general problems of the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan - part 1

While driving, the vehicle will periodically shut down/lose all power. This appears to occur when a slight bump in the road occurs. The loss of power to the vehicle is obviously a significant safety issue. We have been able to restart it when switching to neutral and turning the key; however, this obviously isn't a safe solution while traveling down the highway with no power to the vehicle. This has occurred multiple times at varying speeds (30-70 mph) over the last few years - I am reporting it now as I was assuming/anticipating there would be a recall on this safety issue.

The fuel pump would run all night and going down the road the van would cut off. . . Had it checked the tipm was bad.

Smoke comes out from the corner of the hood by the antenna and fumes come from the vents it makes my eyes burn and my throat sore. I'm afraid it might catch on fire. I have had the oil changed the power steering fluid changed I had the radiator changed. I don't know where it's coming from but I do know it is not safe.

On my Grand Caravan the engine randomly dies when my headlights are on bright. I haven't been able to find the problem. I have read where others are having the same problem but not sure they have associated the problem to the high beam lights. Last year when the dealership supposedly did the t33 recall it stopped doing it for two months then started happening again. It only happens with my high beams. The dangers are that, unable to use my high beams, I may not see wildlife running out into the road on dark highways until it is too late. Also, if this happens in traffic, especially in turns or curves, there is temporary loss in propulsion, power steering, power brakes, etc. I believe this to be a widespread problem that most haven't associated with the headlights. When it happens all of the dash lights come on as if the ignition was just turned on. I guess one more danger is that a driver, unaware of what is happening, may try accelerating when the engine has died which could cause sudden acceleration when the engine power restores.

After talking to others and researching and reading reports this seems to be another ghost problem: driving around town this issue doesn't usually occur but, on a long drive and coming to a stop or near stop such as a traffic light and/or in traffic my van starts to die. Depending on how long I am going to be stopped or slowed down to a crawl I either have to keep one foot on the brake while accelerating or switch to neutral. When switched to neutral I have to keep a foot on the accelerator while switching back into drive. Sometimes turning the ignition off and back on helps, usually not. The danger is the risk of being rear ended or stalling when pulling into traffic.

Van stalls while driving it has happened serval times and getting worse. I have had it to mechanic they can not figure out what's wrong. Two of these incidents of this van stalling while driving almost caused me to get hit. Am scared now to even drive it I have my grandbabies with me quit a bit and refuse to take chances with them. Something needs to be done. Dodge needs to fix this issue.

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph on the highway, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. The contact stated that the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact was able to pull over safely and restated the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure progressed over time and the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were flashing on and off. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The van shut down from the sudden. No steering or power. Did it twice on a parking lot and big street.

Engine stalls soon after I start driving. Lights are still on on the dashboard. I put the car in park, turn the key to the off position, and turn the key to ignition. Engine starts without issue. This problem happens irregularly. Sometimes happens after a few months, sometimes after a few weeks.

The car shuts off while driving no matter the speed!!! the vehicle also pops out of gear when it shuts off. You have to use the emergency release button to change the gear to put it in park to try to start it again, which usually takes a little while to get it started. The safety hazard could be fatal to the driver and whomever may rear-end the vehicle due it shutting off and loosing power steering and the brakes. This vehicle is currently at the dealership for the second time. They say that they cannot find the problem. I looked online for fixes and found hundreds of complaints of the same issue for this same vehicle with no fix due to everyone being told they cannot find the problem. This could be fatal!.

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I guess started with noticing oil being used at a faster pace then normal then a decent tick began along with abs light which prevented cruise control from working. At this point we seemed professional advice from a licensed mechanic who then preformed a small job of dropping transmission pan to clean metal shavings out! and replacing tires and brake pads assured us routers were fine. He was concerned with the fact that the abs light continued to be on so we the paid to get wiring for abs redone (not sure what was called). After this the cruise control worked abs went off but we noticed the brake pads went quick! then the insane knock out of nowhere began loud metal on metal had harmonic balancer pulley replaced didn’t do it any good. The. Was told cracked fly wheel was most likely the problem I continued to drive for about a month when the brake fluid light came on. I added fluid but every 3-4 days it came on again and of course brake pads again but this time the extremely loud knock went away and all was left was a quiet tick. That lasted couple months the out of no where wiring started shorting in dash and radio display. This lead to battery issues then out of no where motor is stuck in first gear and will not shift up but will shift between drive neutral and reverse. Idles extremely rough when in drive lights do not dim I had alternator checked. Now my family of six is with out a vehicle thank you for hearing my concerns.

