1998 Dodge Caravan Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 1998 Dodge Caravan, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 71,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission failed” (14% of reports).
- 103power train complaints
- 71,000median miles at failure
- 6mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,950typical repair cost reported by owners
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Transmission failed: mentioned in 14 of 103 complaints (14%)
- Please provide: mentioned in 7 of 103 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 1998 Dodge Caravan at $3,950, and half of them between $3,250 and $4,600.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2001–2005), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 36 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 103 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury.
Dodge Caravan power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Caravan | 1 | 100% | 3,000 |
| 2015 Caravan | 6 | 26% | 85,000 |
| 2014 Caravan | 2 | 10% | 80,000 |
| 2013 Caravan | 2 | 7% | 475,500 |
| 2012 Caravan | 3 | 3% | 3,154 |
| 2011 Caravan | 5 | 6% | 63,050 |
| 2010 Caravan | 14 | 8% | 35,814 |
| 2009 Caravan | 2 | 2% | 42,963 |
| 2008 Caravan | 11 | 4% | 78,000 |
| 2007 Caravan | 9 | 11% | 56,156 |
| 2006 Caravan | 13 | 8% | 60,000 |
| 2005 Caravan | 13 | 2% | 26,558 |
| 2004 Caravan | 4 | 6% | 32,000 |
| 2003 Caravan | 22 | 11% | 18,068 |
| 2002 Caravan | 27 | 11% | 56,000 |
| 2001 Caravan | 19 | 7% | 49,606 |
| 2000 Caravan | 86 | 18% | 62,000 |
| 1999 Caravan | 96 | 17% | 65,154 |
| 1998 Caravan | 103 | 16% | 71,000 |
| 1997 Caravan | 133 | 19% | 70,502 |
| 1996 Caravan | 185 | 13% | 85,313 |
| 1995 Caravan | 93 | 19% | 90,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 1998 Dodge Caravan. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge caravan. The contact was traveling 5 mph when the serpentine belt became detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the serpentine belt needed to be replaced. The failure recurred several times. The failure…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge caravan. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle lost power and became inoperable without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose a failure. The failure recurred frequently however, the vehicle was not repaired. The…
I found out that the 1998 dodge caravan that i purchased has two design flaws. One is that the vehicle does not have brake-shift interlock. The other is that the vehicle is equipped with chrysler gen3 seat belts that, in some vehicles, have unlatched while people were driving. I believe that the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Dodge Caravans have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 103 owner complaints about power train for the 1998 Dodge Caravan (16% of the 629 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Dodge Caravan power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 71,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 1998 Dodge Caravan?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,950 (half paid between $3,250 and $4,600), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 1998 Dodge Caravan?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission failed”, in 14 of 103 complaints, followed by “please provide” (7).
Other 1998 Dodge Caravan problems
See all 1998 Dodge Caravan problems or power train problems across all Caravan years.