Seats Problems of Dodge Grand Caravan - part 1

The active head restraint on the front passenger side headrest failed. The headrest thrust forward at a high velocity, injuring the occupant of the seat. The car was stationary at the time of the incident.

See all problems of the 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

1) at d/s stow and go seat malfunctioned and was repaired by carmax service center Jan 2023 - 2) around 97,000 so - engine started ticking on or about Jul/Sep 2023, enstate lloyds automotive in spokane valley replaced out engine due to manufacture defect in oct 2023. 3) at 103,672mi - p/s stow and go seat was repaired for same issues as d/s stow & go seat by lloyds automotive oct 2023 when engine was replaced out. 4) around 116,000mi the transmission was flushed when I got the oil changed because I noticed jerking shifting at times, this was Aug 2024 there was no check engine or diag faults. 5) around 132,720 fell under cxlhx982 / cxlhx981 actuator sliding door d/s & p both repaired and transmissioned serviced again because my van started stalling out at stops and the jerking happened again no check engine or diag faults 6) around 138,000 - d/s sliding door hatch pin repair by coos bay area Dodge. On 24mar2026 - around 142,000mi my transmission overheat warning came on and my van would not go any faster than 45 to 50mi, the rpms went from 1. 5 to 4 to 5 then 7 and back down, I immediately pulled over and sat for about 40min turned my van back on there was no overheat warning so I drove around 50mi per hour in the emergency lane to the next exit which was hood river, or and trailer towed my van from hood river, or to aamco, north spokane wa for transmission service. - I believe my vehicle 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan r/t model - transmission was built with some underlying transmission serious safety defects and should have been recalled and a part of part 573 safety recall report 16v-461. My vehicle malfunctioning could have caused an accident if not for my quick thinking that day and keeping my vehicle maintained at a high standard. I do keep all my service records.

See all problems of the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

I went to lower the 2 bucket seats to load an item on the van and the seats won’t go down to stow.

See all problems of the 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

The passenger's headrest just exploded.

See all problems of the 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

The component that keeps failing on these vehicles is the actuator for the sliding doors. When it comes to safety, this could be a huge problem in case of an accident or any time there’s a “rush” to get out of the vehicle. Especially having 3+ kids having to climb in and out. The problem has been inspected by my local dealership. The cause is the actuator, no doubt. This was a “warrantied” part but being my vehicle is at 160k miles, the dealership wants me to pay 2500 out of pocket. When I believe this should be taken care of free of charge.

See all problems of the 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

09/26/2024 transmission had to be replaced at 47,000 miles. Without warning, the van began lurching forward at a stop light almost causing a collision and then completely stalled having to be towed to the shop. Luckily, I bought a service plan and only had to pay $100, but the parts list was $6,000+. Sliding rear doors have the electric assist option. On several occasions myself and my children have nearly been closed in the door as it malfunctions and randomly starts closing. Once I was getting my child out of the car seat when the door began closing on me, it did not stop closing as it met the resistance of my body. I have not had this issue serviced, as it is very intermittent. 10/28/2025 my driver's side headrest exploded. Thankfully no one was injured and I wasn't driving at the time. This could have caused a really dangerous situation had the vehicle been in motion. I was in the parking lot with nothing touching the headrest. Looking at the headrest there are jagged pieces of plastic that just crumbled to bits. Upon further investigation, this is a known issue with this type of vehicle, but it's not a recall. 70,000 miles. I'm waiting to see what the bill for this repair will be, but I'm concerned it is going to be replaced with the same malfunctioning equipment and I may not be so lucky next time this happens.

The headrest airbag on the driver's side was deployed without any explanation.

2013 Dodge Grand Caravan. Driver active headrest deployed without warning while sitting in garage and unoccupied. The loud noise and force of the defect could easily harm a passenger or cause a wreck. There are thousands of complaints on-line or through class action suits. I contacted the Chrysler care group by phone on 10/22/2025. Their rep acknowledged, after asking if anyone was hurt, that this is a "known problem and a safety issue". After dealer inspection, Chrysler would provide a replacement even though it was after the extended warranty. The dealer performed the inspection on 10/24/2025. I notified the care group at this time. Weeks later the company has reneged on this commitment, refused to provide a replacement, and closed the case.

While in a parked gear, my 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan front passenger headrest deployed/exploded. There wasn't a collision nor accident.

