2017 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

What owners report

Most complaints for this model year center on the power sliding doors — locks that will not release and doors that stick closed, sometimes with a loud buzzing from the actuator — showing up from roughly 40,000 to 100,000 miles and beyond. Owners also describe the van stalling or shutting off while driving and engine misfires traced to cylinder head or oil housing problems. Body and trim corrosion and various electrical glitches round out the reports.

1. 1
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Sliding door stuck locked / will not open

   • 253 complaints (61%)
   • median 66,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (92 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 17 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe one or both power sliding doors abruptly failing to unlock or open, either from the key fob, the interior buttons, or the handles. In many cases the lock makes a loud buzzing or crunching noise during lock and unlock, and some report the only way in is to work the manual lock and fob at the same time. Dealers typically diagnosed a failed door lock actuator or latch assembly and quoted several hundred to more than a thousand dollars, and owners report being told their van was not covered by a warranty extension. Reported from about 40,000 to 120,000 miles, most commonly in the 50,000-90,000 mile range, often with no prior warning.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors several times with the fob, the interior buttons, and the handles, and listen for any buzzing or grinding from the door latch. Ask whether the door lock warranty extension (campaign X98 or XV1) applies to the vehicle and whether the actuators have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The drivers side power slider door will not open, it literally just stop working. None of the buttons in the car work to open it or the key fob. The door is stuck in the locked position. I read about the same issues from hundreds of other people. This needs recalled and is a safety hazard. How am I suppose to get my kids out of the car in an emergency?!?!”

   NHTSA complaint #11325086, filed 2020-05, 40,000 miles

   “For no reason my right sliding door started making a buzzing sound when unlocking it. So, now every time I open or unlock the door I hear this very loud buzzing sound. I have read that this is very common with Dodge grand caravans. Vehicle has never been in an accident and has never been hit in the side. This started in the fall of 2020 while in my driveway.”

   NHTSA complaint #11390463, filed 2021-01, 78,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine stalls or shuts off while driving

   • 83 complaints (20%)
   • median 61,500 mi at 3.6 yrs old (44 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners report the engine quitting without warning while driving, at times after an abrupt stop or at low speed, with steering and brake assist fading along with it. Some say the van restarts afterward, sometimes with a check engine light and sometimes without, and several report dealers could not reproduce or identify the cause. A few tie the shutdown to a split water pump housing or a failed electrical component. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 95,000 miles, with several cases on city streets and during stops.

   Recall 18V524000

   What to check: Ask for any stored diagnostic trouble codes and a scan tool history, and test drive at both city and highway speeds including a hard stop from speed. Look for coolant weeping or a coolant smell, and confirm the powertrain control module recall (18V524000) work was completed if the van is covered.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The van stalls while running and sometimes won't start while the interior lights flicker. While driving, the headlights dim and flicker while the interior lights are normal. I checked my battery, starter, and alternator and the mechanic tested them and said they were all good. They recommended me to go to the manufacturer and check for recalls. Please let me know what to do.”

   NHTSA complaint #11316810, filed 2020-03, 45,000 miles

   “In dec, the engine light came on. The car would do like going over speed tacks, shake, when it was between 45 to 60 MPH. Took to dealership for reading, they couldn't get a good reading, it stopped. Then I paid extra for them to take transmission pan off. Told I need a new transmission. This vehicle is a 2017. This was dec 2020. Had transmission done. About 3 weeks later, engine light came on again. When I came back , 180 miles to visit family, I had it looked at again. Showing 6 coil, misfire. The car had 85000 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11395661, filed 2021-02, 85,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Body panel corrosion along hood and doors

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners note bubbling and corrosion on aluminum body panels, including the leading edge of the hood and around hinges and door seams. Dealership responses described in complaints vary, and the manufacturer issued warranty bulletins covering hood panel corrosion claims. Reported across a wide mileage range, often several years into ownership in rust-belt or coastal areas.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the hood's front edge, door bottoms, and hinge areas for bubbles or paint lifting, and ask whether any corrosion warranty claim has already been filed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I bought this Dodge carvan 2017 it has 41700 miles after I start the van and move it about 20 feet it automatically locks the doors and the right side sliding door in the back makes a big noise this has been going on for a week now the back sliding door is stuck and cannot be moved , took it to dealer said it will cost $1100 . It I have an accident and my child is trying to get out and cant . I dont know what I will do with my anger if I lose my child!! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11316538, filed 2020-03, 41,700 miles

   “Drivers side sliding door stuck shut with my mom in the seat, she is highly claustrophobic, she almost had a panic attack by the time we were able to get the other side unloaded so she could slide out of the back seat. This was a serious health issue for my 76 year old mother, what if both sides had stuck shut, she probably would have had a heart attack before we were able to figure out how to get her out. This needs to be fixed and now. Door still stuck locked shut and there was no warning when it happened, it just did. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11342695, filed 2020-08, 85,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine misfire on one cylinder

   • 25 complaints (6%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 3.2 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • filed 2019–2025

   Owners describe a rough idle, shaking or hesitation between roughly 45 and 60 mph, and a persistent check engine light traced to a misfire in a single cylinder, often number 2 or number 6. Several report that replacing spark plugs, coils, and injectors did not clear it, and that a compression test pointed to cylinder head or valve work. Reported from about 56,000 to 97,000 miles.

   What to check: Have a mechanic run a compression and leak-down test on all cylinders rather than only reading codes, and check whether plugs, coils, or head work have already been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I got the vehicle yesterday and the check engine light was on so the dealer do a obd 2 scan and it show a miss fire in the number 2 cinders so we was think it just need spark plugs so I took it to Dodge and had new spark plugs put on and it did nothing to fix the problem so they suggested it was the fuel injecter for the number 2 cinders so I had them replaced it and that didn't fix the problem so they came back to told me they think it is the heads in the van the check engine light stays on and I only feel the miss fire when I am idling no …”

   NHTSA complaint #11395475, filed 2021-02, 96,536 miles

   “Cylinder 6 misfire due to a compression issue due to faulty head. Only has 56k miles on it. Resulting in stalling out and lack of power when accelerating.”

   NHTSA complaint #11339238, filed 2020-07, 56,000 miles

Buying note. Check both sliding doors thoroughly and confirm whether the door lock warranty extension applies to the specific van, since that is the most frequently reported problem. A pre-purchase scan for stored codes, a compression check, and a look for oil or coolant leaks under the hood are worth doing given the stalling and misfire reports.

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.