Beasley Allen is investigating Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan sliding door lock problems. Owners of 2015-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans report that the rear sliding doors’ lock mechanism fails prematurely, frequently during the warranty period. This component failure creates a hazard to occupant safety and we encourage all owners and lessees of these vehicles to check for proper sliding door lock operation.
Once lock failure occurs, the door lock does not respond to key fob, power button command, or manual operation. Failure occurs in the locked or unlocked position, either freezing a door in the closed position or rendering a door unlockable. Prior to complete failure, some owners report hearing a buzzing sound from the door while actuating the door lock.
Many consumers have reported the defect to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For example, an owner of a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan stated,
“[s]liding rear passenger side door does not lock. manual lock is stuck in the open position and does not change position with the inside buttons or the key fobs.”
Similarly, an owner of a 2016 Town & Country stated,
[s]liding doors started buzzing, days later the door was in the locked position and would not open with my children inside after I had returned from the store. I had to roll the window down to get them out. What if that happened during an emergency? Faulty door actuators are a safety hazard. The correct action should be taken to fix this problem before something preventable happens.
Owners and lessees of 2015-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country vans who have experienced rear sliding door failure are invited to contact Clay Barnett or Mitch Williams, lawyers in our Consumer Fraud Section.
