1998 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems, Recalls & Reliability
761 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 49/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 86,455 miles.
Below average
Where 1998 sits among all Grand Caravan years
What owners report
“Premature, sudden failure of head gasket, potentially leading to rapid loss of coolant, obscured vision, loss of control, etc.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Grand Caravan
“Consumer states of having problems with the clockspring assembly . Dealer was contacted. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Grand Caravan
“I have two recent problems that did not result in an accident. 1) the turn signal does not cancel any longer after making a turn and 2) the ignition switch is stuck in the off position, which immobolizes the car.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Grand Caravan
“Serpentine belt snaps causing power steering and power brakes to fail as well as causing the car to overheat. This has happened 5 times! Steering column has needed to be replaced. Transmission has been in for service 3 times and still is not working properly. This vehicle is a safety problem if any…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Grand Caravan
“Emergency brake goes right down to the floor and does not hold vehicle on incline. Front rotors have been replaced twice with only 20000 miles and pads also replaced.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Grand Caravan
“We have had the strut mount changed 4 times,now somthing is wrong with the left front side.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 Grand Caravan
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 283 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 90,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 66,000 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
CERTAIN AIRTEX FUEL PUMP MODULES, P/NOS. E7089M, E7094M, E7113M, AND E7129M, MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JUNE 1 AND SEPTEMBER 24, 2006. THESE FUEL PUMP MODULES WERE SOLD AS AFTERMARKET FOR USE IN CERTAIN DAIMLERCHRYSLER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SILICONE MATERIAL…
Fix: AIRTEX WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MODULES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AIRTEX TOLL-FREE AT 1-866-867-3759.
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MAY BECOME DISABLED DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE CLOCKSPRING, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE HUB OF THE STEERING WHEEL.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY ON ALL COVERED VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS. FOR THOSE VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 70,000 MILES, DAIMLERCHRYSLER WILL OFFER AN EXTENDED LIFETIME…
ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY MAY HAVE BEEN WOUND INCORRECTLY DURING THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PROCESS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY ON ALL VEHICLES WITH 70,000 MILES OR LESS. AN EXTENDED LIFETIME WARRANTY WILL ALSO BE PLACED ON THIS COMPONENT FOR ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES, REGARDLESS OF…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINI VANS BUILT WITH 3.3L AND 3.8L ENGINES HAVE FUEL RAILS WITH NITROLE RUBBER O-RING SEALS THAT CAN DEGRADE OVER TIME. FUEL LEAKAGE FROM THE UNDERHOOD FUEL INJECTION FUEL RAIL COULD RESULT, INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF A VEHICLE FIRE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SEAL ON THE VEHICLE FUEL RAILS TO PREVENT EXTERNAL LEAKAGE OF FUEL FROM THE FUEL RAIL CROSSOVER TUBE, SHOULD THE EXISTING O-RINGS CONTINUE TO DEGRADE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH INTEGRATED CHILD SEATS. THE SHOULDER HARNESS RESTRAINT WEBBING WAS INCORRECTLY ROUTED AROUND THE METAL REINFORCEMENT BAR ON THESE SEATS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE ROUTING OF THE SHOULDER BELT WEBBING AND ANY FOUND INCORRECT WILL BE PROPERLY ROUTED.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V480000.
Led to recall campaign 02V293000.
Led to recall campaign 00V268000.
Technical service bulletins
15 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and engine — are on file for the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1998 Grand 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 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan reliable?
The 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan drew 761 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 49/100, scored against the model's worst year (1996).
What are the most common 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan problems?
The top reported problems for the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan are engine (149 complaints), airbags (105), and electrical (96).
At what mileage do 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan problems show up?
Owners most often report 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan problems around 90,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 66,000 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 1998 Dodge Grand 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.