I just bought a 2002 Dodge Grand caravan. I have noticed the seat belts do not lock when I installed the car seat and pulled the seat belt to lock the car seat in place it will not work which makes the car seat tip and fall every direction. I tried every seat in van to see if the lock and they do not unless the car is started if you pull it down fast it locks but not when it's off and will not stay locked. Speedometer and gas gage quit working.
The worst 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags59
- Steering53
- Transmission42
- Electrical38
- Brakes36
- Fuel system21
- Lights21
- Seat belts21
- Body19
- Engine19
- Suspension16
- Locks13
- Visibility10
- Acceleration9
- Tires5
- Seats2
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
Airbag light 38Headlights 21Transmission failure 11Grinding brakes 10Door locks 10Check engine light 9Fire or smoke 9Loss of power 9ABS 7Steering noise 7Tire blowout 7Brake failure 6Power steering loss 6Stalling 6Pulling 6Wipers 6Jerking 5
Recalls 5
Equipment: electrical: radio/tape deck/cd etc.
- What is wrong
- On certain mini vans, condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts may drop through vent holes in the top of the radio and result in a short circuit that subsequently sends direct current to the rear speakers.
- Risk
- This could result in a speaker fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add a special tape to the top of the radio to prevent the potential of water intrusion. The recall began on january 31, 2005. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 04V531000 · Recall details
Steering: hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections
- What is wrong
- On certain minivans equipped with 3.3 or 3.8l v-6 engine, the upper power steering cooler hose may split and cause a fluid leak.
- Risk
- Power steering fluid leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in an under hood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the upper power steering cooler hose. This recall began on september 27, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 04V386000 · Recall details
Structure
- What is wrong
- Certain pickup truck, van, and mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
- Risk
- This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began march 7, 2003. 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 southern comfort at 1‑800‑745‑6096.
Recall number 03V094000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain mini vans, the fuel tank control valve weld joint could separate resulting in a possible fuel leak.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in an underbody fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and replace it if necessary. Owner notification began october 28, 2002. 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 02V274000 · Recall details
Child seat
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain mini vans fail to comply with requirements of fmvss no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the owner manuals supplied with these vehicles do not indicate which seating positions are equipped with tether anchorages and child restraint anchorage systems as required by the standard.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the child seat may not be properly attached increasing the risk of injury to the child.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with the necessary child restraint system information. Owner notification is expected to begin october 8, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free information within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 01V310000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
Defect investigations
Headlight malfunction
Owner reports indicate allegations of improper headlight operation of one or both headlights.some report intermittent outage or dimming.many report that the condition is random; it sometimes does not repeat and lasts for a very short duration. A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see summary report for additional information.
EA05009
Headlight malfunction
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation after receiving reports from consumers that their headlights would malfunction in various ways from flickering to complete non-illumination.headlight operation is monitored by the vehicle's body control module (bcm) and front control module (fcm).odi is upgrading this preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis (ea05-009) to further examine the issue.
PE05004
Power liftgate latch
This investigation was opened as pe04-054 regarding reports of alleged power liftgate (plg) opening while driving.the investigation was upgraded on november 22, 2004 based on information provided by daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) in its september 17, 2004 response to pe04-054. By letter of april 5, 2005, dcc has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall of 70,235 model year (my) 2003 chrysler town & country and dodge grand caravan vehicles equipped with the plg option.dcc has identified a problem in early production my 2003 plg control modules that can prevent the plg door from latching closed in a power open/close cycle.in this condition the plg can rise (not power open) during vehicle operation.dealers will install a revised plg control module to remedy the affected vehicles.see safety recall 05v134 for details.
EA04031
Speaker fire in the rear of the vehicle
On july 7, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation based on consumer complaints alleging an interior vehicle fire starting in the area of the driver side rear speaker.daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) informed odi that condensation from the instrument panel air conditioning ducts may drip onto the radio and into vent holes on top of the radio.this can result in a short circuit sending direct current to the rear speakers and cause a speaker fire.the condition is present only on subject vehicles equipped with the base radio.subject vehicles with other option radios contain circuit protection that prevents sending direct current to the speakers and are not affected.all nine complaints pertain to vehicles with the base radio.by letter dated november 1, 2004, dcc notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency# 04v531) covering model year 2001-2002 dodge caravan, grand caravan, chrysler voyager, and town & country models with base radio only (est. 238,000 vehicles).dcc dealers will install a protective tape to the top of the radio assembly to prevent water intrusion.the action taken by dcc is sufficient to resolve the issue raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.
