1994 Dodge Caravan Problems and Recalls (642 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 1994 Dodge Caravan is Transmission / driveline (14% of 642 owner reports). There are 5 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 1994 Dodge Caravan?
92 of 642 filings named Transmission / driveline (14% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Airbags (80 reports).
There are 5 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Steering and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 1993 has 941 reports on file; this year has 642. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 91
- Fires 6
- Injuries 102
- Deaths 3
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 92 | 14.3% | 4 crashes · 1 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 80 | 12.5% | 46 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 71 | 11.1% | 7 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 56 | 8.7% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 50 | 7.8% | 7 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 33 | 5.1% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 32 | 5.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 25 | 3.9% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) | 25 | 3.9% | 6 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 573 | 89.3% | 79 crashes · 6 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 95I001001 was reported 83 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 95I001005 was reported 83 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 99V213000 was reported 1,679 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 00V305000 was reported 1,991 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-Q1 | Owner reports | 44 | |
| 1995-Q2 | Owner reports | 44 | |
| 1995-Q3 | Owner reports | 28 | |
| 1995-Q4 | Owner reports | 29 | |
| 1996-Q1 | Owner reports | 40 | |
| 1996-Q2 | Owner reports | 23 | |
| 1996-Q3 | Owner reports | 24 | |
| 1996-Q4 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 1997-Q1 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 1997-Q2 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 1997-Q3 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 1997-Q4 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 1998-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 1998-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 1998-Q3 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 1998-Q4 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 1999-Q1 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 1999-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 1999-Q3 | Owner reports | 42 | |
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 23 | |
| 2000-Q1 | Owner reports | 33 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 23 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2000-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2001-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 95I001001 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 95I001005 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V113000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 99V213000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 00V305000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA94005 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE96008 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP96014 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE97046 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE97049 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA98006 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ00011 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP03002 |
Safety Recalls (5)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Steering and Body / frame.
-
Recall campaign 00V305000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- IF THE STEERING WHEEL SEPARATES FROM THE CENTER HUB ATTACHMENT TO THE STEERING COLUMN, LOSS OF CONTROL CAN OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ACCIDENT.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING WHEEL FOR CRACKS AND ANY WHEELS WITH CRACKS WILL BE REPLACED. ALL OTHER VEHICLES WILL HAVE A REINFORCEMENT PLATE INSTALLED TO PREVENT STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION IN THE EVENT CRACKING OCCURS.
-
Recall campaign 95I001001
Safety recall 95I001001
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- IF THE LIFTGATE LATCH OPENS, OCCUPANTS CAN BE EJECTED RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH.
- Remedy:
- CHRYSLER DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LIFTGATE LATCH WITH A NEW STRONGER LATCH ASSEMBLY WITHOUT CHARGE. CHRYSLER BEGAN NOTIFYING OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1995.
-
Recall campaign 95I001005
Safety recall 95I001005
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- IF THE LIFTGATE LATCH OPENS, OCCUPANTS CAN BE EJECTED RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH.
- Remedy:
- CHRYSLER WILL REPLACE THE LIFTGATE LATCH WITH A NEW STRONGER LATCH ASSEMBLY WITHOUT CHARGE. CHRYSLER BEGAN NOTIFYING OWNERS DURING DECEMBER 1995.
-
Recall campaign 99V113000
Safety recall 99V113000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN INJURE A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL PERFORM AN ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTIC CHECK. ANY SHORT CIRCUITS IDENTIFIED IN EITHER THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG INITIATOR WIRE CIRCUIT WILL BE REPAIRED.
-
Recall campaign 99V213000
Body / frame
- Report date
- Component:
- Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
- Consequence:
- PERSONAL INJURY COULD OCCUR IF THE BOLTS BREAK ALLOWING THE LIFTGATE TO FALL SUDDENLY.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR LOOSE FASTENERS, IF THE FASTENERS ARE LOOSE, THE STRUT (AND INTEGRAL BOLTS) WILL BE REPLACED. IF THE BOLT SHOWS EVIDENCE OF TORQUE, THE BOLT WILL BE REMOVED, LARGER WASHERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING WASHER AND THE BOLT WILL BE REINSTALLED AND HAND TIGHTENED TO THE TARGET TORQUED.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 1994 Dodge Caravan?
Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 92 of 642 reports (14%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 1994 Dodge Caravan?
NHTSA lists 5 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Steering and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 1994 Dodge Caravan?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.