2012 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 100,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

My van tipm went out..it would cut off going down the road the safety door locks was not working the fuel pump was running all the time with switch offOwner complaint, filed 2025

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, unoccupied, and turned off at the residence, she noticed that sparks and flames were coming from the overhead console. The flames then spread to the front driver's and passenger's side seats. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 183,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 106,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH on the highway, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. The contact stated that the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact was able to pull over safely and restated the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure progressed over time and the…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 130,000 miles

Smoke comes out from the corner of the hood by the antenna and fumes come from the vents it makes my eyes burn and my throat sore. I'm afraid it might catch on fire. I have had the oil changed the power steering fluid changed I had the radiator changed. I don't know where it's coming from but I do know it is not safe.Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 110,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated he was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 150,000 miles

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle with a faulty fuel pump relay for the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM). The vehicle was not repaired. The…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 120,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 53,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

All brake calipers are defective the piston seizes up causing the brakes to wear the pads off in a short time , overheating and seizing up the wheel. The most recent repair only had about 20,000 miles on the brakes I have replaced every caliper, rotor, and pads on all four wheels the most recent one was just two months ago, now I am back…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 50,000 miles

My van draws down the battery, found the fuel pump was not shutting off. The tipm is bad and I continue to wrestle with the problem. When I first complained to the dealer, they told me I had a dead cell in my battery. They said to replace the battery. I allowed them to replace it. About 2 weeks later , the car would not start. Same…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 104,719 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 73,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

Vehicle started having rough shifting., code for shift relay (P0760) . Relay was replaced .sometimes drives ok other times just goes into neutral when driving, even the shifter in on D position.Owner complaint, filed 2023

This is the first in a long line of dodge vans that have had transmission issues. So far there are a total of 12 of these vans that have had the transmissions replaced & there is another one having issues now.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 112,633 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 57,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

While pulling into a parking space with my foot slightly on the brake pedal, the engine surged with an audible revving, and the vehicle [VIN] resulting in a collision. Idling or near idling in cold weather seems to be a frequent issue, but this is the only time it has not been overridden by applying the brake.Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 164,800 miles

The contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. The contact shifted the vehicle into reverse and without warning independently [VIN] while in reverse and crashed into another vehicle. The contact then depressed the brake pedal and shift the gear to drive and the vehicle independently [VIN] forward. As a result the vehicle hit another…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 116,312 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 50,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (13).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

Driver side rear sliding door stuck in locked position. Mechanism has failed and manual unlock does not work. Door cannot be opened.Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 142,000 miles

Left side passenger door stuck closed. Door won't unlock or open, neither automatically nor manually. This is a huge safety risk.Owner complaint, filed 2020

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 61,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2012 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while driving at night, the hi-beam headlights were activated and the interior lighting became inoperable but independently flashed on. The failure was intermittent. The contact called harper jeep ram chrysler dodge (3033 alcoa hwy, alcoa, tn 37701, (865) 970-7423)…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 125,000 miles

The drivers side window won't go up!! The van was in motion on a street. I don't feel safe in south florida with my window down.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 62,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 96,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

The driver's seat active headrest spontaneously deployed while my wife was operating the van. Luckily this did not cause an accident, but being hit in the back of the head by the headrest certainly can cause an accident in the future. Inspection shows the internal plastic latch mechanism broken, thus the spontaneous, unintentional…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Greenway CDJR in Florence Alabama did the T33 airbag recall on my Grand Caravan. I recently found out while investigating another issue that they had taken a shortcut and the work wasn't properly or thoroughly done. The recall was to correct an issue with exposed wiring and the remedy was to install a protective sleeve. Rather than…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 109,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

When driving the car will randomly shut off losing power. When trying to start it randomly it will turn on then shut back off. When it turns off as I’m driving it’s always under 50MPH but I lose steering. Very scary.Owner complaint, filed 2023

My wife and I have a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan, my wife drives the car on a daily basis school runs, etc with our 4 kids. While driving the kids to school and stopped at a red light the vehicle suddenly with no warning lost all power and shutdown. My wife said she was able to restart it again right away, then just before she got home the…Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 102,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

Passenger side active head rest deployed while the car was parked without a rear end collision. No SRS light or anything. Unable to reset the headrest and no active recalls for the car even though there is an active lawsuit out of Florida about the same issue. See…Owner complaint, filed 2021

The front passenger active head restraint (headrest) deployed while the van was just sitting stationary in the garage, not from being rear-ended like it's designed.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 103,104 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 48,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

While on short 125 mi trip, started vibrating badly, got slowed to about 40, lf wheel came off. Dealer replaced hub & wheel.Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 53,000 miles

4 high quality tires from goodyear: 2 sold in 2016 and 2 sold in 2017 for the same vehicle found to have the rubber compound cracking and showing premature ageing. All 4 titres sold, balanced and installed by goodyear outlets. Tire 1) purchased 03/12/2016 dot#davrcuer production date 0515 (week 5 of 2015) tire 2) purchased 03/12/2016…Owner complaint, filed 2018

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2012 dodge caravan. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the odor of burning rubber was noticed and smoke emerged from the rear passenger tire. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the rear passenger side wheel bearing failed and needed…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 42,000 miles

Vehicle has extreme vibration problem occurring at approximately 40 and 80mph this eventually caused it to stop running. Vehicle was towed to a service center where no problem could be found. However, transmission fluid was added and transaxle oil filter was changed. Problem not resolved. Eight months later engine mounts needed replaced…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 109,393 miles