The tipm has a built in fuel relay switch which fails sometimes won't allow vehicle to start other times it and stall while driving twice in one trip my vehicle stalled on the highway loss of all power and engine completely shuts off with no power steering or brake assist very scary and wreckless was very fortunate to have avoid multiple accidents the is already a recall associated with this issue on the Dodge durango and Jeep cherokee but for some reason the doge Grand Caravan was left off and it posses a huge safety risk for the people and families that are driving them!.

When driving the car will randomly shut off losing power. When trying to start it randomly it will turn on then shut back off. When it turns off as I’m driving it’s always under 50mph but I lose steering. Very scary.

My mechanic let me know of a commercial recall on my engine for the coolant system. However, the same engine in my car is not recalled for private sale engine. He said that my engine should have been recalled due to the information he downloaded and I should contact you because it needs to be replaced. But they did not recall the private vehicle engine, only the commercial.

The vehicle engine has stopped running while driving at highway speeds (50-70 mph). I have been able to roll off of the travel portion of the highway, but there was concern with vehicles behind me possibly hitting me. All electrical components continued to operate when this happens, including the radio, lights and ac/heat blowers. It has happened in December 2020, may 2021 (2 times within about 1 hour), July 2021 (2 times within 2 days), December 2021, and April 2022. In all instances the vehicle has restarted in about 30 minutes. An independent repair shop investigated the issue in July 2021 and was not able to find any codes or to reproduce the engine stopping. Several years prior to these instances the vehicle began to "not start" immediately when the key-fob was turned; it starts after tuning the key on and off several times. The vehicle was inspected by a Chrysler dealer and the dealer could find no codes or reproduce the instance.

Engine cooling system has failed multiple times causing the engine to overheat, it has been reproduced by an independent service provider and is available for inspection upon request. To attempt to remedy the issue, the following have been replaced or inspected: thermostat, thermostat housing, radiator, hoses, water pump, oil filter adaptor/coolant bypass, fan, wiring and other associated electrical components. There were no warning lamps or other symptoms of the problem prior to the system failure. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. I have attempted contacting Chrysler several times and have been given the run-around regarding a safety recall that matches the symptoms, year, make, and model of my vehicle and have been told that my vehicle's VIN is not part of the recall and that there is no way to get it evaluated and added to the recall. I am unable to upload the repair invoices I have amassed so far with this issue at this time, but can furnish them at a later date if required.

The vehicle engine just stops while driving. Theis is the second time this has happened. The first time, the fule pump was replaced, plus the starter. That was only 6 months ago. This time it was towed home, (97) miles. It sat for over an hour waiting for the tow truck, tried to start several times, but would not start. After the tow truck dropped it off, in the driveway, it started right up! this is a vary unsafe problem with this vehicle. I have read many such posts as mine concerning this make and model of van.

Engine shuts off while driving down expressway and randomly just shuts off. Very dangerous and someone is going to get killed. Dodge/Chrysler needs to do sometime about this.

2012 caravan staling/dyng while driving, at take off from stops n issues starting with it just dying time after time over n over. Getting codes for low input power for the system n tcm plus misfire codes n O2 sensor code. Had new battery n both battery n alternator check out perfect. All new fuses n relays n cb1. Changed oil, filter n housing n spark plugs twice, all new O2 sensors n new ignition coils. New starter. Got new key fob n ignition key as well. Still same issues with no starts, difficult starts, stalling n dying while driving months later.

The vehicle was inspected and seemed fined when purchased. However my engine shut down on the interstate almost causing me wreck with my children. The vehicle has been diagnosed and the problem was the engine, however I only had it for two weeks and I can’t afford $700 plus dollars and even though I have a warranty on the engine, the warranty company says it’s not covered. I seen that the temperature hand had moved from the middle to hot, but then it moved all the way to cool.

It refuses to start. Light comes on the dash for the throttle body and when fuses were tested it was found that the tipms power cuts out. Which led to a research and found online that a recall on that exact issue/part was for certain 2011-2012 models. I called my local Dodge dealership and was told that my van didn't fall under that recall because it was VIN specific. If my 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan is having those issues, why is it not under the recall. This car is my main transportation for myself and my family. I have 5 school aged kids that rely on this vehicle for transportation everyday. I need this to be taken care of as soon as possible, please.

Engine shut off while driving down highway. No warning alarms. I managed to pull off highway. Vehicle started back up with no problems. Wife is now afraid to drive it.

