1997 Dodge Caravan: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1027 complaints
1027
Total Complaints
90,190mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Top Issue
51
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

67,000 25th Percentile
90,190 Median Mileage
120,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
107
AIR BAGS
102
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
52
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
44
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
42
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
38
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
30
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
29
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
24
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
20

Severity Assessment

51
Crashes
62
Fires
64
Injuries
5
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK SLIPPED OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"
"WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE FROM PARK INTO DRIVE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. *AK"
"DISTORTED WINDSHIELDS RESULTS IN DISTRACTION AND UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28