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

1) At D/S Stow and Go seat malfunctioned and was repaired by CarMax Service Center Jan 2023 - 2) Around 97,000 so - Engine started ticking on or about JUL/SEP 2023, enstate Lloyds Automotive in Spokane Valley replaced out engine due to manufacture defect in Oct 2023. 3) At 103,672mi - P/S stow and Go seat was repaired for same issues as D/S stow & Go Seat by Lloyds Automotive Oct 2023 when engine was replaced out. 4) Around 116,000mi the Transmission was flushed when I got the oil changed because I noticed jerking shifting at times, this was Aug 2024 there was no check engine or diag faults. 5) Around 132,720 Fell under CXLHX982 / CXLHX981 Actuator Sliding Door D/S & P both repaired and Transmissioned serviced again because my van started stalling out at stops and the jerking happened again no check engine or diag faults 6) Around 138,000 - D/S Sliding door hatch pin repair by Coos Bay Area Dodge. On 24Mar2026 - Around 142,000mi my transmission overheat warning came on and my van would not go any faster than 45 to 50mi, the RPMs went from 1.5 to 4 to 5 then 7 and back down, I immediately pulled over and sat for about 40min turned my van back on there was no overheat warning so I drove around 50mi per hour in the emergency lane to the next exit which was Hood River, Or and trailer towed my van from Hood River, Or to AAMCO, North Spokane Wa for transmission service. - I believe my vehicle 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T model - transmission was built with some underlying transmission serious safety defects and should have been recalled and a part of Part 573 Safety Recall Report 16V-461. My vehicle malfunctioning could have caused an accident if not for my quick thinking that day and keeping my vehicle maintained at a high standard. I do keep all my service records.

NHTSA ODI 11727028

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the front driver-side seat headrest deployed. The contact heard an abnormal sound before the headset deployed. No warning lights illuminated. The contact drove to the residence. The contact inspected the headrest and noticed it had been pushed forward. The contact was able to push the headrest. The contact suffered minor injuries to the back of the head near the neck. The contact stated that the neck will feel stiff once in a while. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact found that other consumers had complained about a metal pin or plastic pin that detached from the head restraint. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,108.

NHTSA ODI 11681390

I was waiting at a red light when I was violently hit in the back of my head which caused some disorinetation and pain. I asked my wife to tell me what happened ( I thought we might have been rear-ended) but she said my headrest had broken open. While after a web search I now understand what the purpose of this "safety feature" is, had I been driving on a highway or going through a curve, the result might have been different.

NHTSA ODI 11676102

The headrest on the driver seat ejected while I was driving. The headrest is unable to go back into the correct position. It looks as if a plastic piece has failed inside the headrest. No accident occurred when the headrest failed. The drivers neck was hurt during the incident. Driver almost lost control of the vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11669411

Closed the driver side sliding door and the headrest on the driver seat exploded open. Car was not in motion. Door shut and head rest adjacent to it just popped apart and hit the head of the person in the driver seat.

NHTSA ODI 11619461

the head rest deployed without being in an accident and now cannot be re-assembled. This is a recurrent problem with Chrysler vehicles including the Grand Caravan.

NHTSA ODI 11582783

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.

NHTSA ODI 11534310

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.

NHTSA ODI 11530852

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.

NHTSA ODI 11519539

A few months ago, the passenger seat headrest safety system deployed with no warning while the vehicle was parked/off. No warning systems were triggered on the vehicle. I can see that inside the headrest, the light plastic frame which retains the metal pin has cracked, probably just from the pressure of the springs over time. As a result the metal pin broke free from the plastic frame. The actual release triggers have not released. I haven't had anyone look at it, but many reports online say dealers are charging $600 to fix it. The springs are very powerful—I'm glad no one was in the seat when it happened.

NHTSA ODI 11493871

The headrest on my vehicle on the driver seat deployed while in use for no apparent reason.

NHTSA ODI 11484772

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, the front driver's side headrest deployed inadvertently. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11464103

The driver's side headrest has deployed on it's own while parked in a driveway and turned off. After inspection, the plastic brackets that retain the metal pin that is supposed to secure the headrest broke apart and released the headrest into a deployed position. This is a design flaw that should be recalled before someone becomes injured. The headrest is under a spring loaded force that the plastic was not engineered to restrain.

NHTSA ODI 11436181

My wife was driving down the road when out of no where her headrest just deployed slamming into the back of her head. After examining the headrest it was clear that a plastic piece had deteriorated causing the headrest to release.

NHTSA ODI 11426712

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.

NHTSA ODI 11420033

THE FRONT PASSENGER HEADREST POPPED FORWARD WHILE ADJUSTING THE SEAT TO LOAD EQUIPMENT IN THE REAR FLOORBOARD COMPARTMENT. THE PLASTIC ASSEMBLY THAT HOLDS THE METAL PIN WHICH IS USED TO KEEP THE HEADREST IN ITS NORMAL POSITION HAD BROKEN. THIS IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM ACCORDING TO INTERNET RESEARCH BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT RUNNING.

