2016 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN Structurebody Problems

The front door panel that sits between the front window and back sliding door flew off the vehicle while driving down the road. This happened on both the driver and passenger side at different times/days. The drivers side was fixed by the dealer (eide) under warranty prior to the passenger side flying off. The passenger side panel is still missing/not fixed. You can possibly inspect it, depending on what it entails and what I would need to do. The safety of myself and other drivers was put at risk in the case of if the piece flying off hit their vehicle or they had to try and avoid it and an accident happened. The dealer was able to diagnose the problem. It has not to my knowledge been inspected by the manufacturer or police. There were no warnings about this prior to it happening or now.

Both sliding doors are not opening from the inside or outside

The rear sliding doors do not open. Dodge sent me an extended warranty to fix the rear door actuators which fail that cause this issue. But 2 dealerships want $1600 to $2000 to replace the covered part! I cannot afford to fix this extremely hazardous situation of the rear doors not opening. As I have talked to other owners this is a major repaired part that dodge will not repair on their own and a recall must be forced on them.

Transmission had to be rebuilt at 153,000. The sliding doors actuators are locked all the time and unlocked all the time, which is a safety hazard for anyone riding in rear seats.

Sliding door is permanently locked shut and doesn’t open. Have tried to open from outside and inside the car. Will not lock or unlock due to being locked all the time.

BOTH SLIDING DOORS ARE LOCKED AND CAN'T BE OPENED MANUALLY OR AUTOMATICALLY OUR KIDS AND PASSENGERS CAN'T EXIT SAFELY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT OR FIRE. THE ISSUE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AND WARRANTY EXTENTED-DEALER CHARGED $155 AND TOLD US THAT THE DOOR BEING LOCKED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN IS NOT THE ISSUE BUT THE LATCH IS DEFECTIVE. (WE DON'T BELIEVE THIS TO BE TRUE) THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MANUFACTURER AND WE RECIEVED A LETTER DIRECTING US TO TAKE THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS FOR THESE ISSUES. THE POWER LOCK ACTUATOR MADE A CLICKING/BUZZING SOUND AS DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER FROM FCA US LLC BEFORE GOING BAD. WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE BECAUSE WE HAVE THREE KIDS THAT ARE DAILY PASSENGERS.

The door locking actuator failed. The door will no longer open from the inside or out. It’s essentially stuck locked. There was a loud buzzing noise which now I know was the warning signal for the actuator starting to go bad.

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while driving 58 MPH, the spoiler deck lid on the liftgate fractured and detached from the vehicle. The contact also became aware that the brake light was missing from the liftgate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the spoiler deck lid had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 109,086.

The power sliding rear door on the driver side is stuck in a locked position for 4-5 days now. This has happened previously to our power sliding rear door on the passenger side as well (before the current extended warranty) and we corrected that issue on our own by replacing the door actuator. Now that it has happened again and there is a warranty on it, I took it to the dealership and they are telling me it is not the actuator that is broken but the door rod and latch and quoted $1600 to fix the problem. I personally think this is a deceptive practice to get out of replacing the actuator under the warranty, but I am not a mechanic. It sure is suspicious though seeing as the rod and latch are linked to the actuator. This is very dangerous and could cost lives if the vehicle was...

No warning lamps. I managed to reset the actuator but it jammed up again. The doors won't unlock or lock depending on the position the actuator failed in. I haven't taken this to a dealer, but based on several videos and forum questions I was able to self diagnose and reproduce the problem.

both of my side sliding door won't open, unlock or lock. This puts family in me at risk in case of a accident or something we wouldn't be able to get. Out of nowhere they just stop working first one door gave out and now the other and I been searching not the only one with this issue.

Passenger sliding doors will not open. In december 2021 Dodge dealership seemingly fixed issue. It is now 2023 and the doors will not open again. This is very dangerous as I have two small children. The costs for these repairs were very expensive and unfortunately hasn't even lasted 2 years. I now have to pay out of pocket thousands for an issue that is completely mechanical and dealer issue.

