2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems, Recalls & Reliability
417 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 26/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 54,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2002 sits among all Grand Caravan years
What owners report
“Reported airbag light to dealer. Set up appointment. Brought vehicle in, was informed that the body controler not communicating with airbag modual. Wiring ok, needs airbag module or bcm. Was then informed that it is not under warranty due to mileage. The mileage at the time of call into dealer was…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Grand Caravan
“Leaking fuel rail cap 2002 dodge caravan is leaking gas all over the spark plugs engine and electrical parts when 1st turning the vehicle on in the morning.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Grand Caravan
“My steering wheel acts up when it rains outside makes it hard to steer my left side speakers went out the tape decks never worked on my van my driver side window goes down but seems to have difficult going up my sliding doors seem to have difficulties at times the right side never opens”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Grand Caravan
“At 62,000 miles the car would not shift into gear. After moving the gear shift all the way up and down it engaged, but began downshifting very hard from 4th to 3rd. Dealer performed maintenance and reprogrammed the module which resolved the problem for about 8,000 miles. Again, same thing happened…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Grand Caravan
“I parked my mini van @ 3:00 pm staurday-22-2015 on 115 street before myrtle av richmond hill queens new york, sunday 6:00 am i came home and decided to check on my car if somebody had broken-in/steel my 3 peace tool box but my car had dissapeared, i saw broken driver side glass on the gound and…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Grand Caravan
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 271 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 50,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 25,000 and 86,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, CONDENSATION FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AIR CONDITIONING DUCTS MAY DROP THROUGH VENT HOLES IN THE TOP OF THE RADIO AND RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT THAT SUBSEQUENTLY SENDS DIRECT CURRENT TO THE REAR SPEAKERS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL ADD A SPECIAL TAPE TO THE TOP OF THE RADIO TO PREVENT THE POTENTIAL OF WATER INTRUSION. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 31, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH 3.3 OR 3.8L V-6 ENGINE, THE UPPER POWER STEERING COOLER HOSE MAY SPLIT AND CAUSE A FLUID LEAK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE UPPER POWER STEERING COOLER HOSE. THIS RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, MODELS WIX FILTER PART NUMBERS 33576, 33577, 33734; NAPA FILTER PART NUMBERS 3576, 3577, 3734; AND CARQUEST FILTER PART NUMBERS 86576, 86577, 86734 USED ON 1996-2000 DAIMLERCHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY, DODGE CARAVAN,…
Fix: WIX WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. NOTE: THIS DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED BY THE DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP. NOR ANY DAILMERCHRYSLER DEALERS.…
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCK, VAN, AND MINI VAN CONVERSIONS EQUIPPED WITH SOUTHERN COMFORT BUILT RUNNING BOARDS THAT CONTAIN CERTAIN COURTESY LIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS, INC. THESE UNITS CONTAIN A COURTESY LIGHT OR LIGHTS THAT MIGHT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE RUNNING BOARDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 7, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO…
ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, THE FUEL TANK CONTROL VALVE WELD JOINT COULD SEPARATE RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE FUEL LEAK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL TANK AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN OCTOBER 28, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN MINI VANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE OWNER MANUALS SUPPLIED WITH THESE VEHICLES DO NOT INDICATE WHICH SEATING POSITIONS ARE EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES AND…
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THE NECESSARY CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM INFORMATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN OCTOBER 8, 2001. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE INFORMATION WITHIN A…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 05V134000.
Led to recall campaign 04V531000.
Led to recall campaign 02V274000.
Technical service bulletins
15 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2002 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 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan reliable?
The 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan drew 417 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 26/100, scored against the model's worst year (1996).
What are the most common 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan problems?
The top reported problems for the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan are airbags (62 complaints), electrical (59), and steering (55).
At what mileage do 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan problems show up?
Owners most often report 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan problems around 50,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 25,000 and 86,000 miles.
Does the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2002 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.