Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 45 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 45, in the owner's own words
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.
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 rep acknowledged, after asking if anyone was hurt, that this is a "known problem and a safety issue". After dealer inspection, Chrysler would provide a replacement even though it was after the extended warranty. The dealer performed the inspection on 10/24/2025. I notified the care group at this time. Weeks later the company has reneged on this commitment, refused to provide a replacement, and closed the case.
While in a Parked Gear, my 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan Front Passenger Headrest Deployed/Exploded. There wasn't a collision nor accident
Passenger front seat headrest deployed while vehicle was parked. The plastic housing supporting a small metal bar broke causing it to open. I had no idea this could happen when I bought the car. I have kept this van longer than any I have owned as my Chrysler dealer closed and the van is no longer made! A new one form Chrysler is about $6-800! I was able to find a lightly used replacement headrest on Ebay and using a youtube video swapped it out myself. I have since learned Chrysler extended the warrantee 10 years, but my car is older than that. It only has about 65,500 miles on it. I am going to try and zip-tie the driver's side headrest so I do not get it in the back of the head when driving!! I presume the passenger side will remain intact for a while.
This morning the headrest on the passenger side was deployed the van was parked in driveway overnight. Not sure how this happened. I feel this is a safety issue. If I was driving and someone was sitting in that sit that could have hurt them. This is a default on your vehicle .Please contact me.
On July 28, 2024 I was getting ready to go to work. I got into my driver seat and sat down and the headrest deployed. Hitting me quite hard in the back of the head there was no accident or bumping of the vehicle, which would cause this. I had to go to work, but had a headache the entire evening due to this and woke up the next day being today still with a headache from the injury caused by the van headrest exploding
I was driving down the road and the drivers side head rest popped off and hit me in the back of the head/neck. There were no warning signs and has not been taken anywhere to be inspected as of today. Will be looking into that.
While I was driving, the passenger seat headrest exploded forward. Chrysler calls this the "Front Seat Active Head Restraint." This is a safety mechanism supposed to be triggered in a crash, but the plastic holding back the force of the strong springs gave out and the plastic broke. This is a known issue that has caused others concussions, neck injuries, etc. As of yet the person who was sitting in the seat has not shown adverse symptoms, but his safety was put at risk. Chrysler is aware of this issue and had sent out a letter extending the warranty to 10 years, but this vehicle is just past the 10-year mark. No dealer, police, or insurance representatives have inspected this specific incident. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure.
The driver side headrest was deployed (I was heading to work when I opened the door to get in the van, I noticed the headrest was deployed). The vehicle was parked in my driveway all night and had not been in any type of accident. It is available to be inspected. Had I been driving when it deployed, there’s a strong possibility it would have caused an unsafe driving condition and/or an accident. I have searched for a recall, but there isn’t one. However, other Dodge caravan drivers have reported similar incidents with their headrest deploying for no reason. The component has not been inspected yet, as it occurred just today. No warning lights or signs were present before the deployment (the night before when I parked it).
The driver's seat headrest came apart like it is supposed to in the event of an accident. However, my vehicle was not in an accident; it was sitting in the driveway. The plastic tabs that hold the headrest together broke apart. It is available for inspection. If this had happened while driving, my head would have been hit and pushed forward suddenly, which could have resulted in an accident/loss of control. This has been a problem on different models, and extended warranties have been offered. However, the dealership says mine is not one of the covered vehicles.
Today, 6/17/23, I went to Costco. When I got back to my van I noticed that the passenger head rest had popped open. I first thought that it was some hidden compartment feature that I didn't know about but upon getting out of my van and going around to look closer that there were a lot of what looked like electrical components inside. I thought that was weird, why did a head rest have all that inside it? I tried to close it and could not. When I got home I had my son look at it and he said that he could see a little plastic pin or other had broken, he could tell something had broken, but also could not get it to close or figure out any solution, and he's very good with car problems. I did a bit of research and found a lot of information and news stories about the head rests spontaneously popping open, I was not in any kind of accident, just went to Costco and back to my van at approximately 4:30pm. One of the news stories mentioned NHTSA and here I am reporting this, I have not received any notification on any recalls and I see on your site that there have been three recalls regarding my van.
The active headrest deployment activated but our vehicle did not experience any collision that should have activated this feature. This happened while the vehicle was stopped.
