10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,724 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Dodge Grand Caravan engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Dodge Grand Caravan Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #47

Mar 292017

Grand Caravan

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. While driving at any speed, the engine shut off without warning. The vehicle restarted after a few minutes and was taken to haasz automall of ravenna (4886 oh-59, ravenna, oh 44266, 330-296-2866) where the technician stated that there was no recall. A diagnostic test was performed, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The technician recommended a more extensive test, but the contact declined to pay the high cost for the test. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

- Canfiels, OH, USA

problem #46

Jun 062017

Grand Caravan

  • miles
2011 Dodge Caravan purchased 3/2017. Motor had a slight knocking sound took it back to dealer they sent me to their mechanic. I was assured that it was fine. Then brakes went really low and did not stop right. Told it was a master cylinder.installed that then it happened again so was told that it was a bad master cylinder. Installed another one. Did not fix the problem after a few days."???? then I was told we needed a brake booster. Installed that and it did seem like that was it fixed, then the brake light came on and brake pedal went low. Now it has a very horrible sound and the trany at times does not want to shift and the RPM's go up and I have to pull over and shut off the vehicle and turn it back on and it will shift.???? electronical.??" I have read complaints on NHTSA and I feel like Dodge should repair the brakes and the trany problem. From what I can read it is a defective part of the programming. The horrible nosie when you pull off, I dont know what it is but sounds bad.. I called Dodge dealership right after I bought the van and they were very rude and said there were not any recalls for this 2011 van and I see that there is and some says complete. Well if they are complete seems to me like it needs to be repaired again because it is doing what I see that people are complaining about. I owe nearly 14,000 on this van.. doge/Chrysler should make it good. The complete on the recalls like I said is not complete. Please help me if you can. I dont have much faith after the person at the Dodge dealership was so rude to me, but maybe you all there can help me get it repaired. This is a safety issue.the windows sometimes dont want to come down and yall have something about it might catch on fire.the keybob will not open the side doors.

- Lochloosa, FL, USA

problem #45

Nov 202017

Grand Caravan

  • 3 miles
Al encenderlo aveces no arranca tengo este problema como 7 meses Y a la segundo intento prende O aveces une tercera vez medicen que ES el switch

- Bristol, IN, USA

problem #44

Jan 252018

Grand Caravan

  • 179,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving down the road at 55 mph van started making weird clunking sounds lights began to dim lost accelerator control, brakes pulled to side of road manage to come to a stop vehicle still was making sounds and lights were flashing I put it in park vehicle stalled out I tried to restart and nothing wouldn't even turn over just clicked. Had it towed only came back as low voltage they replaced battery tried to restart engine still made clunking noise van still wouldn't start, oil pan was dropped and had chunks of metal in it. Final conclusion engine blown I have seen some recalls on this engine 3.6 vvt also previously had a problem with tipm I also see has an ongoing. Possible recall and is recalled in other vehicles that use same part. Would really love my van fixed as this engine is known to have problems

- Mountain, WI, USA

problem #43

Jan 072017

Grand Caravan

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owned a 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan. While parked, the vehicle caught on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #42

Oct 302017

Grand Caravan

  • miles
Tire pressure sensor light is always on, fuel pump runs after the vehicle is shut off, automatic rear doors open and close intermittently with out the push of the buttons. We have had to replace 4 batteries and 3 alternators, every time the dealership tells us this is a common issue with the tipm. Previously we have also replaced the transmission and the engine has needed repairs. Engine repairs were covered under a recall but not the transmission.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #41

Oct 212017

Grand Caravan

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall : while driving, van would not go into gear and sent super high rpms and would not come down while braking. Have read about several of these issues with this style of vehicle. Dangerous while having kids in the vehicle on the road.

