2001 Dodge Caravan problems
Owners have filed 341 complaints about the 2001 Dodge Caravan with NHTSA. Air bags account for 12.6% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of steering at 9.7%.
Complaints341
Crashes9
Fires6
Injuries16
Deaths2
What owners report breaking
Air bags 12.6% · 43
Steering 9.7% · 33
Electrical system 9.7% · 33
Suspension 9.4% · 32
Exterior lighting 8.8% · 30
Visibility 5.9% · 20
Power train 5.6% · 19
Engine and engine cooling 4.7% · 16
Severity
Of those complaints, 9 describe a crash, 6 describe a fire, 16 report an injury and 2 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 22 model years of the Dodge Caravan in this data, 2001 sits 14th by complaint volume. 1996 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 7 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 52,102 miles.
In owners' own words
We own a 2001 Dodge Caravan. The air bag warning light alerted us to a problem. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a failure of the clockspring. A recall was recently issued for clockspring failures on the 1999 and 2000 caravans. The dealer, for a cost of $255.48, Replaced the part. Apparently the problem was not resolved on the 2001 models. I believe the potential problem exists and should be addressed. Air bags · reported at 52,000 miles
Driver's air bag warning light comes on. When this happens the horn will not operate. The problem sometimes goes away when the steering wheel is turned. My concern is that the air bag may not deploy if I were in an accident.*Ak also, the horn may not work when needed I.E. If a child runs out in front of my van. This is an unsafe condition. Air bags · reported at 19,900 miles
Dt: contact complained about the recall of earlier models of the same car where the clock spring in the steering column was bad. The steering was not affected .This caused the horn and cruise control to malfunction. The air bag light came on intermittently. Contact called Dodge and told them.He had this problem for the past week. Air bags · reported at 87,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…