Dodge Caravan Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Dodge Caravan model year from 1990 to 2017, benchmarked against each other with 13,580 federal complaints, 71 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 1993, 1996–1997. These years top the Caravan's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990, 2001–2004, 2006–2013 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Caravan's own worst year — full methodology.

Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 2 open defect investigations on the Dodge Caravan.

REAR LIFTGATE SUPPORT RQ99004 opened April 19, 1999 · still open

Component: STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT

ON MAY 7, 1997, CHRYSLER FILED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT TO RECALL 436,000 1992 DODGE CARAVAN/GRAND CARAVAN, PLYMOUTH VOYAGER/GRAND VOYAGER AND CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY VEHICLES TO REPAIR THE LIFTGATE SUPPORTS; SAFETY RECALL 97V-079.ODI HAD INVESTIGATION THE REAR LIFTGATE SUPPORT PROBLEM FOR…

Model years named: 1991, 1993

DEFECTIVE AIR BAG CRASH SENSOR DP96014 opened November 14, 1996 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

CFAS SENT A FOLLOW-UP LETTER ON DECEMBER 12, 1996, TO CHANGE THE INTENT OF THE PETITION TO AIRBAG AGGRESSIVITY AND DEPLOYMENT VARIABILITY.NHTSA RECEIVED THE LETTER ON 12/12/96; ACCORDINGLY, THE PETITION DUE DAY WAS CHANGED TO APRIL 12, 1997.CFAS PETITIONED THE AGENCY TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION TO…

Model years named: 1994, 1995, 1996

An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

13,580Complaints on file
71Recall campaigns
28Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Electrical tops the Dodge Caravan file with 1,836 complaints, concentrated in the 1996, 2005, 2008 model years, most often reported around 74,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2017 Few reports 3 1 — 0
2016 Few reports 2 0 — 0
2015 Few reports 29 0 — 2
2014 Few reports 27 0 — 1
2013 Better year 34 0 Electrical 2
2012 Better year 116 0 Electrical 5
2011 Better year 112 0 Electrical 5
2010 Better year 257 2 Electrical 12
2009 Better year 175 2 Electrical 7
2008 Better year 421 2 Electrical 18
2007 Better year 115 4 Engine 6
2006 Better year 231 6 Electrical 12
2005 Typical 691 9 Electrical 30
2004 Better year 83 8 Fuel system 4
2003 Better year 252 9 Steering 14
2002 Better year 326 10 Airbags 17
2001 Better year 341 10 Electrical 16
2000 Below average 613 13 Transmission & drivetrain 39
1999 Below average 745 14 Airbags 39
1998 Below average 840 14 Engine 44
1997 Avoid 1,028 15 Airbags 56
1996 Avoid 2,178 18 Electrical 100
1995 Below average 656 4 Transmission & drivetrain 37
1994 Below average 836 5 Transmission & drivetrain 52
1993 Avoid 1,229 10 Brakes & stability 62
1992 Below average 1,126 11 Brakes & stability 54
1991 Below average 773 11 Brakes & stability 37
1990 Better year 341 6 Transmission & drivetrain 16

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 2,538 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Dodge Caravan. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Dodge Caravan TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Dodge Caravan years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 1993, 1996–1997 as the Dodge Caravan years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Dodge Caravan problem?

Electrical tops the Dodge Caravan file with 1,836 complaints, concentrated in the 1996, 2005, 2008 model years, most often reported around 74,000 miles.

What are the best Dodge Caravan years to buy used?

The quietest Dodge Caravan years in federal records are 1990, 2001–2004, 2006–2013 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Dodge Caravan only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.