2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Dodge › Grand Caravan › 2003
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
3 recalls name the 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. Newest first.
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.
Power steering fluid leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in an under hood fire.
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.
Certain aftermarket replacement fuel filters, models wix filter part numbers 33576, 33577, 33734; napa filter part numbers 3576, 3577, 3734; and carquest filter part numbers 86576, 86577, 86734 used on 1996-2000 daimlerchrysler town & country, dodge caravan, and plymouth voyager vehicles, can cause the fuel lines to leak.
A possible fire can occur in the presence of an ignition source.
Wix will notify its customers and replace the fuel filters free of charge. note: this does not involve any products manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corp. Nor any dailmerchrysler dealers. owner notification IS expected to begin during november 2003. owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact wix at 704-864-6711.
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.
This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
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.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and turning, the vehicle made an abnormal growling sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering fluid was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V386000 (Steering) in 2004. The failure mileage was approximately 329,281.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While driving, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the right. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the clockspring pin was fractured and caused the failure. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 367,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 238,000.
There are two problems that are very serious. first, in 2017 as I was exiting the interstate, I drove through a puddle. as I attempted to turn left onto the road, my steering wheel locked and it was only with extreme force and slamming on the brakes that I kept from running through the guardrail, and dropping down to the interstate below. I was unable to make the turn and stopped on the overpass until my steering wheel unlocked. yes, my engineer husband keeps up with all of our regular maintenance, including the belts. next, with an unusually heavy rain this past week, my battery light came on. after parking for an hour, my steering wheel would not turn when I attempted go again. I restarted the car five times before the steering unlocked. all week, during that heavy rain, the steering locked regularly. these problems are all over the web. women and children everywhere are in danger of dying from something that should have been recalled years ago. why IS there no recall for this problem? if you are refusing to do anything about this, then you are eligible for being sued along with chrysler, for allowing this to continue uncorrected.
The passenger side seat belt warning light turns on even when there IS no one in that seat and the passenger side seat belt releases when there IS someone in the seat! Adults and older children have put the seat belt in place but the warning light stays on. While driving or sitting still, the seat belt will release at random, causing the passenger to have to click it into place again. When the passenger clicks the seat belt in place and pulls on it, it either stays in position or releases. If it stays in position, then while driving and or parked, the seat belt will suddenly release. When the driver had to step harder on the brake to avoid a driver who stopped suddenly, the seat belt released yet at other times, the seat belt remains in place. It doesn't matter whether or not the van IS in gear or parked, or if we're stopped, moving, highway driving or city driving, the seat belt will release at random times. This had happened multiple times since we bought the vehicle, sometimes multiple times in one trip. Other times it doesn't happen at all. The date given IS the most recent time that it released on its own. I had been parked and then was backing out of a parking space when my daughter's seat belt (passenger side) released on its own. I stopped and put the van in park then had her click in place again. We both pulled on it and since it didn't release, we continued our trip, praying that it wouldn't disconnect again while we were driving.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While driving 65 mph, the sun roof exploded without warning while the cover was closed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer (century dodge chrysler jeep RAM, 13500 veterans memorial pkwy, wentzville, mo 63385) was called and stated that there were no open recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While driving from the gas station at 5 mph, the brakes failed to work without warning. The contact also noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on highway 52 in florida where it was diagnosed that the frame that held the motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted and was not aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
During a march 2016 road trip to atlanta, ga, from michigan, while traveling about 65 mph on I-75, temperature gauge needle began to climb toward the red zone on the instrument dial. within minutes I pulled off onto a highway construction site where I stopped the vehicle and turned off the ignition switch. opening the hood, I began to investigate the problem(s). cool upper radiator hose. cool radiator cap. turned cap off and discovered no coolant in radiator. no apparent source of leaking. added ice water from ice chest to radiator hoping to locate source of leak. turned engine on and located leak beneath passenger side of vehicle: two small holes in corroded exposed steel tubing routing coolant to rear heater assembly in rear of van. the next day discovered that chrysler had changed the part from steel to aluminum in late 2000's to help prevent the corrosive action of road salt in the northern climates that had affected many similar vehicles during the mid-2000's. however, daimler chrysler chose not to institute a recall of the faulty designed part fully exposed beneath the vehicle. the cost of replacing the part at the dealership in stone mountain, ga, was around $650.00 usd, not a huge sum, but obviously not cost-efficient for the automaker and its shareholders. this problem could be life-threatening if the driver and passengers were stranded during the winter months in northern u.s. Or canada, when loss of all coolant occurred. operating vehicle with no coolant could result in the engine seizing up while traveling at highway speeds, causing injury to driver and passengers and possibly other motorists. a dangerous situation that chrysler has corrected on its later model vehicles since 2010 or 2011.
