2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jolted and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Upon further inspection, the contact became aware of excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.

NHTSA ID

11710637

Incident

Jan 15, 2024

Mileage

199,000 mi

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 recurred. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The transmission was shifting through the gears erratically. The vehicle was not drivable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The coil packs and spark plugs were replaced at an independent mechanic. Several days later the RPM was fluctuating, and the vehicle lost motive power while driving up an incline. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the torque converter failing. The local dealer was previously contacted, but no longer accepting calls. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated there were no codes retrieved. The dealer informed the contact that there was no warranty coverage for the issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

NHTSA ID

11709660

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

Mileage

163,000 mi

The vehicle randomly and dangerously stalls while driving at various speeds and locations. The vehicle will not restart until battery is disconnected and then reconnected. It then starts right up and runs fine until the next episode of stalling. This has been addressed by NHTSA campaign # 19V813 recall for bad fuel pump relay but my VIN # has not been included in this recall even though the vehicle is in the same year as the other vans covered under the recall. This is a very dangerous condition that keeps happening even after leaving the van with the Chrysler dealer for a week to diagnose and they say they don't have a definitive fix for it but offered to replace the entire TIPM for $1700 without a guarantee that the problem will be permanently fixed! The faulty fuel pump relay is well known and has been addressed with an external fuel pump relay kit covered by this recall. Please help us get our vehicle covered under this recall as we are retirees on a fixed income and have already spent too much money (close to $1000) trying to fix this known problem. Already replaced the ignition module which was another known possible cause but the problem still remains.

NHTSA ID

11689334

Incident

Sep 5, 2025

While driving my van it will randomly shut off, it starts back up right away after I get to a safe location to do so but this is very dangerous. I've taken it to shops and they cannot replicate it and there are no codes on the reader to indicate any issues.

NHTSA ID

11643944

Incident

Feb 20, 2025

this is the third time i am filing a complaint. My 2013 dodge grand caravan completely dies and looses all power going over 50 miles per hour. no warning, no codes appear, nothing. looses all power, power steering, brakes, etc. have to get to side of road, wait 20 minutes, then car will start. this has happened now over 16 times. The latest time with my grandchild in the car, the vehicle behind me almost crashed into me. this continues to be a safety issue and it is unclear as to why dodge is doing nothing about this despite multiple complaints by hundreds of drivers. I have spent over $3000 so far trying to fix this to no avail, new battery, fuel pump, fuel filter, TPM relay, new keys, new programming, still happens. will never buy another dodge/chrysler again, and have told family and friends the same potential hazard of this brand.

NHTSA ID

11602857

Incident

Jul 15, 2024

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 by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

NHTSA ID

11594765

Incident

Jun 17, 2024

Mileage

143,000 mi

Driving down the road at aproximately 40 mph and van shuts down. I turned on the hazard lights, coasted to the side of the road, put the van in park, turned the key to the off position waited about 30 seconds then turned key to on and the van starts up and seems to run fine. This is the second time in two days this has happened. No warning, no check engine lights. Very dangerous when driving at any speed when suddenly your vehicle turns itself off. Will contact my mechanic today to see if he has info on this problem. While doing research I have found that this is a problem that has been reported for many years and has been investigated. Wondering why they have not issued a recall for this????

NHTSA ID

11592922

Incident

Jun 6, 2024

driving over 50 miles an hour on an expressway and vehicle randomly dies. after pulling off road, need to wait 20 minutes and vehicle will start as normal. Major safety concern as some areas do not have shoulders to get car off of road. filed a complaint, in October of 2023, took to authorized Dodge dealer as advised, paid over $800 out of pocket and car still looses all power at high speeds. dodge dealer performed full diagnostics, no codes stored or present in vehicle. Had new key made, software updates, etc, but still dies at high speeds. has occurred over 12 times in past 3 years.

NHTSA ID

11588466

Incident

May 1, 2021

It is unknown at this time what is wrong with the vehicle. The problem started two weeks ago. Initially after driving sustained highway speeds, the van will hesitate to brake when driving through town. When approaching a stop it would stutter to a stop and then stutter to drive again when pressing the gas, the delay was about 2-3 seconds. In two weeks time with approximately 200 miles driven, it started stalling at stops. Once at a traffic light and also at a stop sign. These incidents happened in the same day and since then, it had not been driven due to it being a major safety concern. It has been taken to an auto shop that has run the full diagnostics on it and the computer system is not catching any issues, there are no lights are on the dash. After the engine stalls, it runs if it is turned off and back on again. The brakes, rotors, and tires were replaced when I started noticing that there was an issue with stopping, I figured the problem was that they needed replaced since I have owned the vehicle 2 years and it hadn’t been done since I purchased the van. March 17 was the date it stalled twice and it was the only time the engine stalled in the past two weeks.

NHTSA ID

11578576

Incident

Mar 17, 2024

While driving on expressways vehicle will suddenly lose all power. making it difficult to get to vehicle off the road. this has occurred 5 times in the past year, most recently 09/192023, all times with adults and children in car. One of the incidents, I was unable to get off road as was in a construction zone with no shoulder, so had to sit in lane with oncoming traffic and was very fortunate not to have been rear ended and hit. This is a major safety issue. No warning lights, no symptoms prior to each occurrence, vehicle just dies. Once completely stopped, try to start vehicle and it just rumbles and then dies. Wait 30 minutes, then vehicle will start up and run normally until next incident. Have taken vehicle to 2 different mechanics with no solution and no diagnosis as there are no engine error codes reported.

