2018 Dodge Grand Caravan complaints

Vehicle requires repair for Transmission part failure at 69,000 miles. Multiple mechanics and online complaint records show transmission issues as a common problem for this make and model. Owners should not be facing a major engine repair of over $3500 when the vehicle is 5 years old and just past the power train warranty period.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that after reversing out of a parking space and coasting to exit the parking lot, the driver’s and passenger’s side air bags deployed unintendedly and without impact. The air bags within both the driver’s and passenger’s side seats also deployed. The dealer was made aware of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure was 113,626.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated the passenger’s side sliding door failed to open properly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the passenger’s side sliding door actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on July 1, 2023, the driver’s sliding door also experienced the failure and failed to open properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,500.

My POWERTRAIN/TRANSMISSION failed. I have 91,000 miles on this vehicle. the vehicle began to accelerate on its own while in traffic. I had just dropped my children off at school luckily. I was able to get the vehicle out of traffic safely. As I tried to turn around and go home it accelerated again. There were no warning signs, lights, or malfunctions prior to this happening. I called roadside to come get the vehicle. I am waiting for a diagnosis now. I have spoken to dodge and they are aware this happened. I accidentally misquoted the mileage at 97,000. It has 91,121.

Drivers side sliding door will not open. I am an automotive technician and i aware of the previous investigation into this issue that resulted in extended coverage on previous model 2015-2017 year Grand caravans and Town and countrys, but mnow im here with a 2018 Grand caravan, same defect,same part, not covered.This is a common safety issue and this specail coverage needs to be extended to cover up to 2020 model years as they all have the same common defect with inoperable door latches.

The actuators on the front door and one sliding door are not working. This causes my rear doors to not lock. A child could open the door while the car is moving since it is not able to be locked. A similar issue was investigated and a longer recall period was provided for 2015-2017 grand caravans, but this is obviously an issue with 2018s as well.

While I was driving my headrest exploded. Causing a loud noise and my neck hurts with nausea and dizziness. It was so scary and painful. Something about AHR problem

The passenger sliding door on the driver’s side will lock up and has no mechanism that allows me to open/close the door manually. Essentially my passenger(s) are stuck on that side. I cannot use the overhead button near the rear view mirror or the button on the back near the door. I have tried to manually open the door and it does nothing either. This seems like a safety hazard that the door lock will not release up either.

Driver's side back door is stuck in the closed position. Unable to open from outside, unable to open via key fob and unable to open from roof panel. The lock appears to be in between the lock and unlock position. From my understanding its the actuator that needs to be replaced. This door has not been used near as often as the passenger back door and it has no issues. I see online where lots of people with different year models having this same issue. Some have recvd a letter of recall however I have not.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side sliding door failed to unlock as designed. The contact that stated that she attempted to unlock the door using the key fob and manually from the inside and outside the vehicle however, the door failed to unlock as designed. Additionally, the contact stated that prior to the door failing to unlock, she had heard a buzzing sound while operating the sliding door. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

Faulty lock actuator on driver’s side sliding door. I could not get my child unbuckled and out of the vehicle without climbing all the way in to the van from the other side. I looked it up and it seems this is a well known problem to Dodge. This is incredibly unsafe and concerning!

There is a faulty lock actuator in the sliding door. My door is suddenly stuck closed and I could not open it. My child was inside and I could not get my child out of her car seat without having to climb all the way into the van from the other side. This is incredibly unsafe and concerning. And apparently it is a well known issue.

Cylinder 2 misfire on V-6 engine. van has 66,000 miles. run good. appears there are no air or fuel leaks. Dodge dealer in our town went out of business. No dealer for 40 miles. Car belonged to my parents for 3 years prior and they never had any problems. Van has been serviced regularly. shouldn't there be a recall on this. google is loaded with the same complaint and it says probably a bad head.

While I was driving, I was hit in the back of the head causing me to get dizzy. I thought someone was in my van and punched me. I slammed on my brakes and jumped out. No one was in there. It was my headrest that deployed. I didn’t know that a headrest deploying was a thing. I noticed a small plastic piece on my seat. After looking at the headrest, it’s visibly broke. I have a migraine headache, left side neck pain, and have to drive with my seat back further as to not have my head tilted forward when driving. Had I been going faster this could have no doubt caused an accident.

