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Dodge Grand CaravanModel year report

2012 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

Compared with other Dodge Grand Caravan years

Typical for this model

49/100 1.0× a typical year · 50 = typical

Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2015

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
584filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
92,000miles, 373 complaints with mileage
Recalls
6campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
4 / 5stars overall
EPA fuel economy
20 mpgcombined, 3.6L 6-cyl · flex-fuel FWD · 17 city / 25 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan most often describe stalling or losing power while driving, intermittent no-starts, and problems traced by owners or mechanics to the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) and its fuel pump relay. These reports are most common past roughly 90,000 miles, and many owners describe the symptom as random, recurring after several attempted repairs, and frequently accompanied by a loss of power steering and power brakes.

  1. Electrical system

    Stalls or loses all power while driving

    • 187 complaints (32%)
    • median 106,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (147 state mileage)
    • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 17 quotes)
    • filed 2013–2025

    Complaints describe the engine and electrical power cutting out without warning at highway or city speeds, sometimes leaving the van unable to restart until it is shifted into park or the key is cycled off and on. Owners report losing power steering and power brakes at the same time, and several describe a shop replacing the alternator, starter or battery without resolving it. Many say no fault codes were stored, and some mechanics pointed to the TIPM or the ignition switch as the likely cause. Mostly reported between roughly 65,000 and 160,000 miles, with no clear pattern of speed or weather.

    Recall 17V3760002 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether the vehicle has ever cut out while driving and whether the TIPM or ignition switch has been replaced. A test drive and a scan for stored codes are worth doing, though owners note codes often are not present.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “While driving on the highway my van lost all power and shut off. No steering, nothing. We pulled over on a ramp putting our children's lives and our own in danger, to walk home. The tipm seems to be the problem. The van will not restart, will not crank, and is currently sitting while I see all of the recall attempts for tipms.”

    NHTSA complaint #11341577, filed 2020-07, 110,300 miles

    “I was driving straight on a highway in texas in my Grand Caravan and my engine stalled and lost power and steering and brakes, it was very difficult to steer and I was driving at 70 MPH and the was a small shoulder on the side and my family could have gotten hurt, if I had gone into a deep ditch, it was scary and dangerous!”

    NHTSA complaint #11317952, filed 2020-03, 133,460 miles
  2. Fuel system

    Hard starting or no-start, fuel pump relay in TIPM

    • 202 complaints (35%)
    • median 106,000 mi at 7.4 yrs old (152 state mileage)
    • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $1,200 (median of 24 quotes)
    • filed 2013–2026

    Owners describe the van cranking but not firing, or needing several attempts before it starts, sometimes after sitting cold overnight. Complaints say the fuel pump relay inside the TIPM was found burnt or failed, and in some cases the fuel pump kept running after the key was removed and drained the battery. Several report the van was not covered by the related electrical recall even though the same part was involved. Reported from about 60,000 to 150,000 miles, with several owners describing the problem worsening over weeks or months.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether the fuel pump relay or TIPM has been repaired or replaced, and whether the fuel pump can be heard running after the key is turned off.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “The car was parked in the driveway. We attempting to turn the care on it just cranks and won't kick over. The fuse for the fuel pump has gone bad in the tipm. And the car now starts intermittently. I need to have a rely put in.”

    NHTSA complaint #11363421, filed 2020-10, 137,000 miles

    “I was driving fine with the kids and all of the sudden I feel like my van wants to shut down on me while driving. Went to the park one day and when came back with the kids the car would not start... I finally( after several tries) get it to start and got home safe, thankfully. The next day I go grocery shopping and came back, the van would not start! Now, I'm frustrated with the kids and groceries out in the hot weather. Finally get it to start and drove home hoping to get there safe. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11348935, filed 2020-08, 129,000 miles
  3. Engine

    Engine stalls and quits without warning

    Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

    Some owners describe the engine shutting off while driving with no warning light, then restarting normally after the van is stopped and put in park. Others report a stall with the check engine light on, or smoke from the engine bay. Complaints mention dealers and independent shops unable to find a cause, and in a few cases engine replacement or major repairs were recommended. Reported across a wide mileage range, from about 65,000 to over 160,000 miles.

    Recall 11V4870003 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask about any history of the engine quitting while driving and whether the oil filter adapter or cooling system has been serviced, since a service bulletin covers oil filter adapter leaks and overheating after engine replacement.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Well my wife was driving the van on the expressway way last year van just shuts off. It wouldnt start so I put my jumper cables on it and it fired right up a few days later we went to kmart in their for only a good 20 minutes the drive alone was about an hour and half come out and the battery was dead once aging. Go figure this was when kmart stopped selling bigger batteries. So I walked over to autozone and bought a new battery installed it and it started up. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11309421, filed 2020-02, 97,000 miles

    “The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”

    NHTSA complaint #11510844, filed 2023-03, 100,000 miles
  4. Body and structure

    Sliding door locks and latches fail

    • 53 complaints (9%)
    • median 101,550 mi at 7.4 yrs old (34 state mileage)
    • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $1,013 (median of 6 quotes)
    • filed 2013–2025

    Complaints describe power sliding doors that stop locking or unlocking, in some cases sticking in the locked position so the door cannot be opened electrically or manually. Owners also report doors that unlock on their own and key fobs that stop working, and some note the door stuck shut with children in the back seat. Repairs described in complaints involve the latch and lock assemblies. Mostly reported between about 100,000 and 145,000 miles.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Cycle both sliding doors several times with the switch, the fob and the handles, and check that each door locks, unlocks and opens manually from inside.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “While driving this vehicle will shut off on its own and then restart.this has happened several times. I was going 65mph on the highway and it just shut off and restarted. Thankfully no one was behind me when this happened because it could have cost us our life. I also am having issues with my sliding doors. Neither one will lock, not with door lock switch, not with key fob, not manually. Upon researching, I have seen at least 200 complaints for the same issue.”

