CYLINDER 6 MISFIRE DUE TO A COMPRESSION ISSUE DUE TO FAULTY HEAD. ONLY HAS 56K MILES ON IT. RESULTING IN STALLING OUT AND LACK OF POWER WHEN ACCELERATING.
2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2017 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
178 reports with mileage · 235 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 144 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 95 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 58 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
58 reportsTHE OIL COOLER WHICH HOLDS THE OIL TEMPERATURE SWITCH AND OIL PRESSURE SWITCH AND OIL FILTER HOUSING IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND SEALED TO ALUMINUM INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH BOLTS AND RUBBER O-RINGS. THIS PART IS CRACKED AND LEAKING OIL AT TOP END ON A HOT ENGINE; OIL LEAKS DOWN ONTO BOTTOM OF TRANSMISSION AND ONTO ROADWAY/DRIVEWAY. CAR…
Read full complaint
THE OIL COOLER WHICH HOLDS THE OIL TEMPERATURE SWITCH AND OIL PRESSURE SWITCH AND OIL FILTER HOUSING IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND SEALED TO ALUMINUM INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH BOLTS AND RUBBER O-RINGS. THIS PART IS CRACKED AND LEAKING OIL AT TOP END ON A HOT ENGINE; OIL LEAKS DOWN ONTO BOTTOM OF TRANSMISSION AND ONTO ROADWAY/DRIVEWAY. CAR HAS ONLY 60,000 MILES. FROM LOOKING AT YOU TUBE VIDEOS AND GOOGLE SEARCHES, I FOUND MANY CASES OF THIS. HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHY RECALL HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN MADE FOR SOMETHING SO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AND OBVIOUSLY A DEFECTIVE PART. EXPENSES TO REPAIR SHOULD BE PAID FOR BY CHRYSLER/DODGE IF RECALL COMES AFTER US OWNERS SPEND THE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO SO FOR PARTS AND LABOR. ENGINE LEAKS WHEN RUNNING WHETHER PARKED OR MOVING ON STREET OR HIGHWAY. *TR
ESTABA CORRIENDO NORMALMENTE Y DE MOMENTO LE DI GASOLINA Y NO RESPONDI AL CAMBIO Y COMO QUE SE ACELERO(HIZO UN RUIDO FUERTE) Y DIO UN CANTAZO COGI EL CAMBIO Y ARRANCO DE MOMENTO. LUEGO SE LE PEGO UN RUIDO COMO SI UNA MANGA ESTUVIESE RASPANDO ALGO Y LA PARE. NO LA HE USADO MAS, PRIMERO POR MIEDO QUE ME PASE ALGO CON MIS HIJOS Y…
Read full complaint
ESTABA CORRIENDO NORMALMENTE Y DE MOMENTO LE DI GASOLINA Y NO RESPONDI AL CAMBIO Y COMO QUE SE ACELERO(HIZO UN RUIDO FUERTE) Y DIO UN CANTAZO COGI EL CAMBIO Y ARRANCO DE MOMENTO. LUEGO SE LE PEGO UN RUIDO COMO SI UNA MANGA ESTUVIESE RASPANDO ALGO Y LA PARE. NO LA HE USADO MAS, PRIMERO POR MIEDO QUE ME PASE ALGO CON MIS HIJOS Y LUEGO POR LA CUARENTENA DEL COVID19. AGRADECER ME INFORMEN QUE PUEDE HACER, DONDE PUEDO LLAMAR O QUE PUEDO HACER. NO PUEDO LLAMAR A NINGN LUGAR YA QUE TODO ESTA CERRADO. LA GUAGUA TIENE GARANTA. GRACIAS. *TR
ABOUT 1 WEEK AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CODE READER SAID IT WAS A P302, MISFIRE IN #2. THE VEHICLE IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES STALLS WHILE DRIVING. OTHER 2017 GRAND CARAVANS HAVE HAD A RECALL FOR A VERY SIMILAR REASON, BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT. I FEEL IT SHOULD BE. ALSO THE COMPANY HAS EXTEND ITS ENGINE WARR…
Read full complaint
ABOUT 1 WEEK AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CODE READER SAID IT WAS A P302, MISFIRE IN #2. THE VEHICLE IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES STALLS WHILE DRIVING. OTHER 2017 GRAND CARAVANS HAVE HAD A RECALL FOR A VERY SIMILAR REASON, BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT. I FEEL IT SHOULD BE. ALSO THE COMPANY HAS EXTEND ITS ENGINE WARRANTY ON CYLINDER HEADS TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES ON 2012 CARAVANS WITH SAME ENGINE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. NOW THE WANT $3,600 TO FIX WHAT SEEMS TO BE A INHERENT PROBLEM WITH THAT ENGINE. NOT FAIR! 1 AFFECTED PRODUCT
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE DRIVING. WHEN IT HAPPENS, THERE'S ALSO LOSS OF POWERING STEERING AND BRAKES. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES ON CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. IT'S BEEN TAKEN TO A DODGE DEALERSHIP. I'M TOLD THEY CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. IT'S HAPPENED TWICE THIS WEEK GOING TO WORK ON JANUARY 28 & 29, 2020.
DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ABOUT 75 MPH WITH CRUISE SET. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF, I LOST ALL CONNECTION AND MY COMPUTER WENT WHACK. ALL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON ETC . IT SLOWED MY CAR DOWN, AND RESET MY RADIO ETC . BUT THAN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT ALL CAME BACK ON AND I PROCEEDED . BUT SCARED ME AND THIS COULD HAVE…
Read full complaint
DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ABOUT 75 MPH WITH CRUISE SET. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF, I LOST ALL CONNECTION AND MY COMPUTER WENT WHACK. ALL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON ETC . IT SLOWED MY CAR DOWN, AND RESET MY RADIO ETC . BUT THAN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT ALL CAME BACK ON AND I PROCEEDED . BUT SCARED ME AND THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS WRECK. IT'S SCHEDULED TO GO INTO THE SHOP AND BE CHECKED OVER THIS WEEK.
WHILE ENTERING FREEWAY ONRAMP ENGINE POWER REDUCED AND VEHICLE FOLLOWING HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID COLLISION. BELIEVE ENGINE OUTPUT LESSENED BY CYLINDER 2 MISFIRE ISSUE COMMON WITH DODGE ENGINES CREATING FAILURES AND LOSS OF COMPRESSION AND REDUCED POWER WITH SPORADIC LOSS OF ACCELERATION WHEN NEEDED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 38 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MISFIRE AND HESITATE. ALSO, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO GATOR CHRYSLER DODGE (840 HARBOR CITY BLVD, MELBOURNE, FL 32901) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENTIRE LEFT CYLINDER H…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 38 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MISFIRE AND HESITATE. ALSO, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO GATOR CHRYSLER DODGE (840 HARBOR CITY BLVD, MELBOURNE, FL 32901) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENTIRE LEFT CYLINDER HEAD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
VEHICAL HAS A CODE FOR CYLANDER 4 MISFIRE. THIS CAUSES MY REMOTE START TO NOT WORK AND THE VEHICAL IS RUNNING ROUGH. NEW SPARK PLUGS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. FOR A TWO YEAR OLD VEHICAL IT SHOULD BE RELIABLE BUT I FIND MYSELF RELYING ON MY 88 S10 MORE THAN OUR TWO YEAR OLD VAN. READING UP ON THE 3.6L ENGINE I AM CONCERNED THAT I…
Read full complaint
VEHICAL HAS A CODE FOR CYLANDER 4 MISFIRE. THIS CAUSES MY REMOTE START TO NOT WORK AND THE VEHICAL IS RUNNING ROUGH. NEW SPARK PLUGS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. FOR A TWO YEAR OLD VEHICAL IT SHOULD BE RELIABLE BUT I FIND MYSELF RELYING ON MY 88 S10 MORE THAN OUR TWO YEAR OLD VAN. READING UP ON THE 3.6L ENGINE I AM CONCERNED THAT IT MAY HAVE THE PROBLEM WITH THE CYLINDER HEAD AS WITH MANY OTHER CARAVAN 3.6L BUT MY VINTAGE IS SOMEHOW NOT AFFECTED. I CAN RESET THE CODE AND DRIVE BUT AS SOON AS I PARK THE CODE COMES BACK
ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CODE READER SAID IT WAS A MISFIRE IN #2. THE VEHICLE IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES STALLS WHILE DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WE GOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THANKFULLY IT STARTED RIGHT BACK UP. ANOTHER INSTANCE, I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I STOPPED B…
Read full complaint
ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CODE READER SAID IT WAS A MISFIRE IN #2. THE VEHICLE IDLES ROUGH AND SOMETIMES STALLS WHILE DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WE GOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THANKFULLY IT STARTED RIGHT BACK UP. ANOTHER INSTANCE, I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I STOPPED BECAUSE A CAR WAS COMING, WHEN I PROCEEDING TO BACK OUT THE CAR STALLED. SPARK PLUGS AND ENGINE COAL WERE CHANGED. DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. OTHER 2017 GRAND CARAVANS HAS A RECALL FOR A VERY SIMILAR REASON, BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT. I FEEL IT SHOULD BE.
Official recalls
325V876000 · Equipment Adaptive/mobility:wheelchair Restraints/securement:latch/anchor:
Dec 17, 2025
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
20V278000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump; Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
May 15, 2020
Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain Vantage-modified 2016-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles. The fuel pump gasket may deteriorate, allowing fuel to leak.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Vantage will notify owners, and will provide parts and reimbursement to owners for repair facilities to replace the fuel tank gasket, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2020. Owners may contact Vantage customer service at 1-800-488-9082.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain Vantage-modified 2016-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles. The fuel pump gasket may deteriorate, allowing fuel to leak.
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Vantage will notify owners, and will provide parts and reimbursement to owners for repair facilities to replace the fuel tank gasket, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2020. Owners may contact Vantage customer service at 1-800-488-9082.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain Vantage-modified 2016-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan vehicles. The fuel pump gasket may deteriorate, allowing fuel to leak.
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Vantage will notify owners, and will provide parts and reimbursement to owners for repair facilities to replace the fuel tank gasket, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2020. Owners may contact Vantage customer service at 1-800-488-9082.
18V524000 · Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood
Aug 9, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
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
1PE19014 · Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
Opened Sep 9, 2019 · Closed Feb 25, 2026
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seats; Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Seats
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Illustration