1997 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often complain about the serpentine belt slipping off when water or snow splashes the engine, the loss of power steering that follows, airbag/clockspring problems, electrical glitches such as wipers running on their own and gauges dropping out, and stalling. Reports are spread widely across the mileage range, with many arising well past 80,000 miles, and several issues involve a sudden event while driving rather than a gradual decline.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Serpentine belt slips off in wet weather

   • 59 complaints (10%)
   • median 89,122 mi at 7.9 yrs old (27 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $710 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2016

   Owners describe the serpentine belt coming off after driving through puddles, rain, or snow, which takes out power steering and often charging and cooling at the same time. Many report repeated occurrences, in some cases replacing the belt and tensioner several times, and say the dealer could not stop it from happening. Complaints describe the vehicle having to be towed after the belt came off. Reported across a wide mileage range, from roughly 34,000 to over 190,000 miles, usually when driving in rain, standing water, or snow.

   What to check: Inspect the belt, tensioner and pulleys for wear, and ask whether the belt has come off before. On a wet road, watch whether steering assist drops.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.3l v6, had the belt tensioner shear off/come apart at 35,000 miles. Then at 68,000 (33,000 later) it went bad, it froze up. This caused the belt to crack also. So the tensioner and belt were replaced at that time. How much of a problem have these tensioners been? Should I expect them to last only 30,000 to 36,000 miles?”

   NHTSA complaint #10005023, filed 2003-01, 68,600 miles

   “Serpentine belt falls off when water gets on it, resulting in loss of power steering and control. I understand this is a wide spread problem and am concerned that my familys' safety will be in jepardy each time this happens. It has happened four times to us and I feel this warrants a recall before someone loses their life.”

   NHTSA complaint #10043825, filed 2003-10, 49,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Wipers run on their own, gauges and electrical glitches

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report windshield and rear wipers turning on by themselves, sometimes refusing to shut off, and dash gauges or the instrument cluster dropping out so speed and fuel level are lost. Complaints also mention power door locks and keyless entry working intermittently, blower motors cutting in and out, and in a few cases stalling. Some owners say a mechanic replaced the multi-function switch, cluster or body control module, while others report the problem was not resolved. Reported from about 22,000 up to around 150,000 miles, with many complaints in the 90,000 to 130,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test all wiper settings, the horn, the gauges and the door locks, and ask whether the wiper switch or body control module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving our 97 Dodge Grand Caravan le to drop off a visitor, halfway through the trip, I had to stop at a light and all of a sudden the brake pedal just went all the way to firewall. Since caravan has a foot brake, I managed to drive vehicle with hazard lights on using the foot brake. There was a smell of brake fluid that instant so I figured a leak had occurred somewhere. After getting home, I checked area where leak was coming from and saw it on the stainless steel braid connection underneath driver seat near the ABS module.”

   NHTSA complaint #10404453, filed 2011-06, 163,955 miles

   “I own a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan se all wheel drive. My van has 185,000 miles on it aprox. And had 149,000 when purchased in 2004. I am having several electrical issues with the van from the get go to current. My front wipers will come on by them self at any given time and they refuse to shut off. I have to pull my car over and shut it down and hope when I start it next that the wipers will stay off. Just recently my check engine light keeps popping off and then back on and continues to do so. My rear A/C and heater blower works intermittently. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10234137, filed 2008-07, 149,766 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag light on / clockspring failure

   • 117 complaints (20%)
   • median 90,061 mi at 7.3 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2014

   Complaints describe the airbag warning light coming on, sometimes intermittently, with the horn or cruise control also failing; owners and mechanics trace this to the clockspring in the steering column. A few owners report the front airbags deploying at low speed over a speed bump or railroad crossing with no impact. Some say a dealer replaced the clockspring, while others report being told no service was needed because the light was not on at the time. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 135,000 miles, often noticed as an intermittent light.

   Recall 02V293000

   What to check: Check that the airbag light comes on and goes out at start-up, and test the horn and cruise control. Ask whether the clockspring recall work was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 04-26-2003 my family and I were leaving the detroit metro airport parking garage. We had just left our parking spot when we passed over what I assumed was a speed bump going approximately 5 MPH heading toward the ticket booth which was just ahead. As we passed this speed bump our air bags spontaneously deployed for no apparent reason. There is no damage to our vehicle that would justify the air bags going off as they did. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10017108, filed 2003-05, 112,550 miles

   “The air bag light in our '97 Dodge caravan has started coming on intermittently. Indications are that it is due to an intermittent clockspring wiring harness in the steering column, meaning that the horn and cruise control would not work as well as the driver's side airbag. It appears this clockspring failure mode is being investigated by the NHTSA, but there is no recall. I will probably have to pay the dealer to fix it (around $200).”

   NHTSA complaint #10062690, filed 2004-03, 113,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Rusted brake lines and loss of braking

   • 45 complaints (8%)
   • median 122,500 mi at 10.6 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2015

   Owners describe the brake pedal going to the floor with little warning, and inspection finding corroded or leaking brake lines, sometimes near the ABS module or the rear line. Some also report the parking brake failing to hold and repeated brake work. The master cylinder is named in one complaint as the source of a fluid leak. Mostly reported from about 85,000 to 170,000 miles, sometimes noticed as a fluid puddle under a parked vehicle.

   Recall 96V215000

   What to check: Have the brake lines inspected underneath, especially near the ABS module, and check for fluid leaks and firm pedal feel.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Sudden brake failure when departing my home. Pedal went fully to the floor. Later inspection revealed heavy corrosion at the brake line joints with the short section of flexible brake line just rear of the ABS box. No significant corrosion aside from the vicinity of the flex line. One of the corroded brake lines had a pinhole leak that triggered the brake failure.”

   NHTSA complaint #10261049, filed 2009-03, 210,000 miles

   “Parking brake repeatedly fails to hold, despite multiple attempts to repair, sometimes fails in on position causing extensive damage to parking and main rear brake. Chyrsler unwilling to address problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10049755, filed 2003-12, 125,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine cooling

   Stalling and intermittent loss of power

   • 87 complaints (15%)
   • median 105,616 mi at 9.5 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 1997–2020

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out at speed or when slowing, with the service engine light coming on and the vehicle restarting after a short wait. Owners report mechanics replacing the coil pack or diagnosing the instrument cluster and body control module, and some say the dealer could not find the cause. Several note that steering and braking assist drop when the engine dies. Most often reported between roughly 77,000 and 130,000 miles, while driving at highway or city speeds.

   What to check: Ask for any diagnostic records on stalling or the check engine light, and have a scan tool read stored codes during a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway at 60mph; engine remained on. I pulled over, turned off the car, and it started back up again and drove fine for about 2 miles. 'service engine soon' light came on. When it lost power again, I slowed and then tried to reaccelerate, and it drove fine for about 5 miles, enough to get me off the freeway and to a safe location. I checked the oil and transmission levels, which were ok, and there was nothing leaking under the car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11282502, filed 2019-11, 104,233 miles

   “As I am driving my van will suddenly jerk forward and the service engine soon light comes on and then goes off, and shortly after that the van suddenly dies. I have had it back to the dealer many,many times since I bought it in feb,2004 and they have drove it and put it on machines and can't figure out what and why it's doing this. I just found out the previous owner and original one had the same problem and so he got rid of it.when it suddenly dies I have no steering, brakes etc. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10096202, filed 2004-10, 99,845 miles

Buying note. Have a mechanic inspect the belt drive, airbag and wiper electrics, and the brake lines before buying, and ask for service records showing whether the related recalls were completed. These are older, high-mileage vehicles, so condition and maintenance history matter more than any single known pattern.

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.