Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 59 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 59, in the owner's own words
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.
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.
Driver side door is not locking or unlocking with KEYFOB.
Driver's side sliding door stays locked and will not open it also prevents me to lock the passenger side sliding door
Driver side sliding door locked. Fails to get unlocked. Tried unlocking with Key Fob, manually unlocking. Nothing works and this door now fails to get unlocked and open. Passenger side middle row bucket seat fails to fold down and get under the floor.
Left/drivers side automatic door actuator failed, door would not open and actuator had to be replaced. Mechanic notes available upon request. Safety risk as door could not be accessed for evacuating the vehicle in the event of an emergency. Notification was issued from the manufacturer that this has been a concern in this model, but manufacturer did not replace it. The vehicle was independently inspected before replacing, and replacing the actuator remedied the issue. There were no warning signs or symptoms prior to failure.
Right sliding door does not lock when lock button is pushed and will swing open during driving and can be opened when parked while the lock system is still in place. Also the door when manually closed has trapped an arm and does not stop closing. Also have bubbles on front hood from unknown cause. Door problem started several weeks ago and was looked at then and also today at the dealer.
The left sliding door of the van has an issue which started immediately after my last service more than a year ago (Around april 12, 2023) at Glendale CA Dodge. Initially the door wouldnt unlock and lock. I reported it to them but got no response. I had to manually unlock and lock to make it work and fixed the issue. Since then, it makes a lod buzzing noise whenever it's locked and unlocked. So, the issue now it just the loud buzzing noise and it's been that way since. I searched online and found forums with other users with the same problem who reported their issues here at NHTSA too. So, I'm reporting mine. Thank you.
The passenger sliding door on the driver's side is stuck in the lock position and cannot unlock the door. Other doors need to be utilized to exit the vehicle and this poses a safety concern. I read many forums where this seems to be an issue with Dodge Caravans and should be a recall as it is known to be faulty. Contacted dealership and they want to charge over $600 to fix but this should be covered by Dodge and should be recalled as this poses a safety concern.
I had the same door lock actuator failure (door is stuck locked and can't be opened) that was flagged for Caravans through model year 2017 (the model year before). [XXX] Since little changed about these vehicles from 2017 to 2018, I'm guessing that might've just been an issue of insufficient data, so I wanted to document this failure that still may be occurring in later model years. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Passenger sliding door makes a noise when unlocking door. Sometimes it will not lock at all. When we searched issue is states actuator has gone bad and needs to be replaced.
Right side sliding door actuator fails to lock and unlock. Manual and automatic commands fail to lock and unlock the door. No inspection necessary. No warning is issued.
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated the passenger’s side sliding door failed to open properly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the passenger’s side sliding door actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on July 1, 2023, the driver’s sliding door also experienced the failure and failed to open properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,500.
Drivers side sliding door will not open. I am an automotive technician and i aware of the previous investigation into this issue that resulted in extended coverage on previous model 2015-2017 year Grand caravans and Town and countrys, but mnow im here with a 2018 Grand caravan, same defect,same part, not covered.This is a common safety issue and this specail coverage needs to be extended to cover up to 2020 model years as they all have the same common defect with inoperable door latches.
driver's side back door is stuck in the closed position. Unable to open from outside, unable to open via key fob and unable to open from roof panel. The lock appears to be in between the lock and unlock position. From my understanding its the actuator that needs to be replaced. This door has not been used near as often as the passenger back door and it has no issues. I see online where lots of people with different year models having this same issue. Some have recvd a letter of recall however I have not.
Both sliding doors on my dodge caravan stop locking/unlocking. The driver side door stopped working while in the locked position and the door will not unlock from inside or outside of the vehicle. This is a safety hazard, especially while having kids in the back and the door will not open at all. I have read online that this is a common issue, but is not a recall. This should be a recall since the door just stopped working. What happens when both stop working in a vehicle and the person has no way to get people out of the back, especially if it is used as a handicapped vehicle.
