2018 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 49,000 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

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts, with the Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) warning light displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was forced to jumpstart the vehicle; however, the vehicle may not start after being jumpstarted. The vehicle was…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 132,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and came to a stop in the middle of traffic. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire and the failure…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 98,817 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 58,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (56).

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

Passenger side sliding door can't be unlocked manually or by the fob, will not open by the handle inside or out. Passengers are unable to exit vehicle through passenger sliding door.Owner complaint, filed 2025

Our driver side back sliding door door has seized and will not open. This looks to be a common issue with the grand caravan. The lock is stuck in an in between state and will not open automatically or manually. This is a safety hazard for back passengers.Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 65,000 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

Vehicle has developed a misfire on cylinder #2. Causes driveability issues. Appears to be systemic for this engine, with the manufacturer aware of this since the 2011 model year at least. There should be a recall or warranty extension to cover a manufacturing fault such as this.Owner complaint, filed 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred within an hour. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 105,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 49,000 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 van started to make a loud whining sound while going down the highway around 60 miles an hour. When we slowed down and turned onto a smaller road and tried to accelerate the rpm’s went to around 5,000 and it was barely moving. Had to stop for a long time and was able to drive it the last couple of miles home very slowly. Several…Owner complaint, filed 2025

My report is to hopefully get a recall started on the transmission of my vehicle. I do not yet have 100,000 miles on my vehicle and need a new transmission. I realize now every time that it accelerated strangely or delayed in acceleration that my transmission was defective all along since I purchased the vehicle. I assumed it was me…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 60,000 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 contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the driver’s side headrest had deployed unexpectedly while opening and closing the door. This deployment caused a plastic part on the driver’s side door to fracture, causing the window to lower and become inoperable. The window was later replaced by an independent…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 56,472 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver's side headrest had deployed without impact. The local dealer was not contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 59,600 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 42,000 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

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH and attempting to slow for a traffic signal, the vehicle was not slowing down as intended. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 130,000 miles

When I applied the brakes the vehicle kept going it wouldn't srop this happened to me 3xs 2 times I was in a crash the brakes fo low to the floor but when it was checked I was told everything was fine. This last saccident people where with me they witnessed me frantically applying brakes but car wouldnt stop.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 155,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 47,000 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

At approximately 3:40 pm central standard time I was going through a school zone fixing to turn into the school. I was going about 15 mph and decelerating to a stop near the cop conducting school traffic. As I was coming a stop my AHR headrest deployed. This happened very spontaneously and luckily I was going slow enough and coming to a…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Both front headrests activated without rear collesion which posed a danger to those occupants loacated in either front seat. Took the vehicle to the dealer to have the headrests reset, was not able to do a reset, will have to purchase new headrests and have them installed at a great cost to the customer.Owner complaint, filed 2024

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

Received a p0302 code from trying to remote start the car have changed the spark plug and ignition coil for cylinder 2 and the code is still there.Owner complaint, filed 2023

Car was stationary. Decided to go into another lane so while turning into other lane, depressed gas pedal firmly and it stuck to the floor revving up the engine to where ii immediately slammed the brakes on but still hit the car in front of me. This happened before while entering the freeway from an onramp where I "unstuck" the pedal by…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 46,800 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

Am smells as if wires are burning and vehicle turns off whilst driving causing me to nearly hit a pole in one instance. Car will shut off also whilst parked or when reversing to park. Emergency Brake light come on at random times during driving as well. Or the seatbelt light will come on whilst seatbelt is engaged.Owner complaint, filed 2026

My Transmission failed. My odometer reading is 92901. Dealership said not manufactured coverage. No message on dash. Happened while driving with children. Mechanic said needed to be replaced. This is a expensive repair. I believe manufacture should have told drivers about problems with transmission.Owner complaint, filed 2024

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 a 2018 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact went to apply the accelerator pedal which traveled to the floor without warning. The rpms revved up however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact veered to the shoulder of the road and contacted her husband. Her husband…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 60,000 miles

1st incident occurred while accelerating to pull on to the highway. After accelerating and removing foot from pedal, the pedal did not release and the vehicle continued to rapidly accelerate. Applying the brakes did not stop the engine acceleration but did allow us to exit the highway and shift to neutral and turn off the car. Restarting…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 52,000 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

Rear suspension rattles even over little road imperfections. Brought to dealer only for them to tell me all new grand caravans rattle over bumps. Concerned over premature suspension failure maybe by faulty or dodge not using appropriate shocks or other means of dampening rear suspension. Ing better new shocksOwner complaint, filed 2018

At 48,000 miles rattles in rear end getting louder. Sounds like coming from rear suspension. Not covered under warranty after 36,000 miles. Hear rattling when in motion.Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 48,000 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

What owners said

•vehicle stalls when slowing down in traffic and cut off on freeway •happens while driving at low speed •vehicle restarts immediately after stalling •0, 10 mph (coming to stop) •slowing from traffic speed •check engine light appeared •code P0128 was detected Vehicle stalled while driving and could have caused a crash if it happened in…Owner complaint, filed 2026

I had recently decided to rotate my wheels and and I had gotten done I noticed that after a little while after I get down the road my speedometer, cruise control, abs, traction control stopped working and my parking brake light also came on now I do know the only thing that I done differently was kept my hub cap pieces off of the vehicleOwner complaint, filed 2025

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

I went to the store and put my purchases in the trunk of the Grand Caravan. I pushed the button to close the rear door and turned to put my cart away. I then heard breaking glass and saw the glass in the rear door busting out. The door then lifted and came down again, this time busting more glass and ripping off the top panel that has…Owner complaint, filed 2023