Actuator failed and car makes a loud buzzing sound when locking or unlocking the door. Back driver-side door won't open.

One day it just quit working. Along with the lock making a loud noise. Now I can’t get my kids out in the case of an emergency. This needs to be fixed asap.

The sliding door actuator lock gets stuck in the locked position. Making it unsafe for me and my kids to get out in an emergency. Same with the back trunk. It was stuck for months then just started working again.

Similar to recalls with other Grand Caravans, both our sliding doors will not open. There is a buzzing sound when locks are engaged. First door went out a month ago Second one today.

Driver side passenger sliding door locked and won’t unlock to open door no manual override way to open door I feel is a safety hazard if in a accident.

Sliding drivers side door will not open. Does not unlock, lock, latch and buttons do nothing. Door is stuck in closed position. Very unsafe! This vehicle is used for a handicap adult.

With no warning, the driver’s side sliding rear door locked and will not open either manually or remotely. Concern for safety of passengers exiting the van in an emergency

The passenger side sliding door fails to lock leaving people and property at risk. It is available for inspection. The dealership service department indicated it is the latch system. It had been buzzing on lock prior to failing altogether, this is similar to other issues listed online so I believe the actuator may be involved as well. This appears to be a common problem related to a design flaw.

The drivers side siding door lock has failed making the door unable to be unlocked automatically or manually. This has left the door inoperable. This is a serious safety risk which leaves a person in the back seat unable to exit the vehicle through that door in the event of an emergency. The vehicle has not yet been inspected for this issue. There was no warning indicators of the failed door lock.

Passenger side rear door is making a buzzing noise! will cost over $500 to fix. After researching multiple other van owners are having this same issue this should be recalled this vehicle is only 6 years old !!

The driver side rear door failed to unlock and open and is available for inspection. This happened about two weeks ago 04/12/2022. When this started, my grandson was unable to get out that door, but fortunately, the other door opened fine. If there was an accident, and the other door got damaged, passengers would be unable to exit without climbing to the front of the van or out the backdoor. I noticed if I manually assisted the unlock process, it would open. Currently it's working but when the door locks either manually or with the automatic locks, it makes a loud buzzing sound. That is very concerning and sounds like it's about to fail. The passenger side door failed last September 2021 to lock and could not be locked manually. We were able to get the repair done under our extended warrantee. The serious problem with the door not locking...

The left side passenger door stopped working and is stuck in the lock position. It will not unlock even manually. At first I assumed this was just something with my van but after checking online I now see this is a massive problem that has affected many people. This issue is a huge safety problem as someone will not be able to exit the van in an emergency. People have said they have complained to both Dodge and the NHTSB for years and no recall has been issued. How is that possible when the problem is so widespread? Do people have to actually die before a recall is finally ordered? Please do what you can to get this problem solved before something bad happens. I’m already prepared to pay to get this fixed but it seems to me Dodge needs to be forced to do something about it.

Driver side sliding door does not latch under normal use. It will constantly cycle through opening and closing to no end. This will happen when driving which is a major safety issue. I found the following workaround (which is an unreasonable daily activity for a family): 1. Park Car 2. Turn on Child Lock 3. Put Key in Accessory 4. With Drivers Window Down, and all doors closed except the Drivers Sliding door, press lock button on the door panel. 5. Close Drivers Side Sliding Door 6. NEVER let people in/out the defective door or will have to repeat the above steps. I received a letter from Fiat Chrysler identifying issues with the Power Lock Actuator, however it does not address the Door Latch. In my case the Passenger Door Power Lock Actuator was defective and replaced under a new extended warranty, but not the Latch.

The passenger side sliding door no longer locks manually or by remote. I was broken into because of this at a hotel I was staying.