    NHTSA complaint #11396562, filed 2021-02, 168,388 miles

    “My doors are unlocking by themselves after I locked them. Seat belt warning going off when seat belt is engaged.vehicle is stationary with door locks and in mmotion for seat belt warning going off.”

    NHTSA complaint #11415172, filed 2021-05, 100,000 miles

Buying note. Stalling, no-starts and sliding door lock failures are the recurring themes in owner reports for this model year, and several complaints note that repairs were attempted more than once before the cause was found. Ask for service records covering the TIPM, fuel pump relay and sliding doors, and have a pre-purchase inspection check stored codes and door operation.

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.

NHTSA recorded 584 consumer complaints for the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. 373 of the complaints include a mileage, and 23% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 92,000 miles. Of all complaints, 7 involved a crash, 14 a fire, 14 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns and 98 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 11 Dodge Grand Caravan model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 49 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Steering (14), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (13), Seats (9), Exterior lighting (7), Tires (5), Wheels (4), Seat belts (3), Suspension (3), Engine cooling (2), Equipment (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1).

Example complaints

Electrical system: “I went to unlock my vehicle to get something from inside. I noticed that the lights were very dim and after placing the key fob into the ignition, the fob was locked in place. After about 15 minutes, I was able to release it from the ignition. I have tried resetting the battery among other things and nothing has helped.”

NHTSA complaint #11352184, filed 2020-08, 156,000 miles

Engine: “Once my van lost all power while driving on a straight road. Had to tow to mechanic's shop. Found no problem after testing. Once my van refused to crank, had no power. Had to two to mechanic's shop again. Both times the mechanic couldn't find a problem. Eventually the van cranked and drove as it should.”

NHTSA complaint #11318647, filed 2020-03, 140,000 miles

Fuel system: “The fuel pump stays on after the van is turned off and the keys are removed, sometimes it will kick off if you reinsert the keys and turn it off other times we have to pull the fuse to make it kick off. This has happened on numerous occasions other than today. After doing research I have found out it's a very common occurrence in Dodge caravan and also the town and country.”

NHTSA complaint #11208797, filed 2019-05, 102,000 miles

Other or unknown: “My key fobik is only sometimes starting the van which was already concerning, then while driving the van just turned off. I've been researching and apparently many of the years prior to 2012 have already been recalled for the exact same issue and the 2012 has the same ignition lock cylinder”

NHTSA complaint #11387096, filed 2021-01, 198,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

23% of the 373 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 51,661 and 120,000 miles.

5%0–106%10–2513%25–5017%50–7514%75–10038%100–1508%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (373 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 92,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’12’14144’16’18’20’22’24’26
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Grand Caravan · VAN FWD★★★★☆4 / 4554 · 16.4% risk

Neighbouring years: 2013: same overall rating. A redesign between years can change both the car and the test.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Grand Caravan FWD3.6L 6-cyl · flex-fuel6-speed automatic172520$3,350

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 98 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 98 bulletins →

Other model years of the Dodge Grand Caravan

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20202040,5001420—Rising
201924550,226442032 · FewerRising
201827153,000442028 · FewerStable
201741463,103342028 · FewerFalling
20161,00265,965642071 · MoreFalling
201528170,000442018 · FewerFalling
201435962,000542055 · TypicalFalling
201347286,065442051 · TypicalFalling
201258492,000642049 · TypicalFalling
201153080,0004—2041 · TypicalFalling
201087075,0006—1982 · MoreFalling
200954475,0007——66 · MoreFalling
20081,29370,1858——93 · MoreFalling
200718271,7252——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200628460,0223——Not compared (before 2008)Rising
200599565,0005——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200411683,0001——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200321949,0002——Not compared (before 2008)Rising
200229048,0005——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200129862,0003——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200044279,8905——Not compared (before 2008)Rising
199943287,4353——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199855990,2004——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
1997583102,0005——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
19961,15799,6759——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
1995108126,2021——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1994199120,0004——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1993289136,9727——Not compared (before 2008)Rising
1992255161,5006——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1991129154,0336——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199055173,1780——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198924145,8960———Stable
198810126,0000———Not enough data

All Dodge Grand Caravan model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan?

Owners of the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan most often describe stalling or losing power while driving, intermittent no-starts, and problems traced by owners or mechanics to the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) and its fuel pump relay. The issues reported most often: Stalls or loses all power while driving; Hard starting or no-start, fuel pump relay in TIPM; Engine stalls and quits without warning.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan have?

NHTSA recorded 584 consumer complaints for the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan as of Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan is reported most often?

Electrical system is named most often, in 337 complaints (58% of the total), followed by engine with 119.

Has the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan been recalled?

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

How did the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan do in NHTSA crash tests?

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings give the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan 4 out of 5 stars overall. Ratings from different model years are only comparable when the vehicle was not redesigned in between.

What gas mileage does the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan get?

The EPA rates the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan (Grand Caravan, 3.6L 6-cyl · flex-fuel) at 20 mpg combined, 17 city and 25 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,350 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan reported?

Among the 373 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 92,000 miles and the middle half falls between 51,661 and 120,000 miles; 23% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.