1996 Dodge Caravan problems
Owners have filed 2,178 complaints about the 1996 Dodge Caravan with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 11.9% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of air bags at 11.7%.
Complaints2,178
Crashes74
Fires66
Injuries102
Deaths9
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 11.9% · 260
Air bags 11.7% · 255
Fuel system, gasoline 10.8% · 236
Electrical system 10.7% · 234
Power train 9.2% · 200
Service brakes, hydraulic 8.0% · 175
Visibility 6.0% · 131
Vehicle speed control 5.4% · 117
Severity
Of those complaints, 74 describe a crash, 66 describe a fire, 102 report an injury and 9 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 22 model years of the Dodge Caravan in this data, 1996 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filing volume has held steady, 9 in the last three years against 9 in the three before.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 96,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Defect in head gasket caused oil to leak causing the air idle valve control,pcv,fuel filter, hormica balancing board, throttle,water pump, theromstat, iignition module to have to be repaired . Timing belt was recall Dodge did not put it on right causing to head gasket to leak. Timing belt covers was never replace when it was recalled.Was not notified of this recall timing belt broken while driving. Engine and engine cooling
The consumer heard a rattle in the engine. The consumer was told the cover in front of the engine was removed and the tensioner bearing had fallen apart. The timing belt and tensioner was replaced. There was a delay in the shift, and the consumer had to take his foot off of the gas to get the shift up. When the transmission was cold, it would delay engaging in reverse from park. Scc Engine and engine cooling · reported at 47,268 miles
The warning light came on for the egr valve. Dealer has replaced the egr valve. Vehicle uses less fuel now. Van shakes left and right at 37mph, and up/down at 48 mph. At first, dealer denie dproblem. However, after they checked other vans and found same problem. Consumer believes shaking has to do with a faulty torque converter. Also , multi-function switch malfunctioned. Engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…