NHTSA ODI 11407439

MY TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT CAR GOES INTO 5 RPM WHEN ONLY GOING 30-40 MPH BACK SEATS DON'T UNLOCK TO FOLD AWAY BACK SLIDING DOORS DON'T LOCK EVEN AFTER ALARM IS ACTIVATED AND HAVE HAD A BRAKE IN

NHTSA ODI 11396730

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER SPOUSE WAS DRIVING 55 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADREST DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS HOWEVER, PAUL SHERRY CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM (8645 N CO RD 25A, PIQUA, OH 45356, (937) 778-0830) WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED A REPAIR ESTIMATE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

NHTSA ODI 11386511

THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADREST HAS DEPLOYED ON IT'S OWN WHILE PARKED IN A DRIVEWAY AND TURNED OFF. AFTER INSPECTION, THE PLASTIC BRACKETS THAT RETAIN THE METAL PIN THAT IS SUPPOSED TO SECURE THE HEADREST BROKE APART AND RELEASED THE HEADREST INTO A DEPLOYED POSITION. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE BECOMES INJURED. THE HEADREST IS UNDER A SPRING LOADED FORCE THAT THE PLASTIC WAS NOT ENGINEERED TO RESTRAIN.

NHTSA ODI 11383209

IF THE TRANSMISSION LOSES HYDRAULIC PRESSURE, THE VEHICLE MAY LOSE MOTIVE POWER, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

NHTSA ODI 11352677

I HAVE 2 SEPERATE ISSUES. THE FIRST ISSUE IS LIKE MANY OTHER CARAVAN OWNERS, THE REAR SLIDING DOOR LOCKS ARE BOTH MALFUNCTIONING. THE REAR DRIVERS DOOR STARTED WITH THE LOUD BUZZING WHEN IT WOULD LOCK AT AROUND 60,000 MILES. AT AROUND 92,000 MILES THE REAR PASSENGER DOORLOCK BROKE IN THE LOCKED POSITION. THE DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK ELECTRICALLY OR MANUALLY. IT IS PERMANENTLY LOCKED. THIS IS A VERY BAD SAFTEY ISSUE! IF THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY AND THE DRIVERS REAR DOOR GOT DAMAGED, NO ONE IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE CAN GET OUT! AS MANY COMPLAINTS THAT I HAVE SEEN ON THIS ISSUE, THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECTIVE PART THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED! MY SECOND ISSUE IS THE CABLES THAT MAKE THE MIDDLE PASSENGER SEAT FOLD UP HAVE BROKEN. THIS HAPPENED AT AROUND 80,000 MILES. BOTH FAILURES HAPPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.

NHTSA ODI 11281485

SRS HEADREST DRIVER SIDE TRIGGERED WHILE VEHICLE WAS EMPTY SITTING IN DRIVEWAY. RETAINING CLIPS BROKEN AND DAMAGED. IN PROCESS OF GETTING PLAZA DODGE IN ORANGEBURG SC TO LOOK AT THE PART AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEY ARE GOING TO CONTACT FCA.

NHTSA ODI 11277369

THE VAN WAS IN PARK, OFF, LOCKED AND UNOCCUPIED, IN MY DRIVEWAY, ON A LEVEL SURFACE, WHEN THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT SEAT HEADREST SAFETY SYSTEM DEPLOYED. IT WAS DISCOVERED WHEN WE WERE PREPARING TO LEAVE. THE PLASTIC TABS ON THE INSIDE OF THE HEADREST APPEAR TO HAVE BROKEN, ALLOWING IT TO MOVE UP AND FORWARD.

NHTSA ODI 11266535

WHEN MOVING THE DRIVERS SEAT. THE AIRBAG LIGHT COMES. ON. MOVE THE SEAT BACK THE LIGHT GOES OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11254243

THE MIDDLE BENCH SEAT IS NOT WIDE ENOUGH TO SAFELY HOLD AN INFANT CAR SEAT EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A LATCH SYSTEM FOR THE CAR SEAT. THE INFANT CAR SEAT HANGS OFF THE SEAT AND IS NOT SAFELY SUPPORTED BY THE SEAT AN CHRYSLER HAS NO SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO FIX THE SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO SINCE IT'S A BENCH SEAT YOU CANNOT USE THE SEATBELT THAT CROSSES THE WALKWAY FOR ANY CAR SEAT BECAUSE THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE THAT CHRYSLER DOES NOT HAVE A RESOLUTION FOR. THESE ISSUES ARE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY, AND IN MOTION ON ANY CITY STREET OR HIGHWAY, TURNING, OR TRAVELING STRAIGHT. CHRYSLER DOES NOT CARE IF PARENTS CAN SAFELY SECURE A CAR SEAT OF ANY KIND IN THEIR VEHICLES. INSTEAD THEY TELL YOU TO READ THE MANUAL FOR THE CAR SEAT AND FOR THE VEHICLE YOU PURCHASED AND THAT'S IT.

NHTSA ODI 11003102