Body problems of the 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan - part 1

I purchased the vehicle on 9/15/2025 at approximately 103,900 miles. Around 10/6/25 at approximately 103,982 miles the driver side sliding door actuator has failed causing the door to get stuck in the lock position and creating a safety hazard. I reached out to Dodge today and spoke with a representative by the name of lynn and they've declined to repair.

The driver's side sliding door on this minivan became stuck shut. I had to remove my disabled son through the open window. Not being able to remove him quickly in an emergency because the door has become sealed shut is unacceptable. I cannot believe there is no manual override. I was able to solve this issue by forcing the unlock lever while pressing 'unlock' on the keyfob. However, the main reason I write this complaint, numerous people on various forums report an actuator shorting out in their doors causing this issue, meaning they cannot open the door, by any means, without this actuator being repaired. I cannot for the life of me believe that a system was engineered to not have a simple manual override on a car door. This is beyond me how this got cleared by any sort of regulatory body. If that actuator gets cooked in a fire, I guess the occupants of the car will too.

Vehicle: 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan component/system: sliding door lock actuator is the part available for inspection upon request? yes description of the issue: the sliding door lock actuator failed, causing the door to remain locked at all times. The door cannot be opened manually or using the power door controls. This renders the door completely inoperable. Safety risk: this is a significant safety hazard. In the event of an emergency, passengers—especially children seated in the rear—cannot exit the vehicle through this door. It severely limits evacuation routes and could result in injury or death if occupants are trapped during an accident or fire. Has the issue been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? not yet. Issue is ongoing and appointment is pending. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before the failure? no warning lamps or messages appeared. The door simply stopped responding to manual or power lock/unlock commands. When did the issue occur? June 2025. The door has remained inoperable since. Assessment: based on consumer forums and other reports, this appears to be a known and widespread issue with this model, likely caused by a defective actuator design.

Lock actuator malfunction. Unable to open side door.

This weekend both passenger and driver side power sliding doors seized shut, in the locked position. The doors will not manually unlock with applying a lot of force to the locking lever. Looking online there is a manufacturers warranty that was extended to 15 years or 150,000 miles for this specific problem, pointing out the locking actuator as a faulty product, only on certain models, and years. My make and year qualify but the manufacturer has not added my model to the list of affected parts. I have verified my model has the same actuator mpn as the one affected, but still not added to the list. This is a safety issue as how do we get our kids out in a safe and timely manner in an event of an emergency? this weekend we had to crawl back to the back to safely buckle them in and get them out. Would like for this issue to be forced to add the 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan sxt model to the extension of the manufacturers warranty known problem with rear power sliding and locking door actuators. The manufacturer is aware of the problem and is at risk of a lawsuit of this issue.

Sliding automatic door makes loud buzzing noise when opening. Apparently this is a known problem and Dodge has done nothing about it. After doing some research it seems everyone that has this model has this issue after a few years. It will eventually be a safety issue when the door stops working and we can’t get out in an emergency. Do the right thing and make this a recall. It’s a known issue.

Driver side passenger door is stuck in lock. Can not manuallly unlock from inside or outside. Have tried with key entry and that isn't working either. Had mechanic check and he thinks it could be a mechanical issue and could be very costly to fix because unable to unlock manually and would not be able to remove door to fix. This could possible be a safety issue if ever in an accident. Our daughter has the same year and is experiencing the same issue.

We found a warranty extension for Dodge caravan driver and passenger sliding door power lock actuators, but when I searched for our VIN, it is not included, but we are having the same problem. All of a sudden, our driver side sliding door was stuck shut, and would not open manually or with the key fob. I found a workaround from an online forum to hold the manual lock to open position, while pressing the unlock button either on the driver door or the key fob. Since then, when the sliding door shuts and wouldn't open, this is what we do. And then shortly after that, we noticed a loud buzzing sound coming from the same door when accelerating and the automatic lock activates.

Passenger side sliding door will no longer lock. It will not lock with the clicker, the indoor power lock or manually. *this is a dangerous risk as an intruder may be able to access the interior of my van even if my kids or I are in it. Also, because it doesn't lock it could open while the car is driving injuring someone, etc. . . *I have not yet had it checked at a dealer. I found many other complaints from people saying the same thing. I assumed there was already a recall for this and was very disappointed that is not the case. I did not check with insurance, etc. . As our warranty has already expired and it wasn't caused by an accident, etc. *there was no warning that this was going to occur. It worked one day and didn't the next. I first noticed the problem about 3/4 weeks ago and have been looking for information, etc. . On recalls or what to do with this. It is obviously a safety hazard and it was not caused by anything we did.

The rear drivers side slider door has locked shut and no amount of tries to release the lock will work. This is a major safety concern being that we cannot open the door manually or otherwise in case of emergency.

The sliding door power lock actuators fail. Making the door totally inoperable. This is the same issue that prompted mopar warranty bulletin d-21-15. The dealer jeff belzer's Dodge of lakeville mn. Service writer vinesh sirju says that this VIN of vehicles is not in the bulletin. The vehicle is in the coverage period. It should be in the bulletin, should there be a fire or other emergency required to exit the vehicle. The safety issue is the same as the bulletin d-21-15, one could be trapped in the vehicle. I think that the not being able to open a vehicle door due to poor components would be a safety issue. And not just a warranty issue.

My 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan gt left sliding door has a faulty door actuator. Had the van for 6 years, I read that the 2016 had the same problem. I hear the funny sound when locking the door. It has started may 2023.