The contact owned a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at 25-35 MPH with someone in the front passenger seat a semi-truck crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle spun seven times and continuously hit the concrete barriers on each side of the highway. The contact stated that the body of the vehicle shifted 5 inches away from the frame. The air bags were deployed but were deflated. The contact became unconscious temporarily and upon regaining consciousness, he noticed that he was laying flat in the front driver's seat as the seat had fractured into two. The contact also noticed that the driver's seatbelt had snapped. The contact was able to exit the vehicle with the assistance of emergency units and the fire department. The contact was transported to the hospital by the emergency unit. The contact sustained consistent middle back pain that would sometimes cause him to crawl instead of walking, numbness in both legs, consistent headaches, and Impaired vision. The other passenger sustained a seatbelt mark and trauma. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where it was totaled. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V291000 (Air Bags). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
Unknown. Went to grab something in the passenger front seat and had my hand on the headrest and it popped open and won’t close back up because the plastic brackets holding metal pole broke. My wrist hurt from the force.
The driver seat headrest deployed without any notice. The plastic is broken where they pin is supposed to sit. Mileage 123,587
The headrest deployed while the vehicle was parked and occupied. The driver was sitting in the seat and hit by the headrest. If he had been leaning back, it was likely forceful enough to cause a head or neck injury. If we had been driving it was distracting and startling. It easily could have caused a crash. I have reported this to Mopar, and I will be taking it to a dodge repair shop for inspection and replacement. They stated they were aware of the issue and they sent out letters. They were aware I never received one, they said due to not having my address, though I have received other communication from Dodge. I know of 2 other dodge owners whose vehicles are in the affected group according to Mopar, and neither has received notification of this potential malfunction. There was absolutely no indication there was anything wrong with the headrest prior to smacking the driver in the head.
HEADREST ON PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT BURST WHEN BRUSHED AGAINST WHEN SOMEONE WAS GETTING INTO THE PARKED VAN.
WHILE GETTING MY FATHER-IN-LAW SITUATED IN THE VAN WHEN LEAVING PHYSICAL THERAPY IS WHEN WE NOTICED WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH THIS HEADREST.
DRIVER'S SIDE ACTIVE-RESTRAINT HEADREST DEPLOYED (POPPED OPEN) WHILE CAR WAS AT REST WITH ENGINE OFF. INTERNAL INSPECTION SHOWED BROKEN PLASTIC INSIDE HEADREST. CAR WAS STATIONARY; ENGINE WAS OFF WHEN ACTIVE-RESTRAINT HEADREST DEPLOYED. DEALER SAID COST TO REPLACE WAS APPROXIMATELY $900. RECALL FOR SAME ISSUE ON OTHER MAKES/MODELS BY CHRYSLER/DODGE. APPARENTLY NOT FOR 2013 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN (YET).
MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DRIVING IN OUR 2013 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN WHEN THE PASSNGER HEADREST DEPLOYED AND HIT MY DAUGHTER IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. THIS HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION.*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE PLASTIC THAT HOLDS THE PIN OF THE HEADREST FAILED. THE PIN WAS STILL LATCHED TO THE HEADREST. *JS
BOTH FRONT HEADREST RESTRAINTS DEPLOYED WHEN CAR WAS PARKED. THEY ARE DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS AND DODGE HAS NOT RECALLED THEM FOR THE 2013 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN
THE HEADREST OF MY 2013 DODGE CARAVAN DEPLOYED WITH NO WARNING. IT WAS FRONT PASSENGER HEADREST . WE WERE GOING AT APPROX. 15 MPH. MY SON WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND OUT OF NO WHERE, THE HEADREST DEPLOYED.
PASSENGER HEADREST DEPLOYED WITHOUT IMPACT TO VEHICLE. INSPECTION OF HEADREST APPEARS THE THE PLASTIC STRUCTURE HOLDING RETAINING PIN HAS FAILED, DEPLOYING HEADREST. I BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY.
PASSENGER HEADREST DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET.
BOTH OF MY FRONT SEATS' HEADRESTS HAVE DEPLOYED (AT SEPARATE TIMES), WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS UNOCCUPIED, SITTING PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. THE PLASTIC CLIP THAT HOLDS THE MECHANISM CLOSED WORE OUT AND CRACKED OPEN, RELEASING THE HEADREST. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE THIS WAS CLEARLY A DEFECT. THEY SAID THE ENTIRE SEAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IT ESTIMATED $900.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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