Disclaimer: Not affiliated with or endorsed by Dodge Motor Company. For informational purposes only. Full Disclaimer

Problems with 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

On average, the 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan starts to “feel” problems with the LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES and its various aspects after 94 594 miles.

Recently reported LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES problems on 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. both sliding doors would not latch when closed. the mechanic stated that the motors failed and that both motors needed to be replaced. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 49,900 and the current mileage was 51,940. updated 02-14-08. *kb the consumer stated the sliding doors opened while the vehicle was in motion. updated

Safety concern, power door locks will only engage manually. *tr

On dodge 2005 grand caravans there is design flaw in the electric door locks that causes the electric door locks to quit working. the only alternative left to access the car from the outside is the driver side key or the tailgate key. the only alternative left from the inside is to manually push or lift the lock stem on each door. this is a serious problem for children and elderly passengers as they are not able to do manage the locks from the inside. from the outside a person must open the driver door with a key, then crawl to the passenger door to unlock it,if you can grasp the stem an pull it up. in an emergency situation this limited access could result in delayed entrance which could lead to injury or death. there is no way to know if the door locks or working or not. the failure is random and can only be temporarily worked around by resetting the programming by removing and re-inserting a fuse that can be accessed only via the engine compartment. this failure has occurred four times on my vehicle. a search of forums on edumunds.com reveals numerous other affected owners. dodges only offered solution is to reset the programming which is only a temporary fix. due to the limited non-electric access to the vehicle and the potential for children/elderly to be trapped, this is a serious problem that the manufacturer, dodge, should repair at no charge. *tr

The power locks on the vehicle stopped operating. we were on a shopping trip out of town. stopped in auto service center, not dodge, and they reset the codes. the locks worked for about a month and then stopped again. happened to be back in the same town and stopped at the same auto repair shop and they reset the codes again. now less than a month, the locks have stopped working again. it is a pain, as we transport our grandchildren all the time and some are not old enough to lock and unlock the doors manually. *tr

The power door locks on my 2005 grand caravan have stopped working. after researching this on google, it turns out that many other people have this same problem. you can temporarily fix this situation by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it. then the door locks will work for a day or two and then stop working again. i feel that the door locks can be a safety issue and dodge should provide a permanent fix for this free of charge. *tr

1) no events leading up to failure. 2) rear liftgate electric latch fails to actuate. this is the only way to open the rear liftgate as there is no manual override. i believe this is a safety problem because in minivans, the rear passengers are not easily accessible via the sliding side doors. in our case, children in child-restraint safety seats are in all rear seats of the vehicle (middle and rear, i.e. 4 kids). the only way to access rear passengers is to either crawl over the middle seats to the rear or via the liftgate. however...the latch fails and the gate does not open. 3) actuator switch had to be replaced (approx cost $90.00). *jb

Within the past 2 months, i have had a problem with the power door locks on my 2005 dodge grand caravan. the power door locks suddenly stop working (unable to lock doors with switch inside vehicle, with remote, or once vehicle is in motion and reaches 20mph). i have contacted the dealers in the area and they are unaware of any recall for this problem. the only so-called remedy i've found for this issue is unplugging the car battery for a few minutes, however, this only "fixes" the problem for the day up to a week. *tr

I have a 2005 dodge grand caravan in which the electronic door locks do not work. i have brought it to be fixed 3 times. i have four children. i consider this a safety issue. i would like to see a recall on this vehicle. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. the power lock controls worked intermittently. the failure occurred with the key pad and the controls in the passenger compartment. the dealer stated that they could perform an electrical upgrade. the cause of the failure was unknown. the failure mileage was 29,000 and current mileage was 33,034. updated 01-15-08. *kb updated 12/12/07. *jb

Electronic door locks failed to engage locks. lock verification signaled lights and horn indicating the locks were engaged. as a result of the failure the van was entered illegally and property was stolen. this was also a safety issue when the electronic locking system did not disengage from the controls in the van. this resulted in the inability to remove 3 children from the van quickly in an emergency situation. the body control module (bcm) has been reset several times to correct the problem. the reset only lasts for a few days before the problem repeats itself. *tr

2005 dodge grand caravan. vin [xxx]. power door locks will not function at all. can only lock each door manually and separately. beginning in 2007, i took the vehicle to the dealer on four separate occasions to have the problem corrected. dealer followed guidelines each time and told me the problem was corrected. each time the problem returned within a few days. i can neither lock or unlock the doors of the vehicle using the key fob or the door lock switch inside the vehicle. i searched online to see if others were having this same problem, and i immediately found that the door lock issue was the most reported problem for the 2005 dodge grand caravan. there seems to be no "fix" for the problem when taking the vehicle to the dealer. many customers have reported the same experience that i encountered. they took their caravan to the dealer to get the problem corrected and work was done on the vehicle, only to have the problem recur within a few days or so. i have not been able to find one single customer online who reports they have been able to get a permanent solution for this issue, and chrysler corporation seems to be ignoring and even denying that the issue exists. please help if possible!!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the passenger side sliding door cannot open from inside the vehicle. the wire harness has failed. the dealer has not repaired the vehicle. the current mileage was 43,183 and failure mileage was 38,000.

