2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 90,000 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

While driving down the road the van just shut down in the middle of the road as other cars are going by honking the horn and coming close to hitting us with children in the van and no way to get off the road without the engine running. We gave contacted dodge in dallas GA they confirmed a recall for the issue but proceed to say thus VIN…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was left on…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 190,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 97,000 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 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who replaced the motor mounts and transmission. Five months later, the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle began driving roughly. The PCM update was completed by another local dealer, but the failure…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 163,000 miles

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was uncertain if there were any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was restarted soon after the failure. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 80,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 88,000 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

The Active Head Restraint on the front passenger side headrest failed. The headrest thrust forward at a high velocity, injuring the occupant of the seat. The car was stationary at the time of the incident.Owner complaint, filed 2026

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. Driver active headrest deployed without warning while sitting in garage and unoccupied. The loud noise and force of the defect could easily harm a passenger or cause a wreck. There are thousands of complaints on-line or through class action suits. I contacted the Chrysler Care group by phone on 10/22/2025. Their…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 106,000 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 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts. The contact had the battery replaced; however, the failure continued. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the alternator and fuel pump were replaced. The contact was then alerted by…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 112,000 miles

While driving down the highway the engine shut off. The electrical continued but all power was lost. I had to pull off on the left side of the road to avoid being hit by vehicles who immediately began passing me on the right. After stopping and putting my emergency lights on the vehicle struggled to restart. after a minute it started up…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 74,000 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

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact pulled over and was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle started to operate normally. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 70,000 miles

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the transmission would not go into gear and the engine would continue to rev. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. After replacing the transmission, the failure recurred approximately 60…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 74,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 71,000 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

Active front seat headrests deployed without an accident for the second time. Had them replaced and paid for myself the first time years ago. Was compensated by FCA as part of special coverage after the fact. When they deployed again I brought it in and had it diagnosed at Hopkins dodge, it was covered under the special policy. They…Owner complaint, filed 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the rear driver’s side moving the vehicle approximately 5ft. The air bags failed to deploy. As a result, the contact and his son sustained soreness in the neck. Medical attention was required. A police…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 68,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 70,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (19), Body: door (8).

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

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary, the driver’s side sliding door independently opened without warning. The failure continued after the contact manually closed the sliding door. As the failure persisted, the door eventually failed to open electronically or manually.…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 80,000 miles

Power sliding door frozen in locked position. Will not open using inside or outside door handle, key fob, center control consle switch or side pillar switch. Manual door lock slide in inside handle not moving. Completely unable to use door to enter or exit vehicle. Potential for trapping rear passengers inside vehicle in case of crash or…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 189,349 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 59,000 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

Brake lights turns off when parked and engine off. But even with the engine off and nobody in the car the brake lights turn on. A mechanic replaced brake light switch. Engine off and brake lights off. Later the brake lights turns on when engine off and nobody in the car. Replaced brake pedal assembly and still same problem. Is this a…Owner complaint, filed 2024

The brake pedal when pressed does not reach the bottom, returns the foot. and does not stop I have to pump so that it brakes and does not turn on the brake light on the dashboard. It was checked by a private mechanic and he told me that it is very risky to drive the vehicle since in an emergency it will not stop. Even when I'm parking…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 112,000 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

Electrical system-intermittent failure. While driving or idling, the vehicle will randomly shut off. The vehicle has turned off randomly while being driven down the road with little to no warning, even while operating at high speed. When this happens, you are also left without power steering, ABS brakes, fuel pump, and literally anything…Owner complaint, filed 2023

The ignition is not responding as it should. I have to turn it more and more often when I should only turn it once. My grave concern is that of my wife and grandkids. When she is driving them to and fro, the car will hesitate to start and the real problem will be when it turns off. If they are all in the car and on the highway it could…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 42,000 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 2013 dodge grand caravan. While driving at 60 MPH, windshield wipers failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the wipers failed to pull enough am breach from the tipm. The vehicle was not repaired. The [VIN] was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,362.Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 89,362 miles

According to my safety recall... If your dealer fails or is unable to remedy this defect without charge and within a reasonable time, you may go to http://www.safercar.gov... So I am doing so because I feel it is not being done within a reasonable time. We contacted our dealer and we were not on the list in february so they added us and…Owner complaint, filed 2015

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 13,000 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

The contact owns as 2013 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the vehicle [VIN] and [VIN] independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer multiple times and they were unable to duplicate the failure and stated that the vehicle was up to standard. The [VIN] was made aware of the failure. The…Owner complaint, filed 2014, at 200 miles

The contact owns a 2013 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that there was too much space between the accelerator and the brake pedal, causing his foot to continuously become trapped between both pedals when changing from one to the other. The [VIN] was notified who advised the contact that the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal…Owner complaint, filed 2012, at 204 miles

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

Wheelchair-accessible conversion by fr conversions includes a repositioned rear suspension panhard rod, the sole lateral stability link for the axle. The repositioned chassis mounting bracket for the panhard rod separated from the van in a straight-road single vehicle highway rollover crash. Evidence currently supports that this bracket…Owner complaint, filed 2021

The contact owns a 2013 dodge grand caravan. The contact received a notice for NHTSA campaign number: 15v264000 (suspension). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The [VIN] was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Updated 03/01/16*lj updated 11/28/2017Owner complaint, filed 2015

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

2013 dodge grand caravan. Consumer writes in regards to defective vehicle *smd consumer sent additional correspondence. The consumer stated he and his wife were sold a defective vehicle. They were not informed of the extent of the problem, including the tries being in very poor condition, that required [VIN] half way through their…Owner complaint, filed 2015

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front driver's seat headrest deployed independently without impact. The check engine and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was received. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 143,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help