8.8

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$360
Average Mileage:
78,800 miles
Total Complaints:
19 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (11 reports)
  2. stopped and restarted (5 reports)
  3. new erg valve (1 reports)
  4. replace ignition (1 reports)
  5. replaced cam and crank sensors (1 reports)
2009 Dodge Grand Caravan engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Dodge Grand Caravan Owner Comments

problem #19

Oct 012018

Grand Caravan SXT 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 122,410 miles

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

The Van would stop while driving and after 4-5 tries it will start back up and drive with no problems. This is happening quite often at least 2-3 times a week. Sometimes car will not start in the parking lot (car was not cold- had driven it). Car displays traction control light before it stops while driving. There is loss of power steering, radio etc work fine when engine stalls while driving

I took it to the dealership, and they told they suspect WIN module is faulty and will cost around $800 to fix the problem, I asked for the warranty if the same problem will not occur and they would not give any guarantee, dealership was just guessing or may be trying to make money.

I Googled regarding WIN module and figured there was a recall on it. I contacted the dealership and they said recall was already performed and this time I have to pay. I ended up calling MOPAR and the part was replaced for free (WIN Module) and new key FOBS were given to me.

Sadly I have the same problem and I have no solution. This is a very serious and scary problem and may result is loss of life.

- vishalp, Calgary, AB, Canada

problem #18

Apr 012018

Grand Caravan 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,000 miles

First, thank you to everyone who has posted about this problem. As we are all aware it is extremely frustrating and scary as you do not know when the minivan is going to shut off.

The dealership just plays dumb like I'm the only one this is happening to. This sudden shutting off of the vehicle has my wife scared to drive it. It happens at anytime with no prior warning!!!

I took the car to the dealership and they said that there were no codes to go on but suggested over $1400 in repairs. (EGR, Tune-Up, New Battery with wires) There is no way was I going to sink that kind of money into a "possible" solution.

I excited to read the post about the crank and cam sensor. I will be replacing them asap and see if that helps. I'll repost after those repairs and let you know the outcome.

- Jeff R., Dearborn, US

problem #17

Aug 012014

Grand Caravan SXT

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

MANY TIMES VAN WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING HAD QUITE A FEW CLOSE ACCIDENT CALLS

DEALER SAID PROBLEM WAS THAT MY KEYS WERE TOO HEAVY . I TOOK ALL MY EXTRA KEYS OFF MY KEY CHAIN. PROBLEM STILL PERSISTED FINALLY THEY CHANGED THE KEY SYSTEM AND IT SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM . BUT DODGE MADE ME JUMP THROUGH HOOPS BEFORE THE FIXED IT

- Gasper M., Macomb Twp., US

problem #16

Mar 232015

Grand Caravan SXT 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 107,000 miles

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

I work for a Chrysler dealership and bought a used 09 Grand Caravan with over 100K miles. I took a chance on it, and it's been a great van. After a few weeks, it started stalling when driving down the road, usually between 30-40 mph. The headlights and radio would still work, but the engine would shut down and I would lose power steering. This would happen once a week or so. After a while, it started to happen more and more often. The problem is, it never threw a check engine light. It would throw the ESP light, but not CEL. I replaced spark plugs and battery thinking this would in some way help. It didn't, but it's they are a good thing to change. Fast forward to last week, I had enough. I had one of my guys in the shop put a flight recorder on the van. This lets you record the data from your PCM and you push a button every time it stalls or dies. I had it installed and drove it for several days to get enough info. Brought it back in and pulled the data and found that the camshaft position sensor and the crankshaft position sensor falling out of sync at the same time. Unsure of which one it was for sure, I had them both replaced, because now the van has 126K miles. They aren't very expensive, less than $50 for both. I've got a "brand new" van! It runs great, hasn't died once.

- Jason J., Springville, IN, US

problem #15

Mar 232017

Grand Caravan

  • Automatic transmission
  • 149,000 miles

The stalled engine has happened about 5 times in the past year. I take it to a mechanic and there are not codes and he cannot find the issue. I am scared to drive it because the last time I almost got into a accident. I had to pull over and the cars behind me almost hit me. I have not been going very fast the times that it has happened so I have been able to pull the vehicle over and restart it. I need to get this fixed but I am not sure how. I think this is a dangerous situation that Dodge is avoiding. I will never buy another Dodge product.