The sliding door on the driver’s side stopped working and stayed shut for a couple days. For no apparent reason it started opening and closing again but only when the door handle was kept pulled. I believe it is a safety issue that could have serious consequences if an emergency occurred and passengers need to immediately exit the vehicle. There was no precursor signs of any other malfunction prior to this issue. I would like to know if this a recall situation in the near future? Thank you

The driver's side sliding door will not open, manually or electronically. This apparently is a VERY common issue for Dodge and is a very big safety concern. We have brought it to make mechanics and all have stated that is is extremely expensive to fix and almost impossible to find the needed parts. I have children in the car, and this is a very big safety concern. We also cannot get rid of the car, sell it or trade it due to this issue. The amount of people with the similar issue on the 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan is alarming and this should be taken care of asap.

The right (passenger side) sliding door is locked closed and will not open from the inside or outside. Rear-seat passengers are being forced to exit through the windows, rear hatch, front doors, or the other sliding door. This is not only an unnecessary inconvenience but also potentially very dangerous if there's an accident when occupants need to exit the vehicle quickly. I will take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptom prior to the failure. The problem first appeared two days ago, the van has less that 100,000 miles.

Sliding passenger door actuator makes a loud buzzing noise when unlocking, and also will fail to unlock. In the event of an emergency, passengers will be unable to unlock the door and exit from the vehicle. No warning lamps have activated, notifying of a problem. There are no recalls on file.

THE RIGHT REAR DOOR WILL NOT LOCK CAUSING A CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY AT ANY TIME I'M IN THE PUBLIC. ANYONE CAN ENTER THAT DOOR IF THEY JUST TRIED TO SEE IF ITS UNLOCKED. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH AS I AM AN UBER DRIVER AND SOMETIMES UNRULY PASSENGER TRY TO GET INTO MY CAR WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. THAT CAN ALSO BE ANYONE WHO IS PREYING ON WOMEN TO KIDNAP THEM.

The passenger (right) side rear sliding door has gotten stuck and will not unlock manually. It has been stuck for about a year and after going to the dealer they’re claiming it’s a common defect that is hard to repair. We are unable to enter the car from the passenger side rear sliding door and hopefully the driver side sliding door doesn’t get stuck, otherwise we will be unable to exit the car, which can be excessively dangerous while in an accident type incident. This door being stuck is already reasonably dangerous since our kids are unable to exit the vehicle curb side and must exit on the drivers (left) side of the vehicle. Door became stuck 3 years after it was new, with just under 45,000 miles on the car. When trying to unlock the door with the automatic door button it will just make a sort of buzzing...

Door latching / locking and unlocking operation. Both drivers side and passenger side sliding doors will not unlock. This is very dangerous when trying to get children out of there car seats to exit the car. The car has only 15,000 miles on it and I purchased it new. I did read that there are many complaints about this and it is under investigation and that the manufacture sent out a notice to dealers that the door actuator was defective. This started over a year ago with first the drivers side would not unlock and now both will not unlock.

- Left side sliding door will not unlock to open; * safety concern of rear passengers being trapped if right side slider is hit in an accident - Right side sliding door will not lock; * Safety concern for burglary or car-jacking - I will put the Grand Caravan in Bettenhausen Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep (Orland Park, IL) for repairs on Nov 11, 2021! - Stellantis/Chrysler should reimburse me for these repairs!

Vehicle's rear sliding doors intermittently jam locked, one, or the other, or both. The respective sliding locks will not budge, not by remote, not from the button on the driver's door, and especially, not even manually, from the sliding lock on the doors themselves. Sometimes a buzzing sound is heard from one or the other of the the locks when commanding to lock electrically, including when the car starts moving at over 20 mph or so, and all doors lock automatically. I understand that electrical commands ("power" this and that) may stop working at some time in the life of a car, but at least they can be so engineered that in case of the door locks not to jam the lock in the locked position! I understand there are a few hundred complaints about these locks, all jamming, all in the locked position, on all vans w/sliding doors built...

