1994 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe transmission problems — loss of gear engagement, harsh shifting, no reverse when cold, and repeated rebuilds — with many vans reporting more than one replacement over their life. Sliding-door and liftgate hardware (hinges, latches, struts) and intermittent brake/ABS behavior are the next most frequent themes, and several complaints tie air bag warning lights to the same circuit as the rear wiper.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, harsh shifting or loss of gear

   • 40 complaints (20%)
   • median 135,000 mi at 9.2 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,461 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 1996–2003

   Complaints describe the van losing power or dropping out of gear while driving, harsh or slamming shifts, shudder around the 3-4 shift, and a transmission that would not engage reverse when cold. Several owners report the unit was rebuilt or replaced once and failed again later; some describe the transaxle leaking internally so fluid had to be checked often with nothing visible on the ground. According to complaints, shops often recommended a rebuild or replacement, and in some cases mechanics could not explain what failed. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 40,000 miles up to roughly 150,000 miles, with cold-weather no-reverse symptoms recurring each winter.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for transmission service records and whether the unit has been rebuilt or replaced, and how many times. Test reverse engagement on a cold start and drive at highway speed to feel for shudder or harsh shifts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When we bought the van in april of 2001 the transaxle would not shift into reverse when cold. The vehicle has apparently been warmed up before we test drove it. The transmission filter and fluid were replaced and the transmission was fine until the next cold season . The fluid and filter were replaced and the transmission was fine until the next cold season. The fluid and filter were replaced again but it did not help. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10006629, filed 2002-12, 135,000 miles

   “Transaxle on 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan le failed causing damage to axles. The axles had to be replaced, one axle had to be replaced twice. They are now failing again. The front end wobbles and shakes, especially when accelerating and the transmission shifts very harshly, with a slam. The transmission has an internal leak so that we have to check the fluid constantly, but no fluid is draining onto the street. It will cost us $2,500 to repair. When we bought the car 2 years ago it had just had the transaxle replaced.”

   NHTSA complaint #10003376, filed 2003-01, 110,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Sliding door and liftgate hinge/latch problems

   • 28 complaints (14%)
   • median 130,358 mi at 10.3 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2005

   Owners describe sliding doors that come off track, sag or misalign, and latches that stick so the door cannot be opened or closed; some had hinges and latches replaced repeatedly and were told by the dealer it was normal wear. Complaints also describe liftgate strut mounting bolts breaking, in some cases letting the pressurized strut punch through the headliner or roof. A few owners mention cracking at door welds or hinges that kept the door from latching properly. Reported on vans at both low and high mileage, with several owners noting repeated failures over many years of use.

   Recall 99V213000

   What to check: Open and close both sliding doors and the liftgate several times and watch for binding, sagging or a door that does not reach the second latch. Inspect the liftgate strut bolts and mounting points for looseness or cracking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The sliding door has been an issue since we first got our minivan. At first the dealer claimed that the hinge was bad - it was only a few months old. The next time that I took it in for this they said that we were experiencing normal wear and tear. I refused to pay stating that a new vehicle with less than 20,000 miles doors hindges and latches wearing out is not normal. The next time the door would not close it was the latch, the next time it was the upper hindge then the lower and back and forth. …”

   NHTSA complaint #724160, filed 2000-06

   “When the consumer closed the rear hatch the hinge on the upper right came off. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the bolt had broken in half and one half of the bolt was still attached to the door while other half fell to the ground. The pressurized mechanism was locked in the open position and in order to close the door the consumer had no choice but to puncture the roof.”

   NHTSA complaint #10020004, filed 2003-07, 120,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag deploys unexpectedly or warning light stays on

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 11.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2015

   Owners describe the driver or passenger air bag deploying while the van was parked, idling or with the ignition turned, and in some cases the air bag warning light staying lit after recall work. Several complaints link the light to a short involving the rear wiper circuit, with owners reporting repeat failures after the recall repair. Some complaints describe air bags that did not deploy in a collision. Reported from roughly 65,000 to 80,000 miles in the sample, including one van with adaptive equipment; many complaints do not state mileage.