- twrecnc, Raleigh, US

problem #14

Mar 152017

Grand Caravan 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles

My 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan stalls for no reason and without warning while driving down the road. Usually it occurs around 25 to 45 mph or when I am coasting into a turn. This has been going on since I bought the van used in 2015 with about 80,000 miles. It used to happen less frequency. Van now has 130,000 and happens daily or multiple times daily. Today I was scared to a boiling point. Exiting the highway in Michigan on a clover leaf 360 type off ramp--halfway around the curved ramp, vehicle stalled. Steering wheel jumped to the left as power steering was lost. So glad the roads weren't ice today! This appears to be a problem that has been going on for years and Dodge has done apparently nothing to identify or fix the problem!!! I spent $11,000 2 1/2 year ago for this vehicle and couldn't afford to take a trade in-value to get rid of it and there is NO WAY I would sell it to a person directly. Just spent over $1,000 to (supposedly) fix it at a Dodge dealership. Had complete tune up and transmission fluid drained and system cleaned. Van worked fine for the mechanic's test drive. Started stalling again a couple of days later. I can't believe that there hasn't been a recall on this problem or at least a permanent fix. It appears that you just keep sinking thousands of into it until someone happens upon a fix.

- scaredmom, Fowler, US

problem #13

Nov 162015

Grand Caravan SXT 4.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,000 miles

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

In Nov. 2015, our Grand Caravan began to stall suddenly without warning. The dangerous issue is the sudden loss of power, power steering and power brakes while you are on the road. My wife will no longer drive the van for fear of a crash. I drive it since I have no other vehicle.

The vehicle stalls about once a week. You can typically put it in neutral and restart in a couple seconds. If you are in the middle of a turn, it takes a lot of muscle to keep the vehicle on the road or steer it to the side of the road - very dangerous.

The vehicle doesn't trigger any codes, so I have not taken it to a mechanic. I know how you can spend thousands of dollars on intermittent problems like this. My web search validates many others with the same problem, but no apparent solutions.

Update from Apr 4, 2016: My van eventually threw an engine code that related to the ERG Valve. I replaced the valve and the engine has only stalled once in the last couple months. The ERG valve replacement is about a 10-15 minute job on the 4.0 liter - very easy. The problem may be solved.

- Jim H., Troy, US

problem #12

Nov 012014

Grand Caravan 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 76,000 miles

November 2014 our 2009 Dodge Caravan stalled while driving. I pulled of to the side of the road, put the van in park and it restarted. Over the next several months the van would stall on occasion but start back up without mishap.

On March 16. 2015 I took the car to the Chrysler dealer and explained the situation. They hooked up the car to their machine and no codes came up. They also said they drove the car on test drives but could not duplicate the problem. My wife picked up the car on March 18th ($99 charge) and the car stalled twice on the way home. Around that time we received a recall notice from Chrysler saying there was a recall on our car because of stalling due to the ignition switch and key. Only problem here was there were no parts available but they would call me when the parts came in. By that time I had two different dealers looking for the parts.

I also called Chrysler service (often) and registered a complaint. Additionally I registered a complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (US DOT). After a Summer of stalls and documentation of where and when the stalls happened Chrysler was finally able to get the ignition part for the recall at a dealer a couple towns over so the next day (10/2/15) I had the recall fixed but the service tech he was not sure that would solve my problem. It did not.

Two shorten the story I just got the van fixed (?) to the tune of $1418. The dealer had the van for 36 days. I had a rental that Chrysler is supposed to reimburse of for after filing the paperwork. The van ran well for a week but on a weekend trip to Chicago this last weekend it stalled 5 times. Not sure what to do. I have another call into Chrysler.

- Tony K., Ypsilanti, MI, US

problem #11

Dec 292014

Grand Caravan 4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,137 miles

Freaking! Like many others say the engine stop without warning. ABS light goes on and RPM to zero. Head lights and radio still works but no power steering or brakes. The engine can be started back up if put to park or neutral. It happened at least 10 times in the last 6 months. Always in the first 5 km. I was able to reproduce it once by going slowly and as I released the gas pedal, no warning sign, the engine just shut down. I went to my dodge dealer and they looked for error codes and there were none. We hooked a computer (copilot ) to the engine and we pressed a button to record data when the problem happen and it found no error code either. The guys from Dodge don't have any clue... but still charge me $$$ to look for the problem. Can someone help me ? My wife almost crashed the car last time when it happened in a curve.

- ldr, Chambly, Quebec, Canada

problem #10

Aug 252014

Grand Caravan

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,750 miles

The car stalls off when turning left but it doesn't do it all the time. It just started about a month ago and the number of times is increasing slightly that this happens. It has been back to the dealer twice and they can't replicate the problem or find any codes. I'm extremely concerned that this is going to happen and I'm going to be in an accident. The car has just turned 48,000 miles. We have gone car shopping and can only get $9,000. for a trade-in which seems woefully low. Wasn't looking to have car payments again now but it looks like this could be a continuing problem with no end in sight and I can only drive where I can turn right!

- birmingham queen, West Chester, PA, US

problem #9

Sep 062014

Grand Caravan 3.3L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 128,000 miles

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

I'm tired of trying to have my van repaired. It keeps dying every time I pushed the brake and I have to restarted it to keep going. I started having this problem since April and even thought it has been through several mechanics, none of them seem to know what's the problem. The engine light has being on all the time calling for the crank sensor to be replaced. Crank sensor has being replaced 3 times and the problem doesn't go away.

