck 3 years after it was new, with just under 45,000 miles on the car. When trying to unlock the door with the automatic door button it will just make a sort of buzzing noise.

NHTSA ODI 11444521

Door latching / locking and unlocking operation. Both drivers side and passenger side sliding doors will not unlock. This is very dangerous when trying to get children out of there car seats to exit the car. The car has only 15,000 miles on it and I purchased it new. I did read that there are many complaints about this and it is under investigation and that the manufacture sent out a notice to dealers that the door actuator was defective. This started over a year ago with first the drivers side would not unlock and now both will not unlock.

NHTSA ODI 11440717

- Left side sliding door will not unlock to open; * safety concern of rear passengers being trapped if right side slider is hit in an accident - Right side sliding door will not lock; * Safety concern for burglary or car-jacking - I will put the Grand Caravan in Bettenhausen Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep (Orland Park, IL) for repairs on Nov 11, 2021! - Stellantis/Chrysler should reimburse me for these repairs!

NHTSA ODI 11439811

Vehicle's rear sliding doors intermittently jam locked, one, or the other, or both. The respective sliding locks will not budge, not by remote, not from the button on the driver's door, and especially, not even manually, from the sliding lock on the doors themselves. Sometimes a buzzing sound is heard from one or the other of the the locks when commanding to lock electrically, including when the car starts moving at over 20 mph or so, and all doors lock automatically. I understand that electrical commands ("power" this and that) may stop working at some time in the life of a car, but at least they can be so engineered that in case of the door locks not to jam the lock in the locked position! I understand there are a few hundred complaints about these locks, all jamming, all in the locked position, on all vans w/sliding doors built by Chrysler. What would it take for the Chrysler-Fiat, or whatever they're called now, to fix the problem and issue a recall?? A fire? Injuries? Worse, God forbid? Can you imagine when the injured party lawyers find out there have been hundreds of similar complaints and no recall? ..

NHTSA ODI 11439146

Purchase vehicle in April 2021. Discovered after 3 days that left sliding door did not lock when the rest of the vehicle was locked. When the door was opened with the car locked the alarm sounded. Returned to dealer who replaced the door actuator. The repair has lasted 6 months and has now presented itself again.

NHTSA ODI 11438192

My doors are in a locked position and can't open! I have young children and no access to my doors. Just purchased this car from a dealership!

NHTSA ODI 11437724

Door lock motors failed and or failing. Replace a couple.

NHTSA ODI 11437416

When the doors are unlocked, a loud buzzing noise comes from the vehicle. Upon research it seems like it is a faulty door actuator. This could cause the doors to be unable to open or close. It has not been repaired and it is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ODI 11436595

Driver's side sliding door lock mechanism became suddenly inoperable, without warning, both electrically and manually. Even with manual operation of the door lock knob, the door cannot be unlocked. It is not possible to open the door using either the interior or exterior door latch handle, therefore eliminating this door as a means of exit for the rear passengers. The exact same problem occurred with the passenger side sliding door in December 2018. I personally performed the repair of that door. The problem was a failed door lock actuator. It had a faulty actuator gear. I believe this problem potentially puts the occupants of the vehicle at high risk by obstructing exiting of the vehicle in an emergency situation, especially in a situation where the opposite door was inoperable or obstructed during an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11433860

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!

NHTSA ODI 11433343

Loud buzzing sound when you lock doors

NHTSA ODI 11431734

The left sliding door has locked up and will not open manually, by key fob, or the overhead buttons. Cannot get out of this door in case of an accident. I haven't taken to dealer because they want $120 just to look at it. No warnings in the vehicle prior to the door locking up.

NHTSA ODI 11431308

Driver side sliding door couldn't be opened manually or with electronic key fob. Anyone seated in second row, driver's side, would have to exit by climbing over to another door or try to get out of a window. Vehicle was taken to a Dodge dealer who confirmed the actuator had failed and that was why the door would not open No other parties have inspected this vehicle for this problem. Once the issue was repaired, I traded this van off for a new vehicle. There were no warnings that this was going to happen. I just went to open the sliding door and it would not budge.

NHTSA ODI 11431397

The driver side rear sliding door has stopped functioning. It is stuck closed. The lock does not move manually or electronically, the manual door handles do nothing, and the automatic door opening function does nothing. This is a major safety hazard. It’s possible that in an accident that the left slider would be the best way to reach several passengers.

NHTSA ODI 11431147

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.

NHTSA ODI 11429016