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2005 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 995 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, most often about the doors and locks (34% of complaints, typically around 60,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Grand Caravan model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan problems
Doors and locks
338 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 60,500 miles. Parts named most often: doors, hatchback/liftgate, tailgate.
Intermittent failure of electric lock system, including remote. System can be restored by disconnecting starting battery for 3+ minutes. Gauges failed while car was in motion, loss of speedometer, tachometer, odometer, failure lights and electric locks. Gauges were restored by aforementioned battery disconnect method.…
Tl contact owns a 2005 Dodge caravan. While the vehicle was not in motion, the contact noticed that the interior door lock module would not operate. This malfunction affected all of the other doors as well. In addition, the automatic instant key lock device that activates while driving has not been operating. The…
Electrical
259 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, software, horn, instrument cluster/panel.
The door locks open or close from the switches or the smart key buttons. They also do not lock at twenty MPH as designed. This due to a known failure of the body controller in the vehicle, however the dealers I have spoken to say 'yes', this is a known problem that consistently comes up after warranty periods. This…
My 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan I believe has a defect in the clock spring. I received a letter stating there has been an extended warranty for the front air-bag sensor control module. Two weeks after I received this letter the air-bag light came on. After approximately 3 weeks after the light came on the horn stopped…
Lights
154 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal, hazard flashing warning lights.
I was driving along at night and the head lights just turned off. I played with the switch and they came back on it has happened several times I have been able to get them to come back on so far. It is only a matter of time before this problem does serious damage.
My headlights won't come on sometimes. I have to repeatedly turn the headlight switch off & on (sometimes dozens of times) until they will finally come on. Also the headlight have went off by themselves several times while driving down the road, and came back on within a few seconds. This problems has been happening…
Air bags
103 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, knee bolster.
Nhtsa action number : pe05061 july 11, 2008 my mother and I were in a crash involving the front passenger side of the vehicle. The impact did about $5,000 worth of damage yet the airbags did not deploy. I am concerned it has to do with this investigation into defective sensors. How can I be sure my vehicle is safe?
Air bag lamp on clock spring was replaced 10/31/07 air bag lamp on clock spring was replaced 12/15/08 was beyond 12 month 12,000 mile warranty.
Steering
76 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 48,000 miles. Parts named most often: rack and pinion, hydraulic power assist, hydraulic power assist system, column.
Premature steering rack seal wear and leaks resulting in fluid loss and potential loss of control in emergency situations. Vehicle has less than 50,000 miles, 70% of which was freeway use. Dealer called the problem a well known problem, also va state safety inspector also mentioned know problems with this critical…
Sporadic noise coming from car engine, and some difficulty turning at times. After a thorough inspection, a mechanic found that it is a faulty rack and pinion. Subsequent, have found numerous complaints, including at following site: http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/chrysler-town-and-country/t4icmksnnrm7ajfie/ this has…
Body and structure
70 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
My young daughter was able to open the sliding door on our 2005 Dodge caravan at highway speeds ! Apparently the automatic door locks failed to operate, and my research online indicates this is a common failure mode. Dealer update software flash rom but problem recurred shortly thereafter.
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, driver side sliding door locks don't work using the key fob or the electric switch. Nor does the automatic open work using the key fob or electric switch.
Fuel system
64 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 105,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
Every time after refueling the car with a full tank, after about a mile of driving the engine will stumble or die altogether. This causes loss of power steering and power brakes.
Fuel pump developed hairline cracks allowing fuel to seep from fuel tank onto the outside of the tank and onto the ground below the vehicle. The resulting buildup of fumes and leaked fuel poses a great risk of injury or death to occupants of the vehicle as well as damage to any property near the vehicle if combustion…
Engine
49 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 68,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
As I was driving my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, the dashboard flickered and then the car shut down. Power steering was disabled but I was luckily able to drift it to the side of the road. After researching online, it seems this electrical shut down is ongoing and problematic for this year and make. I had little children…
For at least a year now (dates and mileage above are some sort of approximation) our car has been having trouble upon refueling. As I drive away from the fueling station, within about the first mile the car hesitates, chokes and either threatens to stall or actually stalls. After a few moments, or upon restarting, the…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan recalls
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Risk: The seat occupant may be injured if the seat base pin were to break.
Fix: All in one mobility will notify owners and the vehicles will be repaired free of charge. The safety recall began on june 22, 2010. Owners may contact all in one mobility at 1-503-255-5005.
Full defect summary
All in one mobility is recalling certain model year 1997 through 2008 conversion vans equipped with vmi/ricon 6-way power seat bases. There is a possibility of a defective weld at the joint between the pivoting plate and the pivoting plate pin.
Seats
Risk: The seat occupant may be injured if the seat base pin were to break.
Fix: Amp will notify owners and repair vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on june 10, 2010. Owners may contact amp at 1-602-385-5988.
Full defect summary
Arizona mobility products (amp) is recalling one 2005 and one 2007 conversion vans built on dodge grand caravan chassis equipped with vmi/ricon 6-way power seat bases. There is a possibility of a defective weld at the joint between the pivoting plate and the pivoting plate pin.
Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
Risk: If the front crash sensors become inoperative, the driver is immediately alerted by illumination of the airbag warning light and the vehicle should be promptly serviced. Until the vehicle is repaired, the airbags may not provide the enhanced protection in the event of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will replace the front airbag sensors with a new design. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety improvement campaign will begin during june 2010. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 dodge caravan, grand caravan and chrysler town & country vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, tennessee, utah, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin, alaska and the district of columbia. The front crash sensors may crack under certain environmental conditions and allow water to enter into the sensor. This can cause the sensor to become inoperative and illuminate the airbag warning light. These sensors were added to enhance the performance of the airbag system in certain frontal crashes.
Visibility and wipers: motor
Risk: During certain operating conditions, loss of front windshield wiping capability could occur, and the driver's vision could be obscured which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the windshield wiper motor free of charge. The recall began on june 19, 2006, to dodge durango owners. Minivan owners will be notified during july 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain vans and sport utility vehicles, the front windshield wiper motor armature shaft may break.
Seat belts: retractor
Risk: As a result, the seat belt may not properly restrain the occupant during certain crash conditions, which can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the retractor assemblies and any seat belt assembly that does not have the stake will be replaced. Owner notification began on february 23, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
After performing the ncap test, it was discovered that on certain minivans equipped without the available "stow 'n go" seating option, the right front seat belt retractor assembly may have been improperly assembled.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine stall after refueling
Summary
This defect petition evaluates july 7, 2014 allegations from an owner of a model year (my) 2007 dodge grand caravan minivan that engine stall occurs in these vehicles without warning after refueling.the petitioner's vehicle is a chrysler rs platform minivan.the rs platform includes my 2003 through 2007 dodge grand caravan, dodge caravan, chrysler town and country and chrysler voyager minivans.NHTSA evaluated the petition by analyzing consumer complaints submitted to the agency, analyzing field data, reviewing technical information provided in chrysler's response to an agency information request and testing an rs minivan identified by its owner as experiencing post-refuel engine stalls.after
Loss of headlight illumination
Summary
The subject vehicle (sv) population includes my 2005-2006 vehicles built between march 2004 and december 2005 manufactured with a trw supplied headlight switch assembly (hsa).the hsa was the primary focus of the investigation; earlier and later vehicles utilized different hsas.consumers complain that the headlights in the subject vehicles do not illuminate when the hsa is turned on, or that the headlights extinguish while on (subject failure).no other driving lights are affected.the front marker, tail, and instrument lamps operate.also, the high beams can be illuminated by holding the turn signal stalk in the up position.as reported by consumers, turning the hsa off and on typically corrects
Fleet vehicle recall completion audit
Summary
On november 18, 2010, NHTSA's recall management division (rmd) opened an audit query (aq10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.it was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.rmd queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (ford, chrysler, and general motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.the rental
Loss of headlight illumination
Summary
To date, odi has interviewed several complainants who confirmed that the headlights fully extinguish, and remain extinguished, on an intermittent basis.in most cases this occurred while the vehicle was in motion.the occurrences do not show a repeatable pattern, and the problem occurs at a low frequency, typically one or more weeks between failures.for this reason most complainants have not attempted diagnosis or repair of the problem, so the cause is unknown, and the problem continues to occur.in the cases where repairs have been attempted, which consisted mainly of headlight switch and body control module replacements, mixed success is reported.in interviews complainants advised odi that th
Front air bag crash sensor failure
Summary
Chrysler will replace the frame rail-mounted front air bag crash sensors in approximately 312,442 model year (my) 2005 and 2006 chrysler minivans (recall 10v-008).these vehicles are equipped with front crash sensors with ultradur brand plastic housings and steel bushings and were built between january 19, 2005 and april 5, 2006.this action covers vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in 27 states (alaska, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia and wiscons
Front air bag crash sensor failure
Summary
Daimlerchrysler (dcc) will replace the frame rail-mounted front air bag crash sensors in approximately 270,958 my 2005 daimlerchrysler minivans (NHTSA recall no. 07v-192).these vehicles are equipped with front crash sensors with brass bushings and were built between april 24, 2003 and february 2, 2005.this action covers vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in 27 states (alaska, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin) and the district of col
Front air bag crash sensor failure
Summary
The model year (my) 2005 daimlerchrysler (dc) minivans have the new advanced frontal air bag systems with two front crash sensors mounted on the frame rails behind the front bumper and a main crash sensor inside the air bag control module mounted in the passenger compartment.according to dc, the front crash sensors are designed to optimize detection of frontal offset and angular crashes.the advanced air bag system offers different levels of air bag inflation based on input from the crash sensors.this investigation revealed that the front crash sensors can corrode from water entering the sensor assembly.dc is still investigating all potential root causes of sensor failures.a corroded sensor c
Questions about the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: doors and locks (338 complaints, typically around 60,500 miles); electrical (259 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles); lights (154 complaints, typically around 82,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 15, 2010 (equipment Adaptive/Mobility). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2005 a bad year for the Dodge Grand Caravan?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Grand Caravan model year since 2000, with 995 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.