1997 Dodge Caravan Recalls, Complaints & Specs

7 safety recalls list the 1997 Dodge Caravan, and owners have filed 714 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

• 1984
• 1985
• 1986
• 1987
• 1988
• 1989
• 1990
• 1991
• 1992
• 1993
• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013
• 2014
• 2015
• 2016
• 2017

7 safety recalls for the 1997 Dodge Caravan

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Air bags: frontal

   NHTSA 02V293000 Reported November 7, 2002 1,500,521 vehicles potentially affected DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION

   On certain MINI vans, the clockspring assembly may have been wound incorrectly during the vehicle assembly process.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the clockspring assembly on all vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. An extended lifetime warranty will also be placed on this component for all affected vehicles, regardless of mileage.…

2. Seat belts: rear/other

   NHTSA 02V076000 Reported March 8, 2002 545,311 vehicles potentially affected DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION

   On certain minivans, some trim material can loosen and drop into the rear outboard seat belt assembly, causing the seat belt to become inoperative.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the trim with foam blockers and inspect and replace all 3rd row seat belt assemblies. Owner notification began june 3, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…

3. Fuel injection system (fuel system)

   NHTSA 00V268000 Reported September 13, 2000 1,163,000 vehicles potentially affected DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION

   Vehicle description: MINI vans built with 3.3l and 3.8l engines have fuel rails with nitrole rubber o-ring seals that can degrade over time. Fuel leakage from the underhood fuel injection fuel rail could result, increasing the likelihood of a vehicle fire.

   Remedy: Dealers will install a seal on the vehicle fuel rails to prevent external leakage of fuel from the fuel rail crossover tube, should the existing o-rings continue to degrade. Owner notification began on january 25,…

4. Child seat

   NHTSA 98V185000 Reported August 6, 1998 157,000 vehicles potentially affected CHRYSLER CORPORATION

   Vehicle description: MINI vans equipped with integrated child seats. The shoulder harness restraint on the integrated child seat can become difficult to extract when the safety belt latch plate becomes contaminated.

   Remedy: Dealers will clean the latch mechanism. An extender will be added to the emergency release anchor for the child seat safety belts so that the release clips are more visible and accessible to the operator in the event…

5. Bead (tires)

   NHTSA 97V200000 Reported November 13, 1997 25,000 vehicles potentially affected CHRYSLER CORPORATION

   Vehicle description: passenger minivans equipped with p215/65r15 goodyear conquest tires mounted on steel wheel. The tires can experience a sudden air pressure loss without warning.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the tires that were mounted on steel wheels.

6. Rim (wheels)

   NHTSA 97V070000 Reported April 28, 1997 60 vehicles potentially affected CHRYSLER CORPORATION

   The steel road wheels were damaged by the equipment used to match mount the wheel to the tire.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace all road wheels (and full size spare tires) with new wheels.

7. Master cylinder (service brakes)

   NHTSA 96V215000 Reported October 29, 1996 18,997 vehicles potentially affected CHRYSLER CORPORATION

   The master cylinder rear seal, between the hydraulic fluid and the vacuum reservoir, may not seal adequately allowing hydraulic fluid to be drawn into the power assist vacuum reservoir.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder on all affected vehicles. Addendum (4-14-97): vehicles inspected per chrysler recall no. 707 and found to be outside the listed suspect master cylinder date code range,…

714 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1997 Dodge Caravan have filed 714 complaints with NHTSA; 44 describe a crash and 37 describe a fire. Reports cite 54 injuries and 4 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 97,462 miles. Complaints peaked in 2002 with 155 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Power train: automatic transmission107
• Air bags102
• Engine and engine cooling: gasoline52
• Electrical system: horn44
• Air bags: frontal42
• Vehicle speed control38
• Engine and engine cooling: engine30
• Visibility: windshield wiper/washer29

What owners are reporting

“I know it's my solenoid my vehicle won't go out of 2 gear. My name is [XXX].[XXX] my number is [XXX]. I'm not sure if anything can be done being the vehicle is so old but I thought I'd give it a try.”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 30, 2022 · Unknown or other

“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge caravan. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine shut down without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and restarted after a few minutes.”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, March 11, 2016 · Electrical system

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1997 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan (Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD, Caravan/Grand Caravan 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Dodge Caravan model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Dodge Caravan model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1997 Dodge Caravan

Other Dodge models

• Durango13,770 complaints
• Grand Caravan13,508 complaints
• RAM 150012,416 complaints
• Dakota6,629 complaints
• RAM 25006,443 complaints
• Intrepid6,228 complaints
• Charger5,741 complaints
• Journey5,290 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.