In June 2022 the driver's side sliding door became stuck in the locked position. It was difficult to get my young children in/out of the vehicle safely. I took the van to the dealership where I was charged over $900 to have the actuator replaced (See attached). From doing research online, I see that there is a known issue with this specific part for vehicles produced in 2015-2017 and an extended warranty was given to those vehicles because it was found to be unsafe. (NO. D-21-15 see attached) Unfortunately, my vehicle was produced in November 2017 and the extended warranty only covers vehicles up to January 2017. From my understanding, this part is not supposed to break or have to be replaced. The problem with this piece of the vehicle is clearly still an issue with vehicles produced after January 2017. As of Sunday, March 26, 2023 I am now having the same issue AGAIN with the other passenger side sliding door and will need the actuator replaced.
Rear passenger door is stuck in the lock position due to a faulty Lock Actuator. Huge. safety. risk and a known issue.
The trim located on the driver’s side door (next to the window, on the side of the window closest to the rear of the vehicle) came off while we were driving 70 mph down a highway. It hit near the window of the passenger door (on the driver’s side, where a child was seated), causing damage to our vehicle, and then continued to fly, thankfully not hitting any vehicles behind us. I report it because we have family who also have this same type of van and the exact same trim came off of the exact same spot. And I have seen multiple, multiple of the same type of vans since with the same exact missing trim. This is a safety risk to everyone else on the road, and it was a safety risk for my own family when it came off and barely missed a window.
Both of my sliding door actuators are seized and won't unlock/lock. Currently, my driver side sliding door is stuck in the lock position. This is a safety hazard because if my car were in an accident and my kids needed to exit the vehicle, this door not opening would be an issue. Also, my passenger side sliding door also doesn't lock. This is an issue because anyone could enter my vehicle without me knowing and either steal the vehicle or could try to harm my wife or kids by waiting inside without them knowing. I have tried to discuss this with the dealership and with Dodge, but they are unwilling to inspect the vehicle without a fee. I currently don't have enough money to get my vehicle inspected or to get the repair done. I have looked online and I do see that this issue has occurred with the same model for years 2013-2017. I have also read online of other vehicle owners having a similar problem.
The sliding door on the driver's side is locked closed and it cannot be unlocked or opened. The sliding door on the passenger's side can be opened and closed, but cannot be locked. As such, that door can be opened when the van is driven. The door locking failures occurred without any warning. According to the mechanic, both failures were due to worn door latches, which can be repaired/replaced for more $1,300 each in parts and labor. The van was purchased used more than 5 months ago with an odometer reading of 61,380 miles. The odometer read 71,173 miles when the van was dropped off today to have the door latches fixed. A request was made for all replaced components and parts to be retained for inspection, if warranted at a later date.
Passenger door lock actuator stuck in the unlock position. When manually locked, actuator began buzzing when unlocking using electric methods. The van will not always unlock the doors via key fob since this has happened. I have small kids, and in the event of an emergency, it is important to be able to reliable unlock the rear doors if vehicle evacuation were necessary. I am in the processes of ordering a replacement actuator and will self install, but will keep the original on hand if the need arrises for it to be inspected. The vehicle has not been looked at by anybody other than myself as I do my own mechanic work.
Left side passenger door stuck and will not open. Minivan was manufactured 12-2017 according to door sticker information.
The sliding rear passenger door (on the driver’s side) will not open. It happened without warning; after some internet research, it appears that is a frequently occurring issue with models of Dodge Grand Caravans. I’m the event of an emergency the side door panel would be difficult to escape. I have yet to take it a repairman for evaluation.
2018 Dodge Caravan (52,000 miles) Rear sliding passenger door will not open under any circumstances. Door is in locked position and cannot be opened manually from the outside or inside of vehicle. Door will not open electrically with the key fob or the overhead console button. Door actuator is frozen in the locked position. If passenger in rear seat on passenger side had to get out of vehicle in an emergency they would have to exit using another door. It is my understanding that Chrysler is aware of potential safety issues with this situation occurring and I have seen several class action lawsuits regarding this online.
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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