Your vehicle report
1998 Dodge Grand Caravan
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 559
- Received Nov 1997 to Jun 2022
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Serpentine belt breaks or slips off63 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Horn fails with airbag warning light38 complaints · 6.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Seat belt fails to latch or retract31 complaints · 5.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #04V480000On 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.
- Recall #02V293000On certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 41 crashes, 20 fires, 35 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 2 |
| 1998 | 14 |
| 1999 | 51 |
| 2000 | 38 |
| 2001 | 75 |
| 2002 | 80 |
| 2003 | 70 |
| 2004 | 80 |
| 2005 | 32 |
| 2006 | 20 |
| 2007 | 12 |
| 2008 | 28 |
| 2009 | 15 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2011 | 9 |
| 2012 | 5 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 559 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 63 | 11% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 38 | 6.8% | – | NHTSA recall #04V480000 |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 31 | 5.5% | – | NHTSA recall #97V231000 |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 28 | 5.0% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 24 | 4.3% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 21 | 3.8% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 20 | 3.6% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 18 | 3.2% | – | NHTSA recall #04V480000 |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 17 | 3.0% | – | NHTSA recall #00V268000 |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 16 | 2.9% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 14 | 2.5% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 13 | 2.3% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 13 | 2.3% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 9 | 1.6% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 9 | 1.6% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 9 | 1.6% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 9 | 1.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 8 | 1.4% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 8 | 1.4% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 7 | 1.3% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #04V480000October 6, 2004955,344 vehicles affected
air bags
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.
This condition will manifest itself through illumination of the air bag warning lamp, and could eventually result in a driver's air bag open circuit, if the part is not replaced in a reasonable amount of time.
Remedy
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 warranty under which it will replace the clockspring at no charge if it fails. Daimlerchrysler will also reimburse owners who have paid to have the clockspring replaced on their vehicles. The recall began on october 12, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA recall #02V293000November 7, 20021,500,521 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal
On certain mini vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.
This condition will manifest itself through illumination of the air bag warning lamp, and could eventually result in a driver's air bag open circuit, if the part is not replaced in a reasonable amount of time.
Remedy
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 mileage. Daimlerchrysler will also reimburse owners who have paid to have the clockspring replaced on their vehicles. Owner notification began november 18, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA recall #00V268000September 13, 20001,163,000 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
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.
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source Can result in a fire.
Remedy
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 on january 25, 2002. Due to the large quantity of vehicles involved in this campaign, the owner notification will be phased over the next several months. However, if a vehicle is leaking fuel from the o-rings, the vehicle should be taken into a dealer to have this repaired as soon as possible. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA recall #97V231000December 15, 1997900 vehicles affected
child seat
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.
The child seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a collision.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the routing of the shoulder belt webbing and any found incorrect will be properly routed.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN