Other brake problem on the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
When other brake problem gets reported
Owners of the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan report other brake problem at a median of 35,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 15,000 miles and a quarter after 40,000 miles, from 17 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 88,000 miles. It is the 11th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 5,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 95,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 87,907 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
53% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,142 miles | 17,101 miles | 35,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 93,049 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $300–$1,800 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 23 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2014, at a median of 5,000 miles, and latest on the 1997 at 150,000 miles.
By volume the 2008 carries the most reports, with 134; the 2012 has 19. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I purchased this particular vehicle 08/18/12 with approximately 17,000 miles. I was told the brakes had already been replaced. After driving the vehicle to approximately 35,000 miles, I was told the brakes needed to be replaced again. Now, at 60,000 miles, I'm being told, once again, that the brakes need to be replaced. After owning multiple vehicles throughout my driving experience (28 years), I have never experienced such a recurring problem with any vehicle I've ever owned. Extensive online research reveals that this is an issue the majority of dodge grand caravan, chrysler town and country and volkswagen owners have experienced as well, and I would imagine this is not the first complaint you've seen regarding this issue? I have not contacted the manufacturer about this issue. I should also add that the brake work done at approximately 35,000 miles was done by a family friend with over 25 years experience in the automotive repair industry, due to an extremely high estimate from the shop I currently use. (in excess of $650.00). *tr
The brakes calipers/brakes are seizing up, after complete replacement of all brake components, this problem recurred in less than 5000 miles, at the same time, the axle bolts were loose and the car became very unstable. *tr
The front brake calipers seize up causing early disk and pad damage. The dealer said the calipers are under warranty, but not the pads or disks. I have the minivan serviced regularly and the brakes were ok. There was a pop sound when the calipers released, but the pads and disks were badly damaged. I now have a $1000 brake problem caused by a defective caliper that was under warranty. I should not have to pay for this. This is not normal wear or my fault. *tr
Also reported on the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan
Other electrical problem
Other engine problem
Fuel pump failure
No-start or intermittent start failure
Stalling while driving
Other powertrain problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 19 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other brake problem happen on the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan?
Across 17 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 35,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 15,000 miles and a quarter after 40,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other brake problem on the 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan?
19 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed