What 410 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway an dfailed to restart. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine bay. There was not warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to AAMCO Transmissions, where it was diagnosed that the water pump housing had split in half. The water pump was replaced. The contact stated that shortly after the repair, the thermostat gauge started fluctuating and the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to JJ Auto Repair and Collisions, where it was diagnosed with catastrophic engine block failure. A new engine was purchased and installed on the vehicle; however, the vehicle suddenly stalled while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with alternator failure. The alternator and the battery were replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where the battery was replaced. Additionally, AutoZone tested the newly installed alternator and determined that the alternator was faulty; however, several mechanics determined that the alternator was in good condition. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V278000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and 18V524000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied reimbursement for the expenses. The failure mileage was approximately 90,489.

NHTSA ODI 11742088

The rear power slide doors are opening on their own with vehicle in motion. The power switch on the roof is off. We have 5 children. No warming lamps or issues this is a known issues will caravans

NHTSA ODI 11732749

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering, producing static electric shock, and the battery was overcharging. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted and was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact had an ongoing issue with the local dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 68,107.

NHTSA ODI 11731010

specifics unknown check engine light came on cpl seconds before it started overheating / leaking coolant and or transmission fluid and overheating. and I'm not sure what. started last year but I don't drive very often so the issue just started last year

NHTSA ODI 11729672

The driver and passenger sliding door power lock actuator is not operating for my wife's 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan with about 44,000 miles. There is a Warranty Bulletin, number D-25-03, dated January 30, 2025 that extended the warranty to coverage to 10 years/ 100,000 miles. My wife's car should have been included in the cars with the problem and it is not included in the cars affected by the problem. Please include my wife's Dodge Grand Caravan in the recall for the extended warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11727423

I am filing this complaint regarding the service department at Vaden Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram. My complaint concerns a failure to properly diagnose a mechanical issue with my vehicle, misleading statements about the condition of the vehicle after repairs, and poor communication during the repair process. The vehicle is a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. Before bringing it to the dealership, the vehicle was jerking when slowing or coming to a stop. On February 19, 2026, a diagnostic scan showed code P0420 – Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1). At that time the vehicle was still drivable. On March 2, 2026, I brought the vehicle to the dealership and reported the jerking issue. I also asked that the throttle body and transmission be inspected. The dealership stated that the technician could not determine the cause of the problem but recommended maintenance repairs including tires, brakes, and rotor service. Based on their professional recommendation, I approved the repairs. On March 6, 2026, I picked up the vehicle and paid 1,416.21. I was told the vehicle passed inspection and a safety test drive. However, within approximately thirty minutes of leaving the dealership, the vehicle began jerking violently and shut off while I was driving. The vehicle had to be returned to the dealership. After the vehicle was returned, I was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. This was concerning because I had asked the dealership to check that component during the initial inspection. I was originally quoted about 2,800, and after discussions with management including Jim Fife, I paid 2,165 on March 14, 2026 for the catalytic converter repair. Despite paying a total of 3,581.21, the vehicle continued to show drivability problems. A new diagnostic scan showed codes P0420 and P219B (air-fuel ratio imbalance), suggesting the underlying issue may not have been properly diagnosed before replacing the catalytic converter. I attempted to resolve the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11724542

We purchased this car in 2019 at 55k miles. We had a transmission failed at 92k miles. My wife was left at a light and had to baby it home. It was replaced by a Mopar remanufactued unit that was supposed to be reinforced and have fixed parts from design flaws. A local dealership fixed it after several weeks and getting a loaned car. Next failure was 2 years later in 2023 at around 130k miles. This part was under Mopar 3 year 100k mile warranty and left my wife stranded on the road. The transmission was replaced by the local dealership this time cars were scarce and they didn't have a loaner. We had to get a rental and we're reimbursed. At 177k?miles it's happening again. I can't do this anymore. This transmission is defective and should be recalled. Timeline 92,000 miles – original transmission failed 130,000 miles – Mopar reman failed 180,000 miles – slipping, hard shifts, high RPM

NHTSA ODI 11723600

The driver's side sliding door lock has seized up and will not let you open the door at all. It won't open with a remote or manually it is solid as a rock. The passenger side sliding door motor makes a horrible sound every time it locks or unlock. It did get stuck at one point , but then it unlocked. This is very dangerous when you have small children in car seats that you cannot get to. And because the door locks on the dodge grand caravans keep malfunctioning , you have to crawl through the back end of the vehicle , put the seats down to get to children in car seats to get them out of the vehicle. The cost to fix this is outrageous. Dodge grand caravan sliding door locks have thousands and thousands of complaints about malfunctioning, and not working. And needing to be replaced. Why are you not recalling this? This is a safety issue. Also , if this would have locked up when I was sitting in the back seat , I wouldn't have been able to get out because I am disabled. I would've been stuck in this dodge grand caravan. This is a safety issue that dodge needs to address immediately. When the door lock smell function and you can't get disabled adults out of a vehicle or small children out of a car seat that is a serious issue.

