Dodge Grand Caravan hesitation problems

Filed Sep 30, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · 138,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and jerked slightly before accelerating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission pump failure. The contact was informed that transmission pump needed to be replaced. The mechanic declined to repair the vehicle after discovering the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V461000 (Power Train) for the issue. The mechanic referred the contact to the manufacturer, who was informed of the issue and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

Filed Jan 13, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · 199,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jolted and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Upon further inspection, the contact became aware of excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.

Filed Oct 6, 2025 · Transmission · TX

2019 Dodge Van GT when driving in about 2/3 gears(automatic trans.) was slipping and hesitating around August 2025. In July 2025 I decided to have the trans. Fluid and filter exchanged. The dealership was said it was on the schedule for it to be done. After that is when the problem started. Took back to dealership and they ran some tests and noticed the problem. The tech told me to drive it for a while that could be that the transmission needed to get use to the new fluid. It started getting worse. I took it to a transmission shop. They said the fluid was burnt and they needed to open the transmission to look closer. $1500 to check. They said they found issues. Total cost to repair/rebuild would be $6700. I thought it was a lot but it’s my main vehicle and needed it. The van has 92k miles and the transmission should not go out that soon. I’m filing a complaint because I believe the transmission should last longer than it did.

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · FL

When I’m driving, especially when I come to a stop or when I try to accelerate from a stop, the car kind of chokes or hesitates. It feels like it’s about to stall, but it doesn’t fully turn off. It keeps doing this off and on when I stop or try to go again. It's very scary and dangerous.

Filed Aug 26, 2025 · Engine, Locks · GA

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly slowed down and then abruptly stopped. The contact stated that it felt as if a part had fallen from the bottom of the vehicle. While attempting to drive off, the vehicle hesitated. While at a YIELD sign, the vehicle shut off and was restarted. The driver's side door failed to open. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called an undisclosed local dealer, who confirmed there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The vehicle was diagnosed, and a tune-up and thermostat replacement were advised. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jul 9, 2025 · Electrical, Locks · 120,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal sound, hesitated while responding, and the transmission shifted hard. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at various speeds, and the vehicle felt like it was going to stall. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle jerked, the transmission shifted hard and made an abnormal clunking sound. Additionally, the contact stated that the passenger's side sliding door automatic locking mechanism was inoperable, requiring the contact to manually unlock and lock the door with the interior door lever. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Mar 20, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · PA

It is unknown at this time what is wrong with the vehicle. The problem started two weeks ago. Initially after driving sustained highway speeds, the van will hesitate to brake when driving through town. When approaching a stop it would stutter to a stop and then stutter to drive again when pressing the gas, the delay was about 2-3 seconds. In two weeks time with approximately 200 miles driven, it started stalling at stops. Once at a traffic light and also at a stop sign. These incidents happened in the same day and since then, it had not been driven due to it being a major safety concern. It has been taken to an auto shop that has run the full diagnostics on it and the computer system is not catching any issues, there are no lights are on the dash. After the engine stalls, it runs if it is turned off and back on again. The brakes, rotors, and tires were replaced when I started noticing that there was an issue with stopping, I figured the problem was that they needed replaced since I have owned the vehicle 2 years and it hadn’t been done since I purchased the van. March 17 was the date it stalled twice and it was the only time the engine stalled in the past two weeks.

Filed Feb 11, 2024 · Electrical · FL

There appears to be an electrical problem when locking/unlocking the doors, and a loud buzz occurs and at times, the doors hesitate to lock or unlock, which in my opinion, is a safety hazard.

Filed Dec 5, 2023 · Engine · AL

The engine on my 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan is skipping, running rough, and is unreliable. This is a safety issue due to the improper operation of the engine when pulling out into busy roadways. The check engine light is on. Auto technician found Diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0302 “Cylinder #2 Misfire Detected.” The technician replaced the necessary components to repair this fault code and cleared the DTC from the ECM. The check engine light continues to come on with an active Diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0302. Engine continues to misfire, skip, and is unreliable. A quick google search will show that there are thousands of people with the same exact issue. This is a manufacture defect and a safety concern. Pulling out into a busy roadway with this unresolved vehicle issue could potentially cause injury to myself, my wife, or my four children. Furthermore, any accident or injury to customers that purchased this product believing it to be a safe vehicle for their family would be negligence on Chrysler’s part because this issue has been known. This is wording straight from the manufacturer’s sales brochure, “For more than three decades, Grand Caravan has been the go-to vehicle for parents, weekend warriors and small business owners.” “Simply put, no other vehicle holds the confidence of families, their hobbies and their livelihoods with as much ease. In our opinion, nothing tops this original. Take control of any situation with the power that comes from 283 horsepower”. This was marketed and sold as the “go-to vehicle for parents”. I would think that this go-to vehicle would be safer. Simply put, Chrysler claims that “no other vehicle holds the confidence of families, their hobbies and their livelihoods with as much ease” I can tell you when I pull out into a busy intersection or highway and I fell this vehicle skipping and hesitating, it doesn’t give me very much “ease” or “confidence”.

Filed Jan 23, 2023 · Transmission · 20,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Caravan. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently downshifted and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer and the torque converter was replaced twice and the transmission software was updated; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.