The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping and made abnormal grinding sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic, who discovered that there was no transmission fluid inside the transmission. The mechanic replaced the transmission. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was 120,211.
Dodge Grand Caravan grinding brakes problems
204 of the 13,443 owner complaints about the Dodge Grand Caravan describe grinding or squealing brakes, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 204
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical repair cost reported
- $700
- typical mileage
- 38,276
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Steering noise 11Brake failure 11Transmission failure 10ABS 10Stalling 9Door locks 9Premature wear 6Overheating 6
Trouble codes mentioned
P0944 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the driver’s side rear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear brake caliper had blown out. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage for the failure. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the contact heard a grinding sound coming from the transmission. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road for 5-10 minutes, and then the vehicle was driven to an auto body shop. The vehicle was still drivable, and an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V461000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 123,000.
Was driving home from work (on city streets) and noticed that the engine seemed to be idling higher than normal RPMs. Van would not shift from first gear and would not accelerate beyond about 30 MPH, very sluggish, while RPMs rose above 3K and engine made a grinding/whining sound. No warning lights of any kind came on while driving or while stopped. While stopped at a traffic light, heard several loud clunks from under the hood and van had difficulty accelerating from stop. Was able to get it to the shop where they diagnosed transmission failure - the mechanics couldn't get it out of first gear by the time they were done looking at it and had to push it off the lift. Total cost of a remanufactured transmission plus new hubs and axles because they couldn't get the old ones removed without damaging them to remove/replace the transmission was $5600. Van has 128,000 miles.
The passenger sliding door starting making a squeaky noise and now won’t open or even unlock. The lock actuator is not working causing this to be a safety issue. I know it was a recall on certain caravan but mine was not. Trying to figure out how it can be added in the recall.
My transmission was damaged by a pothole and replaced with item R890720AG in September 2018. I was driving with my family and my transmission failed with code Po944 among other transmission failure codes; on Monday January 16, 2023. While driving on the freeway I heard a weird grinding noise. The vehicle suddenly without warning slowed down. No matter how much I pressed the gas it did nothing. I tried to pull over to avoid traffic. The vehicle kept at a slow pace. Finally as I approach the edge of the road it stopped. I had to then push it to safety and call for a tow. The code P0944 is the same code that is with the recall S44. I understand that my vehicle is not part of the recall S44 but it has the same issues. Since my current part is discontinued, did it cause the same issue since its now remanufactured with item number R890720AI? I am vey concerned that this could've been a dangerous situation. We almost died that day because the transmission went out with no warning. I went to the dealer and they are not helping with the situation. Why would a new transmission from September 2018 seize in January 2023. It just made 4 years old. I need help to understand what happened and how can this be solved. Please help make sure no one else gets hurt by this issue.
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal squeaking noise detected and the vehicle was running rough. Additionally, while driving, the vehicle was skidding. While lowering the driver's side window, the window fractured inside the door. The window failed to raise up or lower down with an abnormal cracking noise detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contract called an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 14,642.
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. After coming to a stop, the transmission shifter was seized and the vehicle was undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Passenger side sliding door lock, no longer locks/unlocks via lock buttons unless lock on door is manually locked/unlocked by hand. Driver side sliding door makes a grinding sound when using lock buttons to lock door. No sound when unlocking this door.
I purchased the vehicle in February 2019 and within a year the passenger-side sliding door would not unlock and would not open. Through research, I learned it was the actuator that had gone out in the door. In November of 2021, the driver-side sliding door started making a grinding noise every time the doors were locked, indicating the actuator on that door was about to go out as well. Not having access to open the back doors of a minivan negates the benefits of driving a van, plus can cause a serious safety concern if individuals aren't able to exit the vehicle if needed.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Jeep Compass, 2018 Dodge Journey, and 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
- Risk
- A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U86.
Recall number 18V523000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Eldorado national is recalling model year 2008-2009 amerivan mobility vehicles built on chrysler town & country and dodge grand caravan platforms vehicles. The rear brake lines may have been improperly routed and not secured properly during the alteration. If not routed and secured properly, the brake lines could rub against the vehicle causing a brake fluid leak.
- Risk
- A brake fluid leak could result in a loss of braking ability, possibly causing a crash.
- Remedy
- Eldorado national amerivan dealers will inspect the vehicles and if the brake lines were improperly routed they will be correctly reinstalled free of charge. The safety recall began on october 13, 2009. Owners may contact eldorado national at 1‑800‑955‑9086. These minivans have been altered into wheelchair accessible vehicles by eldorado. This recall is not being conducted by chrysler group llc and will not be performed at no cost by dodge or chrysler dealers unless they are also an eldorado national dealer.
Recall number 09V351000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- The master cylinder rear seal, between the hydraulic fluid and the vacuum reservoir, may not seal adequately allowing hydraulic fluid to be drawn into the power assist vacuum reservoir.
- Risk
- As the hydraulic fluid in the master cylinder reservoir decreases, the level sensor will detect the loss of fluid and illuminate the instrument panel brake warning lamp. Continued operation of the vehicle with the warning lamp illuminated can result in extended stopping distances.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder on all affected vehicles. Addendum (4-14-97): vehicles inspected per chrysler recall no. 707 and found to be outside the listed suspect master cylinder date code range, must now have the master cylinder primary piston replaced (chrysler recall no. 714).
Recall number 96V215000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- The ABS hydraulic control unit can experience excessive brake actuator piston seal wear causing pump-motor deterioration.
- Risk
- If this condition occurs, the ABS function could be lost and reduced power assist would be experienced during vehicle braking increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the vehicle's anti-lock brake system and repair the vehicles if necessary. Also the warranty on all ABS components will be extended to 10 years or 100,000 miles (except for the brake actuator piston assembly and the pump-motor assembly which will have a lifetime coverage). Owners will also be reimbursed for previous ABS component repair costs.
Recall number 96V099000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Grand Caravan grinding brakes
Which Dodge Grand Caravan years have grinding or squealing brakes problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (54 complaints), 2016 (16 complaints) and 1996 (14 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix grinding or squealing brakes on the Dodge Grand Caravan?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $700 (median of 24 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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