NHTSA ODI 11723719

I believe my door actuator on the driver’s side has failed as of 2/23/26 The door will not unlock. I cannot open or close it. The court case that was open has closed as of September 2025 and the recall is no longer active.

NHTSA ODI 11720066

Seized sliding door latch. In an emergency we cannot exit threw the door. There was a recall on the door lock latch. Dealer will not repair do to the mileage.

NHTSA ODI 11718010

I am writing to formally request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration review and consider an investigation into a potential safety-related defect affecting 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles. My vehicle recently experienced a failure of the engine oil filter housing, which cracked and leaked oil and required an expensive repair. According to the repair facility, Pro Auto Service, this failure is not isolated. I was advised that the shop has repaired a significant number of identical failures over the past year, to the extent that replacement parts have at times been difficult to obtain. The repair facility also indicated that many similar failures have occurred in recent weeks, coinciding with extreme cold weather conditions. The oil filter housing is a critical engine component responsible for maintaining proper oil circulation and pressure. Failure of this component can lead to oil loss, reduced lubrication, engine damage, or potential engine shutdown if not immediately addressed. Because this defect directly impacts engine operation, it presents a powertrain-related safety concern. Based on the frequency of reported failures, the consistency across the same model year, and the apparent correlation with cold weather conditions, this issue appears to be the result of a design or material defect rather than normal wear and tear. I respectfully request that NHTSA review this matter for possible investigation and recall consideration to protect vehicle owners from unexpected engine failure and costly repairs. Thank you for your attention to this concern and for your continued commitment to vehicle safety.

NHTSA ODI 11714179

Both of my sliding passenger doors have become stuck closed due to failed lock actuators. (The doors do not open when placed in the "manual" option either. They cannot be opened in any way.) This happened a few years ago, but my vehicle was past the original warranty period for any repairs, and there were no recalls existing. Last spring (2025), I received notification of an extended warranty period to have this problem fixed. The issue is that my vehicle was not eligible because by that point it was over 100,000 miles. Doors not opening renders the vehicle unusable or unsafe for any passengers besides the front seat passenger. I bought my Dodge Grand Caravan to be a family car, and I can only have one child ride safely with me. In the event of a wreck, passengers would be trapped in the vehicle. I have submitted this concern before, and I have written to the warranty company associated with Dodge. Dodge recognizes this is a common safety problem with the vehicles, as evidenced by the extended warranty for this issue. However, this is not a warranty concern; it is a recall concern due to safety.

NHTSA ODI 11713511

On December 29, 2025, my wife put her van in park, turned off the vehicle and proceeded to exit the vehicle. The drive is on an incline after exiting the vehicle it began to roll backwards. She was caught in the door and attempted to press the brake to no effect. She was drug about fifty feet before separating from the vehicle. The vehicle then rolled down a steep embankment and continued another hundred feet or so where it struck a building. Upon entering the vehicle, the gear shift was in the park position and the engine was turned off. The vehicle sustained over $5,000 in body damage from the impact to the building. And an unknown amount of damage to the steering and exhaust system from rolling down the embankment.

NHTSA ODI 11710920

My engine has begun the "Pentastar tick", which is surprisingly well-known, but not recalled. This is a serious safety issue because it can cause engine failure, which would cause an accident. Dodge has known about this problem for years, but refuses to fix it. I cannot afford to replace the engine and my van is sitting at the dealership, as of today. Please make them fix this! Why is there not a recall on these engines!?! Thankfully, there was no accident and I had the vehicle towed to the dealership, only to be told they are aware of it and I'm looking at $3,000-5,000 to "fix" it. However, the replacement parts would be the same as the original parts, so it's just going to keep happening. They are willfully and knowingly endangering families by not fixing this!

NHTSA ODI 11703478

Check engine light codes match possible recall for vehicle now I'm having the same issues

NHTSA ODI 11702466

The Flex Plate comes loose and rattles really loud. Needs to get repaired so that it doesnt break loose and starter falls out. This is a well known issue with this type of vehicle and costs a couple thousand to get fixed. Dodge dealership said this happens a lot with their vans.