This is my only car and I'm so stressed right now. I don't know what else to do. I have spent a lot of money and I just don't see results. If this is something that they need to recall they better do it because I don't see a solution.

- balderas, Des Moines, IA, US

problem #8

Apr 262014

Grand Caravan SXT 4.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

My minivan initially would hesitate while going down the road (loss of power); then would clear up and be fine. About a week later, it would stall out 2 or 3 times after starting up but before moving. A few days after that, the car actually stalled while going 10 - 15 mph. Had to pull over, put it in park, and start it back up. Then later that week , I turned the key and the engine wouldn't start. After giving it a little break, it finally started after quite a few tries. The battery is new and appears fine and there is no check engine light or engine code. Took it in to have it looked at but problem couldn't be duplicated so nothing was done. The biggest concern is stalling while driving intermittently although being stranded because it won't start is a valid concern also.

- Kurtis E., New Carlisle, OH, US

problem #7

Feb 122014

Grand Caravan

  • Automatic transmission
  • 52,000 miles

The engine in my 2009 Dodge Caravan will randomly shut down. Can never predict it!!! I am so discouraged and don't ever want to drive this car again.

- tbent, Greenlawn, NY, US

problem #6

Jun 102014

Grand Caravan ES 3.6L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,835 miles

I was driving at 55 mph when the engine abruptly killed. Nothing indicated the failure was imminent surging,stuttering ,backfire Etc.After a difficult time exiting the highway I was able to restart the car as normal.

- Mike C., Watertown, WI, US

problem #5

Oct 012013

Grand Caravan ES 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles

We have taken the van to the dealership and they can't find what is making the engine turn off. No codes are being found and when they drive it it doesn't shut off. This happens while we are driving. When the engine dies we have to shift to neutral and turn the key and shift back into drive. Luckily haven't had an accident yet. It has turned off once while the car was in park. They fixed a code of P0456 and changed the plugs and wiring at a cost of over $600. and that didn't fix it. Anyone with any similar problems or some advice?

- Patrick K., Dyer, IN, US

problem #4

Feb 182014

Grand Caravan STX 3.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 69,700 miles

Driving van at 65 mph on 2/18/14 with cruise control on; suddenly the engine and all dash gauges/lights go out--then idiot light symbols flicker and back on come back on after about 2 seconds as van is slowing down; engine and all come back within a second or two and van drives OK for about 30 seconds and then does it again. Very dangerous!!! Took van to dealer- they didn't know what it was about- no error code stored in system; I had dealer replace battery at $159 cost as a proactive measure but do not trust the van to not do this again. I see from other complaints similar situations have happened especially on rough roads- this was on smooth road with no bumps. I suspect a major problem with computer control board of engine management system or some other electrical issue.

I wonder if anyone at Chrysler Corp/Dodge will

read this and quickly follow up on my info in as much as they can find me via the VIN and my unlimited mileage warranty info.

- Myron K., Waconia, MN, US

problem #3

Aug 152012

Grand Caravan V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,894 miles

My dealer is looking into this problem for the last 4 weeks and I have to o back and forward to solve this problem, I don't feel at all comfortable driving the car it shut down every time that I'm in a stop and sometimes while I'm driving, is really stupid been in a highway with no power. Talk to the dealer and ask about a recall about the engine and the answer is WELL I DON'T KNOW AND WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR ENGINEERING TO SEE WHAT THEY SAID, last week answer was WE NEED A CODE YOU HAVE TO WAIT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO.

The solution to my problems is zero to noon, I use the vehicle for a living, as a home inspector I relay in my car 100% the only option that I have is to rent a car and pay it my self coz there is nothing Chrysler can do until they find the problem.

It cost me 40 dollars a day the rental and no one knows how many days it will take to fix this problem. I'm been asking service what are my options and no answer at all this is really NOT THE BEST SERVICE I COULD EVER HAVE and later they are wonder how come the government have to bail them out.

Like they said they have to go by the book and the book is not going to help them at all any time soon

- Pedro G., Whitby, Ontario, canada

problem #2

Aug 122009

Grand Caravan EX 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,000 miles

This issue has occurred 10 times throughout owning the van...and it is very dangerous and Dodge cannot seem to fix it! I cannot be the only one having this issue! I would like all of us to get together and find a solution before someone is killed...It is very dangerous!

While going 40 miles an hour and no power....the engine just shuts off.

- Karen P., Raleigh, NC, US

problem #1

Dec 152010

Grand Caravan 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 33,000 miles

My 2009 Dodge caravan shut off while driving approx. 45mph on a 2 lane highway I was almost hit!!!Dodge is telling me the problem happens intermittently and the computer resets itself so they can not find a code. Why isn't dodge recalling!!!!! People are going to get very hurt or killed if this isn't fixed!!!

- kymt, Colton, OR, US

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