The contact owns a 1996 Dodge Caravan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, he opened the hood and noticed a fuel leak on top of the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
1996 Dodge Caravan: gas smell in the cabin
27 of the 1,394 complaints about the 1996 Dodge Caravan describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 27
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 4
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
Gas smell in the cabin by model year
What owners say
Vehicle was taken to the dealer for a heavy fuel smell entering the passenger cabin. Dealer/mechanic determined that fuel was leaking from the o-rings on the fuel injection system.
We purchased our 1996 caravan new and we have had to replace the transmission 3 times (of those 1 time was rebuilt under manufacturer warranty) the last time we had rebuilt was in may 2003 and is already starting to act up again, it is slipping in first gear (between 10-35 MPH). We have had the fuel pump replaced twice; we are now having problems with gasoline smell coming from under hood. The timing belt just broke this week. We have numerous oil leaks; we are averaging 3-4 quarts of oil per week; we had one mechanic put dye in the oil and he had us drive it for a few days and then checked it and stated there was 4-5 oil leaks and we would be better off to buy a new car; and we have been told this by several mechanics due to the multple problems we have had. We have also had several problems with air conditioner; and the serpentine belt broke several times under warranty and just had to replace it again this week along with the timing belt and cam seals. We had about 2 pages of of warranty work done and right after warranty ran out it went down hill from there. We also had to replace the clock spring and 6 months later there was a recall on the clock spring and now I cannot find my receipt. We are very unhappy with this vehicle and it has more problems than we can count and we very dissappointed that we paid over $18000 for a vehicle and had to put approx more than $4000 in unneccesary repairs that should have never happened. We have been told by several mechanics that the transmissions in these caravans are junk and there aer always problems with them and this doesnt seem very fair to us as consumers because we put out trust into dodge/chrysler corp and we ended up with a lemon. Last year I sent an email to chryler and explained the problems and they basicly just blew us off, of course because it wasnt there problem now since the warranty was expired, I will say this I will never buy another chrysler product again.
Vehicle suffered three fuel tank failures.*mr in between the three failures the consumer had the vehicle in the repair shop on multiple occasions to have the fuel system inspected. Because the smell of fuel was so powerful windows had to be closed while operating the vehicle. The dealer was notified about the defective fuel pump assembly and refused to reimburse the consumers for repairs made. Please respond promptly in resolving matters.
Consumer received recal 00v268000 regarding fuel leakage. Dealer was contacted in june ,and the parts were not available. The dealer was recently contacted, and the parts were still not available. The smell of gasoline entered the passenger cabin which the consumer said was related to this recall.
Consumer states that while driving at any speed and with no warning consumer can strongly smell gas fumes inside the vehicle dealer notified.
The smell of fuel filled the vehicle while being driven. The consumer stated that there were problems with the fuel pump. There were recalls that corresponded with the consumers complaint(recall numbers 99v216000, 00v268000).
When driving gas fumes were coming inside of vehicle. Had to open window to breath. Odor also came from underhood.vehicle has no aceleration power. Dealer contacted.
While driving smell of fuel entered vehicle. Received recall 00v268000 letter for the same issue 3 times, and problem was not remedied as of yet. Please provide any further information.
While driving, there is a very strong fuel odor. This is causing occupants of vehicle to become ill. Consumer has contacted dealer. Please provide any further details.
Fuel smell and leakage of fuel was coming from fuel injection through the manifold. Had taken vehicle to dealer, and they could not state what had caused the leakage. Please provide more information.
There is a fuel smell inside of vehicle. She took it to dealership, and mechanic told her that rollover valve in fuel tank has a problem and it needs it to be replaced.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: mini vans built with 3.3l and 3.8l engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on january 25, 2002. Due to the large quantity of vehicles involved in this campaign, the owner notification will be phased over the next several months. However, if a vehicle is leaking fuel from the o-rings, the vehicle should be taken into a dealer to have this repaired as soon as possible. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 00V268000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivans. Fuel can leak from the fuel tank at the interface of the fuel pump module attachment.
- Risk
- If a fuel leak occurs in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel pump module attaching nut with a nut that includes tighter design tolerances. The sealing o-ring will also be replaced.
Recall number 99V216000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- A static electric charge can build up on the ungrounded metal section of the fuel filler tube.
- Risk
- This condition could cause a spark to occur when fueling the vehicle and possibly ignite the fuel vapors.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a ground strap for the fuel filler tube.
Recall number 96V002000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- The fuel tank rollover valve can allow fuel to pass into the vapor canister resulting in the potential for fuel leakage.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage increases the potential for a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel tank filler tube with a filler tube that has an additional rollover valve. The associated rollover valve vapor hoses will be rerouted.
Recall number 95V236000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1996 Dodge Caravan fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 1996 Dodge Caravan?
27 of 1,394 owner complaints about the 1996 Dodge Caravan (2%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Dodge Caravan?
There are 4 recalls and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Dodge Caravan
Airbag light 165Adaptive cruise 110Wipers 102Fuel leak 64Stalling 58Fuel pump 40Door locks 39ABS 34Fire or smoke 33Brake failure 32Transmission failure 27Headlights 24Loss of power 21Power steering loss 21No deployment 19Overheating 19Grinding brakes 16Check engine light 16Coil spring 10Jerking 10Ball joint 9Hesitation 9Seat belt 9Slipping 9Tire blowout 9Oil consumption 8Premature wear 8Knocking 7Fuel gauge 7Won't shift 7Won't start 7Engine failure 5Steering lock-up 5
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