   Recall 99V113000

   What to check: Confirm whether the air bag wiring recall work was completed and whether the warning lamp behaves normally at key-on. Check that the rear wiper works — complaints tie the two circuits together — and ask for any repair invoices.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Air bag. I own a 1994 Grand Caravan. I have no other complaints about this vehicle. However, the air bag has had a problem since almost day one. The airbag panel light is always illuminated. I received a recall notice several years ago about this problem and had the van to the dealership for recall service to rectify the obviously widespread problem. I believe it was tied to a problem w/ the rear window wiper circuit. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10095590, filed 2004-10, 80,000 miles

   “Wife was going to her second job on grant ave this morning at 8:30am,very sunny with sun glare,black ice on road,wife hit the car in front of her,that hit someone else.my wae wearing her seat belt at that time of the accident.sir the driver-side air bag in steering wheel did not open,nor did the passener - side open either thie the 3rd time this as happen. Even after the recall the problem was still there and we did not know it. What it going to take the death of my wife to get to the bottom of this on going problem with her mimi-van sir. …”

   NHTSA complaint #717731, filed 2000-01
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalling or losing power while driving

   • 17 complaints (9%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 9.8 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1996–2011

   Complaints describe the engine hesitating and stalling while driving, sometimes in warm weather on the highway and sometimes in cold weather, with the check engine light staying on until restart. Some owners report fuel pump, filter and injector parts replaced with the stalling continuing; others describe the serpentine belt coming off in rain and taking out power steering and cooling. According to complaints, dealers often found no trouble codes or could not determine the cause. Reported mostly between about 80,000 and 150,000 miles, with several owners describing repeated occurrences over multiple years.

   What to check: Ask whether stalling has been diagnosed and whether the belt, tensioner and pulleys have been replaced. Check the serpentine belt and tensioner condition, and look for stored codes before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Engine hesitates as if starving for fuel and stalls while traveling,check engine light stays on until you turn off engine and retstart. Taken to dealer and no trouble codes found. Fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel injector o-rings, replaced. Has happened over last six years, some 20 times and dealer has no clue. 125,000 miles on engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #10028608, filed 2003-07, 80,000 miles

   “- the contact owns a 1994 Dodge chrysler Grand Caravan. While driving around a mountain the steering locked and lost power steering. The contact let the vehicle sit for approximately 1/2 hour and the vehicle was drivable. There were no warning indicators. The failure mileage was 66,000. The dealer didn't try to duplicate the failure. The current mileage was 165,000. The consumer stated that he replaced the belt in 1996, but the mechanic stated the belt looked fine. Update 05/10/07”

   NHTSA complaint #10187496, filed 2007-04, 66,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   ABS light on and reduced or no braking

   • 14 complaints (7%)
   • typically at 4.0 yrs old
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2001

   Complaints describe the ABS light coming on while braking, a hard or sinking pedal, vibration or loud noise, and a brief loss of braking force with longer stopping distance. Some owners reported accidents after the pedal went to the floor with no warning. According to complaints, dealers often could not duplicate the problem or reported finding nothing wrong. Described at various mileages across the sample, including low-speed stops on ordinary road surfaces and highway braking.

   What to check: Check that the ABS warning lamp comes on at key-on and goes out, scan for stored ABS codes, and ask whether the ABS module or wheel sensors have been serviced. Test braking at low speed on a quiet road.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Experiencing ABS brake failure while going approximately 60 MPH on highway on normal road conditions. Problem occurred 30 minutes after going over an overpass. Abs sensor light came on and stayed on. Brake continually graded to nothing. Vehicle was involed in an accident because of this failure. Dealer notified.”

   NHTSA complaint #833502, filed 1999-01

   “Abs problem; intermittently, without warning, at low speeds, on any road surface when applying the brakes, the pedal vibrates and goes somewhat to the floor. Makes a very loud noise, and for a second or 2 the brakes do not work at all. Dealer is not able to duplicate problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #816170, filed 1997-09

Buying note. On this model year, service history matters more than mileage: ask specifically about transmission rebuilds, air bag recall completion and door hardware repairs, and budget for those items. A pre-purchase inspection that includes a cold start, a highway test drive and an ABS code scan is worth the cost on these vans.

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.