1996 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 1,137 complaints · 11 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (161 complaints · 14.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 29
  • Fires 41
  • Injuries 38
  • Deaths 7
Compare with 1995 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 161 of 1,137 owner complaints (14.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 161 complaints, 14.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 161 · 14.2% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 156 complaints, 13.7% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 156 · 13.7% · 1 crash reports 10 fire reports ENGINE: 134 complaints, 11.8% of reports ENGINE 134 · 11.8% · 2 crash reports 22 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 109 complaints, 9.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 109 · 9.6% · 1 crash reports 5 fire reports AIR BAGS: 92 complaints, 8.1% of reports AIR BAGS 92 · 8.1% · 11 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 78 complaints, 6.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 78 · 6.9% · 4 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 72 complaints, 6.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 72 · 6.3% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 64 complaints, 5.6% of reports VISIBILITY 64 · 5.6% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 46 complaints, 4.1% of reports STEERING 46 · 4.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 857 complaints, 75.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 857 · 75.4% · 19 crash reports 37 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 161 14.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 156 13.7% 1 crashes · 10 fires
ENGINE 134 11.8% 2 crashes · 22 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 109 9.6% 1 crashes · 5 fires
AIR BAGS 92 8.1% 11 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 78 6.9% 4 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 72 6.3% 1 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 64 5.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 46 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 857 75.4% 19 crashes · 37 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1996; the first recall shown was reported in Sep 1995. 1996-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 1996-Q4: 21 owner reports 21 1997-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 1997-Q2: 27 owner reports 27 1997-Q3: 29 owner reports 29 1997-Q4: 32 owner reports 32 1998-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 1998-Q2: 22 owner reports 22 1998-Q3: 37 owner reports 37 1998-Q4: 23 owner reports 23 1999-Q1: 29 owner reports 29 1999-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 1999-Q3: 47 owner reports 47 1999-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2000-Q1: 37 owner reports 37 2000-Q2: 59 owner reports 59 2000-Q3: 44 owner reports 44 2000-Q4: 43 owner reports 43 2001-Q1: 77 owner reports 77 2001-Q2: 55 owner reports 55 2001-Q3: 60 owner reports 60 2001-Q4: 31 owner reports 31 2002-Q1: 57 owner reports 57 2002-Q2: 41 owner reports 41 2002-Q3: 45 owner reports 45 2002-Q4: 28 owner reports 28 2003-Q1: 27 owner reports 27 2003-Q2: 19 owner reports 19 2003-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 2003-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2004-Q1: 24 owner reports 24 2004-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2004-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2004-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Sep 1995 Apr 2022 Recall campaign 95I004000 ◆ Recall campaign 95I004000 Recall campaign 95V225000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V225000 Recall campaign 95V236000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V236000 Recall campaign 96V006000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V006000 Recall campaign 96V002000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V002000 Recall campaign 96V136000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V136000 Recall campaign 97I001000 ◆ Recall campaign 97I001000 Recall campaign 98V185000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V185000 Recall campaign 99V216000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V216000 Recall campaign 00V268000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V268000 Recall campaign 02V293000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V293000 Investigation PE95053 ● Investigation PE95053 Investigation PE96008 ● Investigation PE96008 Investigation PE96051 ● Investigation PE96051 Investigation SQ96016 ● Investigation SQ96016 Investigation EA97002 ● Investigation EA97002 Investigation EA97003 ● Investigation EA97003 Investigation PE99010 ● Investigation PE99010 Investigation EA99013 ● Investigation EA99013 Investigation RQ00008 ● Investigation RQ00008 Investigation PE00032 ● Investigation PE00032 Investigation EA01007 ● Investigation EA01007
  • Campaign 99V216000 was reported 1,092 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 00V268000 was reported 1,493 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V293000 was reported 2,248 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1996-Q1 Owner reports 2
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q3 Owner reports 14
1996-Q4 Owner reports 21
1997-Q1 Owner reports 20
1997-Q2 Owner reports 27
1997-Q3 Owner reports 29
1997-Q4 Owner reports 32
1998-Q1 Owner reports 8
1998-Q2 Owner reports 22
1998-Q3 Owner reports 37
1998-Q4 Owner reports 23
1999-Q1 Owner reports 29
1999-Q2 Owner reports 18
1999-Q3 Owner reports 47
1999-Q4 Owner reports 40
2000-Q1 Owner reports 37
2000-Q2 Owner reports 59
2000-Q3 Owner reports 44
2000-Q4 Owner reports 43
2001-Q1 Owner reports 77
2001-Q2 Owner reports 55
2001-Q3 Owner reports 60
2001-Q4 Owner reports 31
2002-Q1 Owner reports 57
2002-Q2 Owner reports 41
2002-Q3 Owner reports 45
2002-Q4 Owner reports 28
2003-Q1 Owner reports 27
2003-Q2 Owner reports 19
2003-Q3 Owner reports 18
