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.
Last week the driver's side automatic sliding door in my 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan got stuck in the locked position. It is unable to be opened, either by remote or manually, and the lock can not be disabled rendering this door unusable. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD! I have 4 children, which is the main reason I got a minivan and specifically one with automatic sliding doors. Two of my children are still in car seats, which are located beside each sliding door so I can help with their seat belts as needed. My youngest is beside the driver's side sliding door, the one I have having the issue with now. Right now, unless I reach over and behind the driver's seat or walk around the car to the opposite door, I CAN NOT REACH MY CHILD'S CAR SEAT!!!! Not only is this extremely inconvenient and time consuming, IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! What if my son needs help with something and I need to reach him" What if he is choking? What if we are in an accident and I need to get him out of his car seat? When searching this issue online, it quickly became evident THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT DODGE KNOWS ABOUT AND HASN'T RECALLED!!! I was beyond shocked and appalled! How could this issue be common and known - it's ALL OVER the Internet, and not be acknowledged by Dodge??? Is my children's safety not worthy of a recall? Is this just a money making scheme? ARE THEY WAITING FOR A CHILD TO DIE TO DO A RECALL" The majority of people who buy minivans have young children and need the convenience of sliding doors. So the majority of people at-risk with this issue are children. This is blatant neglect on the part of Dodge and needs to be called out and have Dodge recall it as soon as possible before something bad happens. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Both sliding doors will not open. It started that one would not lock and one would not unlock now both are stuck closed. I have 3 kids and they have to crawl out the front doors in order to get out or in. I have been reading about the actuators going out on other vans.
The passenger side sliding door will not lock, even the manual lock is stuck in the unlocked position. I just bought the car used 2 months ago and only realized the problem when I went to pick up my children from school. They approached the vehicle and pulled the door handle before I had a chance to put the car in park, and to my surprise it opened. I don't know how long it's been like this. It's my understanding that this is a common point of failure for 2015-2018 Dodge/Chryser minivans, that the locks can become stuck in the locked or unlocked position and it's very expensive for the consumer to fix. The manufacturer ought to issue a recall and replace the faulty components as this is a safety issue.
Automatic door locks make loud buzzing noise when they lock. I m afraid we will get stuck in locked car. I have not brought to anyone yet. No warning lamps or anything else. This is a definite safety Hazzard and I want it repaired at no charge before something tragic happens.
Drivers side, sliding door, won't open or close. Either remotely or mannually. All doors have been buzzing upon activation for a few years now, but I can"T afford to fix that. Vehicle has 55,000 miles plus on it, and I really love it, but I dont think I'll buy another one unless I receive some satisfaction regarding this problem. I have reviewed this condition on the internet and found it's more common than I would thought. Dodge should be ashamed for not correcting this problem.
- Spring Hill, FL, USA
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Bought van and shortly after the right passenger sliding door starting making a loud buzz every time it was unlocked. Researched that it was the actuator, have not fixed yet. Now, In August 2021, the drivers passenger sliding door will not open. It just stopped one day. it won't open with the latch, inside or outside, with the key fob, or with the button inside on the door or on the visor. I'm afraid if I ever have a wreck, we could be trapped with doors that just don't open. I've reached out to a few dealerships, and it is a costly fix and can't seem to get much info or response back from them anyway.
The locking mechanism on the passenger rear sliding door makes a loud buzzing noise when unlocking. It is so loud that it can be heard up to 15 feet from the vehicle. Sometimes it will either stay in the locked position or it will remain unlocked regardless of the buttons being pushed. In the event of an accident and the door is stuck in the locked position it will put my children in danger of not being able to get out of the vehicle through that door. I have not taken it to be inspected nor has the manufacturer inspected it. There were no warning lights or indicators prior to or after the problem started. It is available for inspection upon request.
Currently my sliding passenger side door is in the locked position and will not unlock. I purchased the vehicle in January 2016 and had the drivers side sliding door lock actuator replaced by dealer in September 2018. I am now incurring the cost of having the passenger side actuator replaced. I believe this is a major safety issue as my children cannot exit the vehicle on one side, twice now on a relatively new vehicle. The door lock CANNOT be utilized in a manual manor thus it is either risk having to exit through the rear lift gate or front door or pay to have the part replaced. I will ask to have the defective part retained for inspection on the current broke side. There is a FCA service bulletin, 23-017-20 currently recommending dealers replace both sides when brought ot hteir attention.
Upon arriving home, I tried to remove my special needs daughter from the rear driver sliding door, locking mechanism remained engaged. I attempted to unlock with the fob, the driver door buttons, & on the sliding door itself. Nothing has changed.
Vehicle stalls while driving, losing all power. Often cannot be immediately started again. Has been to the dealer several times; they can not duplicate the problem to diagnose. Date of incident selected below was the first of many occurrences.
My left sliding door won't open or unlock. My right sliding door is making a loud buzzing sound when the power lock unlocks/locks. The vehicle is currently at a dealership for these problems.
Passenger side rear sliding door is locked, as it has been reported in CASE number 11424331. this could cause serious problem in case of fire or accident, delaying back seat passengers exiting the car.
The driver's side power sliding door locked and would not open either by mechanical means or power slide using the handle or the button over the driver's head. Then the next day the passenger side sliding door did the same thing. I had to hit the door with my socked foot from the inside while trying to unlock the door manually. I was eventually able to get the driver's side sliding door open by this means and the passenger door started to work also. The problem now is the actuator makes a buzzing sound when I hit the lock button either on the door or the keyless remote or when the vehicle reaches auto lock speed. This is a HUGE safety issue for rear passengers. If there is an accident or vehicle fire, the rear passengers will not be able to get out and might suffer severe injuries or die!!!!!!!!!!!
Rear driver side door is stuck in locked position. Can not electrically or manually unlock or open door. This is a safety concern for children in vehicle.
I am writing today with a serious safety issue on our 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. Our van has rear power sliding doors and locks; recently the drivers side rear door has stopped sliding and will not unlock at all, either with the key or manually. APPARENTLY this is a WELL-KNOWN ISSUE ; the dealer has stated that they will take a look at a vehicle for repair but we will have to pay the $200 diagnostic fee and approximately $1300-1700 to have the door repaired. THIS IS A COMMON FACTORY DEFECT that is also a SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD. I have two young children; if I was hit on the passenger side of the vehicle, how could I possibly get my children out of the car safely" If it was simply a power vs. Manual door issue, we wouldn't mind. However, the door will NOT OPEN AT ALL!! Now the passengers side rear slide door is making really loud noises, . Loud enough to startle people walking by or in the van trying to get out. So, it is also about to go out and that will leave no way in to the side of the van where my children and elderly parents sit to get them out and it will be another $1300- $1700 to fix. Will it take the Death of a child for Dodge to issue a recall on the common problem" Even the repair tech at the dealer said that it happens all the time. This is not right and not safe for families. After a quick search I have found so many more people that have the same exact problem and Dodge still isn't willing to help. Please contact me if you need more information. Thank You
The driver's side door is stuck in the locked position. You cannot unlock it manually, you cannot open the door manually. The key fob will not open it. The button on the top of the van will not open it. If this happens to all the doors, we could be stuck inside. We live in South Carolina where the daily summer temperatures are over 90. If all of the doors get stuck, who knows if the windows will get stuck. What if we get stuck in the car" We have contacted someone to repair it and it is over $1200. That is ridiculous for a 5 year old vehicle. There were no warnings of this and the door opened about 10 minutes before this happened. I am on a Q&A post about this issue with almost 200 other people who all have the same issue. How is this not a huge safety concern for you at Dodge"
Passenger sliding door lock actuators fail. This failure prevents the ability to lock or unlock the door via the FOB, press buttons or from the drivers console. This also prohibits opening the afflicted door from outside of the vehicle. Children are often unable to manually unlock the door and exit.
Passenger side rear sliding door stuck in locked position. Unable to open door/unlock door using key fob lock button, key fob door button, console door button, outside door handle, inside door handle. Cannot manually unlock door or unlock using any of the power unlock buttons in the car or on the fob. Door operates correctly right up until it doesn't with no warning. I have an handicapped passenger for this vehicle. He was not in the car, but could have been. Any person would be unable to exit the vehicle from the middle row passenger seat thru that door. If it was a carseat, another individual would have to climb in from another entry point and release the child. If it was my adult son with cerebral palsy, removing him from the vehicle would be arduous and impossible in an emergency situation. Given that passenger vans are often used for ADA persons, this is a serious safety issue and needs resolution.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Denver, CO, USA