DODGE CARAVAN vs FORD TAURUS

The DODGE CARAVAN (1984–2020, 37 model years) carries 14,266 NHTSA consumer complaints and 76 safety recalls, while the FORD TAURUS (1977–2019, 39 model years) carries 23,867 complaints and 80 recalls. Severity indicators for the pair split as follows: 922 vs 1,480 crashes, 335 vs 684 fires, and 49 vs 49 reported fatalities.

Raw complaint counts favor whichever nameplate has fewer vehicles on the road, so the cleaner lens is components: which specific part families concentrate each model's filings? For the DODGE CARAVAN, the leading complaint category is power train:automatic transmission (1029 filings), followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip and air bags. For the FORD TAURUS, it is vehicle speed control (1827), ahead of power train:automatic transmission and engine and engine cooling:engine. When the two vehicles cluster around the same component, the problem is likely a shared supplier or a shared federal standard under stress; when they diverge, each nameplate has its own defect signature independent of the other.

Average NCAP crash-test scores are not uniformly available for both nameplates in this dataset, which typically means one or both pre-date the 2011 rating methodology refresh. Use the side-by-side table below as your scorecard, but do not treat it as a verdict. Recall counts tell you how many defects the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy; complaint counts tell you what owners are still flagging today; and safety ratings tell you how the vehicle performs in standardized barrier tests — three different lenses on the same underlying question. The "also compare" links at the bottom of this page let you triangulate against neighboring nameplates in each model's competitive set.