Dodge Grand Caravan ReliabilityAll Years Ranked (1987–2019)
Side-by-side reliability scores, risk levels, and owner-cost projections for every Dodge Grand Caravan we've analyzed. Identify the best years to buy, the ones to avoid, and the problems that follow the Grand Caravan across generations.
Average Score
64/100
Best Year
2015 Dodge Grand Caravan
Score 72
Weakest Year
1988 Dodge Grand Caravan
Score 45
Every Dodge Grand Caravan Ranked
Sorted by reliability score. Each link opens the full year-specific report.
A budget-friendly family hauler with exceptional utility, but its affordability comes with known drivetrain and electrical risks.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Electrical (TIPM) · Power Sliding Doors
A high-value family workhorse, but be ready to address its predictable mid-life electrical and convenience feature issues.
Top risks: Power Sliding Doors · Transmission (62TE) · Electrical/TIPM
A budget-friendly minivan that serves its purpose well, but only for the prepared buyer willing to address its known weaknesses.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Electrical Systems · Engine Oil Cooler Housing
A utilitarian family hauler offering great value, but its dated design means a higher risk of transmission and rust issues compared to rivals.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Rust & Corrosion · Power Sliding Doors & Electrical
A spacious, value-packed utility vehicle that demands careful transmission scrutiny and a readiness to address age-related wear.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission · Rust & Body Corrosion · Electrical System
A highly practical and affordable family hauler, but its transmission is a ticking time bomb that demands vigilance.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Rust and Corrosion
A value-packed family hauler, but its transmission can be a ticking time bomb if not thoroughly vetted.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/A604) · Rust and Corrosion · Electrical System
A high-utility minivan for the budget-minded, but one that demands a keen eye on its common Achilles' heel: the transmission.
Top risks: Transmission · Electrical System · Rust and Corrosion
A supremely practical and affordable family hauler, but proceed with caution due to the transmission's reputation.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE) · Rust & Corrosion · Electrical System & Power Accessories
A highly practical minivan offering immense value, but its Achilles' heel lies in a problematic transmission and persistent electrical quirks that demand careful consideration and a repair budget.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE Automatic) · Electrical System (TIPM & Peripherals) · Suspension & Steering Components
A value-packed minivan hobbled by significant, known electrical and transmission vulnerabilities.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Electrical (TIPM) · Engine (3.6L Pentastar)
A highly practical and affordable family hauler with a reputation for some persistent, costly mechanical and electrical weak points.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Electrical (TIPM) · Power Sliding Doors
A highly practical minivan that demands diligent maintenance and a careful eye for its notorious electrical and transmission Achilles' heels.
Top risks: Electrical System (TIPM) · Transmission · Suspension & Steering
A practical family hauler with known weak points that demand careful consideration and proactive maintenance.
Top risks: Transmission · Electrical System · Rust & Corrosion
A highly practical and affordable family hauler, but budget for potential powertrain and electrical repairs.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE Automatic) · Electrical System (TIPM & Power Doors) · Suspension & Steering Components
A spacious, budget-friendly hauler that demands diligent maintenance and pre-purchase scrutiny to avoid major headaches.
Top risks: Transmission (4-speed Automatic) · Body & Subframe Rust · Electrical System
A budget-friendly family hauler, but be prepared for potential powertrain and electrical headaches.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/42LE) · Electrical System · Rust and Corrosion
A budget-friendly family hauler with significant known weaknesses that demand careful inspection and a repair fund.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission · Rust and Corrosion · Electrical System
A spacious, affordable classic for the mechanically inclined, but a ticking time bomb for the unaware.
Top risks: Transmission (A604/41TE) · Rust & Corrosion · Electrical System
A highly practical and affordable classic, but its problematic automatic transmission and rust susceptibility demand a careful purchase and maintenance strategy.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/A604) · Body & Chassis Rust · Electrical System
A spacious, budget-friendly hauler that demands a keen eye on its notoriously fragile transmission and creeping corrosion.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/A604 Ultradrive) · Rust and Corrosion · Electrical System
A high-utility, high-risk proposition; budget heavily for the inevitable transmission service or replacement.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/40TE) · Body & Chassis Rust · Electrical System
A budget-friendly people mover, but be prepared to pay the 'transmission tax' and chase down electrical quirks.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/41AE) · Electrical System · Rust and Corrosion
A budget-friendly space solution, but one step away from a major financial headache due to its high propensity for transmission failure.
Top risks: Transmission · Electrical System · Rust and Corrosion
A value-packed minivan hobbled by its notorious transmission and electrical system woes.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Body Rust/Corrosion
A practical and spacious minivan that's a true value proposition, but it comes with a high potential for costly repairs, particularly its notoriously weak transmission.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (41TE/41AE) · Electrical System · Rust and Corrosion
A feature-rich minivan value that comes with a substantial side dish of potential mechanical and electrical headaches.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) · Structural Rust & Corrosion
A practical minivan undermined by severe powertrain and electrical vulnerabilities.
Top risks: Transmission (62TE) · Electrical (TIPM) · Power Sliding Doors
A vintage utility icon that requires deep pockets and mechanical expertise to keep reliably on the road today.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (A-413) · Body & Frame Rust · Electrical System
A practical but profoundly unreliable utility vehicle demanding deep pockets or DIY expertise.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission (A604/41TE) · Rust and Corrosion · Electrical System
A spacious, nostalgic workhorse that demands continuous mechanical attention and a keen eye for rust due to its considerable age.
Top risks: Transmission · Body & Chassis Rust · Engine Oil Leaks & V/S Seals (3.0L V6)
A budget-friendly people-mover that often becomes a money pit due to its fatally flawed automatic transmission.
Top risks: Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Front Suspension & Steering
Problems That Follow the Grand Caravan Across Generations
Issues that appear in the top-3 risks across multiple model years — the cost of ownership you can actually predict.
Electrical System
Appears in 19 model years · 59% of generations
Rust and Corrosion
Appears in 10 model years · 31% of generations
Transmission (62TE)
Appears in 8 model years · 25% of generations
Transmission
Appears in 5 model years · 16% of generations
Automatic Transmission
Appears in 5 model years · 16% of generations
Rust & Corrosion
Appears in 4 model years · 12% of generations
Electrical (TIPM)
Appears in 4 model years · 12% of generations
Power Sliding Doors
Appears in 4 model years · 12% of generations