2018 Dodge Grand Caravan: What to check before buying

Sliding doors jam in the locked position and will not open by fob, button, or handle. A loud buzzing when locking often comes first. Other doors stick unlocked and won't lock, and some front door locks stop responding. Most failures show up between about 34,000 and 66,000 miles, and dealers quote up to $1,700 per door. Owners worry about getting children out in an emergency. Separate reports describe no-starts and a wiring harness near the power outlet that rubs the frame, overheats, and melts the carpet, a fire risk.

Sliding door latches seize and leave the door locked shut, with fob, interior button, and handles all dead. Often one side fails and the other follows months later. Some doors fail the opposite way: they won't lock and can open while the van is moving. One power door kept closing on an arm. Mechanics blame worn latches or seized lock actuators. Repairs run from over $600 to more than $1,300 per door. Most failures fall between roughly 44,000 and 60,000 miles. A few reports cover a liftgate that won't open and a middle-row seat that won't fold.

A cylinder 2 misfire is the dominant problem. It brings a check engine light, rough idle, shaking, and loss of power. New spark plugs and coils rarely fix it. Shops find low compression and point to the cylinder head or valves, with estimates from about $3,700 to over $5,000. Onset runs from about 46,000 to 75,000 miles, often just past the factory warranty. Several reports describe stalling or sudden loss of power while driving, including at 45 mph, sometimes with no warning light.

Transmissions fail between roughly 69,000 and 91,000 miles. The van loses acceleration on the highway, whines, revs high while barely moving, or refuses to shift. Owners describe delayed acceleration as an early sign. Leaks and a failed flex plate also come up. One report describes the van accelerating on its own in traffic. Several complaints here actually involve cylinder misfires and suspected head problems, and one cites a lifter failure that damaged the engine. Another describes a hood latch that let go at 45 mph.

Deployment without a crash is the main pattern. Front and seat air bags fire while parking or at low speed, causing burns and bruises. Active head restraints in the front seats go off with no rear impact and need costly replacement because they can't be reset. Other reports describe a warning light that comes and goes, even after repeated air bag and wiring replacements. In one crash, the front air bags failed to deploy in a small overlap collision and the unbelted driver died.

Sliding doors fail to unlock or unlatch and stay shut against the fob and both handles. A buzzing sound during operation often comes first. Once one side fails, the other side often follows. When shops diagnose the problem, they find a failed door lock actuator. Reported failures range from about 36,000 to 123,000 miles, with most between 49,700 and 78,000. Dealers often leave the van undiagnosed or unrepaired, and the manufacturer rarely offers help.

Front head restraints burst open without any impact, while driving, parked, or sitting overnight. They strike occupants in the head, causing neck pain and dizziness, and usually can't be reset. Several cases appear around 60,000 miles. In a high-speed rear-end crash, a third-row seat broke loose from its floor hooks and swung with the passenger in it. Six people were injured. Another passenger was hurt when a seatback slammed forward during adjustment. This category records eight injuries.

The brake pedal goes soft, sinks toward the floor, or stops the van poorly. Some drivers say it kept rolling despite hard braking. Bleeding the brakes helps for a while, then the spongy pedal returns. One shop found a gas bubble in a brake line. Two reports involve crashes in which the driver says the brakes didn't stop the van. Others describe longer stopping distances that began soon after purchase.