Owners' Stories

overall its a good vehicle except for the transmisson overheating.

brakes out at 12,000 miles, again 6 months , again 1 yr. FIVE times the rear brakes have been replaced. also once on front brakes. Air conditioner out once ,electronics repaired once. So what do you think???? there is presently 33,000 miles on this car and brakes have had to be replaced 5 times....

I bought this vehicle second hand back in '97 and other than the usual maintenance issues I haven't had too many complaints. Love the van and the local dealer is really good. Here in 2011 I have 150 thousand miles on the car and it's starting to show some wear and tear. If it wasn't for the stuff on the ceiling the headliner would be down around my ears. The front shroud is coming loose, the starter grinds, the A/C died three years ago, and a couple of the door locks are iffy. Still it is a good reliable vehicle,and yes, I'll buy another.

dogde grand caravan is a lemon!!! I will never recommend it to anyone. It has been one headache after another. While driving, the steering wheel fell off into my hands,almost causing an accident. The window regulator , taillight,fan motor ,electric tailgate,power side doors and fuel pump all broke. After an oil change at the Dodge Dealership, my " check engine" light came on. It's still giving me problems. Now the power door locks stopped working . All this before the van had 77,000 miles. A TRUE LEMON TO THROW YOUR MONEY AWAY ON!

This is my 2nd 2001 Dodge Grand Carvan. I like them but don't know why i bought another. At 55k I have so much going wrong. So far changed the pully and belt, links and barons, evap hose under the van (check engine light kept coming on) I need a power steering pump now, and the TWO biggest things. my brake pedal is making noise and more noise (I can't stand it) and MOST of ALL the AC/heater blower. had warranty replace the blower. THAT was'nt the problem it's got to be that heaterbox. It whislte and whistle I can't take it! i have to turn the radio loud. It has to go back in!

have owned two grand caravans since 1999. The first was a 96 with the 3.3L adn 41,000 miles, we loved it. Mostly maintenance. The water pump and trans pump seal started leaking shortly after we purchased. Took back to dealer and they repaired free of charge. Had electrical issue where lights would blink constantly, radio would be noisy (ineterference), and at times would not start with a fully charged battery. I was able to fix after it fter messing around with it. Transmission went out at 98000 miles. Replaced with a Jasper and it was shifting fine when my wife totaled it in 2003 with 128000. It did have brake issues for awhile, it had Disc/drum brakes. I finally stopped the problem by replacing shoes and pads along with rotors and drums all at one time. I used the titanium metallic Bendix products. No more brake problems. We really loved it. We replaced it with a used 2002 GC Sport with 3.3L and 24000 miles. It has four wheel disc and we have no brake problems. It has the normal sway bar bushing rattle, change bushings, it will last for 40,000, then start again. The power steering system blew the return line off one day. I replaced the hoses and used better clamps. I ended up replacing the pump. We libve in Ohio. Radiator has been replaced, due to pin hole leak at 101,000. The transmission stopped shifting one day. After a couple of days scratching my head and staring at the service manual. I discovered a broken wire that went to the trans solenoid pack, replaced the wire and works fine. We started using it to tow a 2500 pound pop up camper in 2007. It tows great on downhill and flat. SLight uphill OK, steep grade 45 MPH in second gear, but hey it's a minivan. December 2009, it started to have electrical problems.The battery goes dead if it is not driven 2-3 days in a row. We ended up replacing the battery. December 2010 it started doing it again. This time I am trying to find out what is draining it. I have narrowed it down to the Transmission control module. I will fix it. We love the van and probably will purchase another when it dies. I am a mechanic, so it will last a long time. I think it will rust out before I let it die. Overall they are nice vans. Some have issues some don't. Other manufacturers vans aren't any better. My dad and I have replaced numerous trasnsmissions and engines on GM and Ford minvans. In-laws have a Toyota Siena they haven't had too many problems, but I just don't like it. It just doesn't feel right when I am driving, maybe it's me. Our neighbors had a Honda Odessey, they hated it. they traded it in adn got an 08 GC. They love it.

The engine had to be replaced after 180000 miles. The transmission had to be replaced and the water pump is now shot. Also I had to replace the radiator and thermostat. Idle control sensor took me back another $85 also. All in all...NEVER AGAIN!

We got this van because the seats would fold flat in the floor. We have really enjoyed the extra space for vacationing. The problems we have with the van is the cup holders in the second seating area are unhandy. The front end is very noisey, alot of rattling when we go over the smallest bunp..

My Wife and I enjoy this the drive it gives on long trips and around town. The Stow and go seats are great and easy to use. MPG is 18.9 which I is good for weight and size.

I Love My Grand Caravan... Runs great, powerful, comfortable, and the Stow N Go Seating is just unbelievable.. Name one other vehicle that can have all of the seats for 7 people still in the van and still haul sheets of 4X8 plywood... if I find a bargain I just flip down as many seats as necessary and load it up. This also makes it the perfect road trip machine. 110,000 miles with only a water pump, oil changes and two sets of tires. And it averages 20 mpg in daily driving and has done 26 mpg on trips with 5 adults and all of our stuff on board. Simply the best all around vehicle that I know of.