PE04049
Fuel tank leak
PE02068
Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan 15
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- KEY, Master If replacing the key/FOBIK on a WJ, KJ, TJ, or PT Cruiser, use the "AC" NIC level part number
- Disinfectant Solution Recommended for COVID-19
- Charging System, Battery Diagnostic Tools and Warranty
- Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs
- Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts
- Use of Aftermarket Parts
- Service
- Valve Body
- 82212076, 82203694
- Power steering fluid cooler hoses may split and cause a loss of power assist - customer satisfaction...
What 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I was driving down highway 60 when my van backfired. I thought it was a blown tire & started pulling off the highway. When pulling off the highway I noticed the orange glare off the side rails on the highway. That's when I realized that the van had caught on fire under the hood. Once I pulled over I had a friend call 911 to report my van on fire while I tried to open the hood & put the fire out. The hood was to hot to open so I grabbed everything I could from my van & stayed clear of it until the Arizona fire dept & Arizona highway patrol came. All my information was taken by the Arizona highway patrol. I was told that my van will be at J&S Towing & that my friends & i can leave the scene.
Every time I go Though a small puddle rain or snow 10 to 30 mph I loose power steering and have a battery light pop on I have to pull over turn off van and restart sometime it goes back to normal
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the heater blower had become inoperable and upon inspection, it was discovered that the heater blower wiring harness was burnt and the wires were melted together. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 185,000.
My van,2002 dodge grand caravan, randomly stalls while driving down the street/road whether on straight road or a curve, or with a full tank of gas or less,gas seems to be irrelevant . After stalling will not restart. I have replaced all mini-fuses,battery, starter,and still will stall. Sometimes while driving above 25 MPH while still moving it will restart on its own. This is a huge safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge caravan. The contact stated that the rear door handle had melted due to exposure to the sun and the door was unable to be opened. Also, the drivers side of the dashboard had also melted and cracked due to exposure to the sun causing debris to separate from the dashboard making contact with the driver while driving with the windows opened. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer jacksonville dodge (11101 nurseryfield dr. Jacksonville fl) and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Air bag failure reported to dodge in 2003 and many attempts to have it fixed have failed. Code says passanger air bag defective and air bag light comes on. In many years the dealer has not fixed the problem. They simply reset the code to turn the light off and later it comes back on. The first reported failures were under the warranty. Then they charge $ 100.00 to turn the light and this has happened over 10 times in the past years. This is a manufacturing problem (not a wear item) and should be fixed under the warranty. The dealer now wants over a 1,000 to remove the dash asm justr to determine if it is a wiring, connection problem or if the air bag is actually bad. I have all the service records verifying my claim.
Clogged catalytic converter causing power loss while driving on highway
Strong fuel smell entering the cabin at low speed or idle coming from vehicle when running.
The airbag light comes on each time I start the engine and stays on .
Compare the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
Grand Caravan vs Chrysler Town and CountryGrand Caravan vs Honda OdysseyGrand Caravan vs Toyota SiennaGrand Caravan vs Chrysler PacificaGrand Caravan vs Kia Sedona
Other model years
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Questions about the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan
Is the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan reliable?
Owners have filed 290 complaints about the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan, fewer than a typical Grand Caravan model year.
What is the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan year score?
The 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan scores 70 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Dodge Grand Caravan: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Airbags, with 59 complaints, typically around 54,000 miles. Next is steering (53).
How many recalls does the 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan have?
5 recalls, covering equipment, steering and structure.
What year does the Dodge Grand Caravan have bad airbags?
The Dodge Grand Caravan model years with the most airbags complaints are 2008 (294 complaints), 1996 (211 complaints) and 2010 (144 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history