Transmission
Takata recall, my can has had some serious safety electrical issues for quite some time now.i've had many dangerous situations. With this can one thing after the next. I'm not sure exactly the problem but something the power control modual or wiring harness IS not ok. The radiator fans didn't work as well as the power controls windows,heat,ac,radio, and the wipers ect.there IS sparking coming from the car. Wires had started to catch fire. As well as the car overheating.
I was driving down the road slees limit was 45 I was doing 50 md a deer came out in front of me and I hit it head on thw whole front ends of my car IS at my windshield. It was a very hard impact that brought me to a complete stop m y air bags dis not deploy as they should have with a impact like that
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The contact shifted into neutral and maneuvered into the emergency lane, where the engine stalled without warning. The contact noticed flames emitting from the rear of the vehicle. The contact and passengers exited the vehicle. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was not filed. The contact sustained burns and abrasions that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact mentioned that the failure was believed to be related to nhtsa campaign number: 02v274000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 toyota corolla. While driving at approximately 40 mph, the contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was not diagnosed. The vehicle damages were repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v043000 (air bags). The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While driving at an unknown speed, the speedometer failed without warning. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
Upon refueling the vehicle, vehicle stalls for a few seconds upon first acceleration. This has happened several times (about 1 out of every 4 refuels). Several times, the vehicle has stalled while pulling into traffic. Upon doing research, we have learned of many complaints already voiced about a faulty valve. for reference: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/09/10/dodge-grand-caravan-chrysler-town-and-country-stalling-nhtsa/ http://en.allexperts.com/q/chrysler-repair-807/f/stalling-refueling.htm http://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/engine-stalls-after-filling-tank-chrysler-minivan/. *tr
I purchased my dodge grand caravan sport 2003 brand new off the lot in nov. 2002. I kept it in mint condition with all maintenance logs filled out. At the time of incident there were only 95,000 miles on the van. It had never been in a wreck before. On jan 18 2015 while driving in the mountains I hit black ice and lost control of the vehicle. It flipped front to back, did a 180 mid air, landed on wheels then rolled at least once to the left, landing on the wheels again. The airbags never deployed. My passenger and I both had our seatbelts on however I still lifted up and hit my head on the roof and the windshield. We are still assessing our injuries. I am extremely concerned as to how I lifted out of my seat, basically the seatbelt did not tighten to me. Also why didn't the airbags deploy? Has there been a recall concerning the airbags or seat belts or other that I was never informed of? *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact tested and replaced the battery, but the vehicle failed to successfully restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair facility. The mechanic stated that the pc module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the horn would continuously activate. The mechanic disabled the horn and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Driving to meet my husband. I was on a highway I got up to 60 mph. my van started losing the instrument panel. at first only a little bump (ding) then as I continue driving I lost the whole instrument panel intermittently and the wind shield wipers came on and sprayed wiper fluid and all lights would not work. when I got the panel back it would leave the air bag light on. it had no effect on the rest of the engine. I had something similar happen before and it was a dead battery. I went and had both battery and alternator tested they are fine. it has not happened again but it had happened at least every 2 weeks for 6 months with no answers. this IS the first time it completely lost the instrument panel but not the first time it would lose 5 mph or so on the instrument panel and nothing to the engine. I am going crazy thinking my car IS possessed! went to a non dealership repair shop and was told that since it was not doing it right now they can't tell anything. *tr
This problem has been happening for around 2 years now and it occurs when the van IS near empty and I fill it with gas. when I start to drive away and pull onto the street, the engine chugs and jerks and acts like it will completely stop. there IS no power to accelerate, and it IS a terrifying and dangerous situation which will likely result in accident. if I let off the gas and go slow, it eventually stops chugging and jerking. this does not happen every time, but when it does, it IS a frightening and extremely dangerous situation. unless a solution IS found, I expect that it will result in an accident. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge caravan. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the computer module was replaced however, the failure was not rectified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,000 and the current mileage was 116,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that the engine stalled without warning while driving 70 mph. The contact was able to coast onto the emergency lane where the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic for further inspection. the failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 63,000. The current mileage was 98,000. *tr
