2019 Dodge Grand Caravan: What to check before buying

Sliding door lock actuators seize. Rear sliding doors then stick shut and locked, or stop locking at all, often after weeks of clicking or buzzing. Dealers quote close to $1000 per door. Three reports involve fire: one under the dash wiring, one in the engine compartment after idling, and one around the driver's seat while the van sat parked and off. Other reports describe an airbag warning light traced to the driver's seat wiring harness, with the part on backorder. Backup cameras are slow to start, flip upside down, or go blank.

Transmissions fail suddenly, often with no warning light. A whining or grinding noise comes first, then slipping, revving without movement, lurching, or a stall in traffic. Several vans became undrivable within a few miles. Reported failures run from 47,000 to 110,000 miles, with repair quotes from about $5,000 to $9,000. Other vans shift hard or get stuck in one gear in stop-and-go traffic. Separate reports describe rental vans rolling away after being left in Park. In one, a mechanic found the lock between Park and Reverse missing. Injuries resulted.

Cylinder 2 misfires, logged as code P0302, cause most of these reports. The check engine light comes on, and the engine runs rough, skips, loses power, or lurches at stops. New spark plugs and coils usually do not fix it. Shops then find low compression and replace the cylinder head, valves, or camshafts. Onset clusters between 70,000 and 96,000 miles, often just past warranty, and repair quotes reach $6,500. Some vans fail emissions tests. A few owners also report oil cooler leaks that set off no warning.

Second- and third-row seats snap forward hard when a lever is pulled, and the headrests slam down onto heads, necks, and hands. Seven injuries are reported, including whiplash and a finger that needed stitches. Many happened in rental vans when riders mistook the stow lever for a recline lever. Front head restraints also deploy on their own, sometimes while parked with no one inside, and some detach. Other reports describe a failed driver seat heater, a power seat stuck forward, and stow seats that will not fold down.

Rear sliding doors lock shut and will not open from the buttons, the key fob, or the manual lock. Some owners have to take the door panel apart to free them. A buzzing noise often starts on one door, then the other door begins doing the same. Other sliding doors unlock and open by themselves, or start closing again after being opened. Several reports describe front interior door handles cracking off during normal use, which left the occupant unable to open the door from inside. One owner found a melted rear bumper.

No airbag deployed in three reported crashes, including frontal and driver-side impacts with injuries. Other owners see the airbag warning light come on and go off repeatedly while driving, and repair shops could not find the cause. Front head restraints also fire with the van off and no one nearby. In one case, a snapped plastic piece holding the retaining pin was blamed. One owner reports tire pressure warnings coming on alongside the airbag light even when tire pressures are correct.

Sliding door lock actuators fail, leaving a rear door that will not open or will not lock. Clicking or buzzing during closing often comes first. Reported failures range from about 56,000 to 123,000 miles, and one replacement actuator failed again. Owners say they received a warranty extension notice covering the sliding door power lock actuators and were then refused because their vans were over the mileage limit. Many vans go unrepaired because of cost. One report describes a fractured front driver's door handle.

Braking fails to slow the van in a few reports. In one panic stop, the pedal went to the floor with little deceleration, the ABS seemed to interfere, and the van hit another vehicle, injuring two people. Rear brake trouble is the other pattern: pulsing and weak stops on a van with very low mileage, and a rear caliper that blew out with a grinding noise at about 70,000 miles. One van pulls hard left under braking, and several mechanics could not find the cause.