2003-Q4 Owner reports 14
2004-Q1 Owner reports 24
2004-Q2 Owner reports 11
2004-Q3 Owner reports 14
2004-Q4 Owner reports 8
2005-Q1 Owner reports 5
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 5
2005-Q4 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 5
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 4
2008-Q3 Owner reports 4
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 95I004000
Recall campaign 1 95V225000
Recall campaign 1 95V236000
Recall campaign 1 96V006000
Recall campaign 1 96V002000
Recall campaign 1 96V136000
Recall campaign 1 97I001000
Recall campaign 1 98V185000
Recall campaign 1 99V216000
Recall campaign 1 00V268000
Recall campaign 1 02V293000
Defect investigation 1 PE95053
Defect investigation 1 PE96008
Defect investigation 1 PE96051
Defect investigation 1 SQ96016
Defect investigation 1 EA97002
Defect investigation 1 EA97003
Defect investigation 1 PE99010
Defect investigation 1 EA99013
Defect investigation 1 RQ00008
Defect investigation 1 PE00032
Defect investigation 1 EA01007
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (11)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V268000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SEAL ON THE VEHICLE FUEL RAILS TO PREVENT EXTERNAL LEAKAGE OF FUEL FROM THE FUEL RAIL CROSSOVER TUBE, SHOULD THE EXISTING O-RINGS CONTINUE TO DEGRADE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JANUARY 25, 2002. DUE TO THE LARGE QUANTITY OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN, THE OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE PHASED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. HOWEVER, IF A VEHICLE IS LEAKING FUEL FROM THE O-RINGS, THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO A DEALER TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V293000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION WILL MANIFEST ITSELF THROUGH ILLUMINATION OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP, AND COULD EVENTUALLY RESULT IN A DRIVER'S AIR BAG OPEN CIRCUIT, IF THE PART IS NOT REPLACED IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY ON ALL VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS. AN EXTENDED LIFETIME WARRANTY WILL ALSO BE PLACED ON THIS COMPONENT FOR ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL ALSO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAVE PAID TO HAVE THE CLOCKSPRING REPLACED ON THEIR VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 18, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95I004000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    CHRYSLER DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH CHILD SEAT ASSEMBLIES WITH REVISED SEATS CONTAINING RETRACTOR IMPROVEMENTS. THE REVISED SEATS WILL ALSO INCREASE CHILD COMFORT BY INCORPORATING PROTECTIVE SEAT BELT WRAPS TO PREVENT BELT CHAFE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V225000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, THE BOLT MAY FAIL AND CAN CAUSE THE SEAT TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE SEAT RISERS, WHICH INCREASES THE POTENTIALOF INJURY TO ITS OCCUPANTS.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR BENCH SEAT TO RISER BOLTS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V236000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL LEAKAGE INCREASES THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK FILLER TUBE WITH A FILLER TUBE THAT HAS AN ADDITIONAL ROLLOVER VALVE. THE ASSOCIATED ROLLOVER VALVE VAPOR HOSES WILL BE REROUTED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V002000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE A SPARK TO OCCUR WHEN FUELING THE VEHICLE AND POSSIBLY IGNITE THE FUEL VAPORS.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A GROUND STRAP FOR THE FUEL FILLER TUBE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V006000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    INADEQUATE SEALING AND RETENTION OF THE PLUG CAN RESULT IN OIL LEAKAGE WHICH COULD CAUSE A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN EXPANSION PLUG AND RETAINING BRACKET OVER THE CYLINDER HEAD OIL GALLEY PLUG.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V136000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT, THE CHILD SEAT MAY NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO THE OCCUPANT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE INTEGRATED CHILD SEAT MODULE BOLTS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97I001000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    THE LATCH PLATE LOCATED IN THE SEAT CUSHION AREA MUST BE FREE TO MOVE BACK AGAINST ITS STOP AFTER THE BUCKLE IS REMOVED TO ALLOW THE SHOULDER BELTS TO BE PULLED OUT. ALWAYS BE SURE THE AREA AROUND THE LATCH PLATE IS FREE OF FOOD OR OTHER ITEMS THAT MIGHT PREVENT THE LATCH PLATE FROM MOVING BACK.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH A VIDEO TAPE AND 2 HARNESS CLIPS. THE VIDEO TAPE INSTRUCTS OWNERS ON THE PROPER USE AND MAINTENANCE OF THE CHILD SEATS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V185000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS CAN CAUSE DIFFICULTY IN RELEASING A CHILD FROM THE RESTRAINT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL CLEAN THE LATCH MECHANISM. AN EXTENDER WILL BE ADDED TO THE EMERGENCY RELEASE ANCHOR FOR THE CHILD SEAT SAFETY BELTS SO THAT THE RELEASE CLIPS ARE MORE VISIBLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE OPERATOR IN THE EVENT THAT THE RETRACTOR MECHANISM CAN NOT BE UNLOCKED. IN ADDITION, AN INSTRUCTIONAL OWNER'S MANUAL SUPPLEMENT CARD WILL BE PROVIDED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V216000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    IF A FUEL LEAK OCCURS IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP MODULE ATTACHING NUT WITH A NUT THAT INCLUDES TIGHTER DESIGN TOLERANCES. THE SEALING O-RING WILL ALSO BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 1,137 complaints · page 1 of 46

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources