Three problems related to transmission not go into gear have been reported for the 1997 Dodge Caravan. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Car was parked in my driveway, as I started car and put in to reverse drivebig noise (thump) came from engine. It would not move in any gear. Called tow truck have it towed to auto shop guy at auto shop diagnosed engine, transmission problem. Nothing was wrong when I parked my car. This is a very comon problem with Chrysler minivan. My neighbour had same problem with Plymouth (which is a similar model) at very low milage 40k.
Transmission failure causing gears to slip.
While driving lost all gears, would not go into any gear. When applying gas vehicle felt like it was in neutral. Contact dealer.