This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
On Thursday June 4, 2020 I was operating a 2015 Dodge Caravan owned by the danville public schools transportation division. While stopped at a traffic light I raised the height of the head rest one click to place the head rest higher up the back of my head. When the light changed to green I proceeded to the next intersection and had to stop for a second red light. As I pulled away from the second light (after a green indicator) the head rest suddenly popped open making impact with the rear of my head. The vehicle was in motion when the head rest deployed. I mentioned the head rest to our shop technician who began to make inquiry into the possible cause. The shop technician spoke to the local Dodge dealership about the issue and was advised there were no recalls or safety bulletins on the issue and that new replacements were available for around $600 and that our best option would be to retrieve one from a junk yard. A closer look on line indicated issues with Dodge ahr head rest. The locking pin should be released by a solenoid powered latch that is triggered by the sensor system in the event of a crash. The plastic retainers that hold the locking pin failed and broke away causing the front section of the head rest to deploy without triggering the solenoid. Please see the attached photos of the damaged retainer points and the locking pin. This 2015 Dodge van has 58,976 original miles.
Aug 3, 2019 just got off interstate-44. I was stopped, & was getting gas at murphy usa, in a commercial lot, on a city street. Vehicle was parked, stationary and not running. I was outside the vehicle. My 3 son's were inside the van. My 15 year old son had his head on the passenger headrest when it randomly deployed for no reason at all. No wreck, no reason. The headrest popped so loudly I thought it was a gunshot near us. It frightened us all. My 15 yr old son had neck pain from the unexpected expulsion forward when his headrest randomly deployed for no reason...his pain continued as he began to get more stiff so he was scheduled, seen and adjusted at the chiropractor. He had a few appointments to get the pain to stop. I called graven Chrysler of lebanon mo where I purchased the van to get it repaired. I was told I would be responsible for the replacement due to no recall yet!. the van has approx. 56,000 miles and I have extended warranty with bumper to bumper. I was then told both headrests would be replaced ubder the warranty yet that was over 6 months ago. I was still told today they cannot get new parts in. Maybe next month? I am scared to drive my vehicle! had this happened while I was driving -it is likely I'd have wrecked and killed many people! !!this is a major, dangerous, defect in manufacturing! it is an extremely hazardous condition to drive with defective headrests! my son was injured, I 've feared driving it for 6 months and after 6 months still nothing has changed or been fixed, ! it is embarrassing for us to have to tell people about he defect and ask them to sit in the back. This has to qualify for a recall! this should shame crysler Dodge! it certainly is not acceptable business practice and leaving a spreading a poor reputation for our local dealer, as well as for all Chrysler Dodge brands. Someone will wreck if they haven't yet!
- Lebanon, MO, USA
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The driver's side headrest deployed unexpectedly. My vehicle was parked in my garage. The car was stationary, not running and had not been in any kind of collision. When I inspected the inside of the headrest, the plastic brackets that hold the metal pin were compromised. The metal pin is still in place, but the plastic prongs that were supposed to hold onto the pin to keep the headrest in place both failed. One cracked and is partially attached. The other prong came off completely. I believe the plastic broke from being under prolonged tension. Why would something that is designed to be a safety feature be made out of something as flimsy as plastic? I'm so thankful that I wasn't driving when this incident occurred because it could have caused serious injuries. There are many other reports of Dodge customers having this same issue. The active head restraint (ahr) system should be recalled due to safety concerns. The headrest should not deploy by itself. Unfortunately, from what I have read, Dodge is claiming no responsibility and the issue is not covered under warranty. The repair is around $900, but most people can't afford that and don't want to pay it anyway because the problem could happen again. Dodge should be repairing these headrests at no cost to the customers.
The passenger side headrest deployed without collision. I did not hear it deploy so I'm assuming it happened when the van was parked and I was not in it. Unsure if van was running or off. The reason it deployed is plastic parts that should be attached to metal pin inside broke. Dangerous design! I have read about this issue with many other people's 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan. The $900.repair cost for these defective headrests is ridiculous! especially knowing it may happen again.