- Bettendorf, IA, USA

problem #40

Oct 182017

Grand Caravan

  • 101,000 miles
The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road as I was driving, the vehicle took a while to start at times. The vehicle would not start

- Wappingers Falls, NY, USA

problem #39

Sep 212017

Grand Caravan

  • 165,000 miles
The vehicle stops running without warning. It has occurred on three occasions: Once at a slow speed (25 mph) on flat terrain, going uphill at 57 mph, going down hill at 45 mph, all in good weather conditions and traveling in a straight line. The car cannot be immediately restarted, but after a period of minutes will restart. The engine seems to be in good condition and has plenty of power. There appears to be no engine/mechanical reason for these events. The events leave no trace or error message that can be obtained by our mechanic. If this power outage occurred when in the passing lane, crossing a rode at an unprotected intersection or other condition where stalling out randomly would leave us or others in a life threatening situation it would be terrible. We have been forced to stop driving the vehicle for fear of injury or worse.

- Front Royal, VA, USA

problem #38

Jul 152017

Grand Caravan

  • 87,000 miles
Wont start. Fuel pump doesnt run at times, no fuel no start. At times it runs & stops on road. Verry dangerous in traffic. Windows roll down by themself. Doors un lock by themself. Dealer doesnt know what is wrong I am told. The dealer says the problem may be the tipm computer but will not say for sure. But they will replace it if I want, for $1200 no guarantee it will fix it. These vehicles with this type of computer should be recalled. They are a danger tothe public. When driving on road they will stop running because of fuelpump & tipm are not working correctlu.

- Waynesville, NC, USA

problem #37

May 242017

Grand Caravan

  • 128,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

As I am driving the car just shuts off with no warning. It has happened multiple times both on the highway and in town. I lose instrumentation, power steering, and power brakes. I have had to glied to a stop and try and restart the vehicle.

- Fargo, ND, USA

problem #36

Mar 022017

Grand Caravan

  • 86,000 miles
My van is cranking but not turning over. There are several recalls for the same issue for other Dodge and Chrysler vehicles but not mine. It states when researching it's a tipm issue.

- Kent, OH, USA

problem #35

May 092017

Grand Caravan

  • 45,000 miles
I have reported this problem a year ago after seeing the lawsuit on Jeep Cherokee and Dodge durangos. Having to replace the tpim module. I've seen several complaint about having to change the battery then the altenator then the tpim. I did all that and my vehicles electrical system still is giving me problems. The doors will not side open the air blows heat automatically when not even on and now won't even start. Problem after problem and still no recall. There has been hundreds of complaints about faulty tipm's and even a lawsuit. The dealership say's they don't know what the problem is but each person I've seen complain shares the same problem. First told it's the battery then the altenator then the tpim. Why has this not been recalled. Dodge knows this is a problem or they wouldn't have settled a lawsuit about the Cherokee and the durango. This is not right at all and we need help fixing this issue asap.

- Thomasville, GA, USA

problem #34

Apr 112017

Grand Caravan

  • 131,000 miles
Van will shut off while driving at slow speed, normally when slowing down to turn, which is very dangerous as you have to coast across the road with no power. No check engine lights or error codes of any kind. This has happened several times almost causing accidents. The engine does run abnormally and performs well at highway speeds. When the problem happens it is just as if you turned off the ignition, but the radio and dash lights still work. The van will restart normally and drive. Have not been able to reproduce the issue for a mechanic to see the issue it seems to be random.

- Tellico Plains, TN, USA

problem #33

Mar 132017

Grand Caravan

  • 52,497 miles
Van stalls and sometimes will not start back up. This has happened a few times on the highway so I can no longer drive the van as this problem is getting worst every day my husband drives it to work and has had the same problem as I have had with the van. We are thinking of trading it in but don't want anyone to get suck in the middle of the highway

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #32

Feb 012017

Grand Caravan 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
I've had my van since October 2016, 60000 miles on odometer at time of purchase. January 29 and February 1, 2017 the car has completely shut off while driving. On January 29, I was on the highway doing 65 mph. Feb 1, I was leaving my job's parking lot and later a grocery store parking lot. The lights flickered each time and the van then 'died'. it restarted when I tried.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #31

Oct 062016

Grand Caravan

  • 101,000 miles
We have had our van now for almost 2 years with no problems. In mid-August, my wife was taking my daughter to marching band practice at 5 am. She told me that as she was going through an intersection, it just stalled on her. Thankfully, it was only 5 am and not during rush hour. Being the skeptical guy I am, I though maybe she had hit the key somehow and shut it down. Then it happened to me and I was nearly rear-ended. I checked it out and didn't find anything, but from that day forth, it became hard to start at random times. Sometimes when we turn the key, the ignition will crank, but the engine won't start and we'll have to turn the key off to make it stop turning over. Other times, it will attempt to start, or even start, then immediately stall. Eventually, and sometimes after 8-10 attempts, it will start and run until the next time we park it. Ever since I checked it out, I have noticed that, at times, you can't hear the hum of the fuel pump when you turn the key, while other times it doesn't seem to stop making noise. Just this morning, I left to go to work, only to find that the van won't start. Apparently, one of the other obvious signs of a bad tipm is the occasional dead battery....caused by a fuel pump that the tipm fuel relay fails to shut off.at this point, my van has been sitting since October of 2016, as we cannot afford the high repair cost. The repair estimate that I was quoted for the tipm will cost around $1100. Had this been taken care of by Chrysler, I may have saved what I spent on batteries and the alternator.

- Aurora, MO, USA

problem #30

Sep 152016

Grand Caravan

  • 80,000 miles
Began with airbag light on panel coming on and random locking and unlocking of doors and dying while traveling at various speeds. All these happen wether the vehicle is in motion or not. Then it would only start using the remote starter and now it only starts when jumped by another running vehicle, even when the battery is fully charged(tested). It will simply crank and crank till battery is dead(about 10 minutes) unless it is connected to another running vehicle. It will start even if battery is close to dead then.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

problem #29

Aug 092016

Grand Caravan 6-cyl

  • miles
My van does not always start.--when parked in driveway or parking lot; no difference if flat or hill or anything. Some days it starts with out any problems, other days it will not start ever--it might start at 8am, not at 11am, but work for a week...no pattern. I have had it to the show 3 times in the last 3 months--each time it stayed for more than 3 days. They thought battery; bought a new battery. Next day, no start. Only warning light was key battery low--so they changed that (even though I had already done that). Next day, no start and same low key bat warning. Then it would be fine for a few days... and again random start or no starts. The last time the red "electronic throttle control" light was on--it shuts off after a few seconds. Sometimes, when it doesn't want to, but then does start, it acts like it wants to shut down while I am driving. It will sputter and seem like it wants to shut off. The folks at the garage are completely perplexed by this and have offered to come to my house/work the next time to see it bc it doesn't always do it for them--we think because if I jump it, it does a temporary fix. But, they also warn based on over charging/shocking a good battery. Anything we google says to be careful driving and get to shop... well shop can't figure it out. I have heard about a few recalls for ignition and keys, and I have a call in to the dealership about this. I am worried that I will be stuck out with my kids; end up crashing with my kids; or with the bad weather coming, we will have either of them happen and be stuck in the snow.

- Lake City, PA, USA

problem #28

Sep 232016

Grand Caravan

  • 68,000 miles
My 2011 Caravan has 68K miles on it. For the past few months, it will intermittently have problems starting. Everything seems fine until you turn it to crank and then it just makes a click noise. It will do this anywhere from 2 to 20 times until it finally cranks. It will be fine for days and then suddenly... no start. I've left it at my mechanic for one week last month and one week this month. They replaced the battery, but no avail. They have seen it in action (actually came to me because they are totally stumped too), but cannot replicate it. So I'm out $800 in car rental fees and no one can figure out why the thing is acting like it is. I'm worried I'm going to be stranded with a hand full of kids and a car that won't start. I don't like feeling like I can't trust my car. Dodge has been unhelpful as well, although I'm giving the dealership a shot at this problem again and taking it there. Another week of rental car fees - yay! from reading online and a quick youtube search, it appears I'm not alone with this problem. I just want it fixed, whatever the problem is.

- Austin, TX, USA

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