NHTSA ODI 11696379

The lock actuators on my 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan sliding passenger doors are both frozen, so the doors are not able to be opened at all. The doors for the backseat are unusable, and passengers must climb in through the back hatch door of the van. My car began smoking from the engine (visible from the hood), and I had to pull my vehicle over. My children were unable to exit the vehicle in a swift manner, because they had to leave through the rear hatch of the vehicle instead of opening the doors next to their seats. This is extremely unsafe and seems to be a widespread safety risk with this vehicle. The company issued an extended warranty in 2025, but because my vehicle was purchased in 2018 and I commuted to my job, my vehicle is over the 100,000 mile qualifier now. It wasn't at 100,000 miles when the doors seized up. Dodge/Chrysler should recall this lock actuator part, because passenger safely should come first. An extended warranty that excludes drivers now over 100,000 miles is not acceptable. This defect could have caused my children to become trapped in a burning vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11695715

I purchased the vehicle on 9/15/2025 at approximately 103,900 miles. Around 10/6/25 at approximately 103,982 miles the driver side sliding door actuator has failed causing the door to get stuck in the lock position and creating a safety hazard. I reached out to Dodge today and spoke with a representative by the name of Lynn and they've declined to repair.

NHTSA ODI 11695198

The engine began stalling and reving while driving. It is at the shop with an estimate of 2500.00 to 4000.00 to repair due to faulty cylinder #2. Researching this, we are not the first to have issues. As stated by my repair place, it’s a ticking time bomb waiting for it to cause a serious major incident and possible injuries. Vehicle is less than 8 years old and less than 100,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11685161

I first had this happen months ago and now I found another place to post about it. The locking and unlocking motor on the passenger sliding door is making a horrible noise and buzzing sound. This happens every time you lock or unlock it. It also happens when it locks automatically when you drive. It is horribly loud that it wakes up the baby and toddler every time. My mechanic has looked at it and knew exactly what was wrong right away. The motor is just and needs replaced. He said it's very common for the dodge motor in the sliding doors to need replacing. He's shocked it hasn't been recalled yet. He's also had many people have kids locked in the vans due to the motor basically burning out. He said it definitely needs replaced and should've been recalled by now. Also be prepared to climb over seats to get the baby and toddler out when they finally stop working all together. The fact that my small mechanics shop has seen many issues with the locking motor definitely tells me dodge isn't putting safety first at all.

NHTSA ODI 11682592

SEAT HEADREST EXPLODED RANDOMLY. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR CAUSE FOR THIS. IT JUST DEPLOYED OUT OF NOWHERE. THIS WAS THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HEAD REST. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT AT THE TIME.

NHTSA ODI 11678427

The contact owns 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that upon reversing and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle lost motive power. The contact turned off the vehicle, and four bystanders assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle into a parking spot. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that an unknown computer software chip needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000(Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA ODI 11677223

The driver's side sliding door on this minivan became stuck shut. I had to remove my disabled son through the open window. Not being able to remove him quickly in an emergency because the door has become sealed shut is unacceptable. I cannot believe there is no manual override. I was able to solve this issue by forcing the unlock lever while pressing 'unlock' on the keyfob. However, the main reason I write this complaint, numerous people on various forums report an actuator shorting out in their doors causing this issue, meaning they cannot open the door, by any means, without this actuator being repaired. I cannot for the life of me believe that a system was engineered to not have a simple manual override on a car door. This is beyond me how this got cleared by any sort of regulatory body. If that actuator gets cooked in a fire, I guess the occupants of the car will too.

NHTSA ODI 11677269

The headrest on the driver’s seat burst open and deployed while waiting in a parking lot.. A very loud and awful exploded to the back of my head and ringing of the ears.

NHTSA ODI 11677284

Vehicle: 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan Component/System: Sliding door lock actuator Is the part available for inspection upon request? Yes Description of the Issue: The sliding door lock actuator failed, causing the door to remain locked at all times. The door cannot be opened manually or using the power door controls. This renders the door completely inoperable. Safety Risk: This is a significant safety hazard. In the event of an emergency, passengers—especially children seated in the rear—cannot exit the vehicle through this door. It severely limits evacuation routes and could result in injury or death if occupants are trapped during an accident or fire. Has the issue been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? Not yet. Issue is ongoing and appointment is pending. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before the failure? No warning lamps or messages appeared. The door simply stopped responding to manual or power lock/unlock commands. When did the issue occur? June 2025. The door has remained inoperable since. Assessment: Based on consumer forums and other reports, this appears to be a known and widespread issue with this model, likely caused by a defective actuator design.

NHTSA ODI 11676537