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge caravan. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the air conditioning independently turned off with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle started to lose motive power as he began to pull off to the shoulder of the highway. The contact stated that another unknown warning light illuminated and the vehicle shut-off. The contact pulled over and saw black smoke coming from the engine. After opening the hood, there was more smoke coming from the engine. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine had caught fire due to a defective oil pump. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that an inspector would be sent out to perform an investigation. The vehicle remained in the possession of the mechanic. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

While driving 55 mph on the highway all the lights on the dashboard began flashing and the vehicle lost all power - no power steering, no brakes, no engine, nothing. Luckily I was going uphill in the mountains without any traffic and was able to eventually stop. Had there been a vehicle behind me, the results could have been fatal. The vehicle was towed to a nearby trusted shop. They are saying it needs a whole new engine. The problem is, even with a replacement engine, this could happen again with a new/rebuilt Chrysler/Dodge engine. Keep reading please. In researching, I found that this is a known issue with this and other Chrysler/Dodge models. There was a previous class action suit in California settled regarding this issue that required all plaintiffs to file before December 2018. Sadly, I did not purchase the vehicle until 2019 and this issue did not occur until 2021. I'm hoping there is some way to make Chrysler/Dodge accept responsibility for this through a recall or another class action suit as I have read many complaints online regarding this issue. How many people have to die before somebody does something about this?.

My van cut off in the driveway, thankfully I was parked and will not turn over or crank back up. We had just gotten home,, we could have been on the interstate!!! there is a red light blinking light under the neutral. I am reading hundreds of complaints of the same problem and this should be recalled. My van is a handicap accessible van for my daughter and thankfully we were not driving down the highway when this happened. We had just gotten home from celebrating her birthday and had her, my 82 year old granny, my wife and myself. We could have been killed. This is dangerous. I had it looked at and it is giving a code u1197 that's a security code. This needs to be recalled immediately!!! there are too many complaints.

My van will completely turn off while driving. There are no know reasons, I have had it serviced and the mechanic cannot figure what's wrong. There are no specific factors of when and why it cuts off while driving.

My wife and I have a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan, my wife drives the car on a daily basis school runs, etc with our 4 kids. While driving the kids to school and stopped at a red light the vehicle suddenly with no warning lost all power and shutdown. My wife said she was able to restart it again right away, then just before she got home the car suddenly and again no warning shut down everything no power whatsoever she was unable to remove the key from the ignition. After attaching a battery pack we were able to get it restarted and drive home thankfully no one was behind her at the time as it would most definetly have resulted in a crash. Since then this has occured several more times sometimes it will be a day or couple days but it will always just die with no warning, my wife refuses to drive the car now as both she and I are afraid for the kids and her safety. I have checked and fixed various items including a new battery,alternator and asd relay all of which did not fix the issue. I see Dodge has issued recalls for the ignition switch on previous years. I believe Dodge needs to look at the 2012 and fix whatever this issue is as I have saw numerous people experiencing the same issue. I am a father supporting my wife and 4 kids and cannot afford a bottomless pit of maybe its this/that. Dodge needs to step up it could be the difference of saving someones life.

We bought this van used about a year ago. It dies suddenly without any warning in the middle of the road regardless of any certain factors. I have researched this several times with many other complaints similar to this one. This is very dangerous for my family and I cannot believe there is no recall. I am a mother of 3 and cannot afford to pay upwards of 10,000$ to replace an ignition if this is the issue, I am not in any way a mechanic but I have read/heard that is most likely the problem. Dodge, please do what is right for the people who put their faith in your company every time they put their families in your vehicles and recall this immediately!.

While driving the van it randomly shuts off completely.

The tipm on some model vehicles has a recall but they all use the same tipm. It was shutting down on the roadway due to bad fluid pump relay.

Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Chrysler Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would suddenly shut off. After restarting the engine the vehicle would operate as normal. Also on occasions the vehicle would not immediately start causing the battery to drain and the fuel pump would sometimes continued to operate after turning the vehicle off. The cause of the failures were not determined. The local dealer mike anderson Chrysler(417 s. 3rd st. Logansport, in. ) and the manufacturer were notified of the failures but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000. Jft.

Once my van lost all power while driving on a straight road. Had to tow to mechanic's shop. Found no problem after testing. Once my van refused to crank, had no power. Had to two to mechanic's shop again. Both times the mechanic couldn't find a problem. Eventually the van cranked and drove as it should.

This car have 131000 miles on it and gives code p0304 which says cylinder 4 misfire and p0729 gear 6 incorrect ratio which leads to 2 or 3 gear down shift from 6 gear at hwy speed around over 50 mph.

I have had it happen several times, I'll be driving and the van just dies. Everything shuts down the longest I believe it has lasted is 2 min then I'm able to shift into neutral and restart the van. It has happened while I was driving down my neighborhood street at 20 mph and it has happened on the highway at 70 mph. It has happened driving straight and it has happened mid turn. It happens approximately 3 times a week.