2017 Dodge Grand Caravan: engine failure

Filed Jun 4, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · 90,489 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway an dfailed to restart. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine bay. There was not warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to AAMCO Transmissions, where it was diagnosed that the water pump housing had split in half. The water pump was replaced. The contact stated that shortly after the repair, the thermostat gauge started fluctuating and the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to JJ Auto Repair and Collisions, where it was diagnosed with catastrophic engine block failure. A new engine was purchased and installed on the vehicle; however, the vehicle suddenly stalled while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with alternator failure. The alternator and the battery were replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where the battery was replaced. Additionally, AutoZone tested the newly installed alternator and determined that the alternator was faulty; however, several mechanics determined that the alternator was in good condition. The contact related the failures to the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers:Â 20V278000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and 18V524000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied reimbursement for the expenses. The failure mileage was approximately 90,489.

Filed Mar 11, 2026 · Electrical · MN

The driver's side sliding door lock has seized up and will not let you open the door at all. It won't open with a remote or manually it is solid as a rock. The passenger side sliding door motor makes a horrible sound every time it locks or unlock. It did get stuck at one point , but then it unlocked. This is very dangerous when you have small children in car seats that you cannot get to. And because the door locks on the dodge grand caravans keep malfunctioning , you have to crawl through the back end of the vehicle , put the seats down to get to children in car seats to get them out of the vehicle. The cost to fix this is outrageous. Dodge grand caravan sliding door locks have thousands and thousands of complaints about malfunctioning, and not working. And needing to be replaced. Why are you not recalling this? This is a safety issue. Also , if this would have locked up when I was sitting in the back seat , I wouldn't have been able to get out because I am disabled. I would've been stuck in this dodge grand caravan. This is a safety issue that dodge needs to address immediately. When the door lock smell function and you can't get disabled adults out of a vehicle or small children out of a car seat that is a serious issue.

Filed Feb 14, 2026 · CT

Seized sliding door latch. In an emergency we cannot exit threw the door. There was a recall on the door lock latch. Dealer will not repair do to the mileage.

Filed Jan 29, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · WI

I am writing to formally request that the federal safety agency review and consider an investigation into a potential safety-related defect affecting 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles. My vehicle recently experienced a failure of the engine oil filter housing, which cracked and leaked oil and required an expensive repair. According to the repair facility, Pro Auto Service, this failure is not isolated. I was advised that the shop has repaired a significant number of identical failures over the past year, to the extent that replacement parts have at times been difficult to obtain. The repair facility also indicated that many similar failures have occurred in recent weeks, coinciding with extreme cold weather conditions. The oil filter housing is a critical engine component responsible for maintaining proper oil circulation and pressure. Failure of this component can lead to oil loss, reduced lubrication, engine damage, or potential engine shutdown if not immediately addressed. Because this defect directly impacts engine operation, it presents a powertrain-related safety concern. Based on the frequency of reported failures, the consistency across the same model year, and the apparent correlation with cold weather conditions, this issue appears to be the result of a design or material defect rather than normal wear and tear. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency review this matter for possible investigation and recall consideration to protect vehicle owners from unexpected engine failure and costly repairs. Thank you for your attention to this concern and for your continued commitment to vehicle safety.

Filed Dec 6, 2025 · Engine · NC

My engine has begun the "Pentastar tick", which is surprisingly well-known, but not recalled. This is a serious safety issue because it can cause engine failure, which would cause an accident. Dodge has known about this problem for years, but refuses to fix it. I cannot afford to replace the engine and my van is sitting at the dealership, as of today. Please make them fix this! Why is there not a recall on these engines!?! Thankfully, there was no accident and I had the vehicle towed to the dealership, only to be told they are aware of it and I'm looking at $3,000-5,000 to "fix" it. However, the replacement parts would be the same as the original parts, so it's just going to keep happening. They are willfully and knowingly endangering families by not fixing this!

Filed Oct 26, 2025 · MO

The lock actuators on my 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan sliding passenger doors are both frozen, so the doors are not able to be opened at all. The doors for the backseat are unusable, and passengers must climb in through the back hatch door of the van. My car began smoking from the engine (visible from the hood), and I had to pull my vehicle over. My children were unable to exit the vehicle in a swift manner, because they had to leave through the rear hatch of the vehicle instead of opening the doors next to their seats. This is extremely unsafe and seems to be a widespread safety risk with this vehicle. The company issued an extended warranty in 2025, but because my vehicle was purchased in 2018 and I commuted to my job, my vehicle is over the 100,000 mile qualifier now. It wasn't at 100,000 miles when the doors seized up. Dodge/Chrysler should recall this lock actuator part, because passenger safely should come first. An extended warranty that excludes drivers now over 100,000 miles is not acceptable. This defect could have caused my children to become trapped in a burning vehicle.