The part that failed on the 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan was the active head restraint (ahr) on the passenger seat. It suddenly deployed while driving smoothly. The vehicle was going about 15 mph and there was no sudden impacts or movement that would have caused the ahr to deploy. It is available for inspection upon request. The safety of the passenger was put at risk by the potential impact of the headrest unexpectedly hitting their head that could cause physical harm. The deployment also caused a loud noise that acted as a distraction to the driver. The problem has not been reproduced as far as I know. I have seen others on multiple websites reporting the same failure of the ahr. The headrest has not been inspected as of the day of this incident report. There were no warnings or symptoms that would have led me to believe something was potentially wrong with the headrest.

See all problems of the 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

2019 Dodge Grand Caravan driver side seat restraint blow up while vehicle was on driveway and nodody inside. This was noticed next day 8/19/2025. This recall was effective for same vehicles year 2011 - 2018. The same head restraint is all Grand Caravan models 2019 - 2020. I want also years 2019 and 2020 Grand Caravan models included in recall. If this had happened while on driving the consequences might have been bad.

Driving down hi way and headrest came apart.

The passenger headrest deployed when traveling down the road without being in a collision. The passenger has hit in the back on head with headrest going down the road. I took the vehicle to my closest dealership and they advise me to call stellantis customer care and report it. I has informed that the x87 warranty extension recently expired. I was told it would have to be an out of pocket expense even though it is a safety risk.

I was waiting at a red light when I was violently hit in the back of my head which caused some disorinetation and pain. I asked my wife to tell me what happened ( I thought we might have been rear-ended) but she said my headrest had broken open. While after a web search I now understand what the purpose of this "safety feature" is, had I been driving on a highway or going through a curve, the result might have been different.

The headrest on the driver’s seat burst open and deployed while waiting in a parking lot. . A very loud and awful exploded to the back of my head and ringing of the ears.

See all problems of the 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

The headrest on the driver seat ejected while I was driving. The headrest is unable to go back into the correct position. It looks as if a plastic piece has failed inside the headrest. No accident occurred when the headrest failed. The drivers neck was hurt during the incident. Driver almost lost control of the vehicle.

Passenger front seat headrest deployed while vehicle was parked. The plastic housing supporting a small metal bar broke causing it to open. I had no idea this could happen when I bought the car. I have kept this van longer than any I have owned as my Chrysler dealer closed and the van is no longer made! a new one form Chrysler is about $6-800! I was able to find a lightly used replacement headrest on ebay and using a youtube video swapped it out myself. I have since learned Chrysler extended the warrantee 10 years, but my car is older than that. It only has about 65,500 miles on it. I am going to try and zip-tie the driver's side headrest so I do not get it in the back of the head when driving!! I presume the passenger side will remain intact for a while.

Driver side sliding door locked. Fails to get unlocked. Tried unlocking with key fob, manually unlocking. Nothing works and this door now fails to get unlocked and open. Passenger side middle row bucket seat fails to fold down and get under the floor.

The passenger side headrest just exploded. It turns out that this is a safety feature that deployed on its own as part of the housing that holds the unit together just apparently broke. Had someone been sitting there, this would have blasted them in the back of the head. There were no warnings or messages. Now I'm concerned the driver side headrest will explode too while I'm driving and I have an exploded passenger headrest thats now not safe for passengers.

Was driving down the highway coming back from orlando when my air bag light went off. Heard cracking in my head test and all of a sudden it expired and deployed and hit me in the back of the head and almost knocked me out. Made me dizzy and I had my kids in the car. This should not have happend if I was not in a car crash and Dodge refuses to fix it. It was faulty without any warning. There are many people this has happend to and the had a extension back in 2024 and to repair them and I never received a letter.

The driver's headrest deployed without collision. The incident occurred at an auto service center and I noticed when the vehicle was returned to me. The mechanic inspected the headrest and stated a part in the headrest broke causing it to deploy. He advised to call the dealer for repair. The incident has been reported to the dealer and I am waiting for a return call. There were no warnings for seat malfunction or symptoms prior to deployment. Headrest is available for inspection. This defect puts the driver at risk for concussion, head and neck injuries that could affect the ability to control the vehicle.