Both sliding doors on my dodge caravan stop locking/unlocking. The driver side door stopped working while in the locked position and the door will not unlock from inside or outside of the vehicle. This is a safety hazard, especially while having kids in the back and the door will not open at all. I have read online that this is a common issue, but is not a recall. This should be a recall since the door just stopped working. What happens when both stop working in a vehicle and the person has no way to get people out of the back, especially if it is used as a handicapped vehicle.

WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE ENGINE IDLE WAS ROUGH. I CHECKED THE CODE AND IT WAS A MISFIRE IN CYLINDER #2. I HAD THE SPARK PLUGS CHANGED AND THE VAN STILL IDLED ROUGH AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. IT LOSES POWER ON ACCELERATION. I HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT IT AND THEY FOUND A DEFECTIVE VALVE GUIDE IN THE CYLINDER. THEY STATED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE. HE SAID IT IS A COMPRESSION ISSUE.

The power locks in each door have failed and no door is accessible from the outside with exception to the drivers side front door. I am no longer able to open the passenger door nor the drivers side and passengers side sliding doors. This began while my kids were in the van and they were unable to get out without climbing through the van. The lock actuators in every single door have failed. There does not seem to be a root cause. I locked the van one evening and found the drivers side door no longer unlocked with the fob. Shortly after, the passengers side door lock failed altogether. As of tonight, both sliding doors cannot be unlocked and are jammed shut. There is no damage, this just appears to be a mechanical failure.

In June 2022 the driver's side sliding door became stuck in the locked position. It was difficult to get my young children in/out of the vehicle safely. I took the van to the dealership where I was charged over $900 to have the actuator replaced (See attached). From doing research online, I see that there is a known issue with this specific part for vehicles produced in 2015-2017 and an extended warranty was given to those vehicles because it was found to be unsafe. (NO. D-21-15 see attached) Unfortunately, my vehicle was produced in November 2017 and the extended warranty only covers vehicles up to January 2017. From my understanding, this part is not supposed to break or have to be replaced. The problem with this piece of the vehicle is clearly still an issue with vehicles produced after January 2017. As of Sunday, March 26, 2023 I am now having the same issue AGAIN with the other passenger side sliding door and will need the actuator replaced.

Transmission leak leading to transmission needing to be rebuilt

Drivers door lock actuator failed. Drivers door will not lock automatically when driving. The door can be locked and unlocked manually from the inside, and by the key from the outside.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the second-row driver’s side seat belt malfunctioned and failed to unlock, causing the child to become entrapped in the car seat. With help from a family member the contact was able to eventually maneuver the child out of the car seat. During the failure, the child had stomach pains. No medical treatment was required. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 83,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the driver's side rear passenger sliding door failed to unlock. The contact was unable to unlock the door. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the door lock actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact stated that both rear passenger’s side sliding doors failed to unlock as designed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Check engine light came on. Vehicle would shake and have trouble accelerating when I put my foot on the gas pedal, it was worse if gone above 45 MPH. Vehicle was sent to mechanic for diagnosis and repair. P0302 code was read for #2 fuel cylinder misfire. PCV valve, Coil pack, All spark plugs, & Fuel injector were replaced. Check engine light is still on. Vehicle cannot be operated under mechanics safety recommendation. There is still a cylinder 2 misfire. Car can stall at anytime if operated. Dodge dealership have been notified and said there are no recalls. Warranty only covers up to 60,000 for power train issues. I’ve called another shop as well for a 3rd opinion, the engine has been failing in many vehicles with the same code.

Sliding doors stuck in lock position from the actuator

Left sliding door actuator frozen. Unable to exit car if there is an emergency.

Rear passenger door is stuck in the lock position due to a faulty Lock Actuator. Huge. safety. risk and a known issue.

Drivers side sliding door actuator broke leaving door in locked position. Unable to manually or electrically unlock door to open it. While researching this found passenger side door actuator broken leaving door in unlocked position. Unable to manually or electrically lock door.