Filed Jun 20, 2025 · Body · MO

Beginning at about 75,000 miles (1st lock actuator), my lock actuators seized and rendered the backseat passenger doors unusable. The second lock actuator on the passenger side followed at about 95,000 miles. This is extremely unsafe, because if I have my children as passengers, they must climb in through the back hatch of the minivan. In addition, passengers cannot exit the vehicle from their seats in case of a wreck. Dodge has issued an extended warranty recently, but I am not eligible because my vehicle is now over 100,000 miles. (It was under 100,000 miles at the time of malfunction, but there was no extended warranty or recall at the time.) This common issue with the Dodge Grand Caravan is extremely unsafe, and all defective lock actuators should be replaced/repaired as part of a recall. A warranty that excludes certain users is unsafe.

Filed May 23, 2025 · OH

My driver's side rear sliding door will not open or unlock. The locking mechanism inside the door panel is seized up and will not release the lock, so the door cannot be opened. This is unsafe because I now only have one door that passengers can exit from the back and if something were to happen to the other back door, people could be trapped. I regularly transport my nieces that are [XXX] , [XXX] , and [XXX] and it makes it very difficult to reach them and if there were an accident on the right side of the car we would not be able to reach them from the left and they would not be able to get out due to the fact that they are in car seats and would need to be taken out by an adult. I have received documentation that states this is a known issue for my Year, Make, and Model, and there is apparently a class action lawsuit about it, but based on the mileage of my car, I won't qualify to have it fixed. I was just made aware that this is a known issue and the car had 70,000 miles on it when I bought it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 30, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · MI

I noticed some shifting issues, and some power loss along with an oil leak and the vehicle is not getting enough lubrication. The vehicle is only at 114010 miles and according to the dealership a new engine is needed. A new engine oil cooler was replaced however not the hoses and the problem still exists.

Filed Nov 12, 2024 · UT

In March 13, 2024, when unlocking the doors from the driver's side control panel there was an audible buzzing sound from the passenger side sliding door. The door was still able to unlock and lock. After doing some research online I found that there was a problem with the locking door actuator that would cause a buzzing sound when engaged. This continued to happen anytime that sliding door was either locked or unlocked. In June of 2024, using the driver's side control panel, I attempted to unlock the passenger sliding door. The door didn't make the buzzing sound, but it also would not unlock. The door was seized shut. I use this vehicle to transport my three children to and from school. Their drop offs are on the right hand side. With the passenger sliding door being seized shut, because of the faulty actuator, my children have to get out on the driver's side door and into incoming traffic! This is a great risk to my children. I called to get it repaired from the dealer I purchased it from with the actuator recall that was issued only to be told thaty vehicle wasn't covered in that recall, yet I still have a door that is seized shut from the recalled actuator part.

Filed Jun 13, 2024 · Body · OR

This weekend both passenger and driver side power sliding doors seized shut, in the locked position. The doors will not manually unlock with applying a lot of force to the locking lever. Looking online there is a manufacturers warranty that was extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles for this specific problem, pointing out the locking actuator as a faulty product, only on certain models, and years. My make and year qualify but the manufacturer has not added my model to the list of affected parts. I have verified my model has the same actuator MPN as the one affected, but still not added to the list. This is a safety issue as how do we get our kids out in a safe and timely manner in an event of an emergency? This weekend we had to crawl back to the back to safely buckle them in and get them out. Would like for this issue to be forced to add the 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT model to the extension of the manufacturers warranty known problem with rear power sliding and locking door actuators. The manufacturer is aware of the problem and is at risk of a lawsuit of this issue.

Filed May 19, 2023 · NJ

The rear driver side sliding door locks seized and the door can not be unlocked via the power locks nor can it be unlocked manually. The door is stuck shut. This issue occured under 60k miles and the door is no longer functional at all. The same issue occured 3 years prior on the passenger side and it was repaired under warranty. The vehicle is no longer under warranty for the second failure. I owned a 2012 Dodge caravan previously and the exact same issue occured on both sliding door locks about a year apart from each other. The repair bill for each was 1,000 dollars to replace a defective actuator. The door locks actuators on the dodge Grand caravan are defective and present a risk of siezing at any time, trapping rear passengers in the vehicle. There is no known way to unlock the doors either manually or electronically outside of a 1,000 dollar repair once the issue occurs. There was no audible or visual warning prior to the occurance in all four cases. The locks just suddenly seized. Google search reveals the issue happens at a high frequency with the dodge Grand caravan. Age of vehicle does not seem to be a determing factor.