NHTSA ID

11545372

Incident

Sep 19, 2023

Ignition problems the vehicle would not start I had to have roadside come jump my vehicle off. After letting the vehicle run for about 30 minutes I shut it off and waited a minute and it started up fine. After about 3 hours of sitting I went out to the vehicle and it wouldn't start. I had to put It in neutral and it tried starting until it ran out. After turning the wheel and playing with the key it finally cranked over. I know there have been recalls regarding the tpim. It is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11542456

Incident

Sep 3, 2023

The ignition switch is faulty same as the recall for previous years models. Starting the car happens sometimes doesn't will suddenly stall while driving. This has happened many times over the last six months.

NHTSA ID

11529451

Incident

Jan 11, 2023

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 repair the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and an estimate was provided for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11525783

Incident

Mar 18, 2023

Mileage

80,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at 60-65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.

NHTSA ID

11524028

Incident

May 26, 2023

Mileage

15,000 mi

The van just stopped like it ran out of gas. It did not restart until the next day. I can drive for days, then without warning it will die. I changed the Drummond fuel vapor leak detection pump and the fuel pump relay. it stopped again a few days later. same thing, it acted like it ran out of gas. It will restart a few hours later or the next day. It has happened 4 times so far.

NHTSA ID

11508129

Incident

Feb 18, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was able to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the spark plugs were replaced. On another occasion the failure reoccurred, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic again and the mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11499251

Incident

Oct 14, 2022

Mileage

125,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle was violently shaking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her destination. The contact also stated while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle started to stall while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway and then had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The transmission was repaired by an independent mechanic. The contact wrote a letter to the manufacturer but had not received a response. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11499153

Incident

Sep 1, 2013

Superior Protection Plan Information for 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Service Echelon Automotive [XXX] Wed, Nov 2, 2022 at 8:34 AM To: [XXX] Cc: [XXX],[XXX] [XXX], Here are some photos of the rear driver side brake system where it is locking up on you. I want to express my disappointment in whoever sold you this vehicle and not only sold it to you in this condition but if I heard you correctly, they said it was inspected? If it was inspected and this condition got through I would not be trusting the repair facility that “inspected” this vehicle for the “seller” of this car. Can you ask for the inspection report findings? Ma’am, we cannot even diagnose further issues until the brakes on this vehicle are brought up to a safe standard so it can be test driven properly. I reviewed your vehicle service contract through Superior Protection Plan and I found the mileage logged on the form dated 10/06/2022 (Thursday) as 87,158 miles when sold to you. Your current reading on your mileage on vehicle is 87,934 miles. That is about a 776 miles added to this vehicle from that purchase day to the date we received your vehicle during the week of October 24th through the 28th and it was left on our lot. This being said, I find it very difficult to believe you actually drove 776 miles from the 10/06/2022 purchase to this point with the vehicle in this very unsafe condition. If you did drive that much in this vehicle like it is you are much braver than I. As the pictures show this issue didn’t happen while this vehicle was in your possession, this was years of sitting and rusting on these parts and it was sold to you in this condition. Worries me very much. Your vehicle has been in a local repair facility several times already and another facility further north from here and again this issue was not spotted. So, I’m not sure what you want to do here on this issue. I’ll help as INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11491999

Incident

Oct 8, 2022

While driving at any speed there is a loss of power, and steering and brakes lock up.

NHTSA ID

11487386

Incident

Sep 24, 2022

As of March 2022, the van has shut down while driving on the interstate. The steering wheel, brakes and vehicle become hard to use. The van will slow quickly and has come close to causing an accident on multiple occasions. When along the side of the road, its then a challenge to get the van to start. It will crank with no fire. This has occured over 10x and is occurring more frequently with time. Along with the shut down I have had issues with the vehicle not starting. It will crank with no fire. Several mechanics have replaced and wormed on the vehicle with no luck to the conclusion. Things changed: TIPM, engine computer, fuel pump, starter. I purchased this vehicle jan 2 2022.

NHTSA ID

11484920

Incident

Mar 12, 2022

Engine misfire, check engine light P0306, P0304, P0302 due to left side head needing replacement.

NHTSA ID

11465911

Incident

May 3, 2022

Van will shut off without warning while driving on the freeway. Loss of power steering and brakes is a major safety issue! My wife had this happen twice now, both times in a near-miss accident on the freeway. There are no codes.

NHTSA ID

11461956

Incident

Apr 23, 2022

When driving the vehicle at random times the vehicle will shut off without warning. This becomes very unsafe as you lose all power to everything. Steering, breaks, etc. Took the vehicle to a dealership to have this issue fixed. Parts and labor cost 1500 dollars and did not solve the problem.

NHTSA ID

11459031

Incident

Feb 9, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the lost motive power and stalled. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact indicated that during the failure, the RPM’s would suddenly increase as the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified. The failure mileage was 141,700

NHTSA ID

11455593

Incident

Dec 31, 2021

Mileage

141,700 mi

THE ENGINE IN THE VAN STALLED (SIMPLY SHUT OFF - DID NOT SPUTTER) WHILE DRIVING AT A STEADY SPEED IN TRAFFIC. CONSEQUENTLY THE POWER ASSIST FOR THE STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED. IN THAT SITUATION MY PHYSICALLY CHALLANGED WIFE WAS COMPLETELY UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VAN. THANKFULLY THE VAN ROLLED TO A STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE OR ANYTHING, OR GETTING HIT FROM BEHIND. AFTER PUTTING THE GEAR SELECTOR INTO "PARK" IT RESTARTED NORMALLY. THIS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN 15 MINUTES DURING THE SAME SHORT TRIP HOME. THERE WAS NO WARNING SIGNS WHATSOVER BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. (NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, ETC.) AN INTERNET SEARCH OF ABUNDANT IDENTICAL DODGE GRAND CARAVAN STALLING ISSUES INDICATES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO EVADE - FOR FAR TOO MANY YEARS, TO THE DETRIMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

NHTSA ID

11423694

Incident

Jul 6, 2021