The trim located on the driver’s side door (next to the window, on the side of the window closest to the rear of the vehicle) came off while we were driving 70 mph down a highway. It hit near the window of the passenger door (on the driver’s side, where a child was seated), causing damage to our vehicle, and then continued to fly, thankfully not hitting any vehicles behind us. I report it because we have family who also have this same type of van and the exact same trim came off of the exact same spot. And I have seen multiple, multiple of the same type of vans since with the same exact missing trim. This is a safety risk to everyone else on the road, and it was a safety risk for my own family when it came off and barely missed a window.

Driver-side sliding passenger door lock gets stuck in locked position. Will not unlock with key fob or buttons inside the car. You have to manually push the lock with great force to get it to disengage. This is a serious hazard because it effectively traps people in the backseat because you cannot manually disengage the lock. This is apparently a known issue by the manufacturer, and it costs between $1100 and $1500 to fix. No warning lights or indicators signaled this problem prior to failure. First failure of this kind started 1/23/23

My passenger side powered sliding door wont close all the way. The back part won't latch. Even if we close it manually it wont close all the way. This car is only 5 years old!! Why am I having so many problems with it. How can I feel safe driving my car when one of the doors won't close correctly?

Drivers side sliding door lock actuator failed in the locked position. Door could not be opened from the inside or outside.

ENGINE IS THROWING A PO302 CODE, CYLINDER #2 HAS LOW COMPRESSION, EXHAUST VALVE GUIDE HAS LOOSE TOLERANCE FROM MANUFACTUER, DODGE WON'T STAND BEHIND REPAIR DUE TO 2ND OWNWERSHIP, DODGE KNOWES THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND NEEDS TO COVER THE REPAIR COST. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME STATES HAVE CLASS ACTION LAW SUITS FILED, I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE OR SELL THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE CODE AND REPAIR WILL COST +$3000

Both of my sliding door actuators are seized and won't unlock/lock. Currently, my driver side sliding door is stuck in the lock position. This is a safety hazard because if my car were in an accident and my kids needed to exit the vehicle, this door not opening would be an issue. Also, my passenger side sliding door also doesn't lock. This is an issue because anyone could enter my vehicle without me knowing and either steal the vehicle or could try to harm my wife or kids by waiting inside without them knowing. I have tried to discuss this with the dealership and with Dodge, but they are unwilling to inspect the vehicle without a fee. I currently don't have enough money to get my vehicle inspected or to get the repair done. I have looked online and I do see that this issue has occurred with the same model for years 2013-2017. I have also read online of other vehicle owners having a similar problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the passenger’s side electronic sliding door could no longer be opened manually or remotely. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the door actuator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 56,000.

Cranks but no fuel fix. Possible TIPM fuel pump relay issue.

The sliding door on the driver's side is locked closed and it cannot be unlocked or opened. The sliding door on the passenger's side can be opened and closed, but cannot be locked. As such, that door can be opened when the van is driven. The door locking failures occurred without any warning. According to the mechanic, both failures were due to worn door latches, which can be repaired/replaced for more $1,300 each in parts and labor. The van was purchased used more than 5 months ago with an odometer reading of 61,380 miles. The odometer read 71,173 miles when the van was dropped off today to have the door latches fixed. A request was made for all replaced components and parts to be retained for inspection, if warranted at a later date.

The rear driverside sliding door was stuck in the lock position for several months. It was inconvenient that the actuator stopped working on the door. After months of it being stuck it suddenly works, but everytime the door s lock the rear driverside sliding doors locking system makes a buzzer sound while locking. If this fails again and we need to leave the car quickly in an emergency not having both doors working properly could be very dangerous.

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving approximately 6 MPH and crossing a railroad track, the driver's side front and driver's side rear passenger’s side air bags deployed. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the police were on scene and filed a police report. The contact stated that the air bags deployed with force and damaged the side sliding door. The contact stated that the sliding door could not be opened. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that his insurance provider was sending an appraiser to inspect the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Passenger door lock actuator stuck in the unlock position. When manually locked, actuator began buzzing when unlocking using electric methods. The van will not always unlock the doors via key fob since this has happened. I have small kids, and in the event of an emergency, it is important to be able to reliable unlock the rear doors if vehicle evacuation were necessary. I am in the processes of ordering a replacement actuator and will self install, but will keep the original on hand if the need arrises for it to be inspected. The vehicle has not been looked at by anybody other than myself as I do my own mechanic work.