Purchase vehicle in April 2021. Discovered after 3 days that left sliding door did not lock when the rest of the vehicle was locked. When the door was opened with the car locked the alarm sounded. Returned to dealer who replaced the door actuator. The repair has lasted 6 months and has now presented itself again.

My doors are in a locked position and can't open! I have young children and no access to my doors. Just purchased this car from a dealership!

Door lock motors failed and or failing. Replace a couple.

When the doors are unlocked, a loud buzzing noise comes from the vehicle. Upon research it seems like it is a faulty door actuator. This could cause the doors to be unable to open or close. It has not been repaired and it is available for inspection upon request.

Driver's side sliding door lock mechanism became suddenly inoperable, without warning, both electrically and manually. Even with manual operation of the door lock knob, the door cannot be unlocked. It is not possible to open the door using either the interior or exterior door latch handle, therefore eliminating this door as a means of exit for the rear passengers. The exact same problem occurred with the passenger side sliding door in December 2018. I personally performed the repair of that door. The problem was a failed door lock actuator. It had a faulty actuator gear. I believe this problem potentially puts the occupants of the vehicle at high risk by obstructing exiting of the vehicle in an emergency situation, especially in a situation where the opposite door was inoperable or obstructed during an accident.

Passenger sliding door lock and latch failed. The repair cost $1,206.47 at the dealer. The dealer will only guarantee the new lock for two years!

Loud buzzing sound when you lock doors

The left sliding door has locked up and will not open manually, by key fob, or the overhead buttons. Cannot get out of this door in case of an accident. I haven't taken to dealer because they want $120 just to look at it. No warnings in the vehicle prior to the door locking up.

Driver side sliding door couldn't be opened manually or with electronic key fob. Anyone seated in second row, driver's side, would have to exit by climbing over to another door or try to get out of a window. Vehicle was taken to a Dodge dealer who confirmed the actuator had failed and that was why the door would not open No other parties have inspected this vehicle for this problem. Once the issue was repaired, I traded this van off for a new vehicle. There were no warnings that this was going to happen. I just went to open the sliding door and it would not budge.

The driver side rear sliding door has stopped functioning. It is stuck closed. The lock does not move manually or electronically, the manual door handles do nothing, and the automatic door opening function does nothing. This is a major safety hazard. It’s possible that in an accident that the left slider would be the best way to reach several passengers.

Vehicle was loaded with 5 people. At destination the passenger sliding door would not unlock. It will still not unlock after trying to push the inside manual lock switch. It will not unlock after trying "fixes" on the internet. I consider it a safety issue when the kids cannot get out of a door that cannot be manually unlocked or opened in any way. Dealer says ~$600 to fix and that is only for one door. They say the other should be replaced also. The problem is the door lock solenoid that burns out. I do not control the number of times the solenoid is operated, that is programmed by the manufacturer. This is not acceptable to have to pay fix a safety issue. There should be a recall and the dealer should fix the problem for free.

Both passenger and drivers side sliding doors emits a buzzing sound when unlock / locking. Driver side sliding now no longer locks, the auto open/close feature does not work, and often times cannot securely close the door without manual manipulation. Back seated passengers now must exit from the front. This concerns me, especially in the case of an emergency.

the sliding doors on the 2016 doge caravan quit working and are in locked position with no way to open ( really bad if young ones are strapped in their car seats) Chrysler will not help in any way, body shop wants to cut holes in door, dodge dealer was pretty informed on it but said they probably will break something trying to repair it, cost per door $150 to 300 or more. how can this not be a serious safety concern?. quite frankly the Chrysler service line is poor to useless.

Passenger side sliding door would not lock electronically. I forced the lock to move and now it makes a loud buzzing sound.

I have 2 issues related with the sliding doors. The first one is: Driver sliding door does not open I can’t use the remote control to unlock. I can’t open the door manually from inside or outside. The second one is the passenger sliding door does not lock manuallly or with the remote control I have more than 2 years with this problem