2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Consumer Reviews

Wish I never bought this car

Written by: Jen on 12/14/2007

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan eL Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I've spent over $8,000 in engine repairs & maintenance the 5+ years that I've owned this car. Unfortunately, I've had endless mechanical problems and the car has litterally spent weeks in the shop over the 5+ years, meaning that I had to pay for a rental car out of pocket, while van was being repaired. I wish I never bought this car. I wish I would have gone for the Honda Odessey or the Toyota Sierra instead for a van. It frustrating dealing with the local Dodge Dealer for repairs, as they don't seem to value the customer's time enough. On the positive side, the interior of the Caravan is nice enough and comfortable for my family of 4--but my mechanical problems outweighed this.

Favorite Features

Dual sliding rear passenger doors are a must with little kids (with hindsight wish I had paid extra to get the automatic/remote door & hatch opening & closing feature.) Front & rear air conditioning controls. I like the Distance to Empty feature on the gas gauge. Lots of adjustable cupholde

Suggested Improvements

Don't put the exhaust pipe right below the bumper, as it always makes black exhaust dust all over the exterior of the back of the van. Rear seats that fold into the floor would be a definite improvement. Car is very noisy due to engine noise & road noise. Make it all quieter.

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Transmission problems

Written by: caravan driver on 04/05/2007

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan eX Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I had transmission problems with a previous model (1998 voyager se). When looking to buy the 2002 model, the salesman assured me that the transmission problems had been takem care of. He was wrong! Within a few months, there was a noticable bump in upshifting from 1st to 2nd. I took it to the dealer service dept, and they found nothing wrong. They said they did a "quick learn" on the transmission (never told me what that meant, even after i asked). Still a problem, took it back twice more over the next two years, they never admitted their was a problem. It's not a major issue yet, but it's getting worse. I'll never buy another Dodge product.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

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A great ride, but not reliable

Written by: jdryer on 09/09/2006

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought this van at a year old with only 29,000 miles on it. I can say this is one of the most comfortable autos I've ever owned and there have been quite a few. But as for reliability, not so good an auto. When I bought the van it had a noise from the engine that sounded like a cricket. After many attempts the dealership replaced one of the pulleys and that fixed that. I've had to replace steering gear, at total repair charge of $605, at 46,895 miles. I've had an off and on oil leak. Now at 62,000 miles I seem to be having transmission "issues". Wish me luck on that one. Overall, would I buy another Dodge Caravan? Yes, but only if the dealership throws in an extended warranty.

Favorite Features

Comfort, and engine responsivness.

Suggested Improvements

Reliability and gas mileage improvments

3 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Watch those power doors

Written by: Karen on 07/30/2006

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

Review

We purchased this Dodge Grand Caravan Sport to replace our 10 year old Grand Caravan that died. This is our 3rd one and because of previous problems we also purchased the extended 100,000 mile warranty. I strongly suggest purchasing extended warranties with these vans as they are prone to problems. So why did I buy my 3rd one? Because they are just fun to drive for a mini-van! Just because I'm a mom doesn't mean I'm dead. It's comfortable, extremely maneuverable, and tows our pop-up camper with ease. The power sliding door was a big problem, however. Never would work when the outside temp was less than 75. This went on for three years! Finally, "uplinking" the computer to a satellite fixed it.

Favorite Features

The power lift gate--heavenly with an armload of stuff in the rain! Very comfortable. Great on long trips. Cruises along very smoothly. Plenty of storage space and extra power outlets are great for a TV. The rear AC is great for the people in the back. They stay cool without freezing me out.

Suggested Improvements

The original tires were horrible! Always slid in the rain. Replaced them at 35,000 miles with Michelins and have had no problems since, along with those pesky brakes everyone else has mentioned. Having to remove the back seat can be a chore when you need more room.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Great Car

Written by: Happy in MT on 07/18/2006

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Great van, nice room and have not had any problems since I purchased. Currently have 110,000 miles and have only done routine maintenance.