My cars engine light came on. First I thought it’s was after a fill up of gas. Then it went off. Days later I went to go home from work and the car just wouldn’t start. I had to have it towed- the mechanic stated it’s always a problem em with dodge caravans it’s the engine. I towed it to my normal mechanic which replaced the battery and lo and behold engine light is on. Took it to the dodge dealership and it’s a cylinder head that needs to be replaced. This car is 4 years old, just at 75,000. In the ordinal owner and maintenances as suggested by manufacturer. This is unsafe and I cannot drive my children around in this vehicle. This is a known issue with these. My mechanic had another one in his shop with the same issue, but only 45,000 miles. I cannot drive this car, as it will continue to crack and cash a fatality with my children in the car.

The driver side sliding read door is stuck in the lock position. The door is unable to be opened manually in case of an emergency. This is a known problem with these vans and it is a safety issue. To fix this problem a part needs to be replaced, the "door lock actuator", which is costly. This should be fixed by the manufacturer as it can be dangerous if my family is stuck because of an accident and there is no way to force the door open. This problem could also happen to the sliding door. I have small children and I worry about this issue. My van only has 64,000 miles and I bough the vehicle used just six months ago. Prior to the failure the door would make a buzzing sound and seem to struggle to close. There should at least be a way to operate the door manually for safety reasons and that is not the case. This is dangerous.

Power control module or Totally Integrated Power Module(TIPM) is giving multiple faulty codes. Car would not turn off(even when key is taken off) some times can not be put into gears. I'm afraid and concerned that vehicle could derail and not respond correctly. Veicle has been inspected by mechanics but failed to locate problem. An schedule has been made at Dodge dealership for Octuber 10. They will charge $160 just to inspect. Vehicle VIN # not included in the recalls with the same issue.

Every time I unlock the door or lock it it makes this loud buzzing noise,

Left side passenger door stuck and will not open. Minivan was manufactured 12-2017 according to door sticker information.

The front seat passenger headrest broke open (the back of the headrest separated from the front which should only happen in a rear end collision) without cause. It appears to be a known problem with this seat headrest as noted on other Dodge vehicles which have recalls. If somebody was sitting in the sit when this happened, it would have resulted in a head and neck injury. The 2018 Dodge Caravan should also be on the list of having AHR (Active Headrest Restraint) system that is malfunctioning. This happened on September 5, 2022.

The sliding rear passenger door (on the driver’s side) will not open. It happened without warning; after some internet research, it appears that is a frequently occurring issue with models of Dodge Grand Caravans. I’m the event of an emergency the side door panel would be difficult to escape. I have yet to take it a repairman for evaluation.

Passenger sliding door alternates from locking and cannot open to will not lock. This is a safety issue when trying to extricate my great grandchildren from their car seats!

Around February 2022 the passenger side sliding door on our 2018 Dodge Caravan began making a buzzing noise when we locked and unlocked the door. It made this buzzing noise for a few months, until eventually it made no sound at all and was stuck in the lock position. We were not able to get it out of the lock position and cannot open the door. This is problematic because this is the side of the van our kids exit to go to school. It's not safe for them to exit on the driver side of the vehicle due to traffic. It's also problematic if we need to exit the passenger side door during an accident if the driver side doors and hatch are inaccessible. There were no warning lamps or messages associated with this problem. On July 25, 2022 a mechanic identified the issue and indicated the door lock actuator needs to be replaced at a cost >$500.

2018 Dodge Caravan (52,000 miles) Rear sliding passenger door will not open under any circumstances. Door is in locked position and cannot be opened manually from the outside or inside of vehicle. Door will not open electrically with the key fob or the overhead console button. Door actuator is frozen in the locked position. If passenger in rear seat on passenger side had to get out of vehicle in an emergency they would have to exit using another door. It is my understanding that Chrysler is aware of potential safety issues with this situation occurring and I have seen several class action lawsuits regarding this online.

Rear passenger door is stuck in closed position. No way to override actuator to allow door to open. This is an for the rear passenger in the event they need to exit that door.