Vehicle Data Hub

1997 Dodge Caravan lighting problems

23 complaints about lighting have been filed for the 1997 Dodge Caravan, which is 2% of all its NHTSA complaints.

At a glance

Complaints
23 2% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
76,000 miles 12 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
2 and 2
Injuries and deaths
2 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When lighting problems show up

Lighting complaints by mileage, 1997 Dodge Caravan Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 76,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 2 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 0 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 2 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 2 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 3 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 1 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 1 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 1 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 76,000 miles
Based on 12 complaints that include mileage. 33% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles2
20k to 40k miles0
40k to 60k miles2
60k to 80k miles2
80k to 100k miles3
100k to 120k miles1
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles1
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles1

What the data shows

Of the 12 lighting complaints that report mileage, the median is about 76,000 miles, and 33% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 2 crashes, 2 fires, 2 injuries.

What owners wrote

Replacement of failed bulb caused abrasions to hand access door is too small, and a wiring harness obstructs access to light socket. Two bulbs shattered. Dealer had to disassemble battery and electrical bus to access the light socket, 30 min labor, $45 cost. Difficulty of replacement discourages safe maintenance of lighting, and cuts your hands.

November 2000 Injury

Headlight housing on 1997 dodge se grand caravan. The plastic lens of the headlight housing in which the headlight bulb is encased has discolored, thereby, obscuring the light generated by the headlight bulb. This has occurred on both the right and left headlight housings. I have surveyed other minivans of the same vintage and noticed they too were discolored. It concerned me so much that I purchased two new headlight housings from off the internet (not mopar). There is probably a safety factor with this defect.

Reported at 1,000 miles, November 2006

Other problems reported for the 1997 Dodge Caravan

Lighting problems in other years

Lighting problems across all Dodge models