All of a sudden, the entire locking system stopped working. i could not lock any of the doors whether by remote, or the button inside the car or when the car was in drive. this posed a safety issue since my children cannot reach their locks to manually lock them. luckily i was able to search the internet and found several other consumers with the same problem and they gave advice on how to fix it. *tr

The power door locks on my 2005 dodge grand caravan stopped working at about 67,000 miles. i've had a mechanic look at it and he can't figure it out. i have found many complaints about the same problem in online forums and decided if this is a widespread problem then dodge ought to do something to fix it. no power door locks is a safety issue! *tr

Electric door locks quit working. *tr

The power locks on the vehicle did not operate. this was a great inconvenience and could lead to driver's not locking the doors and causing injuries in the event of an accident. i have a cousin who was visiting from out of state and he noticed the problem with the locks. he had the same year of dodge caravan and experienced the same problem ,and had to the dealer several times before it was fixed. i believe that a recall should be issued because i did not believe that the doors will be locked manually and unlocked manually by users of these cars.*ak

Intermittent failure of electric lock system, including remote. system can be restored by disconnecting starting battery for 3+ minutes. gauges failed while car was in motion, loss of speedometer, tachometer, odometer, failure lights and electric locks. gauges were restored by aforementioned battery disconnect method. however, electric locks failed to restore to remote operation. battery remote operated normally. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge caravan. while the vehicle was not in motion, the contact noticed that the interior door lock module would not operate. this malfunction affected all of the other doors as well. in addition, the automatic instant key lock device that activates while driving has not been operating. the vehicle has not been taken to an authorized dealer and has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 67,000. updated 07/10/08. *lj

I have a 2005 caravan and recently, we've had nothing but problems with the computer. the power door locks have quit working, either with the remote or manually. i have taken it to the dealer to reprogram it and it only resolved the problem for about 3 days. i find it unacceptable to continue to pay for a repair that does not fix the problem.*cn

I bought my 2005 dodge grand caravan august of 2006. the door locks stopped working probably january of 2007. nothing seemed to cause it. it just stopped working. the only solution to it is to disconnect the battery cable for a little while and reconnect it and it works for a few days and stops. it is unsafe to have this problem. being able to quickly lock and unlock your doors is important. now i have to unlock the driver door and climb in the car to unlock any other doors and climb back to lock it. something should be done about this. *tr

I bought new 2005 dodge grand caravan. within 30,000 miles door locks worked erratic, doors would lock on their own with no one in vehicle...locked keys in several times..all checked good at dealer...eventually got where door locks would not work at all...by 37,000 miles dealer said vehicle was out of warranty and repair was about $900.00. i have been resetting body control module by pulling fuse. locks will work for a few days before failing...have also had side doors open on their own while going down road...this whole thing is frustrating.....have friends with 2005 models with same symptoms who have paid the big bucks for repairs and still have same issues...i see on internet forums this is a major issue with the 2005 models...most say it is a software update on the body control module which the dealer is not aware of but still wants to charge for....i find that hard to believe...i doors locking, unlocking, opening while going down road is a very serious safety concern on a 7 passenger vehicle....can you please help! *tr

Power door locks on dodge grand caravan engage/disengage without warning. has locked doors when children were in car with keys in ignition. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated that the power door locks do not function properly. the doors have to be locked manually. the dealership determined the locks needed to be updated with new software.

Power door lock failure. power door locks fail with out any warning . 2005 dodge caravan. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the power locking system had become inoperable intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in 2006 and a software update was performed however, one month later the failure recurred. the contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure since the dealer stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and they would have to charge to perform repairs. the current mileage was 232,000 and the failure mileage was 40,000. the vin was unavailable.

2005 dodge caravan the power sliding doors on both sides started with only opening or closing a small amount now they don't do anything at all. the doors are no longer power doors the only way to get them open is manually. i did a search to try and find out what the problem could be and found 1000's of complaints of the same issues. my van has had problems from the get go when we purchased it , they wold fix it and it would work for a while and then the same problems would start again this happened over and over and now the warranty has expired. i would like to know what needs to happen to start a recall or a class action law suit against them? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan xlt. the vehicle's sliding and hatch doors were not functioning properly. the electronic remote used to open the doors failed. however, the contact was still able to open the doors manually. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on three occasions. the power lift gate motor and gear, the harness cable and motors, and the sliding door tract wiring were replaced. the contact stated that the door failure had been an ongoing problem. the contact called the manufacturer, and was assigned to case # 15984563. the dealer informed the contact that electronic door failure was an ongoing concern. the failure mileage was 17,021. *ak update 05/04/07*tr