Favorite Features

Comfort controls for split front and seperate controls for back seat passangers. Good aux power setup for accessories

Suggested Improvements

Better sound system balancing front and rear. More storage.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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It's a keeper

Written by: 2sapoton on 06/14/2006

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan eX Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

We've been very happy with the van and Dodge service. Some early problems (ABS/traction control packed up at 350 miles, small head leak detected at 18K, both fixed under warranty), otherwise troublefree. Excels at long trips: very comfortable for four adults and two small kids, not fatiguing to drive. Leather interior is definitely worth it with kids. City gas mileage has been 17-20 mpg, on long trips from 22.5 to 24.5 mpg. At the time purchased, the only other van we found competitive was Honda's Oddysey, with a 3-month wait to get one from dealer allocation (and we checked with every dealer within 100 miles) for $3K higher street price. We intend on keeping it for at least 120K miles.

Favorite Features

Motorized side doors, leather interior, quality of rear seating (way better than Mazda or Toyota of same year), roominess. We had an episode in the rain with the careless driver of another car: the ABS system works well.

Suggested Improvements

Chrysler updated this model with disappearing rear seats, which would sometimes be helpful. I don't mind pulling our seats out of the van, but storing them is a pain. We got side- impact airbags, but newer vans have air-curtain protection the whole length of the passenger compartment.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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My $.02

Written by: Greg on 02/02/2006

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan eL Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

Review

This van has the potential to be awesome! It drives great, handles well, and hauls all the kidd-o's with room to spare for all the extras. The integrated child seats are the best! Here's where my enthusiasm ends... The first transmission was replaced at 35K miles.Other failed items include the idler pulley on the serpentine fanbelt, front brake replacment at 45K, Front wheelbearing failure at 50K, Power steering pump failure at 50K, second transmission shifting hard into 1st on deceleration at 50K. Several recalls have been issued on this van. Dodge not covering much of anything on the extended warranty... So much for a certified used vehicle

Favorite Features

Dual Climate control. Integrated child seats

Suggested Improvements

Weak powerplant... especially for a full load in mountainous terrain. Fuel mileage is poor... How about a turbo diesel offering? they have 'em in Europe! Improve the reliablity.

7 out 7 people found this review helpful

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My Van

Written by: Chris on 08/05/2005

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan eX Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

My van has pros and lots of cons- the pros: powerful 3.8LV6 has nice interior and exterior abs. Now the cons- lots of trouble, the transmission had to be replaced at 70,00 miles, and the airbag sensors came on. The senor in the streeing wheel broke 2- 3 times.

Favorite Features

Big engine, lots of room in the back for a 6'2'' person like me. Big 16'' wheels.

Suggested Improvements

It needs to come up to date with other vans. It needs to have all air bags come standard like the side cutrain ones

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Lackluster

Written by: wwl on 07/07/2005

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan SE Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought it new and wanted to comment when I saw that several reviews had noted problems with the replacing the brakes at fairly low miles. I have also had to replace the front brakes on this vehicle at 38,000 miles (pads and rotors). There was no warning that these brakes needed replaced until one of the rotors warped. I kept asking the dealer to check them and they always told me that they were fine. Funny how now that the van is just out of warranty that they need replaced. Typical MOPAR quality.

Favorite Features

It's a minivan

Suggested Improvements

Design brakes that last longer then 30,000 miles and train your dealers to know what brakes look like when they need to bereplaced. Improve the gas mileage.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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I like it!

Written by: B. O'Brien on 06/15/2005

Vehicle

2002 Dodge Grand Caravan eX Fwd 4dr Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Purchased the vehicle used with 15k miles....have never had any problems of any kind. The engine has plenty of power and the power sliding doors and lift gate are great for our two kids. The interior could be a little more luxurious, but it is certainly adequate. Overall, it is very nice vehicle for families. The stock tires were pretty lousy, especially in the rain. We replaced them with Goodyear Assurance TripleTred's and it was a HUGE improvement. We also had to replace the front brakes at 27k miles.

Favorite Features

Power sliding doors (both sides), and power lift gate

Suggested Improvements

Upgrade the factory tires

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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