U.S. public vehicle records

1998 Dodge GRAND CARAVAN problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

492 owner complaints analyzed

4 distinct recall campaigns

90,200 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1998 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 215 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 73 of 492 complaints (14.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Steering behavior	67	13.6%
Transmission and shifting	59	12.0%
Braking behavior	56	11.4%
Engine operation	30	6.1%
Electrical and battery issues	22	4.5%
Fuel system concerns	7	1.4%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys

Electrical System

Electrical System:Horn

Air Bags:Frontal

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Air Bags	73
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	52
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys	46
Electrical System	28
Electrical System:Horn	26
Air Bags:Frontal	25
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	24
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	21

Air Bags: 73; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 52; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys: 46; Electrical System: 28; Electrical System:Horn: 26; Air Bags:Frontal: 25; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 24; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 21

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 4; 25,000 to 49,999: 16; 50,000 to 74,999: 49; 75,000 to 99,999: 55; 100,000 to 149,999: 68; 150,000 and above: 23

100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (68). 277 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2017

2018

2019

2020

2022

2000: 38; 2001: 75; 2002: 80; 2003: 70; 2004: 80; 2005: 32; 2006: 20; 2007: 12; 2008: 28; 2009: 15; 2010: 7; 2011: 9; 2012: 5; 2013: 5; 2014: 3; 2015: 5; 2017: 4; 2018: 1; 2019: 1; 2020: 1; 2022: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 67 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 59 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 56 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10005008 · 2003-01-31 (January 31, 2003)

SERPENTINE BELT COMES OFF OFTEN CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING AND OTHER FUNCTIONS.THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS VERY OFTEN IN THE SHORT TIME THAT I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR.THERE MUST BE SOME WAY THIS CAN BE PREVENTED OR CORRECTED!!

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10005008 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10013686 · 2003-03-30 (March 30, 2003)

MY AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN'S SCHOOL WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE AIRBAG LIGHT NEVER CAME ON AND I NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER. IT BUSTED UP MY STEERING WHEEL AND DASH BOARD. I LET MY INSURANCE CO. LOOK AT IT AND AN INVESTIGATOR FROM DAIMLER-CHRYSLER CAME OUT AND TOOK PICTURES OF IT. THERE WAS AND IS NO DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD RECEIVE COPIES OF EVERYTHING, BUT INSTEAD WAS SENT A LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER DENYING RESPONSIBILITY. THE LETTER STATED THAT MY AIRBAG LIGHT HAD BEEN ON FOR A LONG TIME.…

Owner-reported narrative. 98,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10013686 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10006152 · 2003-02-03 (February 3, 2003)

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. DEALER WAS CONTACTED.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006152 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10007791 · 2003-02-19 (February 19, 2003)

VEHICLE EXPRIENCED A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND REQUIRED A NEW TRANSMISSION WITH ONLY 55,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. IN OUR RESEARCH, WE HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THIS TYPE WITH DODGE GRAND CARAVANS.

Owner-reported narrative. 55,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10007791 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10011972 · 2003-03-18 (March 18, 2003)

THE VEHICLES BRAKES WORE EVERY 3000 MILES. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 58,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10011972 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10039529 · 2003-09-25 (September 25, 2003)

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN BEGAN TO SLIP AND STAY IN SECOND GEAR AROUND 50K MILES. I HAD IT DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER AND THE COST OF REPAIR IS MORE THAN I COULD EVER AFFORD. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO OTHER MECHANICS AND THERE IS NOT MUCH VARIATION IN PRICE. GENERALLY THE COST IS GOING TO BE FROM $16,000 TO $2,400. I CANNOT AFFORD A NEW CAR EITHER. I AM READING ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, SO WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL? THE DEALER SHOULD GLADLY REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS SINCE THEY ARE AWARE T…

Owner-reported narrative. 57,796 miles reported. Look up ODI 10039529 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10008231 · 2003-02-27 (February 27, 2003)

TENSION, IDLER PULLEY. SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED. WET PAVEMENT CAUSES BELT TO SLIP AND LOSS OF POWER RESULTING TO VEHICLE DURING OPERATIONS. THIS HAS OCCURRED DURING REGULAR DRIVING, AS WELL AS HIGHWAY DRIVING UNDER WHAT SHOULD BE NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS.*JB

Owner-reported narrative. 79,389 miles reported. Look up ODI 10008231 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10017899 · 2003-04-30 (April 30, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER HEARD A "POP" THEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION PIN CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE CASING WHICH CAUSED THE CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10017899 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10043099 · 2003-10-17 (October 17, 2003)

1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN - WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATE SPORADICALLY ON THEIR OWN; IN ADDTION, THE GAS GAUGE GOES FULL TO EMPTY AND BACK AGAIN SPORADICALLY. AN INTERNET SEARCH POINTS TO A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS AS THE PROBLEM. *LA

Owner-reported narrative. 65,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10043099 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10074898 · 2004-06-06 (June 6, 2004)

ABOUT THREE OR FOUR TIMES A WEEK I WILL LOSE MY DASH GUAGES. THE LIGHTS AND UPPER DASH LIGHT WILL STILL WORK BUT GUAGES WON'T. AFTER NO SET AMOUNT OF TIME IT WILL POWER BACK UP AND DOORS WILL LOCK DOWN, SEAT BELT LIGHT WILL COME ON AND VAN WILL ACT LIKE IT JUST STARTED (GOES THROUGH INTIAL START UP SEQUENCE). SOMETIMES THE VAN WON'T START. KEY WILL BE TURNED AND VAN WILL START UP AND IMMEDIATELY STALL. THIS WILL HAPPEN THREE TIMES AND THEN DOESN'T ROLL OVER OR ANYTHING. LATELY VAN WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK ITSELF CONTINUALLY WHILE DRIVING, S…

Owner-reported narrative. 111,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10074898 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10049134 · 2003-12-03 (December 3, 2003)

WHEN THE GAS TANK IS FULL, FUEL LEAKS PROFUSELY FROM THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE, POOLING ON THE GROUND UNDER THE CAR. THIS SAME PROBLEM RESULTED IN A RECALL OF 96 MODEL YEAR CARAVANS AFTER ONLY SIX SMALL FIRES. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 109,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10049134 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10067716 · 2004-04-23 (April 23, 2004)

MY 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN BEGAN SMELLING LIKE GAS INTERMITTENTLY IN 2002. WHEN THE SMELL REPEATED ITSELF OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MONTHS, WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER FAILED TO FIND A LEAK OR REASON FOR THE SMELL. THE SMELL CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY AND IN 2004, WE TOOK THE CAR BACK AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED REPLACING THE ENTIRE FUEL TANK AT A COST TO US OF $572. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE LABOR COST WAS. THEY REFUSED TO COVER THE COST OF THE POOR DESIGN. THEY APPEAR TO HAVE REPLACED IT WITH A 2000 FUEL PUMP, WHICH WA…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10067716 at NHTSA ↗