This the second time the left passenger door came open when driving the first time was 2 sept.05 i reported to your agency it should be on file vehicle #[xxx] 2005 dodge grand caravan. *nm updated 07/17/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Door locks continuously stop working. repeated failure of power locks in 2005 dodge grand caravan. this is apparently a well documented problem. there is over 70 complaints on this vehicle as of today's date on this site. no matter if some may be duplicates or not but this is a problem. the bcm has to be reprogrammed or it needs to have a software upgrade. the only other temporary solution is to disconnect the battery or fuse. this model has only one external key hole on the drivers door. and manually locking the van doors makes loading and unloading small children difficult. also shopping and you forget to lock one of the doors and forget for a brief moment the locks don't work and press your keychain and go on with your shopping and when you come back to leave you stuff is all gone cause you had a stupid moment and forgot i paid for an option on my car that just cost me $1,500.00 because it failed to lock. it also poses a serious hazard in the event a quick escape from the vehicle is needed. while it also poses a risk for our safety if we were to encounter a carjacker. we would not be able to lock the doors throughout the vehicle if necessary. it is not safe for adults nor children without options on a vehicle that we paid extra for to not only to have as a convenience but as a safety precaution. we the consumer should not have to pay over and over to have something fixed that we did not cause to happen. *tr

Left side passenger door came open when i was driving down highway this is the third time in 6 months first time sept. 2,2005 second time jan. 12,2006 i reported to your agency. *jb

I purchased a cpo 05 grd caravan from a local dealer. within months the electric door locks would go up and down while unlocking the doors by the key, would go up and down while traveling down the road & while opening the electric windows while inside the van..* * the steering wheel would lock up while pulling out onto the road. my wife and kids could have been killed by the approaching fully loaded log truck. the van was taken to the lithia in roseburg & was informed of the issued. it was inspected and the reply was that "they could not find any problems & they said they could not get the door locks to go up and down. the van was taken in a 2nd time on 07/28/2006 with the same issues, again they kept the rig and told us they could not get the door locks to do anything. on 04/07/2006 the van was taken in to lithia after kendall said that they could not work on the van because of us buying it from lithia. so the van was returned to lithia with the same problems along with the rt rear brake light staying ..you know the sad thing is i still own 15k on this van. the steering on the van locked up again while traveling down the road and almost caused an accident with my wife and kids in the van. i just pray that when we take it in for the "4th time" and we leave it at the dealership to fix, that they will get it done right and that if we either keep the van or trade it off that nobody gets killed from this major safety issue. i feel that i have been shafted due to having a cpo and dodge dealers are not able to do their job due to skills or ?. i sure hope that if you are in an accident and your unable to get out of the van due to the door locks you don't burn up or if you can not open the door that hopefully somebody can get the door open from the outside of the van. oh i forgot, when i go over a speed bump it sounds like the engine is going to ...

Sliding doors opening on own, not unlocking with remote or by inside buttons, constant loud noise. doors not opening with remote or by inside buttons, musty smell. *ak

We just purchased a 2005 dodge grand caravan yesterday and did not discover until we got home that the power locks do not work. we feel this is a safety issue especially with our two small children in the vehicle. it is unsettling to think that someone dangerous could attempt jump into the van at any time the vehicle is stopped and not be able to quickly hit the button and protect our family. it is also easier to forget to lock all the doors after exiting the vehicle, which makes us more prone to theft. we would really, be grateful for this to be considered for a recall. thank you so much!*tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge grand caravan. the contact stated that the brakes have been repaired five times. the rotors have been turned once and replaced twice two months ago. when the complaint was filed, the rotors needed to be replaced again. the dealer stated that the failures are caused by "faulty" driving. chrysler has not been contacted. the air conditioner malfunctioned three times and was repaired. every season the air conditioner malfunctions. the rear hoses were replaced twice along with the compressor. the power locks on all of the doors were defective. the passengers were unable to open the door although the door locks were in the unlocked position. the passenger front windows started making a clanging noise when it was opened and that was repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 9,000. the current mileage was approximately 83,000.

We own a 2005 dodge grand caravan with no automatic back door. after purchasing it in nov 2004 and upon periodic operation of the door, my back started getting sore and painful. one day in feb of 2005 after closing the back door manually within 2 days i reached over for an apple that fell on the floor and fell to the floor in terrible pain and had to be rushed to the doctor. i still have problems until this day and now have protruding disks in my lower back. i have never had low back problems and now sciatica before feb 2005. i am getting tired of doctors and chiropractors to solve this problem. what can i do? *jb

While the vehicle was parked both driver's side and passenger's side doors unexpectedly opened while using the remote control to open and close doors or manually. problem occurred more than once. consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic informed consumer that the vehicle would be inspected within the week for this problem. *ak

Electric locks fail. after r&r a fuse the locks would work for a period of time then fail again. repeat. *tr

Other 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan Problem Categories