Vehicle was being driven on road totally cut out, would not re start, after some 20 minutes restarted, decided to drive on thruway back to mechanic, would run for a short time then cut out again. given to chrysler dodge dealer, unable to locate problem, could not fix.. Replaced ecm module replace oem module no better. own mechanic replaced a wire, at least it run but now cuts out in car wash, puddles, slush. chrysler still have no idea, except that they have several instances of the same problem. also ignition key works only when tapped with a hammer and turn, apparently this IS also a common fault. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 dodge grand caravan. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the transmission control module had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. updated 4/22/14*cn updated 04/28/2014 *js
Driver side seat belt tongue could not be inserted into latch. The latch could not be opened, no matter how manipulated. this IS safety hazard as the driver cannot latch seat belt. *tr
My air bag light came on and horn stopped working was told by dealer it was the clock springs but its not included in the recall.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
This defect petition evaluates July 7, 2014 allegations from an owner of a model year (MY) 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan minivan that engine stall occurs in these vehicles without warning after refueling.The petitioner's vehicle is a Chrysler RS platform minivan.The RS platform includes MY 2003 through 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan, Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country and Chrysler Voyager minivans.NHTSA evaluated the petition by analyzing consumer complaints submitted to the Agency, analyzing field data, reviewing technical information provided in Chrysler's response to an Agency information request and testing an RS minivan identified by its owner as experiencing post-refuel engine stalls.After completing this evaluation, NHTSA has concluded that further investigation is unlikely to result in a finding that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists.The stalls occurring in these vehicles only occur immediately after filling up the fuel tank and happen at low engine speeds. The failure rate is low, even after 8 to 13 years of the vehicles being in service, and there are no reports of crashes or injuries resulting from the stall condition.In the Agency's view, additional investigation is unlikely to result in finding the existence of a safety-related defect in the subject vehicles.Given the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to best accomplish the Agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.This action does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency will take further action if warranted by future circumstances. More details concerning our review can be found in the Federal Register Notice for this action.The following 161 VOQs are included in the petition evaluation: 10209242, 10229468, 10240708, 10260923, 10275939, 10276532, 10296487, 10298175, 10328669, 10330144, 10346517, 10349789, 10354758, 10363689, 10372112, 10372368, 10372514, 10378031, 10379764, 10382938, 10387448, 10394063, 10398877, 10413918, 10418652, 10420924, 10427063, 10437525, 10445392, 10446902, 10470028, 10471249, 10473733, 10502231, 10503114, 10504260, 10509862, 10511988, 10512120, 10512385, 10512650, 10513147, 10538154, 10549841, 10551763, 10555188, 10555418, 10556754, 10565367, 10574012, 10574398, 10586555, 10587212, 10587559, 10593433, 10607841, 10607913, 10608922, 10615810, 10622468, 10628141, 10632112, 10632128, 10632172, 10632175, 10632231, 10632262, 10632266, 10632270, 10632305, 10632316, 10632326, 10632370, 10632385, 10632399, 10632492, 10632542, 10632765, 10632833, 10632928, 10633197, 10633281, 10633409, 10633421, 10633483, 10633507, 10637752, 10637804, 10637950, 10637975, 10638032, 10638289, 10638290, 10638401, 10638968, 10639218, 10639623, 10641157, 10641603, 10641614, 10641836, 10644339, 10644705, 10649713, 10649895, 10649932, 10650313, 10652590, 10653147, 10653783, 10654533, 10655226, 10658900, 10659679, 10660320, 10662588, 10662645, 10662662, 10663473, 10667056, 10667437, 10668081, 10668094, 10668131, 10668612, 10668969, 10668970, 10669584, 10669678, 10669729, 10669775, 10669866, 10669895, 10669992, 10670422, 10670506, 10676348, 10676732, 10677120, 10679795, 10679934, 10680057, 10680290, 10680342, 10680714, 10681512, 10682584, 10682906, 10683022, 10683114, 10683549, 10683620, 10683697, 10683743, 10689898, 10690761, 10691284, 10691556, 10691751, 10693061, 10694300
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.
This investigation was opened on july 30, 2004, based on odi consumer complaints alleging unwanted opening of the vehicle's power liftgate (plg) while driving.in daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc)'s september 17, 2004 response to odi' s information request letter, it provided additional consumer complaints and lawsuits.dcc states in part, ...the plg latch becomes stuck in a semi-closed state not allowing the plg latch to engage the striker, thus not closing the liftgate completely.in this condition the plg ajar warning light will not be illuminated and the plg can rise (not a powered open) while driving. This investigation has been upgraded to ea04-031 for further analysis.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.