2012 Dodge Grand Caravan Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Grand Caravan years
- More complaints than other years 6th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 584 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. That ranks 6th out of 26 Grand Caravan model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (337 complaints, 58%), typically at around 100,000 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 14 fires, 14 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 584owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 337 | 58% | 100,000 | “vent window” (6%) | $1,150 |
| Engine problems | 119 | 20% | 106,000 | “shuts off” (11%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 68 | 12% | 108,616 | “fuel pump” (49%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 60 | 10% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 48 | 8% | 76,100 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 38 | 7% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 24 | 4% | 57,350 | — | — |
| Structure | 19 | 3% | 49,721 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 18 | 3% | 96,100 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 18 | 3% | 98,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 14 | 2% | 108,600 | — | — |
| Seats | 9 | 2% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 1% | 115,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 7 | 1% | 61,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 6 | 1% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 1% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 1% | 57,626 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 1% | 43,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 1% | 115,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 1% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 0% | 169,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 0% | 107,920 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 101,250 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Dodge Grand Caravan recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment adaptive/mobility:wheelchair restraints/securement:latch/anchor:
Problem: Rollx Vans (Rollx) is recalling certain GMC Yukon, Sierra, Chevrolet Express 2500, Ford Transit, E-250, Toyota Sienna, Sienna Hybrid, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Voyager, Pacifica, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Ram Promaster vehicles equipped with QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. Please refer to Rollx's recall report for specific model year information. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
Risk: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Rollx will work with Q'Straint to inspect and replace the retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2026. Owners may contact Rollx's customer service at 1-800-956-6668.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may unexpectedly deploy if the air bag wiring harness gets chafed within the steering wheel and short circuits.
Risk: Unexpected deployment of the driver's frontal air bag increases the risk of a crash or driver injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air bag wiring within the steering wheel, replacing it if necessary. A protective cover will also be installed. These repairs will be made free of charge. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T33.
Electrical system
Problem: Chrysler Group, LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, through October 31, 2013. The affected vehicles may experience overheating of the vent window switch in the driver's door armrest.
Risk: An overheated switch may result in a vehicle fire.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the vent window switch with a newer version, free of charge. The owner notification letter was issued and the remedy campaign launched on on December 31, 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P25.
Equipment
Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 town and country and dodge grand caravan vehicles, manufactured from march 9, 2012 through march 12, 2012. Some vehicles may be equipped with a right side liftgate pinch sensor that does not function properly. As a result, increased force may be required in order to stop the power liftgate during final closing stages.
Risk: The power liftgate door may close on an appendage, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the right side liftgate pinch sensors, free of charge. The safety recall began on may 18, 2012. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Suspension:rear
Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 town and country and dodge grand caravan vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2011, through november 21, 2011. Some vehicles may be equipped with right rear hub and bearing assemblies that were not fully machined.
Risk: This could result in a decrease in durability, which may lead to wheel separation, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right rear hub and bearing assembly, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 27, 2012. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 chrysler vehicles, including 200 and town and country models, dodge vehicles, including charger, durango, grand caravan and journey models and jeep grand cherokee vehicles manufactured from august 31, 2011, through september 13, 2011, that are equipped with 3.6l engines. These engines may experience connecting rod bearing failure due to debris inside the engine block.
Risk: Connecting rod failure may lead to engine seizure which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners and replace the engine free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about november 18, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment (PE19014) — opened Sep 9, 2019, closed Feb 25, 2026.
- Totally Integrated Power Module Failure (DP14004) — opened Sep 25, 2014, closed Jul 24, 2015.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Randomly shuts off Says key is in the ignition when it isnt
We purchased our 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan 1/2026. Only 85000 miles on it. After about a week or 2, when husband tried go start van to go to work early cold, morning, van wouldn't start easily. Sometimes he would wait up to a few hours and keep trying to start, eventually it would. But last 3 days…
The fuel pump would run all night and going down the road the van would cut off...had it checked the tipm was bad
My van tipm went out..it would cut off going down the road the safety door locks was not working the fuel pump was running all the time with switch off
While driving, the vehicle will periodically shut down/lose all power. This appears to occur when a slight bump in the road occurs. The loss of power to the vehicle is obviously a significant safety issue. We have been able to restart it when switching to neutral and turning the key; however, this…
Other Dodge Grand Caravan years
← 2011 Grand Caravan · 2013 Grand Caravan →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Grand Caravan | 20 | 1 |
| 2019 Grand Caravan | 245 | 4 |
| 2018 Grand Caravan | 271 | 4 |
| 2017 Grand Caravan | 414 | 3 |
| 2016 Grand Caravan | 1,002 | 6 |
| 2015 Grand Caravan | 281 | 4 |
| 2014 Grand Caravan | 359 | 5 |
| 2013 Grand Caravan | 471 | 4 |
| 2012 | 584 | 6 |
| 2011 Grand Caravan | 530 | 4 |
| 2010 Grand Caravan | 869 | 6 |
| 2009 Grand Caravan | 544 | 7 |
| 2008 Grand Caravan | 1,293 | 8 |
| 2007 Grand Caravan | 182 | 2 |
| 2006 Grand Caravan | 284 | 3 |
| 2005 Grand Caravan | 995 | 5 |
| 2004 Grand Caravan | 116 | 1 |
| 2003 Grand Caravan | 219 | 2 |
| 2002 Grand Caravan | 290 | 5 |
| 2001 Grand Caravan | 298 | 3 |
| 2000 Grand Caravan | 442 | 5 |
| 1999 Grand Caravan | 432 | 3 |
| 1998 Grand Caravan | 559 | 4 |
| 1997 Grand Caravan | 583 | 5 |
| 1996 Grand Caravan | 1,157 | 9 |
| 1995 Grand Caravan | 108 | 1 |
See all Dodge Grand Caravan problems by year, every Dodge model, or the Dodge VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine, fuel/propulsion system problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 337 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Grand Caravan model years, the 2012 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.