11th Mar 2006, 19:01

I agree the dodge grand caravan is a wonderful van.

We have a 96 model which is the year they changed over to the sleeker look. It has 158,000 miles and it is still on its original transmission. I am 16 and this is the car I learned to drive with. I push this thing HARD. I have redlined it on several ocassions. all it has needed was a new steering system and a ac pump. Don't beat on Dodge grand caravans and dodge, well you can beat on their 2.7 liter engines, they are crap, but the grand caravan is not bad.

30th Apr 2006, 23:38

I own a 2005 dodge grand caravan sxt. the problems I have are, the lights don't always work, it shuts off on it's own, the side door opened on its own going down the road with my two year old in the back (no she did not touch the button), when I turn on the a/c the front of the van jumps. my dad had a 96' caravan that we put 200,000+ miles on with no problems. I guess 05' was a bad year.

1st May 2006, 17:54

The Dodge Grand Caravan isn't perfect, but a used one costs much, much less than an import so the lack of resale value evens out in the end. Toyota and Honda make excellent vans, but a one year old one is thousands more than a one year old Grand caravan. If your looking for basic transportation it's hard to go wrong when you can get a 1 year old Grand Caravan for around $16,000 (about the price of a new economy car).

18th May 2006, 07:12

I purchased a 1993 Dodge Caravan in 1997. The only problem I had with the caravan was the transmission. I had to have it rebuilt. In October of 2005, I traded it in, and purchased a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. When I traded in the 1993, it had 252,000 miles on it. It still ran well, but a lot of little things started going bad. My wife and I both love our new Dodge Grand Caravan.

12th Jul 2006, 21:07

I have a 2005 Grand Caravan SXT as well and I am in the process of invoking a lemon law on it. I have had the airbag sensors go bad, front suspension go bad, rear strut replaced, have had the rear sway bar tightened 3 or 4 times which has caused premature replacement of tires, a cup holder break, the passenger sliding door has been in to be repaired 4 times and 2 weeks ago I had an alignment done and it is out already. I think it has to do with the suspension/sway bar problems, I think it messed my van up badly...so...now I have to trade it in and of course I owe more than it is worth, but what do you do? I too will never own another Dodge... and by the way I bought it BRAND NEW... I have been the Only owner...

21st Jul 2006, 15:37

This will be the last time that I ever buy a Grand Caravan also. Mine is a 2005 model which was a demo with 13000 miles on it when we purchased it. I do have 63000 highway miles on it at this time. Failures appeared right after the 36000 mile warranty had been reached. Failures included the heating module failing, the cassette tape continuously playing even after the vehicle was shut off! The entire stereo had to be replaced. (bought a used one on E*Bay which works just fine and sure beat the price that Chrysler wanted for it.) Air conditioning has failed, but I refuse to get it repaired. The front struts have been replaced already also. My van does have the stow and go seats which are handy, but not worth all the problems associated with this vehicle. Has anyone else noticed steam rolling out from under the hood during a rain storm? What's the deal with that?

26th Oct 2006, 20:13

I own a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT and I will never own another Dodge as long as I live. I bought it brand new and only have 28K on it. So far the things I had to get fixed are: windows stopped working; tire pressure continually goes down every 3 months without any punctures and one time a tire went completely flat without any puncture (this is ongoing) ; van overheated once and I was told it was because the dodge dealership forgot to put the 2.5 gallons back in after repairing a recall part at which point they put the 2.5 gallons back in, so why is it now overheating again just one month later...I'll find that out tomorrow when I take it back into the shop! Like the other individual I also own a Honda Civic (2005)...no problems...never...Honda's and Toyota's are all I'll ever own in the future! Oh and let me not forget that the front brakes squeel constantly when pressed even though they say I have 40% left on them.

11th Nov 2006, 22:23

I had purchased my 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan in May 2005, 3 months after, I began having problems. The gas tube was defective. Everytime I put gas it would either overflow or fill up 3/4. The malfunction indicator light would come on. It has not been a year old and I had already needed to replace the brakes down to the calipers. They had to replace the back seat belt. Also was recalled for underbody heater hose and windshield wiper defect. I too would never ever buy another Dodge as long as I live. I had a 99 honda and it had "never" gave me problems.

29th Nov 2006, 14:21

I bought a new 2005 Grand Caravan. I brought it in for a recall notice and the said the front end bushings were shot it would be under warranty. That suprised me the van only has 32,000 miles on it the recall was for the under body heater tube which was also under warranty. I complained about the shifting when you are trying to pass someone you step on the gas and the 4 seconds later you get a response. Probably something that could be adjusted via the computer. However the said for $189.95 they could clean the throttle body out and it may help the problem. I don't think so this was like that from day 1. Other than that so for so good I glad I bought the extra warranty.

21st Dec 2006, 13:44

My 2005 Grand Carvan SXT is coming up on its 3rd year. I have 15,500 miles. Hardly use the vehicle. I too have had this knocking from underneath, like two blocks of wood knocking together. The dealership (a five star one) replace the from bushings on the sway bar. I know they didn't test drive the car because the sound is now coming from the rear. You know you cannot find a good mechanic any more. Back it goes for the rear noise. Listed here is also another "noise" from the front end. Well I had the car less than a year and a service adviser at the dealership knew exactly what the problem was.

I would have to leave the car for a day. He gave me the tech print out and said if it got worse - bring it in. The tech sheet says the front suspension has to be disassembled, lubricated and or parts replaced. It seems the assembly of the front suspension was not quite right. By the way the noise is like a scrubbing sound - when the car is being parked and the wheel is turned. Almost like the tires are being rubbed against the curb.

Haven't had any electrical problems yet. You should fight any warranty problem that occurs within a few thousand miles of the end of warranty period.

All in all, on my seventh dodge in 13 years and they held up pretty well. Please do not get me started on the other car manufacturers - they have their clunkers too.