The driver side head rest deployed while I was driving. The pin that was holding the headrest in place gave way due to the plastic holding the pin failed. It looks like heat stress on the plastic.
The vehicle was parked in a parking lot. My wife opened the front passenger door and was about to get in as my son was getting in through the sliding passenger-side door. Without any kind of impact the headrest on the front passenger seat forcefully deployed. Thankfully my wife wasn't in the seat yet, so no one was hurt. When I examined the headrest, I found that the plastic part that is supposed to prevent the headrest from deploying had failed and had broken into a number of small pieces. My van isn't kept in a garage, so it spends all of its time outside in Iowa weather, which this past year has ranged from colder than -30F to higher than 90F. It seems like the plastic couldn't handle it.
Drivers side active headrest deployed while vehicle was sitting in the garage. In pictures it can be seen that the plastic fatigued and failed at the retention pin.
On this 2015, Florida based, Dodge Grand Caravan with 58,640 miles, the passenger side active head restraint deployed with the car parked in the driveway and no one in it. It could not be reset as the thin plastic bracket that held a metal restraining bar in place disintegrated under the pressure of the deployment spring and released. In fact it appeared that multiple plastic parts had broken. Checking the internet, this appears to have happened in hundreds of other vehicles in multiple models and model years and Dodge/Chrysler has made no attempt to fix the problem or warn the owners. There are also at least two separate law firms pursuing class action lawsuits regarding this. There also appear to be hundreds of complaints on this site. If this happened on the driver's side while the car was in motion, an accident could have resulted. The Dodge dealer said they have no obligation to fix this and that replacing each head restraint would cost close to $900. They also could not say the driver's side head restraint wouldn't also deploy unexpectedly. One wonders if there haven't already been significant or even fatal accidents related to this. Getting hit by the headrest would cause injury alone this appears poorly designed. The idea of putting a thin plastic bracket under constant strong spring pressure for years is just asking for trouble, especially for vehicles in Florida where temperatures in parked vehicles can remain well over 120 all day. How can thin plastic be expected to take this for the life of the vehicle" these parts should be metal. I pushed the deployed headrest back together and secured it with two cable zip ties. As Dodge can't tell me if the other headrest won't also deploy, I have also secured it with cable zip ties to guard against its unexpected deployment. Where is the NHTSA in all this" at least change the design.
My daughter entered the van through the front seat and crawled through the center back to her seat behind the front passenger seat. As soon as she was getting into her car seat the front passenger headrest deployed. We were parked and in an unstarted vehicle in my driveway- no collision involved. Thank god it deployed just seconds after my daughter was clear of it. There was no contact being made with it. My husband tried to reassemble it but there's a plastic bracket that is broken. Now after looking into it, I see there is a lawsuit pending over this and around 100 complaints. I am nervous about the driver's side one deploying while driving. This is an issue!!!
Driver's side headrest defective plastic housing. Did not deploy, the plastic mold broke. Google search reveals this is a common problem in the Caravan/Town & Country models as far back as 2011. There are several youtube videos on how to "fix" it. Not a result of a crash, we were loading up for a trip, no one was even in the seat, nor was the vehicle on.
Takata recall. Passenger headrest exploded, sounded like a gunshot and nearly caused an accident. I am disabled and drive with hand controls. I am very much afraid of the same thing happening with my driver's headrest. Replacement charge was $1006.64. I have the invoice but can't scan! I was just driving in my subdivision when it happened. Invoice date is 7-2-18.
Entering the vehicle I sat down in the seat and the drivers headrest deployed hitting me in the back of the head. The car was not running, the passenger headrest did not deploy. Upon closer examination, part of the plastic headrest broke releasing the pin that is retained by a solenoid. The headrest cannot be reset because the plastic that retains the pin is broken. The dealer says the headrest is not covered under warranty. Is it not part of the safety restraint system" should it not be covered" a search of google shows that this is not the first one to break and U-tube even shows how to jury-rig a repair. Probably not very safe!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Orlando, FL, USA