This appears to be a known problem in these but my vehicle was built after the period Chrysler acknowledged a problem for. My van was built in June 2017 whereas the settlement states vehicles built until January of 2017. I paid $400 to have the dealer replace the lock actuator in the passenger sliding door in July 2021. The door would not lock or unlock without manually moving the switch. Since the "fix" that door seems to rattle and has gotten worse over time but it does lock now. In the recent weeks, the driver side now no longer works. I have just contacted Chrysler about this and am awaiting a response. But a) I should not have paid for the first repair and b) I shouldn't have to for the second considering this is a known issue. I use this vehicle for my family and having doors that don't lock or unlock is a huge concern for me.

My center doors on my Mini van are inoperable. About 3 months ago, I tried to open the door to get my grandchild out of her carseat, and the door wouldn't open by the outside handle or the button on the control above. My dash would light up staying door must be unlocked to open. . . I pressed to unlock. . And nothing happened. I had to enter through the drivers side to get her out. Today I went to the grocery store and I went to open the door with the remote keyfob and nothing happened. I tried to open the door manually with the outside handle and nothing . . . So now both sides of my vehicle cannot open, very dangerous and now my van is useless carrying grandkids to and from . The Chrysler Mini van had this same problem, and my friend had her automatic door accentuators replaced for free. . . There was a recall for this problem on earlier year Mini vans. This car is only 6 years old and its a very dangerous situation now and a big inconvience as I cant enter the vehicle in tbe center to use the seats or stow away for transportiong large items. I called the dealership they want $1000-1500 . Could be more couldbe less they said, . This is unacceptable.

Van sliding door lock actuator failure - door is stuck shut and can't be opened in emergency previous extended warranties did not cover this vehicle even though it's a 2017 model year.

Loud buzzing on driver side sliding door when locked. Door failed to open.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the passenger sliding power door lock will not release electronically or manually. It can be available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? this leaves the passenger on that side trapped in the vehicle. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, by an independent service center. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warning of the problem. Failed to function 12/27/2022.

Passenger side sliding door will not open. It is stuck in the lock position and will not unlock even after attempting both manual and electronic unlocking. Faulty lock actuator likely cause.

Driver side sliding door is locked and will not open electronically or manually. This is a known problem covered by technical service bulletin (TSB 10177524) for Dodge caravan vehicles built on or after November 01, 2015 (mdh 1101xx) and on or before June 30, 2017 (mdh 0630xx). According to the VIN on my vehicle it was built 23 sept 2017 and does not fall within the range of the TSB. Both the dealer and Chrysler customer service refuses to repair the problem because my vehicle doesn't fall within the range of the TSB. Please add my vehicle to the other approx 500 complaints already on file with your office.

As is common with Dodge caravans, this 2017 model has had a door lock actuator fail and the sliding door is inoperable and will not open - it is stuck closed. This prevents safe exit of the vehicle in the event of an accident or fire or other emergency endangering the lives of the passengers.

Driver's side door is stuck and locked shut. This puts my precious cargo, my children, at risk of having to exit the vehicle on a potentially more dangerous side with traffic. In the event of an accident this door locked shut can't be used to escape the vehicle if need be. No warning lights. Online this appears to be a very common issue in Chrysler/Dodge vans.

The passenger sliding door open and closes with no warning, hatch opens and closes with no warning, dogs were closed in and died due to this malfunction because they thought we were going somewhere. Horn goes off and on for no reason, ac in rear does comes on and off. Drivers side sliding door does not operate at this point. Now transmission is malfunction.

When I shut my car off and open the driver's side door there is a loud buzzing sound in the passenger side sliding door. Very annoying. I noticed there are quite a number of complaints with this problem on different websites. One person had to pay $680 to the dealership to have it repaired. It seems that this should be a recall issue. That is a lot of money.

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated there was an abnormal clicking noise detected from the driver's side rear sliding door. The sliding door had seized and failed to open. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

The sliding door on the passenger side will not open at all. It is due to a failing actuator. It is a well known issue and a great safety concern.

The driver's side door will no longer open, whether automatically or manually. You cannot manually unlock the door from the inside or open it from the inside, which poses a safety issue, in my opinion.

The passenger side automatic sliding door has stopped working. Can’t open it manually either. The door is stuck in a closed position and can’t even unlock the door. This is a safety issue due to in an emergency we can get out of the vehicle using that door.

The driver side sliding door of the van is stuck in a locked position. It cannot be unlocked manually or remotely. There is no way for a passenger to open that door in event of emergency.

Drivers side sliding door locked after passenger entered vehicle. Door would not unlock both electrically and manually. Passengers needed to exit vehicle thru passenger side. What would the result have been if vehicle were in an accident? this could still happen. I called dealer and was informed this is a common problem. A technical service bulletin has been issued, but is not a covered repair. Cost of repair is around $500 per door. TSB number is 23-017-20.

Left sliding door is stuck. Unable to open inside and outside. Some times the smell of burned plastic. In state of emergency it is impossible to evacuate from the car.

Passenger rear sliding door will not open even manually.

Driver side passenger door will not open locked or not will not budge open.

Drivers side passenger door lock stuck in locked position. Door will not open automatically and can not be opened manually.

Door lock actuator and latch failed rendering sliding doors in operable. In the even of a crash this can result in fatalities from not being able to exit the vehicle.

The driver side passenger door is stuck on lock, it will not open from outside or inside or with the fob, this creates a safety issue for removing my children in case of an accident or being able to get to them in case of an emergency.