IllustrationAIR CONDITIONING, PAINT AND TRANSMISSION AS OF TODAY HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THE TRANSMISSION. IT HAS THE A-604 ULTRADRIVE TRANSMISSION. AND IT IS STUCK IN ONE GEAR.
1989 Dodge Grand Caravan
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 284.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Caravan years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 1 of 24 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Power Train complaints
11 reportsHOW MANY OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS HAVE TO FAIL BEFORE D-C OWNS UP TO POOR ENGINEERING/DESIGN??*AK
OVERALL BUILD QUALITY/REPAIR RELIABILITY/PARTS MFRG FAR BELOW AVG WITH NUMEROUS ROAD SIDE FAILURES UNSAFE. NO, SAFETY DEFCT STATED. *AK
IN A DESIGN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE GAS MILEAGE THE TRANSMISSION WAS BUILT TO "COASTS OR FREEWHEELS" DOWNHILL AT IDLE RPM OF APPROX 1000 AND ZERO ENGINE COMPRESSION BRAKING. THE RESULT IS EXCESSIVE ACCELERATION DOWNHILL, TAILGATING AND/OR EXCESSIVE BRAKE COMPONET WEAR.*AK
ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS BEFORE FAILING AT 127,000 MILES. REMAN. TRANSMISSION INSTALLED WENT ONLY 12,375 MILES WHEN IT FAILED. DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE. THIRD TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT ANOTHER DEALER WENT ABOUT 65,000 MILES AND FAILED ALSO. MANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH TRANSAXLE CONTROLLERS, SPEED SENSORS. DEALERS…
Read full complaint
ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS BEFORE FAILING AT 127,000 MILES. REMAN. TRANSMISSION INSTALLED WENT ONLY 12,375 MILES WHEN IT FAILED. DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE. THIRD TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AT ANOTHER DEALER WENT ABOUT 65,000 MILES AND FAILED ALSO. MANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH TRANSAXLE CONTROLLERS, SPEED SENSORS. DEALERS CAN'T SEEM TO REPAIR WITHOUT REPLACING COMPLETE TRANSMISSION. *AK
I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW WITH A 4 SPD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED 6 TIMES, WITH NO COST TO ME EXCEPT THE TIME I DIDNT HAVE MY VEHICLE. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ON THIS COMPONENT. *AK
ABOUT EVERY 10,000 MI. TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE WORKED ON. OF COURSE THERE IS ALWAYS AN EXCUSE FROM THE DODGE MECHANICS AND I END UP PAYING FOR IT. I,M SURE THE TOTAL IS AROUND 5,000.00. THESE PROBLEMS HAD ALSO HAPPEN TO THE PREVIOUS OWNERS BECAUSE ALL THE RECEIPTS HAVE BEEN FORWARDED TO EACH OWNER, ME BEING THE LAST.
THE VEHICLE WILL DROP FROM OVERDRIVE TO 2ND GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION TWO TIMES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *AK
TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LUNGE FORWARD WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO STOP POSITION.
FRAME DEFECTIVE.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA94005 · Liftgate Latches
Opened Jan 31, 1994 · Closed Oct 25, 1995
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Structure
LIFTGATE LATCHES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE FAILED IN LOW AND MODERATE SPEED IMPACTS RESULTING IN OCCUPANT EJECTIONS, INJURIES, AND FATALITIES.THERE ARE TWO FAILURE MODES ASSOCIATED WITH LATCH FAILURE: FORK BOLT-DETENT LEVER BYPASS, AND INERTIAL UNLATCHING.NHTSA ANALYSES OF CHRYSLER AND PEER MINIVANS TOOK THE FORM OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC CRASH TESTING, ENGINEERING EVALUATIONS, COMPLAINT AND FIELD ANALYSES, AND REAL WORLD DATA ANALYSES.A TECHNICAL REPORT DISCUSSING THESE ANALYSES CAN BE FOUND IN THE ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TECHNICAL REPORT IN THE PUBLIC VIEWING FILE.CHRYSLER HAS ADVISED NHTSA THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE LATCHES ON ALL THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE CHRYSLER CAMPAIGN WILL CONSIST OF NOTIFICATION LETTERS TO ALL OWNERS; FREE REPLACEMENT OF ALL LATCHES WITH STRONGER, SAFER LATCHES REGARDLESS OF THE AGE OF THE MINIVANS; NATIONAL ADVERTISING TO PROMOTE CUSTOMER AWARENESS OF THE CAMPAIGN; QUARTERLY REPORTS REGARDING CAMPAIGN COMPLETION RATES; AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO ENSURE A HIGH COMPLETION RATE, ABOVE AND BEYOND THE ACTIONS THAT NORMALLY WOULD BE TAKEN IN A FORMAL SAFETY RECALL.THESE INCLUDE FOLLOW UP WRITTEN AND TELEPHONIC NOTIFICATIONS TO OWNERS WHO DO NOT BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION.NHTSA FIRMLY BELIEVES THAT THE CRASH PERFORMANCE OF THE LATCHES ON THESE MINIVANS RAISES SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS, AND THAT THE CAMPAIGN ADDRESSES THESE CONCERNS.THE CHRYSLER CORRECTIVE ACTION WILL INCREASE THE STRENGTH OF THE LIFTGATE LATCHES AND DECREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR INERTIAL UNLATCHING, THEREBY REDUCING THE RISK OF CRASH-RELATED OPENINGS OF THE LIFTGATE AND POSSIBLE OCCUPANT EJECTION THROUGH THE LIFTGATE OPENING.OWNERS OF CHRYSLER MINIVANS WILL GET A STRONGER, SAFER LATCH FREE OF CHARGE AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME, WITHOUT THE NEED FOR FURTHER TECHNICAL INVESTIGATION AND COMPLEX AND TIME-CONSUMING LITIGATION WITH AN UNCERTAIN OUTCOME.BASED ON THE ABOVE, ODI IS CLOSING THIS INVESTIGATION.
EA91010 · Trans Park System Failure
Opened Dec 10, 1990 · Closed Dec 31, 1991
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train
There is no summary currently available