1999 Dodge Caravan Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the air bag warning light coming on, usually together with a dead horn and cruise control, and about rust at the front strut towers found during inspections or repairs. Transmission failures and a serpentine belt that slips off in wet weather also come up repeatedly, and many of these reports arrive on vans well past 80,000 miles, though the transmission and air bag complaints often appear much earlier.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bag light on, horn and cruise control stop working

   • 89 complaints (16%)
   • median 89,000 mi at 5.6 yrs old (56 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $400 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2016

   Owners describe the air bag warning light appearing, at first intermittently and then staying on, and the horn and cruise control quitting around the same time. Several were told by a mechanic or dealer that the clockspring in the steering wheel needed replacement, and some paid for the repair themselves. A number mention recall 04V480000; some had the recall work done and the light returned, and others say the part was unavailable or the dealer declined to do the work. Reported from roughly 50,000 to 120,000 miles, often after several years in service, with no clear weather pattern.

   Recall 04V480000

   What to check: Turn the key and confirm the air bag light goes out, then test the horn and cruise control; ask whether the 04V480000 clockspring recall was completed and whether the clockspring has been replaced since.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Airbag light is on and horn don,t work, this is a safety issue. Went and had a diagnosis done came back as squibb on drivers side. We will fix the problem by changing the clockspring for $200+.why do I have to pay for it ?and I don't understand why 1996,1997,1998 & 2000 but not 1999 a piece of electric tape covers the airbag light rather nice.”

   NHTSA complaint #10063820, filed 2004-03, 71,145 miles

   “I have a 1999 Dodge Caravan that has already had one clockspring replaced in it. I paid for this out of my pocket, since it hadn't been recalled. That was about 1 year ago. Now, the airbag light keeps coming on again and will make a ringing noise - just as it started the last time. This is undoubtedly a problem with the part. Why hasn't Dodge recalled the 99 models?”

   NHTSA complaint #10060661, filed 2004-03, 96,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Rust at the front strut towers

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe corrosion of the strut tower housings under the hood, found by mechanics, body shops or state inspectors, sometimes after a vehicle failed inspection. Owners report quotes of several hundred to over a thousand dollars to repair or replace the towers, and say the dealer treated the work as out of warranty. Several note the same finding on both sides of the vehicle. Mostly reported between about 63,000 and 170,000 miles, generally on vehicles that had been in service for many years.

   What to check: Look under the hood at the strut mounting area on both sides for bubbling paint, scaling or soft metal, and have a shop inspect the towers before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 1999 Dodge Caravan in which the strut housing is rusting out. I inquired about it some time ago but Dodge did not have a fix. This problem is a common occurrence with this vehicle . It is now at the point where it will punch through and cause the car to crash on the right side of the car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10221206, filed 2008-03, 85,000 miles

   “Upon taking our 1999 Dodge Caravan in for repairs we were informed that our lives would be at risk if we continued on driving our vehicle. It seems that the upper strut mounting house under the hood on the left side of our vehicle is severely corroded and ready to crack, the same holds true about the right side but at this time not as severe. When asked how this could have happened we were told it was a manufacturing defect which they have witnessed before in chrysler vehicles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10183434, filed 2007-02, 70,306 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Serpentine belt slips off in wet weather

   • 50 complaints (9%)
   • median 103,422 mi at 8.2 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2022

   Complaints describe the serpentine belt coming off the pulleys, most often after driving through water, slush or heavy rain, which takes out power steering along with charging and cooling. Owners report repeated belt and tensioner or idler pulley replacements without a lasting fix, and say the dealer had little to offer beyond another replacement. Some mention a service bulletin or modification kit for the symptom. Reported across a wide mileage range, roughly 40,000 to 200,000 miles, and consistently tied to wet or snowy road conditions.

   What to check: Ask whether the belt, tensioner and idler pulleys have been replaced and when, and inspect the belt and pulleys for wear; be aware that the belt can come off in wet weather.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had repeated shredding of the serpentine belt on my 1999 Dodge Caravan resulting in loss of power steering and systems shutdown (including engine) during driving. This is a serious safety issue and I have read numerous reports of the exact same failure. Brazil has recalled the Dodge minivan for the same failures and Dodge has made a modification kit (2005) for this problem but refuses to date to post a recall in the united states. I have replaced the belts 6 times and the tensioner 3 times in 60,000 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10383916, filed 2011-02, 45,000 miles

   “1. Vehicle: 1999 Dodge Caravan serpentine belt slippage when road is wet. 2. The belt slips off the pulleys, steering power is lost and I get stranded in the middle of busy streets. This is a safety issue! (I wonder if I would have made it out alive if I was driving on I-95!) on the internet there are 100s - if not 1000s - of stories/complaints: wives stranded in the snow with children, elderly people stuck in a street in a rainy night, and Caravan /voyager owners changing belt and pulleys 2 or 3 times, without the problem being corrected. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10239171, filed 2008-08, 129,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission failure and rough shifting

   • 86 complaints (16%)
   • median 64,308 mi at 5.3 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,200 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 1995–2014

   Owners report the transmission stopping the van while driving, leaking fluid, slipping into neutral, or lurching forward when slowing to a stop. Several describe internal parts breaking and cracking the transaxle housing, with the dealer recommending a replacement unit or rebuild. Some say the work was not covered under warranty because of the mileage. Many reports fall between about 40,000 and 70,000 miles; a few come at 90,000 to 200,000 miles.

   What to check: Test drive from cold through all gears, check for delayed or harsh engagement and lurching when coming to a stop, and look under the van for transmission fluid leaks or a repaired or replaced unit.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I notified the first incident to the dealer about its speed sensor, over the phone, which blew away just after the two weeks of buying this car from his showroom. Last month, the break went bad and were not covered under the warranty, I had to end up replacing the rotor and complete brake set, paying around $300 from my pocket, from a midas in pennsylvania. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10000876, filed 2003-01, 34,581 miles

   “Last week my wife was coming home from work when she thought she ran over something. She said that the steering wheel shuttered and it scared her a lot. I'm just thankful she was not on the interstate when that happened because it could have put her life, as well as others, in danger. She was turning a corner after the light changed for left hand turns as was only traveling around 25-30 MPH. When she looked she did not see anything in the road. The Caravan suddenly stopped. She got off the road. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10055148, filed 2004-01, 62,474 miles

Buying note. On this model year, check the air bag light, horn and cruise control, inspect the front strut towers for rust, and test the transmission carefully, since those are the areas owners write about most. A documented history of belt, pulley and alternator service is worth asking for as well.

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.