This is a great van but I've had brake problems since I purchased it. My friend also owns it and he has brake problems too. My dealer told me it's because I live on a hill.

We got this van because it had the stow n go seating. We have enjoyed the extra space . The extra space comes in handy on vacations. We don't like the second seat cup holders , they really are NOT in the best place. We also have alot of problems with the rattling noise that comes from under the front end of the van. You can hit the smallest bump and the front end sounds like it is going to fall off..

This is an exceelent vehicle. My only problem was the air conditioning and it was repaired under warranty.

Really quiet engine. You don't hear the outside noises. High freeway mileage. Low maintenance while I owned. Great sound system and very comfortable.

This has been a fairly trouble free vehicle which is enjoyable to drive. It is an AWD and while it does not get used often, when it does, it has made a very significant difference.

Have had sooo many problems with mine. I go through brakes like crazy(way faster than my husbands s.u.v) have had the tranny replaced, twice. stop light swtich, the blower on fan only works on high(thats the next thing) a valve cover leak.....again. my windows have been a mess, my suspension sucks. and the child seats are a joke, i dont even use them, they lock my kid in there, which seems deadly. I have spent sooo much on fixing stuff in this van I could have bought another, but I keep putting money into it, cuz I have no other choice now. 22,000 miles on Brakes? YEAH RIGHT! Firestone knows me by name now!!it IS a comfy van, and other than the floating feeling in it, I love driving it. I just wish I didnt have to put so much money into it all the time, if its not one thing....its THREE!!

I've owned 4 Dodge Gran Caravans totaling over 800,000 miles (194,000 on this one). Good bang for the buck and I just bought a 08 for my wife. In my 96 I blew the transmission at 100,000 but was only $1,000 for the repair at the time. Other than that no major mechanical issues. I maintained them all according to owners manual service recommendations. All were bought 2 years old with under 50,000 miles (usually half the price of a new one). My 2001 is starting to get some major rust since I'm in Michigan and haven't driven as many miles a week in the last 2 years with the slow economy.

I bought this 2006 SXT new. It has been a huge disappointment. The power doors do not work, power seat does not work, leaks oil from oil pan, front suspension has been fixed twice and it only has 93k. I will NEVER buy another Dodge again. Forgot, I had to get the AC fixed also

Bought 2008 with 39,000 at 41,000 A/C is out, not sure why. Mech says they had problem with lines. The car idles loud and rattles, then gets quieter as it warms up. Not real impressed with comfort of seats, the cushions are to thin and the hand rests are hard plastic. Cool looking, but our 2000 van was more comfortable and only develped one small leak, which was fixed. Bought for people moving and utility only.

EXCELLENT,VERY RELIABLE....

Bought this in 2003 w 47K miles. Pros: I really like the roominess...I can fit the family one day, or fit a ton of equipment another, or haul a load of firewood or stuff from Home Depot on another. It seems to be perfectly sized for most everything I do. The 3.8L motor is really strong and could probably humble many of the sporty cars out there in a race from stop. Fuel economy is excellent for the size. Normally get 18 mpg with mostly town driving, 20 all around with a fair mix of town, rural, and highway, and up to 24-26 on some long stretches of highway...almost as good as my sporty import. Interior has held up well, paint still shiny (although with some dents), tires wear well. Car now has around 140K miles. Cons: Couple years back went through a year of trying to figure out why the thing would occasionally not start...no click, no nothing after a couple false starts. Also occasionally psycho gauges. Final verdict? Bad solder joints on the instrument cluster board. A new board installed by the dealer wasn't cheap, but it fixed the problems. Suspension has been getting worn which you can hear when you hit bumps. The tranny seems to be getting a little tired with some hard shifts at low speeds. The automatic door lock mechanisms have been replaced but still they act all psycho most of the time, wanting to relock after I unlock them with the key. Brakes seem to last adequately...Kristi from SLC, have you ever considered that maybe your brakes don't last because of where you are getting them replaced, not the fact that they are going into a Caravan? Service Grade brakes are very different from Professional Grade...I would suspect the mass merchandiser you mention is using the cheapest they can get so they can have you come back in 12-18 months for a new set of brakes. Looks like it is working :) Anyway, this baby is still awesome for long trips, but starting to be a pain for just around town because of general clunkiness in the suspension and tranny. Over the 7 years I've had it, all I recall replacing is the above circuit board and automatic door lock mechanisms, one set of wires and plugs, starter, alternator, tensioner and belt, a couple batteries, EGR Valve, a couple sets of tires, tranny flush, and lots of oil changes. The motor is still very strong.