Front passenger seat headrest deployed for no apparent reason at all . This is a severe safety hazard that can result in severe injury or death as there are sharp parts that could pierce into the passengers head . I have had no help from Chrysler Dodge . I have emailed 3 times with no response and also called several times and they say there is no recall for my VIN and warranty is expired . This not a warranty issue , this is a safety concern that could cause severe injury or death and needs to be corrected immediately. I have not had any warnings it just popped off for no apparent reason . No police or insurance representative were necessary there was no accident at the time of this incident .

See all problems of the 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that while her sister was driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger side active headrest restraint system activated; deploying the headrest restraint. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.

Closed the driver side sliding door and the headrest on the driver seat exploded open. Car was not in motion. Door shut and head rest adjacent to it just popped apart and hit the head of the person in the driver seat.

While driving in the parking lot of my kids school to drop them off in the morning, I heard a loud noise and felt something hit me in the back of my head with some force. It was not painful, but was actually very uncomfortable. I stopped in the parking lot to see what it was. I noticed that my driver side headrest was out of place (the fabric portion was popped forward) away from the plastic backing. I could see the the springs inside the headrest. My husband used a zip tie to pull the headrest back together. My vehicle was not in any accidents to cause this to happen. I did not take it to a dealer to inspect, as it just occurred. There were no warning signs/lights. It was very unexpected and abrupt. No one was injured, but my head was actually uncomfortable and I very glad that I did not have my son driving at the time, as he could have been injured due to the spring loaded force.

This morning the headrest on the passenger side was deployed the van was parked in driveway overnight. Not sure how this happened. I feel this is a safety issue. If I was driving and someone was sitting in that sit that could have hurt them. This is a default on your vehicle . Please contact me.

The head rest popped out for no reason. I noticed it when I got into the car.

On July 28, 2024 I was getting ready to go to work. I got into my driver seat and sat down and the headrest deployed. Hitting me quite hard in the back of the head there was no accident or bumping of the vehicle, which would cause this. I had to go to work, but had a headache the entire evening due to this and woke up the next day being today still with a headache from the injury caused by the van headrest exploding.

The back seats still rattle . . If it was already repaired . . . Has apparently broken loose again.

I was driving down the road and the drivers side head rest popped off and hit me in the back of the head/neck. There were no warning signs and has not been taken anywhere to be inspected as of today. Will be looking into that.

The head rest deployed without being in an accident and now cannot be re-assembled. This is a recurrent problem with Chrysler vehicles including the Grand Caravan.

While I was driving, the passenger seat headrest exploded forward. Chrysler calls this the "front seat active head restraint. " this is a safety mechanism supposed to be triggered in a crash, but the plastic holding back the force of the strong springs gave out and the plastic broke. This is a known issue that has caused others concussions, neck injuries, etc. As of yet the person who was sitting in the seat has not shown adverse symptoms, but his safety was put at risk. Chrysler is aware of this issue and had sent out a letter extending the warranty to 10 years, but this vehicle is just past the 10-year mark. No dealer, police, or insurance representatives have inspected this specific incident. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure.

The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated on one occasion while driving at approximately 35 mph, the second-row passenger seat folded onto the contact's nine-year-old son. The child sustained neck soreness injuries. Medical attention was not provided. On another occasion, while the vehicle was turned off, the second-row passenger seat folded inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage 75,000.

The headrest on the passenger side front deployed for no reason as the car was sitting overnight. It cannot be reset.

The left front driver's power seat got stuck forward. After the seat got stuck forward, then it couldn't be moved backwards, up or down, nor can the seat be reclined forward or backwards, so it's very difficult for me to drive the car. If I were any taller than 5'5", I would not be able to get into the front seat, and I definitely would not be able to drive it either. When I have to shift the gears back & forth between the brake pedal and the gas pedal, it hurts my surgical leg (I had a total hip replacement nearly 6 months ago), since I have to use my right foot, causing pain to shoot all the way up my leg to my hip, and it's been hurting my back, as well. In the attached photo, it shows how far up the seat is in relation to where the steering wheel is located. I have also attached the owner's manual. The relevant pages regarding the front driver's power seat are between 46 & 48. When you go on youtube, it shows that a large # of people have had this same issue. We all have came to similar conclusions: 1) did a fuse blow? 2) is there a short in the system? and 3) did the power seat motor stop working? yes! but, why did it stop working? there seems to be a manufacturing flaw. Otherwise, this many vans would not be experiencing the same exact issue. I had the seat looked at by 210 family auto mechanic. Nothing was blocking the seat underneath. The seat is not off track. And, the power seat switch is still working!!.