How many miles will a 2003 Dodge Caravan last?
NHTSA holds 15 owner complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan that list a mileage past 100,000 miles: 7 past 150,000 and 1 past 200,000. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 195 complaints on this model year, 136 of them with a mileage, and half of those mileages are at or under 40,000 miles; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
Buying this 2003 Caravan? Enter its VIN.
Complaint figures describe the model year, not one vehicle. The decode is free; the original ClearVIN PDF is $14.99 one time, with no account: odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for that VIN.
Title brands · Odometer records · Auction history, where reported
No subscription. No charge to check the VIN. Report contents vary by vehicle; applicable tax is shown at checkout.
See what the paid report includes →Of the 136 complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan that list mileage, the middle half came between 17,000 and 64,000 miles; 15 (11%) came after 100,000 miles, 7 (5%) after 150,000 and 1 (1%) after 200,000.
Check the records on file before you buy
VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2003 Dodge Caravan.
One VIN. One $14.99 history report.
For $14.99, VIN Lookup delivers an original ClearVIN vehicle-history PDF for the 2003 Dodge Caravan VIN you enter: title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file. ClearVIN is on the U.S. Department of Justice’s list of approved NMVTIS data providers; VIN Lookup sells that original report. The records returned vary by VIN.
The VIN decode is free. No card is needed until you choose to buy; applicable tax is shown at checkout. A missing record is not proof that an event never happened.No account · Refund reviewed if not delivered, unopenable or wrong VIN by our error · Sold by VIN Lookup (SH LLC, Sheridan, WY)Original provider PDF
One time, no subscription
How many miles will a 2003 Caravan last?
The 136 mileages owners gave run from 10 to 242,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 17,755 miles, half at or under 40,000, three quarters at or under 64,000 and nine in ten at or under 102,000; 15 (11%) came after 100,000 miles, 7 (5%) after 150,000 and 1 (1%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2003 Caravan wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 121 of the 136 came at or under 100,000 miles. The 15 past that mark show the 2003 Caravan still being driven at those mileages, not how many reach them: NHTSA's file counts complaints, not the vehicles on the road.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 10 miles |
| 25th percentile | 17,755 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 40,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 64,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 102,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 242,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 15 (11%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 7 (5%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 1 (1%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 2,729 NHTSA owner complaints on the Dodge Caravan that list mileage came after 69,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Dodge Caravan last? →
Common problems with the 2003 Caravan
NHTSA's file holds 195 owner complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan. Owners named steering most often: 41 complaints, and half of the 32 that list a mileage came after 34,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 41 | 32 | 35,000 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 31 | 21 | 30,000 |
| Electrical System | 29 | 20 | 50,000 |
| Power Train | 22 | 17 | 17,755 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 17 | 13 | 18,380 |
Of the 195 complaints, 13 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 13 report an injury (23 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2003 Caravan a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2003 is a good or a bad Caravan: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2003 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 195 complaints, the 2003 ranks 16th of the 32 Dodge Caravan model years from 1984 to 2015 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1996 (1,403). The fewest: the 1984 (18).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Caravan | 18 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1985 Caravan | 49 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1986 Caravan | 49 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1987 Caravan | 69 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 Caravan | 103 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1989 Caravan | 191 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Caravan | 278 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1991 Caravan | 617 | 16 | 107,545 |
| 1992 Caravan | 913 | 27 | 145,000 |
| 1993 Caravan | 949 | 39 | 130,000 |
| 1994 Caravan | 644 | 22 | 99,000 |
| 1995 Caravan | 489 | 26 | 87,000 |
| 1996 Caravan | 1,403 | 119 | 96,000 |
| 1997 Caravan | 711 | 112 | 94,000 |
| 1998 Caravan | 629 | 184 | 80,000 |
| 1999 Caravan | 554 | 229 | 84,000 |
| 2000 Caravan | 470 | 222 | 75,000 |
| 2001 Caravan | 257 | 135 | 54,000 |
| 2002 Caravan | 245 | 155 | 52,500 |
| 2003 (this page) | 195 | 136 | 40,000 |
| 2004 Caravan | 65 | 50 | 70,000 |
| 2005 Caravan | 537 | 444 | 64,000 |
| 2006 Caravan | 173 | 147 | 58,000 |
| 2007 Caravan | 81 | 70 | 65,000 |
| 2008 Caravan | 302 | 222 | 65,000 |
| 2009 Caravan | 118 | 69 | 75,000 |
| 2010 Caravan | 172 | 138 | 51,500 |
| 2011 Caravan | 78 | 48 | 65,000 |
| 2012 Caravan | 87 | 58 | 51,000 |
| 2013 Caravan | 30 | 17 | 48,000 |
| 2014 Caravan | 20 | 14 | 51,850 |
| 2015 Caravan | 23 | 22 | 45,000 |
Every Caravan year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Dodge Caravan years to avoid →
2003 Dodge Caravan recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 9 recall campaigns that name the 2003 Dodge Caravan (3 vehicle campaigns and 6 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 10E034000 | Aug 10, 2010 | EQUIPMENT |
| 08E048000 | Aug 8, 2008 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS |
| 08E039000 | Jun 10, 2008 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS |
| 06E022000 | Mar 13, 2006 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC |
| 05V134000 | Apr 6, 2005 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2003 Caravan lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2003 Caravan.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 59 of the 195 complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: CARAVAN. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: CARAVAN.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2003 Dodge Caravan questions
How many miles will a 2003 Dodge Caravan last?
NHTSA holds 15 owner complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan that list a mileage past 100,000 miles: 7 past 150,000 and 1 past 200,000. Of the 136 complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan that list mileage, the middle half came between 17,000 and 64,000 miles; 15 (11%) came after 100,000 miles, 7 (5%) after 150,000 and 1 (1%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2003 Caravan that never had one.
What are the most common 2003 Dodge Caravan problems?
NHTSA's file holds 195 owner complaints on the 2003 Dodge Caravan. Owners named steering most often: 41 complaints, and half of the 32 that list a mileage came after 34,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 195 complaints, 13 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 13 report an injury (23 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2003 Dodge Caravan a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2003 is a good or a bad Caravan: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2003 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 195 complaints, the 2003 ranks 16th of the 32 Dodge Caravan model years from 1984 to 2015 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1996 (1,403). The fewest: the 1984 (18).
How many recalls does the 2003 Dodge Caravan have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 9 recall campaigns that name the 2003 Dodge Caravan (3 vehicle campaigns and 6 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2003 Dodge Caravan before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2003 Dodge Caravan.