1993 Dodge Grand Caravan: common problems

Owners of the 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan filed 289 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 289
involving a crash: 11

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 34% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 18% of all complaints
3 Seat belts 15% of all complaints
4 Structure 11% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
6 Visibility 6% of all complaints
7 Equipment 5% of all complaints
8 Air bags 4% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 97 complaints (34% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 51 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Seat belts: 44 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 32 complaints (11% of all).
Engine and cooling: 22 complaints (8% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 289 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts33 · 11%
brake failure19 · 7%
transmission slipping16 · 6%
warning lights, check engine13 · 4%
windows, sunroof11 · 4%
A/C or heater8 · 3%
rust, corrosion5 · 2%
smoke, burning smell, fire5 · 2%
stalls while driving5 · 2%
airbags did not deploy4 · 1%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	97	4
Powertrain	51	1
Seat belts	44	1
Structure	32	0
Engine and cooling	22	0
Visibility	17	0
Equipment	14	0
Air bags	13	5
Fuel system	11	0
Latches, locks, linkages	9	0
Steering	9	0
Electrical system	6	0
Suspension	6	0
Vehicle speed control	5	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

While driving 20 mph, the brakes failed without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop and crashed into the preceding vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the scene.
Service brakes · crash · 2017-10-03 · NHTSA complaint #11031537
Ehicle was involved in a rear impact about 50 mph which caused driver's seatback to collapse, and driver fell backwards. This may have caused injuries.
Seats · crash · 2000-10-12 · NHTSA complaint #872860
Airbags didn't deploy until 5minutes after the impact. Consumer will be contacting manufacturer.
Air bags · crash · 2000-06-14 · NHTSA complaint #863583
The clock spring assembly was replaced but failed again and air bag failed to deploy during collision. The clock spring assembly had been diagnosed to be defective and should be recalled.
Air bags · crash · 1999-12-17 · NHTSA complaint #853478
Seat belt failed 3 times in two small impact crashes to release, resulting in severe chest/neck and shoulder injuries. Driver had to be manually removed.
Seat belts · crash · 1997-10-23 · NHTSA complaint #526247
While driving down highway consumer struck a deer which caused an accident, but air bags did not deploy.
Air bags · crash · 1997-08-05 · NHTSA complaint #815090
When applying the abs brakes in a sudden stop at speeds of 20mph, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle, causing a collision.
Service brakes · crash · 1997-02-21 · NHTSA complaint #809217
The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake actuator piston assembly. The vehicle was not repaired.
Service brakes · 2024-04-26 · NHTSA complaint #11585497

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

199614
199750
199836
199951
200040
200120
200220
20039
200412
200510
20067
20076
20083
20122
20133
20141
20151
20163
20171
20241

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 1,403 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand Caravan has 375 complaints (36 years in the data). This year has 289, below average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, powertrain, seat belts. Total complaints: 289. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (11%), brake failure (7%), transmission slipping (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1993 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.