1998 Dodge Caravan Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a serpentine belt that comes off the pulleys — frequently in rain or when driving through standing water — and transmissions that fail early, sometimes with a differential pin breaking through the housing. Air bag light and horn/cruise control failures related to the clock spring, plus aging headlight lenses and instrument clusters, are the other recurring themes.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag light on, horn and cruise control dead

   • 86 complaints (14%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2019

   Owners report the air bag warning light staying on, often along with the horn and cruise control stopping working, and dealers or mechanics identifying the clock spring in the steering wheel hub as the cause. Several owners say their van was not covered by the clock spring recalls because of its build date or VIN, and paid for the repair themselves. Reported from roughly 45,000 to 100,000 miles, with some at higher mileage.

   Recall 02V293000Recall 04V480000

   What to check: Turn the key on and confirm the air bag light goes out, and test the horn and cruise control; ask whether the clock spring has been replaced and whether any open recall applies by VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 1998 Dodge Caravan has a failed clockspring, which has caused the airbag light to stay on and the horn and cruise control to not work. I understand that my van is not in the original recall for the clockspring because of the manufacture date, which is to late. The bill for the repairs is approx $210.00 (currently at the dealship). Please include all 1998 caravans in the recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10056390, filed 2004-02, 90,000 miles

   “Air bag light will not go off. Lost use of horn. Replaced transmission in february 2003, this car is terrible. Mechanic advised me that the clock spring is off, suggested I take it to the dealer. I will do so and am purchasing a new car. Do not feel safe riding with kids in car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10060848, filed 2004-03, 77,950 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Serpentine belt slips off or shreds

   • 76 complaints (12%)
   • median 91,929 mi at 7.3 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2018

   Owners describe the serpentine belt coming off, shredding or wearing out, often after driving in rain, through standing water or in wet conditions. Some report several replacements, with belt and pulley or tensioner work done; a few mention the belt tensioner arm breaking and damaging pulleys. When the belt comes off, owners say they lose power steering, power brakes, alternator charging and coolant circulation, and several say the belt came off again after repair. Reported from roughly 3,000 to 150,000 miles, most often tied to wet weather or puddles.

   What to check: Ask whether the belt, tensioner and pulleys have been replaced and whether the same failure has repeated; inspect the belt and tensioner for wear, and note any belt work in the service records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On my wife's 1998 Dodge Caravan, the idler serpentine belt tensioner arm completely broke off causing alot of noise under the hood, loss of power steering, and loss of alternator battery recharge. It also caused some damage to the other pulleys. I've owned many cars and this has never happened on other makes. This is a safety hazard that can leave anybody in the middle of no where.”

   NHTSA complaint #10025938, filed 2003-07, 91,929 miles

   “The serpentine belt slips off when you drive through water. Losing the belt causes dangerous steering changes and stops the water pump and alternator. The most recent time this happened I almost lost control of the car and had a near miss head on crash problem has happened 5 times on my car and two friends who have the same model Caravan have also had problems with it. Dims 11 ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis---------770765.”

   NHTSA complaint #10006535, filed 2002-12, 45,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission failure and broken internal pin

   • 84 complaints (13%)
   • median 72,500 mi at 5.8 yrs old (34 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,140 (median of 15 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2010

   Complaints describe transmissions that slip, jerk, hum or stop driving, sometimes with a differential pin coming loose and punching through the case. Owners report rebuilt or replacement transmissions, and in a few cases the replacement units failed the same way or arrived cracked. Several say the dealer or manufacturer declined help once the vehicle was out of warranty. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 100,000 miles, with a few at higher mileage.

   What to check: Check for slipping, delayed engagement, humming or jerking on a test drive and ask for transmission service or replacement records; look for fluid leaks or cracks at the case.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 1998 Dodge Caravan sport with 57000 miles. Today 7/2/03 the transmission failed, it appears that the casting cracked due to an internal failure. I know of two other owners of the same year van that had the same problem. I contacted the chrysler district office and was told I was out of luck..”

   NHTSA complaint #10025338, filed 2003-07, 57,500 miles

   “While passing a tractor trailer on rt 422 west of pottstown without warning my rmp's shot up and I lost power. My check engine light came on. I pulled off the shoulder of the highway. The transmission was slipping and not shifting correctly. I was able to get my Caravan to quigley motors which is the local Dodge dealership. The diagnosis was 3rd gear was totally destroyed and they found alot of metal fragments in the pan. It's going to cost me $2500. To fix it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10021362, filed 2003-06, 72,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster and gauges drop out

   • 31 complaints (5%)
   • median 95,000 mi at 9.5 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2015

   Owners describe speedometer, fuel and temperature gauges dropping to zero, dashboard lights flickering or all going out at once, and occasional no-start or stalling episodes that shops could not reproduce. Some also report door locks and other accessories failing at the same time. Reported from about 85,000 to 150,000 miles, sometimes triggered by bumps in the road.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Watch the gauges during a test drive over bumps and confirm all cluster lights work; ask whether the cluster or its connectors have been repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I am the second owner of a 1998 Dodge Caravan and bought a carfax report when purchasing which was clean showing no accidents, no problems. The one recall alert on this year and model was taken care of previously. The car has generally been dependable, other than ongoing problems with the instrument cluster which fails intermittently and all the panel lights go off. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10671050, filed 2015-01, 150,677 miles

   “The instrument panel components began to turn on and off quickly like a flicker. The first instance was in aug and since then it has happened about five times. Two times the car stopped and would not start for a few minutes.”

   NHTSA complaint #10288825, filed 2009-10, 105,000 miles
5. 5
   Fuel system

   Fuel smell or leak at tank or injectors

   • 40 complaints (6%)
   • median 59,423 mi at 6.9 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2011

   Complaints describe a strong gasoline smell near or under the van, fuel leaking from the tank or lines, and fuel injectors replaced because of leakage. One owner reported an under-hood fire while parked and said the dealer told them the van was not part of the fuel rail recall by VIN. Mostly reported between about 20,000 and 80,000 miles.

   Recall 00V268000

   What to check: Check for a fuel smell after the van sits, look under the rear for wet spots around the tank, and ask whether recall 00V268000 was completed for this VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The consumer smelled a strong odor of gasoline while standing near the vehicle. Upon arriving to work the odor became stronger. The consumer looked under the vehicle and found that the gasoline was leaking from the fuel tank. There was a recall for an earlier model of this vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10083500, filed 2004-09, 61,773 miles

   “Consumer stated while driving he loss a 1/2 of tank of gas within 40 miles. Gas had leaked out. Gas tank needed to be replaced. Please provide any further information.”

   NHTSA complaint #10032517, filed 2003-08, 19,324 miles

Buying note. On this model year, focus the inspection on the belt drive and the transmission, since those account for many of the reports, and confirm by VIN which recalls — particularly the clock spring and fuel rail campaigns — have been completed. Service records showing belt, tensioner and transmission work are worth asking for.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.