Had a 1993 and a 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan, and I have had nothing but problems with both of them, my 93 the rear wiper is missing and can't seem to find the parts I need for it at the parts stores, there is a lot of electrical problems that I can't find and I am usually pretty good with tracking that sort of stuff down with me being an army mechanic, and also the drive train keeps slipping then suddenly a quick thud and it works, othertimes you sit there for about 15 seconds with your foot on the gas before it engages, Never been a huge fan of them and decided to try them for the heck of it because the price was right on both and both turned out to be nightmares, would never wish these vehicles on anyone, THEY ARE COMPLETE JUNK AND GARBAGE!!!

I have owned this van for 7 years. Its been great. No major problems at all. I did install a new sliding door motor, gave it a tune up. Very easy to work on. I have the 3.8 liter engine and it really moves for a mini van with 200 hp and 250 tq. NICE!!!!!!

08 Dodge Grand Caravan. Purchased at the end of 07. Many problems. Poorly built. It's been in the shop many times. We even had to write to Dodge for reimbursement b/c the repairs on a new van were so outrageous and ridiculous. It took a long time and many, many calls with long hold times. But we finally got them to pay for 1/2 the repairs. Now, it's 2010. Radiator problems. Part only dealer sold. As are most of the parts that blow. What a surprise.

Love, love this van. I have had six mini-van's - two were Plymouth Voyagers which they say are the same thing, one Nissan Quest and the other's were Caravan's. Two of the Caravan's I was not crazy about. One was a four cylinder and I would never recommend a four cylinder mini-van of any kind. It would also just sit there sometime because the transmission would not engage and suddenly with a thud, it would work. We called the dealer several times and finally they admitted there was a problem with those vans. They were going to fix it for free but we got a great deal on the Quest before it was fixed. The other was just a van instead of a Grande Caravan and I can't say an exact problem but we just never liked it. As soon as the warranty had expired on the 1999 Plymouth Voyager, it overheated and we could see water coming out from under the engine. Mechanic and everything I read said this was a head gasket problem and would cost about $2,000 to repair or the mechanic said we could put Stop Leak in it. We know this isn't recommended but we did and had to several times over the years. We had this vehicle 11 years and it was hard to give up but we replace the radiator, had work done on the transmission and the driver's power window was broken. It had started getting loud and just felt like things weren't right. Could drive it for months without it overheating but suddenly it would. Put in fluid and would be good for several more months. We've had a 2007 Dodge Caravan for three years and we love it! Love the stow and go seats; love the bucket seats in the middle row and the bells and whistles of telling me how far I can drive before running our of gas, temp outside, etc. Great highway miles but pretty much as expected on short trips. The back lock is just starting to give us a problem as it sometimes has to be unlocked by hand before the door will slide open with the key or the inside button. May need brakes soon but every vehicle does sometime. We love it and judging from the number of them we see on the road, we are not the only ones. There are so many like it in every parking lot we have to remember where we parked it. Don't give up on them if you get a lemon - every brand has one sometimes. Most people love the Cavelier but we had such a horrible lemon that we wouldn't even touch a Chevy again. I will say that I would never, never buy a vehicle from the dealer who sold us our van because they lied to us. Said we had a cheaper price but when paper work came through it was higher; promised to put in automatic rear gate but didn't and would not take our calls when we tried to get in touch with them. It was not a Dodge dealer.

I bought mine new in March of 2007 for $18,000 out the door. I got a great deal on the van but it did not have many options. It has 48,000 miles on it and I just replaced the front brakes. In addition, the rear air evaporator went last week but the dealership repaired it for free. Apparentely, there was a recall for this problem and I was fortunate because it would have cost $700 bucks if there wasn't one. Plus, the passenger side power lock on the sliding door stopped working quite some time ago. I also have filled the power steering fluid twice since I had the vehicle but cannot find the leak. I have 4 kids so this vehicle suites us well with all its seating and storage. I really like the sto-n-go seating and the ease of putting the seats down when I need space for hauling things. I am not sure if I will buy another Dodge or not. The basic thing that concerns me is the reliability of this vehicle. I also have a Pontiac Montana and I wouldn't give it great marks for reliabilty either.

Bought used with 119,000 miles. 3.3 runs good, gets the job done. Original 4-speed automatic is junk and riddled with problems. Replaced with used trans which also failed in 4000 miles, planet set and pump cover this time. Replaced with updated unit from Jasper. $$$$! Works great so far, we'll see! Electronic systems are glitchy at best. Steering rack pressure lines rusted through but I live in the salt belt so it was expected, sort of.. Body held up well, not much rust & still looks good. I bought it for the roominess, but the maintenance is killing me- Never had to repair a vehicle so much! Won't buy another & DEFINITELY won't recommend!

WE bought our grand caravan in 2000 new. I just retired from the military after 25 years and its been nothing but reliable. Its now 2010 and we have just now started to have problems with it. We have driven it from military from NC to Texas back to Sc over 10 years. Its good on gas and like i said very reliable.WE have a Navigator a Expedition and a Tahoe and we drive the Caravan before them to save money. I am going to give this one to my daughter when i get it fixed and buy me and my wife a 2010, thats how much i loved this van,