1994 Dodge Grand Caravan: common problems

Owners of the 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan filed 199 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and structure. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 199
involving a crash: 8

What fails most often

1 Powertrain 28% of all complaints
2 Structure 17% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
4 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
5 Air bags 9% of all complaints
6 Visibility 7% of all complaints
7 Latches, locks, linkages 6% of all complaints
8 Equipment 5% of all complaints

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

Powertrain: 56 complaints (28% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 33 complaints (17% of all).
Engine and cooling: 19 complaints (10% of all).
Service brakes: 19 complaints (10% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Air bags: 18 complaints (9% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 199 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

transmission slipping18 · 9%
windows, sunroof11 · 6%
smoke, burning smell, fire9 · 5%
stalls while driving8 · 4%
warning lights, check engine8 · 4%
brake failure7 · 4%
door locks, latches, handles6 · 3%
loss of power / limp mode6 · 3%
seat belts6 · 3%
steering or power steering problems6 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Powertrain	56	1
Structure	33	0
Engine and cooling	19	0
Service brakes	19	4
Air bags	18	4
Visibility	14	0
Latches, locks, linkages	11	0
Equipment	10	0
Fuel system	10	0
Steering	10	0
Electrical system	9	0
Seat belts	8	0
Suspension	8	0
Tires	2	0

What owners report

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

Air bag did not deploy. Shop states that specific crunch/crimping in area, sensor should have gone off, there were two injuries in accident, claim 59-v722-082.
Air bags · crash · 2002-04-26 · NHTSA complaint #6900761
Vehicle rolled backwardm, and hit another vehicle. Damage to that vehicle was $2000.00.
Powertrain · crash · 2001-12-04 · NHTSA complaint #899817
While attemping to stop, the brake pedal goes to the floor without warning. Grinding noises in the brakes and unable to stop before impact. Report problem to dealership at least 4 times and they always say "no problems found".
Service brakes · crash · 2000-10-18 · NHTSA complaint #733585
Wife was going to her second job on grant ave this morning at 8:30am,very sunny with sun glare,black ice on road,wife hit the car in front of her,that hit someone else.my wae wearing her seat belt at that time of the accident.sir the driver-side air bag in steering wheel did not open,nor did the passener - side open…
Air bags · crash · 2000-01-22 · NHTSA complaint #717731
Experiencing abs brake failure while going approximately 60 mph on highway on normal road conditions. Problem occurred 30 minutes after going over an overpass. Abs sensor light came on and stayed on. Brake continually graded to nothing. Vehicle was involed in an accident because of this failure. Dealer notified.
Service brakes · crash · 1999-01-13 · NHTSA complaint #833502
Owner rearended in opposite lane and the air bag didn't deploy.
Air bags · crash · 1997-06-03 · NHTSA complaint #811642
While driving brakes did not work, causing the consumer to drive off the road. Airbags did not work either. The consumer took the car to get repaired four times. In all of these visits the dealership could not find anything wrong.
Service brakes · crash · 1997-04-21 · NHTSA complaint #811437
The failure would cause the vehicle to loose power and overheat. The vehicle was repaired several times and the pulleys were replaced, but the failure continued to recur. The dealer and several mechanics were unable to determine what caused the consistent failure.
Engine and cooling · 2011-11-09 · NHTSA complaint #10434997

When owners complained

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

199613
199719
199824
199943
200041
200121
200217
200310
20043
20052
20072
20101
20111
20151
20162

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,050 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 6% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand Caravan has 375 complaints (36 years in the data). This year has 199, below average.

What to check before buying

Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, structure, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 199. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: transmission slipping (9%), windows, sunroof (6%), smoke, burning smell, fire (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1994 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 1994 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 1994 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.