2008 Dodge Caravan Problems, Recalls & Reliability
421 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Dodge Caravan, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 18/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 81,500 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2008 Dodge Caravan has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2008 sits among all Caravan years
What owners report
“Vehicle wipers and washers start on their own, horn will blow, lights flicker, door locks open and close, vehicle will not shut off or sometimes will not start. This has happened both while driving and stationary.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Caravan
“Spongy brake pedal goes almost to the floor to stop the vehicle. I replaced master cylinder, same problem, replaced power booster, same problem. This is a major design flaw with this vehicle with major complaints across the country and nothing has been done to date by hntsa to make chrysler dodge…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Caravan
“I was driving eastbound on a city road at 30mph. From the north, my driver side a truck ran a stop sign as i was going through the intersection and my vehicle struck his crumpling the front end of my van. My concern is that the airbags never deployed. While more damage was done on the driver side…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Caravan
“The van lunges the shuts off while driving happens any time any place, just had the crankshaft position sensor following the codes it was showing, and it still does it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Caravan
“All gages are flashing with a binging sound all gages are jumping and turning signals only work when they want while parked and driving. Also driver side window buttons and locks are not working.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Caravan
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 308 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 70,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 36,600 and 105,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
THE BRAUN CORPORATION IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2010 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY AND DODGE CARAVAN MOBILITY CONVERSIONS WHICH WERE ALTERED BY BRAUN BETWEEN JANUARY 21, 2009 AND MARCH 19, 2010. DURING CONVERSION, THE CHASSIS WAS RAISED AND THE…
Fix: BRAUN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 4, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BRAUN TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-488-0359.
THE BRAUN CORPORATION IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2010 CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY AND DODGE CARAVAN COMMERCIAL ENTERVANS WHICH WERE ALTERED BY BRAUN BETWEEN JANUARY 21, 2009 AND MARCH 19, 2010. DURING CONVERSION, THE CHASSIS WAS RAISED AND THE…
Fix: BRAUN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 4, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BRAUN TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-488-0359.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
63 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 2008 Dodge Caravan. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2008 Caravan TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Dodge Caravan reliable?
The 2008 Dodge Caravan drew 421 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 18/100, scored against the model's worst year (1996).
What are the most common 2008 Dodge Caravan problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Dodge Caravan are electrical (180 complaints), brakes & stability (60), and airbags (42).
At what mileage do 2008 Dodge Caravan problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Dodge Caravan problems around 70,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 36,600 and 105,000 miles.
Does the 2008 Dodge Caravan have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Dodge Caravan. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.